Ski resorts all rely on one essential ingredient - snow. Without snow (and lots of it) a resort cannot open. Many ski resorts have bought another insurance policy of sorts by investing heavily in snowmaking to produce artificial snow when Old Man Winter withholds the natural variety. Wyoming’s Grand Targhee resort may claim that their snow comes “from heaven, not hoses,” but for most North American ski resorts, snowmaking is essential to opening in advance of the lucrative Christmas holiday season. Of course, even snowmaking has its limitations. Snowmaking generally requires temperatures of below approximately 28° F.

But what is a resort to do if the weather is both snowless and warm? December 2012 was a (not so) perfect storm of both record warmth and non-existant snowfall across much of the country. Many resorts struggled to open at all because high temperatures prevented them from switching on their snowmaking systems. Enter weather insurance.

According to the Mountain’s Creek’s complaint, its policy was something that might best be described as a “catastrophic bad weather policy.” It was designed to cover only truly exceptional weather. Everest would have to pay the resort only if during 16-day period from December 12-27, 2011 (i.e. the prime snowmaking window before Christmas), the average temperature, as measured by a complex algorithm, exceeded 33° F for 11 days. For each day in excess of ten days where the average temperature exceeded the 33° F average threshold, Everest was to pay to Mountain Creek $284,970 up to a policy limit of $1,710,000.  Mountain Creek asserts that the average temperature exceeded 33° F for all 16 days, entitling it to the maximum payout. Everest disagreed and asserts that only 9 days were above the threshold, entitling Mountain Creek to nothing.

The dispute comes down to methodology.  Mountain Creek asserts that the actual temperature at the resort, averaged hourly, exceeded 33° F and that Everest has “wrongly denied Mountain Creek’s claim by relying upon hourly temperature measurements at other sites that are colder than the [s]ki [r]esort and do not represent what an actual weather station would record as the daily average of hourly temperature measurements for the exact site at Mountain Creek Ski Resort.”

Consequently, the question is which controls, the actual temperature at the resort or an approximation of that temperature designed “to represent what an actual station would record for the exact site?” Most people would assume that predicting weather is the difficult task. Recording it is supposed to be the easy part.

David Cronheim

The court’s decision will come at a time when the ski industry is seeking to adapt to the threat of climate change. In the wake of the disastrous 2011-2012 winter, resorts are more likely than ever to consider insurance to protect against periods of prolonged warmth that inhibit or preclude snowmaking. Consequently, how the court decides the case could have an impact that reverberate across the country.

On one hand, a decision in favor of Mountain Creek might well by pyrrhic for the industry as a whole as it would doubtless lead insurers to increase premiums or more narrowly define coverage. On the other, a decision in favor of the insurer might lead resorts to believe weather insurance is pointless. After all, if 2011-2012 was not bad enough to collect under such a policy, what winter would be? Regardless of the court’s decision, one thing is certain. Resorts certainly hope it cannot get worse than 2011-2012.

David B. Cronheim, Esq. is an attorney at Norris, McLaughlin & Marcus, P.A. and a Skiing Business contributor. He also writes a ski law blog, Ski, Esq. He may be reached for comment at DBCronheim@nmmlaw.com.

On May 21, 2012 High Sierra will move to a new LEED certified corporate headquarters located at 705 Tri-State Parkway, Gurnee, IL 60031. The new move signifies huge growth for the company as well as modernization and increased use of technology, while being environmentally conscious to accommodate High Sierra’s current and potential retailers.

High Sierra's new HQ

“The steady growth High Sierra has achieved, over the past 33 years, combined with the development of our travel related product assortments, has made this move a critical part of our continued expansion plans,” said Hank Bernbaum, president of High Sierra. “The new LEED modern facility will aid us to expand order processing capabilities for our customers all the while being a good steward of the planet.”

High Sierra’s new headquarters will sit on 12 acres and has a newly designed administrative office, design center, and increases floor space from 150,000 sq. feet to 255,000 sq. feet of distribution area. The new location will provide a foundation for continued customer satisfaction by improving on-time delivery as well as the use of new technology to fulfill High Sierra’s customer requests more rapidly.

High Sierra’s headquarters will be located next to the I-94 Highway where a large illuminated High Sierra sign will be seen by tens of thousands of people per day as it’s one of the main highways connecting Illinois and Wisconsin. It also sits next to two popular tourist destinations, Gurnee Mills Mall and Six Flags “Great America” amusement park.

“The move to Gurnee, IL, represents an enormous growth for High Sierra,” said Bryan Kinsley, chief operations officer for High Sierra. “We are listening to the industry and are committed to providing our customers with products that continue our innovative and functional vision. We look forward to continued growth in the years to come.”

High Sierra is one of the premier manufacturers of innovative bag and adventure luggage. The company’s products appeal to the active lifestyle and outdoor consumers. High Sierra was founded over 33 years ago and has grown to be the tenth largest outdoor company in the United States.    For more information on High Sierra, please call 1 (800) 323-9590 or visit www.highsierra.com.

About High Sierra Sport Company: High Sierra Sport Company, specializing in user-friendly adventure travel gear, offers versatile lines tailored for outdoor enthusiasts, skiers and snowboarders, travelers, students and professionals looking for the smart choice in durable and functional backpacks, duffels and wheeled luggage.

The company is also the official supplier of bags and luggage for the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Team, High Sierra’s memberships include the Outdoor Industry Association (OIA), SnowSports Industries America (SIA) and the Travel Goods Association (TGA).

Well-known in the Pacific Northwest, Summit Sales is a veteran outdoor sales agency with more than 50 years of combined experience in the outdoor footwear and ski industry. The agency’s headquarters and showroom is in Seattle, with a second office in Missoula, Mont. Summit Sales will represent SCARPA in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington, effective immediately.

“Summit Sales is excited to be representing SCARPA in the Northwest,” said Dave Fitzgerald, owner and principal. “We look forward to matching our expertise in footwear sales with a very strong product line.”

Along with Fitzgerald, Summit Sales includes sales representatives Patrick Cook, Justin McGregor, Rob Birzell and Kris Stahl, as well as office manager Anna Baze. The agency also represents Cascade Designs, Osprey Packs, Outdoor Research and ZEMgear.

“We’re really excited to be bringing on Summit Sales to represent SCARPA in the Pacific Northwest,” said SCARPA North America Director of Sales Mark Mathews. “This is a really strong sales team that combines a tremendous amount of great outdoor footwear and ski boot experience with top-notch customer service and training. Dave and his team are a great fit for our brand and I’m confident they’ll hit the ground running to provide great sales and service to SCARPA customers.”

Summit Sales can be reached at (206) 780-8248.

Paul Nanawa

In internal promotions, Paul Nanawa was promoted to Sales Service Manager after working at SCARPA for three years as Sales Service Coordinator. In his new role, Nanawa will take on the added responsibility of managing the dealer service team, as well as continuing to work with key accounts, organizing sales meetings and trade shows, managing the sample fleet, and supporting SCARPA’s outside sales force.

Steve Jozefczyk was promoted to Direct Sales Coordinator after starting at SCARPA in 2008 as a Sales Service Representative. In 2010, Jozefczyk began working on the direct sales side of the business, managing pro and e-commerce sales and events. As the new Direct Sales Coordinator, he takes on additional responsibility with the direct-sales side of the business and will also coordinate activities of the direct-sales team.

“Both Paul and Steve have really stepped up in their jobs at SCARPA, and I’m pleased to be able to reward that effort with these promotions,” Mathews said. “They are both really important members of the incredible team we have here at SCARPA North America.”

About SCARPA and SCARPA North America

Founded in 1938, SCARPA builds performance footwear for climbing, hiking, skiing, mountaineering, trail running and other outdoor pursuits from its headquarters in Asolo, Italy. SCARPA has been owned and operated by the Parisotto family since 1956. In 2005, SCARPA opened its North American headquarters in Boulder, Colorado., staffed and directed by veterans of the North American outdoor industry, to oversee sales, marketing and distribution in the U.S. and Canada. For more information about SCARPA footwear, visit www.scarpa.com.

Sure, the gear is to blame. But whose fault is it? The rental shop employee, the shop manager or owner, or the skier?

Some shop owners say it’s all of the above.

Scott Foster, owner of Lone Mountain Sports in Big Sky, Mont., says it’s a combination of rental shop employees not being trained well enough-which stems from shop managers and owners not training them-and skiers wanting to ski, not stand in line.

“They just want to get the getting of equipment over with,” Foster says.

Quick-moving rental lines are both good and bad, he acknowledges. It gets people skiing sooner, and the shop can fulfill more rental orders, and make more money. But with a fast turnaround, skiers don’t always get the service they need, which can result in a painful day on the hill.

“If the customer has a bad experience, there’s a good chance, especially on the rental side, that they may be one and done,” says Steven Richter, manager of the Ski Stop in Plainview, N.Y. “I certainly have seen some folks turned off by a bad rental experience.”

But even those shop owners and managers who think rental shops could be more renter-friendly know that, ultimately, they serve the industry.

“It’s kind of a cattle call, but they get you in and out,” says Denny Sachen, owner of Doc’s Ski and Sports in Santa Monica, Calif.

Sachen’s shop stopped renting skis in the ’80s, but he knows the business side of renting and says that rental shops help attract new skiers to an expensive sport. Rick Holliday, owner of Ski Frisco Sports in Frisco, Texas, agrees.

“The exact role of a rental shop is to bring new skiers into an expensive family sport,” Holliday says.

The biggest failure in the rental industry, he says, lies with bootfitting, because many rental shop employees don’t take the time to properly fit a renter. That means the shop is sending out already-anxious first-timers who don’t know they’re doomed from the start.

“That’s why the concierge boot people are doing so well,” he says.

One of those concierge companies, Black Tie Ski Rentals, is capitalizing on the stresses of renting gear and making sure new skiers and experts alike want to come back.

“Our whole model is based on a great experience,” says Joe Sternberg, Black Tie Ski Rentals’ co-founder. “My whole philosophy has always been bringing people back to the sport. If you lose sight of that, I think you’re in trouble.”

To ensure that customers are happy, Black Tie relies on quality gear—including boots—and a well-trained staff that caters to clients.

Sternberg says a vast majority of revenue from many ski shops comes from the rental department, so it’s worth investing more time and money into serving customers better.

Some shop owners and managers recommend having an experienced bootfitter in or near the rental area during busy times to help with hard-to-fit feet. Others say starting inexperienced employees in the rental department does them and the renter a disservice and is the equivalent of the blind leading the blind.

Foster feels there’s still some work to do, but focusing on the need of new skiers is a fine start.

“That’s definitely a good approach: trying to get more people involved by making that first experience or the first handful of experiences way better,” he says.

How do you think the rental market impacts the industry?

Here’s the press release from Suunto:

Amer Sports and Suunto are pleased to announce the promotion of Jean-Yves Couput to the position of Global Marketing Director for the Suunto brand.

Couput has recently worked as Global Outdoor Brand Manager for Salomon and Marketing Director for Amer Sports Winter and Outdoor Americas, (ASWO), which includes Salomon USA, Suunto USA and Atomic USA. As the new Global Marketing Director for Suunto, he will be a member of the worldwide Suunto management team reporting directly to Suunto President Mikko Moilanen.

Jean-Yves Couput

“In Jean-Yves we are getting a visionary brand leader and an enthusiastic consumer-centric marketing expert on board,” says Suunto President Mikko Moilanen. “We have high expectations in Jean-Yves being one of the catalysts for Suunto’s growth in the consumer market.”

“We will miss having Jean-Yves as part of our team in the Ogden office,” says Mike Dowse, ASWO General Manager and President.  “But it will be great to continue to have him in the Amer Sports family. This new chapter in his professional life will be rewarding for him and he will provide great leadership for the Suunto brand.”

Couput will take on his new role August 1, 2012, and the current interim head of global marketing, Michael Sinclair, will stay on until then to ensure a smooth transition.

“As ASWO Marketing Director, Jean-Yves showed clear passion for Suunto in the United States, and made impressive positive strides for the brand domestically,” says Nora Stowell, Suunto USA Vice President and Business Director.  “Now we’re looking forward to seeing how he will take this even further as he offers marketing direction at the global level. It’s a great hire for worldwide success, and will greatly benefit the US.”

“I really am excited and proud to be given the opportunity to join the Suunto Global team,” says Jean-Yves Couput. “Suunto sets a rare example in the sporting goods industry as a power brand. It has not only the power to grow exponentially, but the power to enhance lives as well.  It’s a brand where the sources of innovation and inspiration never sleep.”

Check out this infographic from Milargo Mobile Marketing to see how consumers are using their phones:

The internationally recognized pro skier, climber, trail runner and hiker recently kicked off the 2012 Ring of Fire Volcano Tour in the Pacific Northwest. McMillan and fellow Garmont athlete Chris Davenport will attempt to climb and ski the largest Cascade volcanoes - 14 of them in 18 days.

Jess McMillan

“Jess brings a knowledge of skiing and competition to Garmont demonstrated by her ability to consistently push the limits of female ski athletes,” said David Fee, President of Garmont N.A. “She will be a huge addition to our athlete team.”

McMillan’s contributions to the Garmont brand will include rigorous product testing providing professional feedback integral to the design of the high performance A.T. boots.

” I am thrilled to be a part of the Garmont athlete team,” McMillan said. “They make an outstanding line of boots and keep pushing the edge of boot manufacturing to better their best. I respect that.”

Fans of Garmont and McMillan can follow her progress on the Ring of Fire Tour as she sets her sights on Mount Baker, Glacier Peak, Mount Rainier, Mount Adams, Mount St. Helens, Mount Hood, Mount Jefferson, Mount Shasta, and Lassen Peak at blog.spyder.com

SIA’s Board of Directors also voted to not increase booth space fees for the 2013 SIA Snow Show, which represents seven years of booth fees remaining the same.

“After this season’s less than stellar snowfall, it’s encouraging to see our industry continue to stay positive and look to the future. Selling out booth space this far in advance certainly speaks to the relevance of the Snow Show and its importance to the entire snow sports community,” commented SIA’s Chair, Tim Petrick.

The 2013 SIA Snow Show is scheduled for January 31-February 3, 2013 at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver and expects to draw thousands of attendees including suppliers, retailers, reps, athletes and professionals from the snow sports industry. SIA’s On-Snow Demo/Ski-Ride Fest will follow the Snow Show at Winter Park Resort and Devil’s Thumb Ranch from February 4-5, 2013.

“The great thing about the SIA Snow Show is that you get to see entire lines as well as browse for things that may fill gaps. Comparing sales statistics and products regionally is great, but it’s even better to hear what people on the other side of the Mississippi are saying. I feel by going to Denver you get a true sense of the over-all industry vibe,” commented Breg Culver, owner of Sliders Snowboard Shop based in Colden, NY.

The SIA Snow Show consistently provides the most authentic and relevant show experience for the snow sports industry. In fact, 94% of exhibitors and 96% of retailers surveyed this year met their objectives at the SIA Show. The SIA Show floor presented 96% of the supplier snow sports market share with 80.7% of the industry’s retail buying power (a 3% increase over 2011) in attendance to see the latest in snow. The 2012 Show included 334,640 net square feet, 470 exhibitors, 927 brands as well as over 1,000 television, radio, newspaper and online journalists covering the new products, events, appearances, concerts and parties that happen only during the SIA Snow Show.

“The SIA Snow Show is a resounding success for our company; it’s the perfect blend of business, fun, and snowboarding.  The positive vibe that emanated from this year’s Show has come around full circle with SIA selling out this early,” added Dan Sullivan, Director of Sales, Rome Snowboards.

“The Snow Show is really the only place where all the companies bring together their infrastructure for the industry to meet and discuss pending issues, future ideas, problems, solutions, etc,” said Andrew Shaw, rep for Marker Volkl USA, Baffin Polar Proven, Bern Unlimited, Seirus Innovations, Superfeet, and Under Armour.

During the two-days of the On-Snow Demo/Ski-Ride Fest, snow sports retailers and media test out gear and accessories previewed at the Show including ski, snowboard, Nordic, AT, and backcountry products while other attendees get time on the slopes/trails and hang with industry friends. The Demo is hosted in-conjunction with the Western Winter Sports Reps Association’s (WWSRA) Rocky Mountain Demo and in partnership with Cross Country Ski Areas Association (CCSAA).

For updates on events, seminars and general information regarding next year’s Snow Show and On-Snow Demo, please visit siasnowshow.com. And for 24/7 updates on fashion, industry news and SIA year-round member programs, visit the SIA Social Dashboard and stay connected with SIA’s Facebook page, Twitter feeds (#SIA13), photos and videos.

We caught up with Crate, the president of Cross Skiwear USA,  to find out more about what he’s learned bringing a brand to the U.S. and what his plans are for it in the future.

What are the hardships of bringing a brand to the U.S.?
We’re fortunate to be charged with marketing and sales of a brand that has been globally distributed for 25 years and in 23 countries worldwide, so a lot of the lessons of an upstart brand have already been learned-not to say there aren’t hurdles. The most important and difficult aspect in any business venture is identifying people you want to partner with because they need to share your vision and goals to build value.

During our due diligence process when evaluating the decision to bring Cross to the U.S., we took a deep dive into the Swedish-based design and production teams-essentially the departments out of our control. After several meetings with our global team, we were soundly convinced that our vision for Cross in the U.S. was aligned. From our Sweden-based creative group, who has a disciplined Scandinavian design ethic to our Shanghai office that manages our production and deliveries, we were impressed with the entire team.

Walt Crate with his kids

You’re playing in a field with a lot of big fish as well as small ones that already have name recognition. What are you doing to increase Cross’s awareness?
Our team, Neskowin Outdoor Inc. (the Cross Skiwear distributor) spent years building the Salomon brand in the U.S., so we are keenly aware of the market and key media players, and have learned what works and what doesn’t. So to kick it off in 2009, we launched a resort-targeted ambassador network in the markets that we wanted to approach. Cross Ambassadors are real people living real mountain lifestyles. Not paid athletes, but people with diverse backgrounds, jobs and interests who live the mountain lifestyle because they need the mountains to make themselves whole.

Friends both locally and virtually love to listen in and see how our Cross Ambassadors are living their dreams, and we’re doing our best to support their passion. Our ambassador network is different than the typical free flow program. We have communication metrics and results that each person must achieve in order to continue with the program. Our intent is to deliver sales results for our retail partners.

Cross will continue our PR and multimedia, integrated advertising and social networking campaign for fall 2012. Our fall 2012 campaign, yet to be unveiled, aims to drive consumers in-store and online to participate more intimately with Cross and our retailers. Our goal is for skiers and snowboarders to buy locally with a global incentive to enhance their mountain lifestyle.

Most importantly, we take a boutique approach to delivering value for our retailers by building custom in-store marketing programs to build awareness of Cross with their customers.

Who’s your closest competition, and what are you doing to separate yourselves?
The consumer who’s buying Cross doesn’t want your dad’s classic alpine jacket, nor are they going ice climbing or mountaineering. Cross attracts a smart, sophisticated consumer looking for contemporary style with technical performance but doesn’t want to look like everyone else in the lift line.

Communicating our Swedish heritage is key to standing apart along with our boutique approach to servicing our accounts. Our Swedish emphasis starts with something as simple as our color pallet and by taking design inspiration from northern Sweden architecture and native tribes.

What are you doing to entice retailers to take a chance on a brand that’s relatively new to the U.S.?
The first step was putting a great sales and service team in place that believed in the brand as well as our solid marketing and distribution strategy. Our retailers tell us they like the high margin Cross delivers and the exclusive distribution strategy, which we will continue to employ. Where those “big fish” look to support just a few key accounts, we’ve made a commitment to a very personal level of service for every one of our accounts. We want to build custom account plans for every one of our retail partners.

Cross concept store in Sweden

How do this year’s sales compare to last year’s at this time, and where are you trying to expand?
We had a soft launch for fall 2010 with six specialty accounts in the U.S. In fall of 2011, we kicked off a national marketing campaign, and we more than doubled our retail presence in doors and dollars.

We’ve made significant investment in launching in the Northeast, Midwest, Mid Atlantic and Northern California regions for fall/winter 2012. We’ve confirmed pre-season orders with specialty accounts in each of those territories to go along with growth in our existing markets of Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and New Mexico.

Cross does ski and golf apparel. How do those two overlap?
We love the brand extension that Cross realizes from someone who sees Cross golf apparel in the Pebble Beach pro shop. A Cross rain or wind jacket and pants on the California coast is sometimes essential for a comfortable round. That same consumer visiting Vail sure won’t hesitate to buy a Cross ski jacket when they see Cross in Gorsuch. Skiers golf. And golfers ski. Ask Phil Mickelson.

What advice do you have for others who are trying to bring a brand to the U.S.?
Have unwavering conviction and integrity. As a brand marketer and distributor, several elements are out of our control (design, production, deliveries from overseas, etc.). But our belief in the specialty retailer, and our fight for our retail partners’ success won’t be compromised. Holding all parties-Cross AB (Sweden), our manufacturing vendors, our accounts and ourselves-to a truthful and tenacious effort is how we test ourselves everyday. It’s good advice we’ve experienced over our 30+ years in the ski and outdoor business. All that and have a very healthy banking relationship!