Fall Conference 2023 
Great Glen Outdoor – Nov 14&15, 2023

Tuesday, November 14

Snowmaking and Groomer Expo – Bring your Equipment to Display.  See Nate when you arrive for placement.

Welcome – Reese Brown – CCSAA Executive Director

Snowmaking Workshop

• Short presentations with our partners HKD and SMI on small and inexpensive systems to get you started.
• ROI of installing a small snowmaking system – What you can expect the first year.
• Lessons learned from those that recently installed a system. We will finish with a Q&A and a sharing of systems that members have.

Grooming Workshop

• Introduction to challenges in grooming in difficult situations
• Breakout sessions to share ideas on the following:
  • Rain event followed by a freeze – it’s 32 – 34 degree, it’s going to snow for 2 hours and then rain ½ inch.  What grooming strategy would you create?
  • Snow Event – Forecast of 6 inches starting at 6pm, ended up with 1.5 feet by 6am.  What decisions do you make as this event unfolds?
  • Early Season – Forecast of 6-8 inches of snow early season with no snow forecast for the next few weeks with warm weather?  Do you groom?
• Discussion of breakout results

Garage Tours – Great Glen/Mount Washington Observatory has 3 different garages on site.  We will break into groups and cycle through all shops.

-and/or-

Snow Gun start up – Hang out with the Great Glen Staff to watch the magic happen.  We’ll go from start to finish and see how they go live with artificial snow.

Happy Hour at The Glen House Lobby Bar 

Please join us to reacquaint and meet other owners/operators of ski areas and vendors.  This is where the work gets done!  (cash bar)

Dinner – Dinner on your own, Glen House is a great option.

Fire Pit – Nordic Nate’s Fire Pit with PistenBully Beer

Wednesday, November 15

Registration, Continental Breakfast, Partner Expo and Silent Auction – Great Glen Ski Area Lodge

Great Glen Introduction – Nate Harvey, Winter Opps, Programs and Retail Manager

KEYNOTE – Weather Trends and Snowmaking Insights for the Upcoming Winter – Jay Broccolo, Mount Washington Observatory.   

Join us for an engaging presentation on addressing the weather-related trends and challenges that await us this winter. By comparing the past year and the predictions for the upcoming winter, we will gain a deeper understanding of the climatic factors affecting snowmaking, ski resorts, and outdoor enthusiasts. And of course, blow your hat off weather starts from the top of Mount Washington.

Nordic Pulse Trail Reporting Platform – Rob Manec, Club Outreach and Tech Support from Nordic Pulse

Nordic Pulse was born out of a desire to make grooming reports easier to find for skiers and to help clubs share their trail conditions. They believe strongly that deciding where and when to ski should be a quick, easy, and fun experience.   Whether your ski area is large or very small, they have a solution for you.

Social Break

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Part 1 
Mike Lannen – Founder of Eternity

Pack your bags for a journey into the future of ski area marketing! This session is your boarding pass to exploring the power of ChatGPT. Get ready to turbocharge your marketing efforts, all while keeping your brand’s unique voice front and center.

We’ll map out how ChatGPT can be trained on your own documents to replicate your brand’s voice. Imagine a digital concierge that not only enhances your marketing but does it while perfectly channeling your brand’s personality.

So, come join us and discover how to create an AI that’s ready to take your brand’s voice to the next level. Don’t worry, the only thing we’ll be summoning is your brand’s potential, not Skynet!

Lunch, Silent Auction and Expo – Lunch at the Glen House

AI  WORKSHOP: ChatGPT: Live Training Workshop – Bring Your Laptop! 

Unzip your winter coat and power up those laptops, because it’s time to ski into the practical realm of AI-assisted content creation for your Cross Country Ski Area! This interactive workshop is designed for those who are ready to carve fresh trails in their marketing strategies using ChatGPT.

Ever wondered how to transition from theory to practice? Here, we’ll be taking the AI-led journey further, guiding you step-by-step in harnessing ChatGPT’s prowess. Together, we’ll craft compelling brand copy documents, pen your mountain’s inaugural AI-powered blog post, and even create social media content that resonates with your unique mountain’s story.  What’s on the trail map?

• Hands-on Training: Equip yourself with the skills to make ChatGPT understand and emulate your brand’s distinct voice.
• Collaborative Content Creation: Together, we’ll use AI to write brand-centric copy, blog posts, and social media content tailored for the winter sports enthusiast.
• Live Demonstrations: Witness firsthand the transformation of general AI inputs into brand-specific outputs.
• Guided Exercises: We’ll guide you as you take the reins, allowing you to create content that aligns with your brand’s tone and ethos.

Whether you’re the owner of a well-known ski mountain or a marketing professional looking to add a sprinkle of AI magic to your campaigns, this workshop promises to be a thrilling ride down the AI slopes.

So, clip on your skis and prepare for a descent into the world of AI-powered content creation. We’re about to create some frosty and fascinating tales together, with no cold feet!

NENSA Partnership Opportunities – Heidi Lange, Executive Director and Mackenzie Rizzo, Youth & Introductory Program Director, NENSA

NENSA is far more than a race organization.  Learn about how the NENSA club network supports ski areas, offers local programming, and promotes development of community and sport.

Back Shop and Retail Addons – Drew Gelinas from SWIX and Nate Harvey from Great Glen

This presentation will discuss simplification to your back shop and critical add on sales every retailer should promote.

Final silent auction cash-out and goodbyes.

Share a parting beer with PistenBully

CCSAA Fall Conference Expo Attendees

• SMI Snowmakers
• HKD Snowmakers
• PistenBully
• Prinoth
• Track Inc, – Snow Rabbit
• YTS
• Mountain Grooming
• Morton Trails
• Fischer Skis
• SWIX
• Eternity
• Inter-Mtn
• Fortynine51
• PSIA-AASI
• Crescent Moon Snowshoes