Fall Conference 2024 Recap – Waterville Valley, NY
The CCSAA 2024 Fall Conference was hosted by the Waterville Valley Nordic Center in Waterville Valley, NH. The 2 day Conference began with snowmaking and grooming workshops and socials on day 1 followed by presentations, breakouts and a vendor expo on day 2.
The Fall Conference is an incredible opportunity for owners, operators, and suppliers from across North America to connect, learn, and share knowledge.
Attendees benefit from engaging educational sessions, live grooming demonstrations, and vibrant social events. Networking remains a cornerstone of CCSAA conferences, and this year’s event was no exception—offering exceptional value.
Snowmaking and Grooming Workshops
The snowmaking workshop kicked off at the Holderness School Nordic Snowmaking Facility. A group of almost 50 toured the snowmaking pond, pumphouse infrastructure as well as discussing gun variations and placements.
Due to the challenging temperatures leading up to the conference and the high winds for the day of, we were forced to abandon the original plan of traveling up the mountain. Instead, the group made their way to the Waterville Valley’s vehicle maintenance facility for a tour and discussion about their vehicle maintenance practices.
That was followed by an in-depth grooming round table and discussion. Our panel included Justin Quin from Woodstock Outdoor Center, Chris Donahue from Waterville and Richard Hodges from White Pine Touring, UT.
Topics included key subjects that every groomer deals with including blading, snow pushing, track setting, grooming intersections, and much more. There were several key takeaways from the discussion, but possibly the most important was knowing your machine and understanding that grooming is not a set and forget proposition. A good operator is making machine adjustments all the time to deal with the different conditions.
Happy Hour at the Hacienda
With thanks to PistenBully, drinks were provided at the Hacienda for all in attendance.
Wednesday, November 13
Day 2 began with the Vendor Expo during a delicious full breakfast. With grooming machines outside of the conference door and tables inside, vendors included Prinoth, HKD Snowmakers, PistenBully, Track Inc. (Snow Rabbit), Mountain Grooming, Morton Trails, Rossignol, SWIX, PSIA-AASI. The Silent Auction was also open at this time.
The conference then went into the more formal sessions beginning with snowmaking.
Snowmaking, Can You Afford Not to Have It? – Ian Jarrett, Executive VP, HKD
Following the hands-on snowmaking workshop, Ian presented a simple system install while also diving into the fascinating science behind snow crystals and the differences between natural and man-made snow. The presentation concluded with examining the financial impact of snowmaking on a real ski area’s budget. The final question, can you afford not to invest in snowmaking?”
Meet Your Guests Where They Are – Digitally – Ryan Triffitt, Owner of Dirigo
Ryan discussed the importantamce of bringing your ski area into the digital world and meeting your customers where they are. Do your offerings change frequently? How many customers rent skis, but don’t know how to put them on? Should they take a lesson? By providing simple digital imagery around your lodge, you can reduce questions, increase the fun your guests will have and increase revenue.
Growing Your Business (Workshop)
Adding an interesting workshop component, the group was challenged yo increase revenue by $50,000 in the next two years. In addition to being a fun exercise, many good ideas were presented by the groups creating great discussion.
Holderness Trail Map
Operating Map
Pumphouse Plan
Holderness Capacity Anaysis
Presntation (Coming Soon)
KEYNOTE – Interpreting the Forecast to Make the Right Decisions For Your Ski Area – Mallory Brooke, Owner and Chief Meteorologist of Nor’easter Weather Consulting –
Mallory gave a fascinating presentation delving into the evolving weather patterns in the Northeast and exploring recent non-traditional temperature patterns during the winter season. She also shed light on the region’s diverse microclimates and the importance of understanding where your weather data originates to accurately track storm timelines. Her insights were invaluable for all Northeast ski areas.
