Selling Snow

Welcome to Selling Snow , the podcast for ski industry pros, marketers or anyone who wants to learn more about marketing in the ski business. I’m your host, Andrew Zwicker, with 25 years in and around marketing skiing, and this show is all about learning from the best in the business, so you can up your marketing game,or just get a peek behind how ski resort marketing works. Our first episodes include hilarious and candid conversations with Michael J Ballingall of Big White, Lonie Gleiberman of Mount Bohemia, Marin Kejvel of Ski Cape Smokey, Jeff Penseiro of Baldface Lodge and Jason Levinthal of J Skis. Every episode tells the backstory on the guest, their ski area or ski business. Then it does a deep dive into how they market and sell their product from spectacular failures to keen wisdom and insights that you can use today to up your own marketing game. Grab a hot chocolate, sit back and enjoy conversations with some of the best on how they are selling their ski business, because there's no business like snow business on Selling Snow.

Selling Snow is a business podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 30 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Unknown Host hosts Selling Snow, a business show with 30 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #29

  Ep.27 - Lachlan Blyton-Gray of Selwyn Snow Resort on Finding and owning their niche

  Aug 9, 20261h 1m

  It’s perhaps not well known, and potentially contentious, but just outside of Selwyn Australia is home to the first ski club, potentially on earth. The Kiandra Pioneer Ski Club was formed in 1861. By 1957, they had the first t-bar, and in the 60s and 70s, they moved up the road to the current site at Selwyn Snow Resort. 50 years later, it burned to the ground, and they got a unique opportunity to start fresh General Manager Lachlan Blyton-Gray shares how they rebuilt a better guest experience, own their niche that the bigger destination resorts simply can't compete in, and turned one of the darkest moments in the resort's history into a long-term competitive advantage. So grab a meat pie and a hot choccy while we head to Selwyn for a chat with General Manager, Lachlan Blyton-Gray.

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  Episode #28

  Ep.26 - Part 2 - James Urquhart of Mt. Hutt

  Jul 28, 202645 min

  Ok, where we left off in Part 1, James was just giving us the rundown on Mt Hutt and his career leading up to it, and getting into the family ownership and family vibe of the mountain, where most of the staff have been there 3 years or more, if not decades. Now let’s dive right back in for Part two as we get into a chat on marketing, sales, operations and all of the inside skiing candid stories, advice and tips. Here’s Part 2 with James Urquhart of Mt Hutt in New Zealand. Get all 10 Actionable Insights from this episode at www.sellingsnow.com

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  Episode #27

  Ep.26 - James Urquhart of Mt. Hutt - Part 1

  Jul 28, 202634 min

  Imagine a ski area built by its community. Picture the locals of the small farming town of Methven, New Zealand, looking up at the mountain above them when one of their mates says, "I've got a bulldozer... let's push a road up into those alpine bowls. That would be an incredible place to ski." Fast forward more than 50 years, and the grandchildren of that original road builder are still maintaining the same 12 kilometre gravel access road that climbs 1,200 vertical metres to the ski area. That's the kind of community spirit and family culture that launched Mt Hutt, a mountain that's still part of a family-owned ski business today. This week, we're heading to New Zealand to chat with James Urquhart, General Manager of Operations at Mt Hutt. With more than three decades on the mountain, James shares the leadership philosophy and operational decisions that have transformed Mt Hutt into one of the Southern Hemisphere's premier ski destinations. In this episode, you'll discover why lowering food prices can actually increase revenue, how investing in infrastructure dramatically reduced weather closures, why beginners and intermediates are the biggest opportunity for sustainable growth, and how a family-first culture has created remarkable staff loyalty and long-term success. So grab a Speight's, and let's chat with James Urquhart of Mt Hutt. Get all 10 Actionable Insights from this episode at www.sellingsnow.com

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  Episode #26

  Ep.25 - Idar Aaboen and Nina Lensebakken of Stryn Sommerski, Norway - Build it rock by rock.

  Jul 20, 202653 min

  How a Norweigan Summer Ski Area Survives with Lean Operations, Loyal Guests & Zero Marketing Budget. Skiing in the summer is awesome. There is no doubt about that. But at the same time, the combination of convincing people beyond the diehards to come skiing in the summer and being operationally efficient enough to eek out a profit, isn’t an easy task. ​This week we’re headed North to the Stryn Summer Ski center in Norway. Open for only a short season starting in late May when their access road gets plowed out and usually running into July, sometimes all summer, but increasingly less in recent years. ​It's off the grid, powered by generators, battling unpredictable weather, and operating with a tiny team. Yet every summer, skiers and snowboarders travel from around the world to ride there. ​So what's their secret? ​It isn't a massive marketing budget. In fact, they don't really have one. ​It isn't fancy infrastructure or endless staff. ​Instead, it's all about running lean, building loyal customers, leading from the front, and making smart business decisions one step at a time. ​In this episode, I sit down with the owner of Strynn Sommerski, Idar Aaboen and his partner in life and business, general manager Nina Lensebakken, to talk about what it really takes to keep a small ski area alive in a non-traditional ski season. Along the way, we dive into authentic marketing, operational efficiency, customer loyalty, leadership, and why sometimes the best growth strategy is simply building your business... rock by rock. Find all 10 Actionable Insights at www.sellingsnow.com

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  Episode #25

  Ep.24 - Part 2 Lexi Dowdall and Brandon Ott of Alta, Utah. - Stewarding a Skiing Legend

  Jul 13, 202641 min

  In Part 1 , Brandon Ott and Lexi Dowdall from Alta Ski Area shared how one of the most respected brands in skiing has spent nearly nine decades protecting its culture, its skiing experience, and its identity. Today, we're picking up right where we left off—and now the conversation gets into some of the topics Alta is probably best known for. We're talking about the skiers-only policy, what it's like operating beside Snowbird while offering a completely different experience, how they think about destination visitors and the Ikon Pass, and why sometimes the best way to stand out in a crowded industry isn't by adding more... it's by staying true to who you are. There are some fascinating business lessons in this half of the conversation that go well beyond skiing, so let's jump back into Part Two of my conversation with Brandon Ott and Lexi Dowdall from Alta Ski Area. Get all 10 Actionable Insights from this episode at www.sellingsnow.com

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