Even when ski hills aren't blessed with an abundance of snow, ski resort managers aren't worried. They work hard to promote and market the ski season, no matter what the conditions.
"Three of us are working at this," says Tanya Smith. She is the public relations coordinator and manager at a ski resort. "One of us has a booth where we talk to people and sign up groups. We make connections with local sports stores and talk to the schools to promote our hill."
Marketing and advertising is another area of management that attracts customers to the hill. Smith works full time with the media, writing press releases and creating special events for the hill. She sets up snowboarding competitions, ski competitions and fun days on the slopes. "We ensure that competitions are open to both skiers and boarders," she says.
Although boarding has become increasingly popular in the last 10 years, Smith says that the hill makes sure it keeps both its skiers and boarders happy. "We don't go after one group or the other," she says. "We're about 50-50, so we want to make sure we have enough facilities and events to keep attracting both."
Smith says that skiing went through a downtime, but its popularity is picking up. "Skiing is the next big thing," she says. "A few years ago, people might have thought skiing was dying out. But boarding actually breathed new life into the sport."
Ski designs, which remained relatively static over the past decades, began changing radically. Designers are now creating wide skis, shorter skis, parabolic skis and twin-tip skis, all as experiments to modernize the sport.
"Skiers want a little bit of the action of the snowboard but they don't want to change," says Smith. "With the new skis, they can do that. People are becoming excited about skiing again."
However, attracting young people to skiing is still difficult for ski manufacturers. "There is still a gradually growing number of snowboarders," says Lee VerBerkmoes. He is a ski hill manager in Michigan. "The ski industry is suffering from a loss of young skiers."
He also says that the great variety of sports available to people may also be having an impact on the ski industry.
"They're competing with lots of different sports and interests," he says. "Snowshoeing, cross-country skiing are popular. Warmer climates are also a factor. People are interested in ecotourism and traveling to other countries. There's a big variety of interests available to people."
You'd think if anyone had time to ski, it would be resort managers. But that's not always the case. Although Smith helps manage the hill, she says that she doesn't get out on the slopes much during office hours.
"When I do get out skiing for work purposes, it isn't as fun anyway," she says. "I don't get to stop and look at the sunshine. I have places to go and events to coordinate."
VerBerkmoes agrees. "When you're on the hill working, you're pretty busy and don't have the time to ski too much," he says.
But whether he's on skis or not, he finds it pleasant to be on the hill. "Getting to be outside some of the time is enjoyable," he says. "I enjoy skiing and everything that goes with that."
Ski resort managers always hope for the best of weather conditions. But VerBerkmoes says that managing people can actually cause the most stress at work. "Getting people motivated and working for you is the more difficult part of the job," he says. "You're always trying to get people to do the best work they can."
While customers are skiing, Smith spends time in her office, making contacts, talking to the media and writing press releases. "It's not all fun and games," she says. "You have to do paperwork, be creative and be 10 steps ahead of the game."
Although she's not always out on the slopes, Smith says she enjoys the fact that she's working at a resort. "It's a great atmosphere," she says. "I get to work at a place where people come to have fun. People who come here are in a good mood and are having a great time."
But Smith doesn't let work stop her from joining in the fun. "I come up on my days off to go skiing," she says. "Personally, I feel that I have the best job in the world."