Corporate careers that are skiing related?

[MI-skier]

I just read the skidiva's post about Vail working to bring more women into the company. My 17 yr old DD is entering college next year undecided but loves everything skiing related. What career paths are options? Do you know of women in upper level management/corporate positions? Did they get mentoring? What have been pro/cons? We'd love to get more information on this possibility.

 

[ski diva]

Good for your daughter, @MI-skier! Years ago, women in the ski industry were rarer than a spotted zebra. Things are really opening up, so it could actually a viable career for her!

I suggest you listen to this podcast, which I link to in my blog post. Once you get through all the Vail stuff, a few of the women Vail upper level management talk about their career paths. I think it's very interesting and relevant to your daughter.

 

[marzNC]

I just read the skidiva's post about Vail working to bring more women into the company. My 17 yr old DD is entering college next year undecided but loves everything skiing related. What career paths are options? Do you know of women in upper level management/corporate positions? Did they get mentoring? What have been pro/cons? We'd love to get more information on this possibility.

I've just finished Chris Diamond's new book, Ski Inc. 2000. Going to get his earlier book that ends in 2016. Highly recommend both as good background for the current state of the ski industry from a business standpoint.

I got the book before it's public release by becoming a subscriber to Ski Area Management (SAM). I got intrigued by SAM looking at the I AM A SNOWMAKER videos several years ago. SAM also has a "10 Under 30" contest every year. My sense is that compared to 10 years ago, far more likely to have a pretty even split between men and women for the nominees.

In the UNC system, several of the colleges have degree programs in Travel & Leisure. Not of interest to my daughter, although she's enjoyed being a camp counselor, but I noticed when we were doing the rounds for Admission visits. My impression is that any sort of major related to business would be helpful. Working at a ski resort as an intern during the summer would be a good way to get an insider's view of the people involved.

The most directly related programs for the ski industry I've come across are at the Colorado Mountain College in Glenwood Springs, which is next to Sunlight and pretty close to Aspen/Snowmass.

https://coloradomtn.edu/programs/ski-area-operations/

 

[marzNC]

a few of the women Vail upper level management talk about their career paths

I've found all the Epic By Nature podcasts quite interesting as a window into the corporate decision making and processes at Vail Resorts. Many of the women in executive positions at VR now moved up thru the ranks. They came from assorted areas: ski instructor, hospitality, finance, marketing. What they seem to have in common is the desire to learn about new areas within the resort environment.

For example, the new GM at Sunapee started as a ski instructor.

https://www.saminfo.com/headline-news/9412-tracy-bartels-named-mount-sunapee-gm

SAM Magazine—Newbury, N.H., Oct. 1, 2019—Keystone Resort (Colo.) senior director of mountain operations Tracy Bartels will assume the role of general manager at Mount Sunapee, N.H., effective Nov. 18. She will replace Bruce Schmidt, who has been in the role forTracy Bartels less than a year, and is now transitioning back to Okemo—where he’ll again serve as vice president and general manager there. He will also oversee Mount Sunapee and Crotched Mountain, N.H.

“Tracy is an incredibly experienced leader, having held roles across nearly all lines of business throughout her tenure,” said Doug Pierini, vice president and COO of Vail Resorts' eastern region. “The combination of Tracy’s depth of operations experience, her leadership, and her passion for mountain communities uniquely places her for success as she makes the move to Mount Sunapee.”

Bartels joined Vail Resorts in February 2000 as a children’s ski instructor at Breckenridge Ski Resort. In nearly two decades with the company, she has held a variety of roles in ski school, food & beverage, health & safety, and mountain operations. Bartels is also actively involved in the community.

“I’m honored to join the team at Mount Sunapee,” said Bartels. “The mountain’s unique character, mixed with the team’s passion for creating the very best guest experience, is something I look forward to contributing to.”

I learned about Bartels when I posted her video about new snowmaking at Keystone just before she moved to Sunapee.

https://www.theskidiva.com/forums/i...nt-to-be-a-snowmaker.19745/page-6#post-394070

 

[diymom]

I walk by a big poster advertising a college with ski related majors every time I ski at Wachusett, I think somewhere out west. But of course I can't remember which school it was. I just did a quick search to see if I could job my memory and found this link:

https://www.collegescholarships.org/blog/2007/12/22/colleges-that-offer-degrees-in-the-ski-industry/

 

[SarahXC]

I enjoyed a documentary on the engineering that went into designing and placing ski lifts which was a career I had never even considered existed beforehand....

 

[MI-skier]

Good for your daughter, @MI-skier! Years ago, women in the ski industry were rarer than a spotted zebra. Things are really opening up, so it could actually a viable career for her!

I suggest you listen to this podcast, which I link to in my blog post. Once you get through all the Vail stuff, a few of the women Vail upper level management talk about their career paths. I think it's very interesting and relevant to your daughter.

Thank you very much!

 

[Christy]

Have you dug around in the corporate websites like Vail?
https://jobs.vailresortscareers.com/corporate/go/Corporate-Headquarters-Jobs/3525600/

There's discussion of types of corporate jobs there. I'd try to communicate with a woman in one of these departments, or maybe someone in HR or a public information office. I bet they'd be charmed talking to a high school girl interested in their career. They could not only give her info on the types of careers but on how one might come to get an internship with them. Maybe there are partnerships with particular universities that serve as a pipeline for them, or, maybe knowing a little bit more about internships will help her snag one.

At the National Park Service people used to "cold" email me regularly asking how to get a job as a historian or just with the NPS in general. I didn't mind giving them advice. It can be surprising when someone learns which jobs are the ones actually in demand.

 

[newboots]

Castleton State University operates the Killington School of Resort Management. It’s a 3-year accelerated program leading to a BS in Hospitality and Resort Management. Classes at Castleton and experience right at Killington.

 

[MI-skier]

Have you dug around in the corporate websites like Vail?
https://jobs.vailresortscareers.com/corporate/go/Corporate-Headquarters-Jobs/3525600/

There's discussion of types of corporate jobs there. I'd try to communicate with a woman in one of these departments, or maybe someone in HR or a public information office. I bet they'd be charmed talking to a high school girl interested in their career. They could not only give her info on the types of careers but on how one might come to get an internship with them. Maybe there are partnerships with particular universities that serve as a pipeline for them, or, maybe knowing a little bit more about internships will help her snag one.

At the National Park Service people used to "cold" email me regularly asking how to get a job as a historian or just with the NPS in general. I didn't mind giving them advice. It can be surprising when someone learns which jobs are the ones actually in demand.

Thank you, great start for looking!