2024 Learning Tracks

We are working with our presenters on getting class descriptions and other information you may need and will update the website as we get them.

We have 5 tracks for this year’s convention classes:

  1. Mountain Operations Core

    • Industry Report Card – Litigation, Risk and Operations Session.

      • Ian McIntosh - ASDA Attorney - Crowley Fleck

      • Tim Hendrickson - MountainGuard Senior Vice President

      • Jason Kartchner - MountainGuard Claims and Loss Control Specialist

      • Ryan Lavoie - MountainGuard Director of Risk and Education

      • Dave Byrd - NSAA Director of Risk and Regulatory Affairs

      • Tim Yates - Safehold Special Risk Claims Specialist

    • Lift Operations, everything but the maintenance. Ryan Woolsey, Snowbasin Director of Mountain Operations

      • The lifts have been cleared by the mechanics, now what? Moving people up the mountain safely and efficiently is the key to our success and the importance of what our Lift Operations department does on a daily basis cannot be understated.

      • In this session we will discuss everything that goes into operating a lift effectively and without incident including personnel, training, guest service, operational procedures, logs, mazes, ramps, clearances, signage, unseated passengers, down lift/evac plans, and more.

    • Productive Bystander Intervention - Chauncey Johnson Snow Angels Foundation (Ride Another Day).

      • A practical communication approach with proven tools to de-escalate tensions with reckless guests and help them change their behavior.

    • Building Effective Teams to Enhance Your Culture of Safety - Chauncey Johnson, Snow Angels Foundation.

      • Optimize safety through problem solving on your mountain by leveraging each team member and their strengths.

    • Team Effectiveness: Six Conditions that Predict a Team’s Future - Ed Frauenheim

      • Why do some teams thrive and flourish while other teams - made up of equally capable people - flounder and get stuck? This question haunts leaders daily and makes leadership feel arbitrary. Leaders sometimes blame themselves, blame the team, look for a scapegoat, or scrap the team's project altogether in order to make the difficulty stop.

      • Ineffective teams can cause frustration, turnover, burnout, and can even put guests and other employees in harm’s way.

      • Harvard researchers Richard Heckman and Ruth Wageman pondered the same question about teams and found the six conditions that predict up to 80% of a team's effectiveness. Leaders can use this framework to set their teams up for success - or re-launch existing teams.

      • Getting the six conditions established is a valuable investment to ensure focused team performance especially during periods of volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity. In this interactive session, we’ll discuss learn how to evaluate the six conditions of effectiveness on your team (or teams) and what you can do to get them back on track.

  2. Revenue Centers

    • How to choose software for your resort

    • How to maximize profits - Roundtable

    • Small Resort Roundtable - Two consecutive sessions on Tuesday afternoon. Resorts only.

  3. Resort Management & Administration

  4. Lifts (Maintenance & Ops)

    • Detached Chairlift - Jeff Schmitt

      • Lift Relocating.

    • ANSI - Seth Wallace, FS Utah.

      • Forest Service ANSI Discussion.

    • Vibration Analysis, Laser Alignment - Brad Thorpe, IVC.

      • Vibration and Alignment instruments.

    • Fuses and Breakers - Justin Thomson, Intermountain Fuse.

      • Motor and drive protection.

    • Rigging - Jason Zakotnik, Above & Beyond. Haul Rope Rigging, splicing, inspections.

    • Bearings and More - Sheafler Bearings. Bearings and Grease

  5. BAVO (Base Area Village Ops)

    • Sustainability

    • Environmental Waste (Trash, Recycle, Compost) & Renewable Resources

The Intermountain Ski Areas Association (ISAA) is a trade organization focused on providing our membership of resorts, suppliers and regulatory authorities opportunities for training, exchange of ideas and to foster relationships in order to enhance the guest skiing experience.  Resort membership is made up of ski areas located in Idaho, Montana, Utah, and Wyoming.  Supplier members are local, national and international.

The Intermountain Ski Area Association does not permit or allow harassment, sexual abuse or molestation to occur within its membership or at any conference or activity sponsored by or related to it.  ISAA requires all members act with integrity and be respectful of each other and our membership. ISAA is committed to maintaining a positive learning environment free of harassment and is sensitive to the diversity of its members. ISAA prohibits and will not tolerate harassment because of age, race, sex, gender, color, religion, creed, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, uniform service or veteran status, or any other legally protected status.  Members have a right to learn, socialize and work in an environment free of harassment, whether racial, sexual, or on any other basis described above. 

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