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postings of the LSSM/BAF First                                  All New Premium
Day Faces initiative, resulting                                 Digital Signage
in considerable media buzz                                      CPS (Computer Panorama &
and invaluable exposure for
Wachusett.                                                      Parking Guidance System)

    Recognizing that one of the                                 iSKI App Service &
barriers to trying the sport is often                           Interactive Trail Map
the intimidation factor, Wachusett                              MediaCam 3.0
produced a first-timer “how-to”
video that walks viewers through                                (Live Streaming)
everything they need to know
about that initial visit to a ski                                                                           SUMMER 2016  |  NSAA JOURNAL  |  41
area—how to dress, how to load
a lift, and how to put a boot into
a ski, among other guidelines.
The video is posted on the resort’s
website, www.wachusett.com, as
well as on YouTube.

    The resort also offers a six- or
eight-week learning program for
local 4th through 12th graders,
and some 10,000 students
from 150 schools in three states
participate in the program each
season. Approximately 10 percent
start the program on the first day Level 1 lessons, offering
Wachusett a tremendous opportunity—if not a sense of
responsibility—to make those first experiences on the slopes
really count, Stimpson said.

    Leveraging the advantages of its large metro markets,
Wachusett uses digital ads and its website to emphasize how
easy it is to get to the area. Those who ride the “ski train,”
Boston’s weekend commuter rail service (the T), can get a
free shuttle ride to the resort.

    Wachusett’s program this season resulted in conversion
rates between 35 percent and 125 percent higher than in
2014-15. More significantly, that increase comes in a year
when overall skier visits were down 20 percent. All in all,
Wachusett is doing everything it can to create a welcoming
environment for beginners so they can feel relaxed and
have fun while learning to ski and snowboard. By making
it easier for people to learn, Wachusett is making it easier
for them to continue their journey to becoming lifelong
skiers and snowboarders.

The Conversion Cup Award, a large silver trophy based on a
Stanley Cup prototype, is a traveling award. Wachusett claims
ownership of the Cup for one year, until the next winner is
announced at next year’s NSAA National Convention May
5–8, 2017, in Scottsdale, Arizona.
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