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n the past few years, apps such as Uber and Lyft have and ride, while having a fun experience that hopefully turns
upended the taxi-cab market, creating more convenience into a repeat visit.”
for both consumers and drivers. Tinder and Match.com But the same idea about simplicity applies to today’s
have transformed relationships by obliterating the barri- technology being used, Herrin cautioned. “For example, are
ers of communication, while Airbnb has allowed anyone these systems easy and intuitive to use, or will they make you
with a spare bedroom to enter the hospitality industry. or your guest have to stop and figure out how to use them?
But are downloadable instruction apps about to spur As an industry, we need to keep this in mind when we’re
the same kind of rapid evolution in on-slope service? And evaluating new technology.”
assuming they do, how will they alter one of the most
personal, relationship-building aspects of the ski and snow-
board experience? Powered by Pros?
With more than a dozen ski Many of the new generation of apps
and snowboard booking apps such Having seen are being developed by professional
™
as GoSnow , Makewintermorefun, instructors, or by people with deep
ShredBetter, SkiOtto, and the soon- firsthand what a ties to the instruction business.
to-be-launched SnowCloud either Having seen firsthand what a
™
already available or close to complet- quagmire booking quagmire booking and assigning
ing the development process, snow- lessons can be—especially during
sports school directors are eager to and assigning peak holiday periods—snow pros
find out. have taken a page out of Uber’s
“I am very excited by the idea lessons can be-- playbook, and taken the lead in
of on-demand booking of instruc- especially during streamlining the process for their
tors,” said Jonathan Ballou, director clients and themselves.
of operations for Ski & Snowboard peak holiday “It can take a consumer any-
Schools at Aspen Skiing Company where from 30 minutes to an
(ASC). “The ability to search for periods--snow hour-and-a-half of waiting in lines,
pros by qualification, experience, visiting websites, or making multiple
and specializations is definitely the pros have taken a phone calls just to book an instruc-
way forward. We live in an age where tor,” said Scott Anfang, COO of
consumers have the tools to research page out of Uber’s GoSnow, which, along with setting
and become experts about the prod- playbook, and up lessons, allows users to find car
ucts they plan to purchase, and can pools and riding buddies. “In this
use their new expertise to tailor their taken the lead day and age no one wants to hassle
purchases to their needs.” with that, so a lot of the time they
Ballou believes that, if done in streamlining don’t participate… which is a shame
properly, the ease of on-demand because there’s an entire market
booking has the potential to generate the process for opportunity there that isn’t being
more business for ski and snowboard their clients and addressed properly.”
schools as they will make lesson prod- Anfang, who teaches snow-
ucts easier to buy and less exclusive. themselves. boarding year-round, is also the
Nick Herrin, the CEO of PSIA- coach of the AASI Snowboard Team.
AASI, agrees. “We’re in an era in “GoSnow helps resorts activate this
which our guests expect seamless market and attract new customers
processes, and our employees are looking for alternative ways into their snowsports school,” he said. “It empowers con-
to learn. Both of these groups expect and demand the infor- sumers to choose how they spend their dollars and who they
mation they want, when they want it—and they expect to find spend them with, and reduces the booking process to just a
it in the form they want,” Herrin said. “The goal with PSIA- few simple clicks from a mobile device.”
AASI’s instructional training programs is to help instructors Makewintermorefun.com, a site created by and for PSIA-
make it as simple as possible for the guest to learn how to ski AASI’s Eastern Division, puts an emphasis on connecting

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