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Book Review
MEMOIR UNVEILS work for. The author offers
TRIALS, TRIBULATIONS, a close up look at the inner
& TRIUMPHS OF SKI workings of major ski compa-
nies, unapologetically sharing
RESORT BUSINESS skier visit numbers, construc-

tion strategies, and financials.
BY JENNIFER RUDOLPH
And lest not there be drama…
the spectacle of several cor-
Ski Inc. By Chris Diamond. Steamboat Springs, CO:
SKI Diamond Publishing, 2016 ISBN 978-0-9979784-0-7. Pp. 218. porate dealings, both success-
ful and failed, is displayed
MAYBE YOU’VE HEARD THIS ONE: A guy walks into a ski in great detail, including the
town bar, meets a local, is offered a job, and the next thing rise and fall of American
Ski Inc. is available for $24.95 at
he knows, 40 ski seasons have gone by. Such was Chris skidiamondconsulting.com and from select Skiing Company, the multi-
bookstores listed on the author’s website.
Diamond’s foray into the ski industry and the start of a The e-book is available on Amazon. ple attempts to sell Steamboat,
career that lasted until his retirement from Steamboat Ski and the shrinking of Intrawest. The drama extends beyond
& Resort Corporation in 2015. Much about the ski business resorts to include industry associations with Diamond seem-
changed during Diamond’s tenure, and it’s that change that ingly always caught in the middle. The book goes where
serves as the premise for his first book, Ski Inc. very few have gone before and gives the granular play-by-
Edited by Andy Bigford, longtime ski industry editor and play of the merger and break up of NSAA and SnowSports
publisher, Diamond’s narrative is part memoir, part confes- Industries America, and the disassociation of Vail Resorts
sional, and part management training, mashed into an honest from Colorado Ski Country USA.
and insightful unveiling of his four decades in resort opera- Diamond is clear to note his mistakes. Throughout
tions, and rife with leadership and management lessons. Over the book he intersperses learnings based on his own man-
the course of 19 chapters—one of which is dedicated entirely agement style—developed in part from his experience in
to American Skiing Company’s Grand Summit Hotels— Vietnam, which greatly shaped his leadership skills and
Diamond opines on our industry, the people, the companies, influenced his approach to resort operations—as well as
and the future, with the freedom of untethered expression. skills honed by sailing, which he applied in managing dif-
For Diamond, the ski town was Killington, the bar was the ficult situations. He’s also quick to pass down advice once
Wobbly Barn, the local was Foster T. Chandler, and the job was given to him: “Marty Wilson taught me many things, but
in marketing. The year was 1969 and Diamond was armed with most importantly, ‘You can do anything you want, if you
a degree from Middlebury College, a degree from the Graduate just put your mind to it...and read a book.’ ”
School of English at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Diamond reminds us that ski resorts are not immune to
and a notice from the US Army to report for duty in two months. many of the same issues faced by other companies. He describes
The ski area gig paid $25 dollars a day plus free skiing. the challenges of running a resort during turbulent economic
With compelling readability, Diamond traces his career climates such as the oil shortage in the early 70s, the terrorist
from Killington to Mount Snow to Steamboat. The book enter- attacks of 9/11, and the Great Recession. That said, one chal-
tains with weaved-in side stories, such as how his first promo- lenging issue he doesn’t spend time on is climate change.
tion came by way of a note left behind by his supervisor who left With hindsight of four decades in the biz, Diamond boldly
town, and how, in a meeting with his new boss, Diamond heard offers his ideas for the best model of resort ownership. He also
“a lengthy dissertation on the advantages of No. 2 pencils ver- projects what the ski resort business landscape will look like in
sus pens.” There’s the one about the intended hockey game on the future, and one thing he sees is “a dearth of top level talent”
Snowshed Pond. After the Michigan Loader used to clear the when it comes to ski area managers replacing retiring boomers.
pond sank, the game was moved to the sewage treatment plant. In the end, Ski Inc. makes clear ours is an industry where,
And there was that American Skiing Company management for some, a pristine powder line is not as greatly valued as a
conference at a boy’s camp in Maine complete with tents, bunk- robust bottom line.
houses, mice, and an inoperable boat.
In describing the business of skiing, nothing is off limits Jennifer Rudolph recently joined POWDR, an adventure lifestyle
for Diamond, and not just the big conglomerates that owned company, in corporate communications. Previously she was commu-
the resorts he led, but also the holding companies he didn’t nications director for Colorado Ski Country USA for nearly 10 years.

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