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Chandler Burgess/Killington Resort
Killington’s Beginner Conversion Study results not only inform customized learning programs but have also led to incentives for employees to bring
new people to the sport.
opportunities? Some have seized on the information in the the US. Managers and staff are encouraged to review these
Beginner Conversion Study to ramp up their conversion pro- results and to consider ways to improve conversion at their
grams at their resorts, with quantifiable results. However, own ski areas.
more ski areas across the country need to enhance their focus To get you started on some ideas, here are examples from
on conversion efforts to move the needle nationally in terms four ski areas that have implemented specific changes to
of overall number of participants and total skier visits in improve beginner conversion at their resorts.
Killington, VT Arapahoe Basin, CO
Killington won the NSAA Conversion Cup in the 2014- Using data to make decisions has long been a management
15 season, and since that time has only continued to ele- tenet at Arapahoe Basin. Staff at the ski area look at the
vate their beginner conversion efforts. First, Killington has results of the Beginner Conversion Study to help understand
addressed the cost issue mentioned earlier by creating a pro- the motivations of people who choose to learn at A-Basin,
gram to give participants in their 4-Day Discovery Program the intent to return this season and next season, and the
a free pair of skis or snowboard (with bindings) at the end of comments about what newcomers liked best and liked least.
the fourth day. Peggy Hiller, the director of Really Cool Basin
Second, Killington has taken advantage of the friends/ Experiences, noted that “the Beginner Conversion Study
family motivator by giving each of their employees two free was one of the pieces of data that we used to . . . cre-
learn-to packages to distribute to their own friends and fam- ate an easy-to-understand beginner lesson plus rental
ily. Leveraging their employee base to generate new partici- plus lift ticket product this season. We were also work-
pants is an excellent example of using the results of the Beginner ing with Snow Operating, who helped us come to this con-
Conversion Study to make a change to beginner programming. clusion, too.” The package costs $125 for adults and has
Third, the importance of beginner conversion at had very strong response from beginners so far this season,
Killington is not just the responsibility of the snowsports Hiller said.
school, it is part of every department’s training and culture. The Beginner Conversion Study gives A-Basin manag-
Beginners are identified in various places at the resort—in ers something to look at to reinforce the importance of con-
the rental shop, in lodging, and in restaurants around the version. It’s easy to get lost in day-to-day operations and lose
resort. Killington challenges every department to come up focus on beginner conversion. The online results are import-
with ideas to improve the first-time experience and to get ant to keeping track of what new snowboarders and skiers
guests to return. are saying about their experience at Arapahoe Basin.
SPRING 2018 | NSAA JOURNAL | 7
