MSS May Newsletter
- MSS Admin
- May 10, 2024
- 4 min read
Classic spring in the Tetons! Teton Pass has received upwards of 10” of snow since the beginning of May, however, this weekend it will be sunny and in the 60’s. Judging from the number of cars on the top of the Pass over the last week, the ski/ride bug is still very strong. Having said that, Teton County Parks and Rec has announced Wilson Boat ramp operating hours with the ramp open all day Saturday and Sunday this weekend. Mother’s Day float, anyone?
Peter Wuerslin Celebration of Life
There will be a celebration of life the afternoon of June 15th at the Walk Festival Hall in Teton Village. We will provide more details at a later date. Here is a link to the recent article celebrating Peter in the News and Guide
National Team Selections
Join us in congratulating Bart Flynn, George Flynn, and Ann Schorling on their selection to the 2024-2028 PSIA-AASI National Team! This marks Ann’s third term on the team, while Bart and George will be serving their second terms.
As ambassadors for our profession, Bart, George, and Ann will shape PSIA-AASI education initiatives, supporting personal and professional growth, fostering positive learning experiences, and igniting enthusiasm for our sport and profession.
It is a significant accomplishment to be invited to National Team Selections, and we want to congratulate all the Jackson Hole Mountain Sports School instructors who represented us at Big Sky this year: Sean Baker, Alec Blossom, Beau Brown, Taylor Caballero, and Miles Chapin. Your dedication and skill exemplify the best of our team's talent and we’re immensely proud of your accomplishments.
The endorsement of eight members of our school to try out for the National Team showcases the exceptional talent and dedication within our Mountain Sports School, and it speaks volumes about the thriving culture of excellence and support among our instructor staff.
For more details, check out the PSIA-AASI press release on the new National Team PSIA-AASI Announces 2024-28 National Team! – PSIA-AASI (thesnowpros.org).
Congratulations again to Bart, George, and Ann!
So Long!
All good things come to an end… Oliver Burton- our calm, eye-of-the-storm Assistant Sales Manager is moving on.
Oliver joined us in 2018 as a Sales Associate and soon became a key player on the team. He spent 2019-2021 season as the KR Sales Manager. He relocated to the Hot Room in 2022 and brought his guest-forward ethos to the main stage. He often acted as a lightning rod for concerned guests and lent personalized attention to the ‘out-of-the-ordinary’ sales questions. As Whit commented “he made everyone’s vacation better”.
Oliver will remain in the area this summer working at the JH Golf and Tennis Club. Oliver has started a soil analysis business that he hopes will take him overseas next fall!
Work Hours
Many of you have noticed that your total work hours decreased somewhat after the end of the season. With our ProCard training integration, we discovered that some unpaid training hours were mistakenly included in the calculation of your work hours. As a result, total work hours for the season were overstated for a portion of our staff. In the last two weeks, we adjusted work hours for those impacted, so your actual work hours are now shown in your performance metrics in ProCard.
Having done that, we know that many of you rely on Procard hours to plan your season relative to PPP targets, and we are very sorry for the inaccuracies this winter. We value you and appreciate your dedication to MSS and JHMR. Because of that we successfully advocated to provide Progressive Performance Pay (PPP) based on your April 14th work hours. This means your PPP won't be impacted by the adjustments to work hours. Currently, we're in the final stages of reviewing PPP calculations, and all eligible instructors can expect their payments on Friday, May 17th.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding your work hours or the correction process, please don't hesitate to reach out to Matt (matt.clos@jacksonhole.com) or Ann (ann.schorling@jacksonhole.com). We are here to answer any questions or concerns you may have.
Winter 2024-2025 Preview
As we gear up for summer, here's a glimpse of what's on the horizon for next winter:
We are introducing new early season products for Explorer and Rough Riders. These will be weekend-long camps on December 7-8 and 14-15. These camps aim to create more work opportunities for returning staff, offer shadowing opportunities for new hires, and boost early season business volumes.
Next fall, we will adjust the training calendar to start new hires later. We will also be offering return instructor training during the first week of the season.
Based on feedback from instructors, trainers and supervisors, we are continuing to refine instructor training based on the career cohort structure introduced this fall.
We are budgeting to collaborate with Snow Operating (Eric Lipton’s company) to implement Terrain Based Learning in the Solitude/Eagles Rest area, enhancing our beginner experience.
Based on the results of the employee engagement survey conducted earlier this season, we will begin to develop a communication plan.
We will start a review of the priority system to be sure that this reflects our values and how we place importance for assigning work.
Summer Updates
Get your summer skis out! The Aerial Tram opens Saturday May 18th. Skis and boards will be allowed on the tram; HOWEVER you must exit the ski area to ride or ski. Skiing or riding within the area boundary is not allowed.
And as mentioned in previous newsletters, there is no uphill traffic allowed.
Summer activities, including the Bungee Tramp, Rock Wall, Ropes Course, Via Ferrata and the Bike Park, will open on June 15th (7 days a week!).
The Summer Grand Adventure Camp opens the week before on Monday June 10th. The camp runs Monday- Friday throughout the summer.
The replacement of the Sublette Chair has begun! The roads were plowed starting immediately after tear down was complete. The chairs have been pulled off and staged up in the fields east of the parking areas.
We would love to hear from you this summer! If you have feedback about the winter, want to have a chat about your future, ideas you want to float- any of those- the MSS senior management team is around all summer. Reach out to any of us- Matt (matt.clos@jacksonhole.com), Paul (paul.fanzeim@jacksonhole.com), Ann (ann.schorline@jacksonhole.com) or Lexey (Lexey.wauters@jacksonhole.com). We would love to hear from you!
In the meantime, enjoy the spring!
-MSS Management Team
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