MSS Mid-Fall Newsletter

Early snow in the Tetons 

What a lovely sight! A fringe of frost, new snow creeping down the hillside, moody clouds and the remnant of fall colors- this is a fantastic time of year. If you listen carefully- you can just hear the sound of loaded barbells dropping and sweat droplets hitting the floor in ski/board fitness classes all over the valley. Ah...anticipation.

Pre-Season Training with Samsara 

Speaking of ski/board fitness; if you’re looking for a way to prepare for the season, check out Samsara Experience. This web-based training program offers a fully guided, fascia-driven workout program that you can do at home with minimal equipment. The holistic approach builds strength, agility, and athleticism through essential exercises and mobility training while being adaptable to your space, time, and fitness level. Enroll in the 7-day trial by clicking here and typing “MSS” in the notes! If 30 MSS staff sign up, Zahan Billimoria, the founder of Samsara will host a special in-person, rehab-focused workshop on resolving common joint and tendon injuries using the tools in Basecamp. 

Mountain Updates

Here it is…. the new Sublette Lift! 

The load test was performed Wednesday Oct 23 and, per Rob Holbrooke, “went GREAT!”. The new Sublette lift runs along the approximate alignment of the old lift. One upgrade for the new lift is that the chairs are extra heavy and designed to reduce the impact of high winds. The maze pattern at the base terminal has been re-configured. Skiers/riders will enter the maze from directly east (and downhill) of the terminal rather than from the north side. This means no more traffic crossing lanes. 

Dining Updates 

Our Food & Beverage team are working on the following upgrades to our venues--

• RPK 3 will be re-branded as The Tram Dock. The interior is being updated to create a more welcoming comfortable space. The menu will still be aimed at affordable pub-style food and drink with an expanded après/shareables menu. 

• The adult dining room at Solitude North at the Sweetwater mid-station is also undergoing an exciting transformation. Soon to be named, the restaurant will offer an elevated fine dining experience. The former buffet area will become a bar and seating area, featuring fine wines and craft cocktails. The dining area will offer table service with an upscale lunch menu and an après menu. 

• Café 6311 is also getting a face-lift. The former ticket office has been removed to make way for more seating, while new art and furniture will complete the transformation. With the expanded space and updated decor, the café will offer a more inviting atmosphere. The Café will open at 7 am rather than 8 for the early risers. The grab-n-go style menu will remain at this venue. 

MSS Updates

Last season, SNOW Operating, a snow-sports consulting firm, came to Jackson to start a multi-year process of improving our first day beginner process. The goal is to attract, and more importantly, convert and retain new participants in the sport. MSS management participated, along with representatives from Operations, Grooming, Pipe and Park, Snowmaking, Marketing, and Sales, in a two-day on-site conference this August exploring the opportunities we have here. This visit concluded with a commitment to the design and creation of terrain-based learning features at the Solitude Station as well as examining and updating our adult FDB process from purchase to finish. We are excited about the level of dedication we share with all departments in the conversation to see this come to fruition. 

Launching this year is the MSS Instructor Apprentice Program. This year the MSS will hire as many as 8 Apprentice instructors to support our children’s group products. Historically the schedule of our New Hire Training structure has been inaccessible to local high school and college students. This is an opportunity to change that by using a combination of standard training days on December weekends and team-teaching during the season. We will use the full season to develop the apprentices so that they can come back to the MSS in future seasons as rehires. 

Onboarding & Administration

Onboarding-- this is your day to get the season started! You must have an appointment to take care of administrative tasks. You can make your appointment here. The day before your appointment, you will receive an email with critical documents to complete and sign so that we can process your paperwork and be ready for you. Look for an email from "Human Resources via Docu-Sign."

**Pay attention to the time zone in your appointment confirmation email and convert it to Mountain Time if it was booked in a different one.

Remember to bring appropriate documentation for your employment (a full list of documents that are acceptable is available here). Many people will bring either a US passport OR a driver’s license and SS card. All documents must be current (not expired) and original (not a copy)!

You will receive your uniform during this visit (if you don’t have yours from last year). If you DO have your uniform and need to replace a piece, bring it with you to this appointment. Lastly, if you have any status or wage questions or changes to make, PLEASE let us know prior to receiving your Docu-sign email. It is much easier for us to change information on your paperwork before it is produced! If you have any questions about the above, reach out to James at james.huffman@jacksonhole.com or Ashley at ashley.toon@jacksonhole.com.

If you have a locker-related request or question, please email ashley.toon@jacksonhole.com. Look on ProCard & our employee website for move-in updates and assignments later in the month.

Scheduling, Bookings, and Training

This is the time of year to get all your advance bookings into ProCard! If you need a primer on how to book your privates through ProCard, you may review that process HERE. If you need to book referred instructors or have special circumstances, please email mss.privates@jacksonhole.com.

To promote more early season private lesson business, we have priced full day private lessons at the half day rate from December 2nd-13th. 

Please be sure you have submitted your schedule request form. Supervisors will start working on schedules in mid-November. While we can’t guarantee any particular schedule based on requests, we sure can’t schedule you how you would prefer if we don’t have your request form! Here is your link to the Schedule Request Form. 

As many of you know already, the training calendar is live for registrations! For the second year, we have designated each instructor into a training group that corresponds to your instructor cohort (your cohort is found in your offer letter). Training sessions in December are titled and designed with specific training goals aimed at each instructor’s professional development stage. Look for these designations as you register for your training days. The most popular days do sometimes fill up- register now to get your choice of days! 

Supervisors will be back in their offices starting November 15th. Until then, if you need to reach out to someone regarding your season, please refer to your pre-season contact named in your offer letter: 

• All Private lesson, Adult groups, Snowboard, Adaptive or Backcountry Guides: lexey.wauters@jacksonhole.com 

• All Youth alpine: meaghan.lovely@jacksonhole.com 

• All new instructors: paul.franzeim@jacksonhole.com 

Hope you are all having a fantastic fall and are getting stoked for winter- THINK SNOW! 

Visit the MSS Employee Website for more info here

Mountain Sports School Management

Jackson Hole Mountain Resort

P.O. Box 290

Teton Village, WY 83025