MSS Mid-Summer Newsletter

Summertime in Teton Village! Yoga on the Deck, Concert on the Commons, Mountain Sports School activities have been open for a month, and all our teams are hitting their stride.  Congratulations! Senior Team We’re excited to share that MSS Director Matt Clos has joined the JHMR Senior Team. In this expanded role, he brings valuable insight from MSS operations to help shape company-wide strategy and decision-making. His employee-first, guest-focused, and data-driven approach will support thoughtful, effective leadership across the resort. Matt will report directly to CEO Doug Pierini. 

NSAA Safety Award  Jackson Hole Mountain Resort was awarded the NSAA’s Best Overall Safety Program for large resorts in 2025. Below is an excerpt from the award announcement: 

“Jackson Hole’s safety team set out to reduce reckless skiing and riding through education, operations, and accountability. They used Snow Angel Foundation’s Triangle of Safety and placed messaging prominently, earning 600,000 homepage impressions, 700,000 in-app views, and 72,000 pre-arrival emails with a 70% open rate. Notably, they removed vertical feet from the app leaderboard to discourage fast skiing. In-person messaging included wall wraps, lap maps, and napkins. Operational efforts featured tram announcements, specialized zone signage, a 50% increase in speed control hours, and an 83% rise in documented staff-guest interactions about reckless skiing. For their comprehensive approach, NSAA awarded Jackson Hole Mountain Resort the Best Overall Safety Program.” 

This recognition reflects the collective effort of staff across all departments who prioritize guest and employee safety every day. We’ll be building on the success of last winter’s programming this coming season, with a continued focus on reducing reckless skiing and riding through education, operations, and accountability. 

Mountain Project Updates  Winter Projects Most of this summer’s major projects are happening underground. The summer projects team is installing new water and sewer lines that will eventually bring running water and flush toilets to Corbet’s Cabin, Sublette, and Thunder. While this is a multi-year effort and won’t be completed this season, it marks a significant step forward. 

We’re beginning a multi-year project to add snowmaking infrastructure to Rendezvous Trail and South Pass Traverse between Sublette and Thunder. Above ground, we’re constructing a new chair maintenance building at the base of Sublette to better support our lift maintenance team. 

Summer Projects 

For the summer, we have created a summer kids adventure map and a scavenger hunt, which have been well received. Plus, a much-needed beginner mountain bike pump track has been added to the base area. It is situated just above the Tin Can Cantina - great viewing potential! 

Summer at the MSS 

Summer is in full swing and it’s always amazing to see how much is happening: sightseeing, Kids Camp, Via Ferrata, tandem paragliding, the Bike Park, ropes course, bungee trampoline… everything is cranking. 

If you haven’t made it out yet, stop by, we’d love to see you. Full-Time winter employees get free sightseeing access (just bring your winter pass), and Part-Time employees get 50% off. When friends or family are in town, remember the Via Ferrata, it’s an incredible mountain experience and is very accessible. 

Richard Morse, one of our Activities Supervisors (and Adult Alpine Class Supervisor), is recovering handily from a hip replacement surgery earlier this summer. His buggy driving skills have really accelerated. 

Jake Vanderwell, a winter Pioneer Supervisor, is expanding his role at the Via Ferrata. In addition to guiding and supporting safe and efficient operations on Ryan Ravinsky’s day off (VF Supervisor), Jake is focusing on outreach and programming to grow the VF business. 

Also taking on a larger role in her Summer Camp Supervisor position is Hillary Fontaine. A Rough Rider Supervisor in the winter, Hillary brings a wealth of experience and enthusiasm for programming and early childhood development to her summer role. 

Winter Planning 

Winter planning never really stops. While summer is in full swing, we’re deep into preparing for next season, dialing in products, launching hiring, and getting a head start on staffing. Here are a few updates as we look ahead to winter 2025–26: 

Products  Youth seasonal programs went on sale on April 9th, and the BYO Locals’ groups went on sale with season passes on May 1st. Both programs saw strong early sales. All other winter products will be available for sale August 1st, including ProBooking for instructor managed private lessons. 

Hiring  Winter applications for all MSS positions opened July 15th. This is early by a full two weeks. The recruiting team is looking forward to capturing great early season applicants to build the phenomenal ‘freshman’ class for winter season 2025-26. Interviews will start in the next couple of weeks. Please let anyone you speak with that is interested know they can find more information and applications at Mountain Sports School Employment - Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. 

We will also be accepting applications for a Winter Supervisor position this summer. If you are interested in learning more about joining the MSS management team, feel free to reach out to Paul Franzeim (paul.franzeim@jacksonhole.com), Lexey Wauters (lexey.wauters@jacksonhole.com) or Matt Clos (matt.clos@jacksonhole.com). 

Winter Job Offers  We’re getting a head start this season. Keep an eye on your inbox; offers are scheduled to go out in early August. With the earlier timeline, we’ll also be asking for responses sooner. Timely replies help us understand our hiring numbers and staffing needs so we can plan accordingly. Thanks in advance for getting back to us quickly. 

Childcare  Be on the lookout for winter daycare and preschool registration in early August. Please reach out to Hailey (hailey.sentz@jacksonhole.com) with any questions. 

Winter MSS Gathering 

We miss you! Join us on Thursday August 21 (save the date!) to swap summer stories and build some stoke for the upcoming winter. Look out for details coming soon.

Teton Adaptive 20^th Birthday Celebration 

Teton Adaptive is hosting a free, family-friendly 20th anniversary soiree at R Park. It’s a great chance to enjoy the community and support an awesome local organization. See the details below. 

We’re all enjoying summer in Teton Village, but winter is never too far off. We’re already looking forward to welcoming everyone back, reconnecting with the team, and kicking off the 2025–26 season. We hope to see you at the August 21st gathering; but if not, enjoy the rest of your summer. We can’t wait to see you in November! 

Mountain Sports School Management

Jackson Hole Mountain Resort

P.O. Box 290

Teton Village, WY 83025

MSS Employee Site