MSS Post-Presidents' Day Newsletter
- MSS Admin
- Mar 6
- 4 min read
February delivered! With over ten feet of snow last month, and more than five feet in just five days during Presidents’ Week, February provided incredible skiing, riding, and strong business. A huge THANK YOU to everyone in the Mountain Sports School for your passion, professionalism, and unwavering focus on safety during the powder frenzy. Your commitment to creating authentic experiences and igniting the spirit of adventure made February truly unforgettable!
What’s coming up?
We have a short quiet period this week and will then roll into March Spring Break rush quickly. MSS reservations, lodging bookings, and airline reservations show that we will see increased business starting March 8th and running through March 23rd, with the week from March 16-22 being the busiest week remaining this winter. March 8,9,15 and 16 are Tier 1 dates and we are going to be BUSY. Please stay up to date with your schedule so you know where you need to be. If you have questions about something on your schedule, check in with your supervisor- it is way better to sort out questions ahead of time rather than the last minute. Thank you in advance!
Spring Fever notes
As temperatures warm up, remember that your appearance is a key part of our professionalism. As we un-bundle from the winter, please ensure your grooming is up to par: beards and mustaches should be neat and trimmed, and hair should be pulled back. Your uniform and base layers must be clean, odor-free, and worn with a nametag. Additionally, Alpine instructors, please wear your red shell or red softshell as your outer layer—black puffies are not acceptable as an outer layer. If you need extra nametags, please contact the Admin Team located in the Bridger basement.
Uniforms
We are in the second year of our three year uniform cycle; there is definitely some wear and tear starting to be evident. If you have uniform pieces that need repair, please let the Admin Team know. They have a sheet on their door in the Bridger Basement for uniform repair or replacement requests; they ask that you use that rather than emailing them. Once they receive your request, they will email you to set up an exchange. Please have the piece in question CLEAN in preparation to turn it in. The Admin Team will also have some easy repair materials- small patches, zipper pulls, name tag holder repair- available in the Admin Office. We are getting low on uniform replacement pieces. Please be gentle with your uniforms- we do have another year to get through before fleet replacement!
Safety Pep Talk
With spring comes great visibility, warm temps and high stoke! This is a good time to reflect on the safety messages we have been embracing all season. Skiing and riding fast is tempting on bright mornings and hard groomed snow. Review the Triangle of safety and the importance of managing your speed, your space, and yourself. Talk to your guests about the Triangle and about on hill etiquette, using rest stops, slowing down well before coming into a lift maze, if you haven't already, please review Martha's ProCard post on traverse etiquette. Thanks to everyone for elevating the safety message through the school all season!
Training
Congrats to all of our certification candidates this year! Our Alpine and Snowboard Level 1 and Alpine Level 2 candidates delivered outstanding performances. There are two more Alpine exam cycles and 1 more SB exam stretch remaining. We are excited for all our candidates to go through their process. The training season (and budget) have come to an end. If you have a training need that you would like help with, reach out to Paul (paulfranzeim@jacksonhole.com). We may be able to accommodate some additional training time through our management staff. Let us know what you would like!
All Company Employee Survey
To everyone who took the time to complete (or even start!) the all-company employee engagement survey- THANK YOU! Each department has just received their results as well as the company-wide results. The senior MSS management team will review the feedback to identify key areas for improvement in the topics that mean the most to you. We'll work with the supervisor team to develop actionable steps that make a real impact for your experience at work.
However- we want to share some early statistics with you.
As a company we had a 59% response rate; MSS was right in line with this at 58%. Of a total of 689 MSS employees, 398 completed at least a portion of the survey.
The MSS has a high level of engagement- 81%. This is a measure of employee motivation to work hard and care more.
We also had a whopping 87% in “Equip Factors”. This indicates that the team feels equipped to do their work right and well; reflected here is the quality of training and access to resources.
Over the next couple of weeks, we will dig into the responses to pinpoint further progress and areas of opportunity for change/improvement. Again- thank you so much for trusting us with your thoughts and for helping us get better every day.
Priority Updates
As announced in the Fall newsletter, priority will be calculated for next season based on an updated system. This system will better reflect the value we place on professional development and creating experiences our guests want to return for. Points will be accrued based on:
Total work hours (new points scale)
Total instructor-managed hours
Total students taught
Elective training hours
Status
Primary discipline certification
Children Specialist Accreditation
Priority will continue to be one factor used by supervisors in assigning work. Priority does not guarantee any specific type of work (group vs. private lessons) or a particular type of student (level, age, or group size). Many factors may contribute to how work is assigned- availability, applicability, best match, specific requests and experience.
Summer
Summer job applications with JHMR opened on Mar 1. You can find the job portal and openings here- Summer Employment. Applications for employee summer childcare spots will be opening soon. Returning families will receive an application from Hailey. If you are new to childcare, reach out to Hailey at hailey.sentz@jacksonhole.com for an application. Employee summer camp spots are open for purchase as well.
We’ll close with some great shout-outs in our weekly NPS customer surveys:
“Mike Caulfield was the best instructor I’ve ever had!”
“AK was amazing!!”
“Grace Hercz was a gem. She was so patient and adaptable”
“Josie of the ski school received high praise from my 6-yr old (who is normally very stingy with compliments!)
“Our ski instructors, Molly broom and Alexa (Barnes), were excellent”
Thanks for everything you do!
Mountain Sports School Management
Jackson Hole Mountain Resort
P.O. Box 290
Teton Village, WY 83025
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