MSS Postseason Newsletter, W22-23

Thank You Letter from Matt Clos, MSS Director:

Dear Mountain Sports School staff,

I hope this letter finds you all well and enjoying some well-deserved downtime. I wanted to take a moment to thank you all for your hard work this winter.

Reflecting on the season, I feel proud and grateful for the many highlights we experienced. From the first day of the season to the last, we enjoyed some of the best skiing and riding conditions in recent history. With a record-breaking 595" of snowfall in the Rendezvous Bowl plot, it's safe to say that Mother Nature was very kind to us. Outside of our wonderful conditions, we also received amazing feedback from our guests this season. Your commitment to creating genuine connections, memorable experiences and sharing your love of Jackson Hole is noteworthy and sets our school apart. In addition to the amazing snow and guest feedback, our staff members also participated in over 20,000 hours of training and earned over 150 new PSIA/AASI certifications, which is a testament to your dedication to your craft and our organizational commitment to staff development. Personally, I feel proud that we were able to implement the largest wage increases ever made across all MSS departments and roles. This was an important step forward in recognizing the value of our team and ensuring that we continue to attract and retain the best talent in the industry.

Of course, there were challenges this season too. The same storms that brought the amazing snow also caused significant disruptions with lift closures, delayed openings, road closures, and traffic issues. I commend you all for your adaptability, professionalism, and ability to create positive experiences for our guests during these stressful times.

We also experienced the unexpected loss of three members of our community: Peter Dunham, Pete Reed, and Bill Lewkowitz. I felt heartened by the outpouring of support and compassion from our community in response to these tragic losses. It is this culture of belonging, support, and camaraderie that I believe makes our Mountain Sports School community so special.

As we look ahead to next season, I encourage all of you to join me and take some time to reflect on the winter and think about what you learned, how you grew, and what you hope to achieve in the future.

Your passion and dedication help make the Jackson Hole Mountain Sports School exceptional, and I am grateful to be a part of such an incredible team. Thank you for an amazing season.

Sincerely,

Matt

We are grateful for our incredible instructors, guides, caregivers, support crew, sales and kitchen staff for a great season. Please help us congratulate the following employees for their top-notch work this season.

• Instructor of the Year (Alpine): Alex Duret

• Instructor of the Year (Snowboard): Sam Galvan

• Instructor of the Year (Adaptive): Jandi Maxwell

• Instructor of the Year (Youth): Steve Lubner

• Rookie of the Year (Alpine): Ben Williamson

• Rookie of the Year (Snowboard): Kayla Witek

• Rookie of the Year (Youth)

  • Pioneers: Sarah Brau

  • Rough Riders: Parker Campbell

  • Explorers: Abby Edgerly

• Most Versatile: Justine Wysong

• Part-Timer of the Year (Alpine): Andrew Whiteford

• Part-Timer of the Year (Snowboard): Jerret Mater

• Adult FIGJAM*: Sean Baker

• Youth FIGJAM*: Sarah Ellis

• Tram Ninja: Chris Leveroni

*Please ask Steve Thomas if unfamiliar with the acronym.

For instructors and guides who are eligible, Progressive Performance Pay is coming soon! Due to a longer approval process than we anticipated, PPP is now scheduled to pay out on Friday, May 19th. We will send a separate email to all recipients with a breakdown of your total work hours, PPP percentage and gross pay amount during the middle of next week. Thank you for your patience as we work to get this finalized.

Training News:

If you have outstanding training hours for which you still need credit, please request them via ProCard under "Miscellaneous Trainings" on April 9th. Email Paul Franzeim as well to let him know what you did and how many hours of training you completed. These requests could be for National Academy, PSIA/AASI events in another division, online courses or something else we haven't thought of yet.

Additionally, if you are seeking a check reimbursement for a certification you passed this season, please email the invoice to Paul ASAP. All training hours and reimbursement requests for W22-23 must be submitted to Paul by Monday, May 15th in order to be honored. Get them in now since we cannot accommodate requests after the fiscal year ends! For reimbursement checks issued after the end of the season, we will email recipients to confirm your current mailing address before we mail them out to you.

Summer News:

Believe it or not, our summer season is just a month away! Below are our summer operating dates for lifts and activities at JHMR.

• Aerial Tram: May 20th - October 8th

• Bridger Gondola: June 10th - September 10th

• Bike Park: June 10th - September 10th

• Ropes Course, Bungee Trampolines, Climbing Wall: June 10th - September 4th

• Summer Camp: June12th - September 1st

  • If you plan to enroll a child in our summer camp, please CLICK HERE for the employee rate.

• Via Ferrata: June 17th - September 30th

Thanks again for a successful winter season- we could not have done it without you! Please keep in touch during the off-season; we encourage you to stop in and say hello if your plans bring you out to Teton Village this summer. Otherwise, we hope to see you at the trailhead or on the river soon!

Mountain Sports School Management

Jackson Hole Mountain Resort

P.O. Box 290

Teton Village, WY 83025