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We talk with Nicholas Herrin, a Montana State Grad who started as a ski school instructor in 1994, about trends forecasted in the industry.
Q: What changes or trends do you anticipate this year in the ski and snowboard industry? And in the coming years?
A: The number one goal of the snowsports industry is to grow skier and rider visits and elevate the experience the guest has in the mountain environment. A full partner in that pursuit, PSIA-AASI’s lends its expertise by developing educational material and programs that allow instructors to enhance the student experience in a safe and fun environment. I look forward to communicating with ski school directors and area managers about the invaluable impact a well-trained team of PSIA-AASI member instructors can have on the guest experience.
Q: What challenges are headed for the industry?
A: I think it’s vital that the industry, as a whole, keep working to understand how to keep people, especially newcomers, engaged in skiing and snowboarding. Initiatives spearheaded by NSAA, SIA, Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month – and supported by PSIA-AASI – have definitely helped, but the collective goal of increasing skier and rider visits still requires laser focus. It’s important that PSIA-AASI continue to work with its key partners to strengthen its relevance as the educational arm of snowsports, and as the most important source of growth in ski and snowboard participation.
As an industry – regardless of what our role or sector (e.g., instruction, retail, or resort management) – I also think we should continue to challenge ourselves to make the process easier for guests to engage in our sports. From the time they pull into the parking lot to when they rent equipment, sign up for a lesson, and get on the chair, there are many steps guests have to go through. How can we reduce those steps? Streamlining the process is one way we can all work together to improve the guest experience. For its part, PSIA-AASI will continue to support snowsports education to ensure that our ski and ride schools and instructors are prepared to deliver a successful student experience, from the base area to the summit and all the terrain in between. It’s important to remember that our group supports many different disciplines in addition to alpine skiing and snowboarding. Those other disciplines are adaptive skiing, adaptive snowboarding, cross country, and telemark. So, it’s our goal to ensure we’re supporting all these different types of sliding, whether on cross-country trails or helping adaptive snowsports schools around the country. Supporting all these disciplines means there’s something for everyone, so we can help a more diverse group of people more the opportunities experience sliding on snow.
Q: Tell us about the new direction you are planning to take the PSIA-AASI organization?
A: I’d say that our main priority is to make sure the programs and materials we offer support our nine PSIA-AASI divisions, resorts, and members. In today’s fast-paced world, there are a lot of activities that pull people away from sliding on snow. PSIA-AASI must stay dynamic and work with key stakeholders to offer amazing guest experiences that create lifelong skiers and riders.
Q: What are the benefits of taking a lesson?
A: Taking a professional lesson is the best way for you to learn, or to improve your current skills, so you can join, or keep up with, your family and friends on the slopes this season.
Here’s a top 10 list.
- To stay friends with your friends (friends don’t let friends teach friends).
- To ski and ride with your friends and family.
- To get better faster.
- To graduate from green runs.
- To save your relationship.
- To make winter more fun.
- To be your best, by learning from the best.
- To learn the easy way.
- To project from green to black.
- To ski and ride to your fullest potential.
Q: Overall, is the number of people taking advantage of lessons on the rise or decline?
A: For the 2015-16 season there was growth in lessons by from 53.6 million to 53.9 million.
However, more can be done to expand access to and working as an industry to keep growing the number of first-timer lessons. A lot of first-timers visit resorts with their friends and family, who already know how to ski or ride, and they’d rather spend the day together than take a lesson with someone they don’t know. And, sometimes family members or friends think they can teach those first-timers themselves (until they discover it really does take patience and true teaching chops to pull that off). This is where family and friends, those that already know how to ski and snowboard, can encourage the first-timer to take a lesson first, before hitting the slopes. These are groups that can be the key influencers in driving more lessons and more lifelong fans of the sport!
