Selling Snow

What if the most powerful thing you could do as a ski area… is just tell the truth?
This week on Selling Snow, we head to Northern California to a truly magical place in the shadow of a massive volcano, to return to the roots of what makes skiing fun.
In the Northern California region, lovingly referred to as “Almost Oregon,” we connected with 
Brendan Hickey and Grace Hornbea from Mt. Shasta Ski Park—an independent mountain that’s carving out its own unique lane in a world of mega passes and crowded resorts.
We get into how they’ve built a brand around being approachable, affordable, and human—and why leaning into honesty, instead of hype, is actually driving stronger connections with their guests.
Because at the end of the day, what people really care about, is having fun with friends, being outside in a spectacular location, and feeling something real.
From turning fixed-grip chairlifts into connection time… to building tight-knit communities through twilight skiing… to showing up authentically in their content—this episode is packed with ideas and learning  for ski areas that want to stand out by being themselves.
Grab your crystals, watch out for bigfoot, UFO’s or Lemurians, and let’s head to Mt Shasta Ski Park in Northern California.
We pulled 12 Actionable Insights from this episode you can use to up your own marketing game. Find them all at www.sellingsnow.com
 

Today, we’re heading into the wilds of Western Maine to a true gem of a ski area. It’s always had great skiing. It hasn’t always had operating lifts, but over the last five years, the big mountain Maine skiing local legend is getting noticed.
Saddleback Main is a mountain with one of the more unique stories in the industry. Closed for five years, brought back to life during COVID, and now… somehow, just a few seasons later, named the number one ski area in the East.
But what makes this conversation so valuable isn’t just the comeback story.
It’s how they did it.
From rebuilding core infrastructure, to positioning against mega resorts, to creating a product that people genuinely feel connected to—this episode is full of practical insights that other operators can actually use.
So put on your earflap toque, watch out for moose, and come get some East Coast Powdah with Ethan Austin and Jim Quimby of Saddleback, Maine.
 
We pulled 12 Actionable Insights you can use to up your own marketing game. Find all 12 at www.sellingsnow.com
 

If you could imagine the Vermont dream. What would it look like? imagine growing up with a Dad who in 2/3rds of a year built a new ski area from scratch and growing up on a ski hill that is the family business.  Imagine  after several decades  the ski area fell on hard times and the family had to sell it. But… a decade later along with your 80 year old father the kids buy back the ski area and restore it to its former glory. Throw in a mug of maple syrup and some flannel and you’ve got the makings of a Hallmark movie.
Today’s episode takes us to Vermont, where we sit down with Lindsay and Evan Deslauriers from Bolton Valley, Vermont, a family-owned resort with one of the most unique comeback stories in the industry.
From growing up on the mountain… to losing the resort… to rebuilding it as a multi-season, community-driven business—this episode is packed with lessons on resilience, authenticity, and what it really takes to create a ski experience people keep coming back to.
We get into everything from night skiing strategy and building a year-round revenue model, to building out one of the largest in-resort backcountry touring networks to why “authenticity” isn’t a marketing tactic—it’s a byproduct of culture.
If you love touring, night skiing,a good down-home, authentic ski experience or are just a sucker for a great family business story, this one is for you. Put on your best flannel, take a shot of maple syrup and let’s get it with Evan and Lindsay Deslauriers of Bolton Valley.
 
We pulled 12 actionable insights from this episode that you can use to up your own game. You can find them all at www.sellingsnow.com
 

It’s common and great advice that great ski area leadership should make sure they still spend lots of time on the mountain. Now… Imagine…you actually grew up on the mountain, and you’re now one of the Vice Presidents at that same resort? A Mountain your grandfather bought in the 80’s, and despite being one of the top ski areas in North America, it’s still family-owned nearly a half-century later.
Today, we’re chatting with Kendra Scurfield from Banff Sunshine Village—one of North America’s most iconic and stunningly beautiful ski resorts. This episode is all about what it really takes to build a brand that feels authentic, consistent, and worth coming back to.
We dive into how Sunshine protects its identity in a competitive destination market, the perks and challenges of family ownership, and why sometimes saying no is just as powerful as saying yes when it comes to brand partnerships and new trends. 
If you care about brand clarity, differentiation, and evolving without losing what makes your resort special, this one’s for you.
Now let’s take a trip high into the Rocky Mountain alpine with Kendra Scurfield, VP Brand & Communications at Sunshine Village Ski & Snowboard Resort. 
We pulled 12 actionable insights from this episode. Get all 12 at www.sellingsnow.com.

How do you build a financially sustainable ski hill in a small northern market while keeping skiing accessible and affordable for locals?
That’s the challenge the team behind Mount Sima in Whitehorse, Yukon has been solving by leaning into what they do best.
Today’s guest is Sam Oettli, General Manager of Mount Sima. Sam has been skiing the mountain since day one before stepping into the GM role.
In 2013, the society that originally built Mount Sima ran into financial trouble and ultimately folded. A new non-profit group, Friends of Mount Sima, stepped in to take over operations with a renewed vision go answer the question,  how do you make the economics of a small, northern ski hill work?
The answer was leaning into what the Yukon does best, cold, early winters. By investing in and positioning the mountain as an early-season training destination, Mount Sima began attracting national and international ski teams looking for reliable snow in November. That strategy brought new revenue to the hill, helped stabilize the nonprofit model, and allowed the organization to reinvest back into the mountain while keeping skiing accessible for locals.
In this episode, we talk about rebuilding a ski hill after financial collapse, turning extreme northern conditions into a competitive advantage, and how a small community mountain with just one main lift has become an important training hub for elite athletes.
So grab a coffee, put your handwarmers in, and let’s head north of 60 for a conversation with Sam.
We pulled 12 actionable insights from this episode. Get them all at www.sellingsnow.com.

There’s a certain reverence in ski circles when someone says, “Have you been to Whitewater?”
It’s spoken like a legend, a place of impossibly deep snow, tight tree lines, storm cycles that stack overnight, and terrain that feels raw and earned. Tucked outside Nelson, in the heart of the Kootenays, Whitewater has long been whispered about as one of those mountains you don’t just visit — you discover.
That’s the myth we give you the real story.
Whitewater isn’t just surviving on myth. It’s growing. Expanding terrain. Upgrading lifts. Investing in infrastructure. Attracting skiers from around the world. And doing all of it while fiercely protecting the independent, slightly offbeat, Nelson-rooted culture that made it special in the first place.
In this episode, we unpack how a mountain known for deep snow and epic terrain is navigating the hard part: scaling the business without losing its soul. How do you grow without becoming generic? How do you modernize without sanitizing? How do you stay proudly Kootenay while competing in a global ski market?
Make yourself a Glory Bowl from the Whitewater Cookbook and settle in for the story behind the legend and the strategy that’s keeping it alive, because there’s no business like snow business on Selling Snow
Get all 12 actionable insights and how you can implement them to up your marketing game here at www.sellingsnow.com

The 90’s were a magical time. Extreme Sports were becoming mainstream, and it seemed every sport had an element of going backwards… except skiing. Wanting to change that, one kid in his parents' garage quietly and quite literally reshaped the skiing world.
On today’s episode of Selling Snow, we’re sitting down with Jason Leventhal, the founder of J Skis and the original creator of the twin-tip ski.
Jay’s been in the ski industry for over 30 years. He’s built brands from his parents’ garage, nearly gone bankrupt more than once, sold a company to K2, and then started over again — this time putting everything he’d learned together with a radically different model.
J Skis isn’t sold in shops. There are no sponsored athletes. No massive marketing budgets. Instead, it’s a direct-to-consumer brand built on scarcity, personality, art, email, and a relentless focus on fun.
In this conversation, Jay breaks down why most ski brands struggle to survive, how selling less product can actually make you more money, why email still beats social media, and what small brands can do better than the biggest players in the industry.
If you’re in the ski business, outdoor retail, tourism marketing - or if you’re just fascinated by how niche brands actually succeed -this is one you don’t want to miss.
Now go find your favourite chair… sit in it backwards, and let’s get into it with J Levinthal, founder of J Skis.
Get all 19 actionable insights from this episode HERE

What happens when a single bad heli-skiing trip lights a spark,and it turns into one of the most legendary backcountry snowboard destinations on the planet?
Hey Everybody, today we’re getting a heli transfer up into the mountains just west of Nelson,BC to a snowboarding paradise.
Today’s guest didn’t set out to build a resort. He set out to chase a feeling. Deep snow, good friends, and a better way to experience the mountains.
That idea became Baldface Lodge: a world-renowned backcountry snowboardcat operation tucked deep in the Selkirk Mountains, just outside Nelson, British Columbia, riding over 32,000 acres of wild, untouched terrain.
But this story isn’t about chasing vertical or counting turns.It’s about how frustration turned into opportunity. How a snowboard-first philosophy reshaped an entire experience, and how staying stubbornly authentic built a business with a waitlist you practically need to be born into, without traditional advertising.
And it’s also a story about relationships, about keeping the right people close, and how trust from influential friends helped turn an idea into reality.From legendary snowboarders like Craig Kelly, to riders like Travis Rice who helped amplify the vision to the world, to behind-the-scenes players like Dave Grohl and The Foo Fighters, who played a role in getting things started. 
In this episode, you’ll hear:
How a broken ankle and a terrible guide accidentally sparked a life-changing idea
Why surrounding yourself with the right people matters more than flashy funding
How authenticity and community became Baldface’s greatest growth engine
What it really takes to build something meaningful—one inch at a time
And why Jeff believes the world needs fewer sales pitches and more shared adventures
This isn’t just a story about snowboarding.It’s a masterclass in community, creativity, and doing things your own way—even when everyone tells you it won’t work.
Now go grab a nice hot bowl of soup, settle in, and let’s hang out in the lodge with Jeff Pensiero at Baldface Lodge.
Get all of the episodes Actionable Insights HERE