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Safetronic has been beneficial, Egli says. “In tandem with my maintenance log, we also generate a CSV file that I can lean on to show exactly the numerical values of how each binding tested and the exact timestamp and date on when it was done,” he says. At Massanutten, the rental depart- ment’s Easyrent software automates several tasks. Pre-season, it tracks which gear has been tested or not, and prevents untested gear from going out with cus- tomers. In-season, it automatically selects gear to test and records the data from the Safetronic, including the test values, date, time, and ID of the technician. The process is similar at Killing- ton—up to a point. The resort uses a Safetronic binding tester at its main shop, and relies on the Vermont Calibra- tor at the satellite shops. The data from both systems get manually recorded in RTP, though it takes a bit more effort on the part of the techs at the remote shops. The techs write down on paper the ski number and the person who did the test- ing, along with the test result and date of the test. “Ideally, I’d like to get another Safetronic to make life a little easier at those satellite shops,” Hardy says. Killington captures most guest rental information at check-in stations in the shop.
At Powder Mountain, in addition to getting staff indemnified with Look, Atomic, Salomon and Marker via online training, “we’ll spend three, four days preseason training the staff on proper setup of gear, and how to use the rental system effectively,” Egli says. “That train- ing then continues on a bi-weekly basis throughout the season.” The continuing training includes refreshers and test scenarios to make sure staff can handle all customer needs, requests, and questions. Egli also prints out online handbooks and puts them into binders for staff to reference in the shop as needed. Massanutten follows a two- to three- week preseason hiring and online training process. The technical portion is similar to Powder Mountain’s. However, due to its particular staff and clientele—80-90 percent of the guests are beginners, and many of the staff are J-1s who may not be familiar with skiing and riding—Mas- sanutten has added several guest service modules to improve its communications about the inherent risks in winter sports. All the online training is run through the HR department. A hands-on emphasis. Killington also uses the manufacturers’ online resources but conducts more face-to-face training, with shadowing to ensure technicians master binding setups and inspection language. “It’s 90 percent hands-on, face- to-face training,” Hardy says. “We’ll bring everybody in for what we call an orien- tation just to get people familiar with the flow of our shop. Then we sit every- one in a room and go through figuring out DINs, figuring out binding settings, inspections, that type of thing. “They then have two to three shifts shadowing somebody, or with someone shadowing them while they’re teching
skis and setting bindings up, just to make sure that their phrases, wording, all of that’s correct,” he adds. Hardy plans to add online quizzes this year to reinforce knowledge. He says the RTP scheduling/payroll soft- ware can be used to “send out a quiz of 10 questions,” such has how to deter- mine the DIN setting for a given set of guest parameters. While the RTP rental software typically computes the binding settings, he notes, “you have those days where the power goes out or the inter- net’s down” and staff have to determine the settings themselves. And whether the computations are done by the software or the human beings, it all must be documented. According to Safehold’s Bruce, ski areas should retain this documentation for at least seven years. He also suggests that any “inherent risk” communication be scripted, so that it is delivered consistent- ly—and documented. MOUNTAINS OF DATA Modern resorts run on data across all departments, of course; rental depart- ments are not different in that respect. However, there are several points of potential liability in rental operations, and these make accurate and complete record-keeping especially valuable. As resorts set budgets and make deci- sions regarding software, it’s important to be aware of the specific needs of rent- al operations and how to integrate those needs into the overall enterprise. Just as resorts tweak rental systems to stream- line steps and speed guests through the process, they need data systems that streamline tasks and speed staff through their responsibilities. The cost of doing less could be great.
TRAINING AND CERTIFICATION
In the past 25 years, training and cer- tification have shifted from all hands- on training toward including the more uniform and easier to document online training. The online portals provide 24/7 access to training materials, manuals, and certification records. This information benefits both rent- al operators and the binding suppliers. “There’s a lot of steps that you have to take before you can even start certifying your technicians,” Head Tyrolia’s May- hew notes. “We want to make sure that we have all the archives of technicians that are certified. Keeping that informa- tion on hand is extremely important.” Still, making binding adjustments and understanding how to read adjust- ment charts requires hands-on practice, so shops typically include this as part of the total training package.
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