Turmoil at Sunshine Village

[jamesdeluxe]

Or are you just a sucker for "as the ski turns" stories?

If that's your drug of choice, the TGR Sunshine thread already has more than 600 posts.

[soulskier]

They started a Facebook support page that is quickly becoming viral. Just hit the refresh button on your browser and watch the fan count grow.

http://www.facebook.com/SupportSkiPatrol

I predict this will be a big story for a long time to come. Like others have eluded to, it would be one thing if they fired the burger flipper. But it was the most senior staff of ski patrol, during the middle of winter, with a sketchy snowpack.

Soulskier, I guess I am curious as to why you are so extremely interested in this? I would think it has little to do with your MRA work or etc... and more of a distraction than real substance as it relates to attempting a 'start-up' or 'buy-in'. Is MRA's resort of the future in Alberta and you want to pick up some highly experienced employees quick? Or are you just a sucker for "as the ski turns" stories?

Either way, sounds like a bit of a mess for Sunshine in the short term. I wonder what turnover might look like over next summer too.

I just wrote a post on our blog that might help to shed some light.

http://mrablog.com/2011/02/01/thoughts- ... e-forward/

[Mike Bernstein]

They started a Facebook support page that is quickly becoming viral. Just hit the refresh button on your browser and watch the fan count grow.

http://www.facebook.com/SupportSkiPatrol

I predict this will be a big story for a long time to come. Like others have eluded to, it would be one thing if they fired the burger flipper. But it was the most senior staff of ski patrol, during the middle of winter, with a sketchy snowpack.

Soulskier, I guess I am curious as to why you are so extremely interested in this? I would think it has little to do with your MRA work or etc... and more of a distraction than real substance as it relates to attempting a 'start-up' or 'buy-in'. Is MRA's resort of the future in Alberta and you want to pick up some highly experienced employees quick? Or are you just a sucker for "as the ski turns" stories?

Either way, sounds like a bit of a mess for Sunshine in the short term. I wonder what turnover might look like over next summer too.

Hard to blame soulskier for being interested. This is a pretty fascinating story and one that, from all outward indications, likely epitomizes the essence of what the MRA thinks is wrong with the industry. Out of touch owner with an aggro, entitled son against 20-25 year pros who seemed to just be doing their job.

[EMSC]

This is a pretty fascinating story and one that, from all outward indications, likely epitomizes the essence of what the MRA thinks is wrong with the industry. Out of touch owner with an aggro, entitled son against 20-25 year pros who seemed to just be doing their job.

I gave them my notice and got a night job. I am confident many others who have worked for ski corporations have stories of their own.

From those early days being mistreated

Unrelated to this case but, Soulskier, I think it's one thing to be employee friendly and another to give free passes to every missed shift and screw up that your employees make... I'd think you'd be getting walked over by your employees pretty quick with awful customer service to boot if that's your view of how to run an effective business. Not to say I am for some sort of draconian red tape type employee rules either; but really, you missed your shift from your own screw up as a 20 something and expected a total free pass by your manager? That he wanted to have short sit down chat in his office to make sure the same thing wouldn't happen again next shift is being 'mistreated'? I can't imagine how you'd run your MRA resort if none of your employees is actually accountable for anything. The first confrontations with employees in your career are always the hardest, but teach immeasurable lessons on being proactive, fair and..., yes holding people accountable for the jobs that you are paying them for.

I have no specific knowledge of the the owners of Sunshine - intewebz rumors have them as a very wealthy family who have owned it for a long time. Of which the wealthy were the majority of owners of ski resorts back in the early days of skiing. Which, in some sense, would make the current Sunshine case actually very much like the 'early days' of skiing you want to bring back... Perhaps a bit of devils advocate thrown in that last statement for effect, but it is a valid observation about many of the first resorts to ever exist in North America. Many, if not most, founded by extremely wealthy individuals and families. A few started by Dave McCoy types. 'Corporate' resorts you rail against to me would be more like Intrawest, Boyne, Vail, RCR, Powd'r etc... with many resorts in the same corporation, not Sunshine (I don't think that family owns any more places, but could be wrong).

Back to this specific case, with the resort badly managing it's PR, one is left with a single version of the truth that, if true, does paint a poor picture of someone in management/ownership. The resort still has several weeks before they have to respond with their side of the story. I wonder when ownership will attempt some kind of meaningful PR in their own defense though (assuming they have a defensible position).

[Patrick]

I have no specific knowledge of the the owners of Sunshine - intewebz rumors have them as a very wealthy family who have owned it for a long time.
(...)
Back to this specific case, with the resort badly managing it's PR, one is left with a single version of the truth that, if true, does paint a poor picture of someone in management/ownership. The resort still has several weeks before they have to respond with their side of the story. I wonder when ownership will attempt some kind of meaningful PR in their own defense though (assuming they have a defensible position).

Not that I want to paint everyone one as being the same, but it would seem a relationship between who do you know and who you are related too. Instead of facing to the personal responsibility that what the son did was stupid, they decided to fire 4 senior staff members that carry every important tasks in the middle of a ski season is misguided.

1) If these people would have been 'nobodies' like us, we would have had our asses nailed to the wall. If we would have been in trouble, we would have paid an important fine.

2) If something happened to the illegal party, the ski patrol/resort would have been blamed. Definitely a lose-lose situation for the head of the patrol.

Great way to learn about Life's Lessons when you are spoiled. His family sued Cariboo, but lost in court.

Scurfield v. Cariboo Helicopter Skiing Ltd. (1993, 74 B.C.L.R. 225), the balance of blame swung the other way. Scurfield, a participant on a back-country ski trip, was killed while crossing an avalanche slope. At trial, the Court found Scurfield 75 percent at fault for the accident and the defendants (Cariboo and the guide) 25 percent at fault. Scurfield had been negligent on several fronts, including failing to wait for the skier ahead to finish crossing, failing to wait for the guide's signal to cross, and failing to "ski alert" -- all of which he had been instructed to do. The guide was found to be negligent for taking the skiers to that particular slope, although on appeal, this finding was overturned.

http://www.sportlaw.ca/articles/liabili ... igence.php

Another story getting more play right now is the one involving the son of one of the founder of Intrawest. I know I'm making generalization, but it doesn't look good right now for two son's of millionaires involved in the ski industry.

An employee of Outdoor Adventures Whistler says he killed at least 70 dogs over two days. The huskies, weighing about 40 to 50 pounds, were used for dog sled tours during the 2010 Winter Olympics, but were uneconomic to keep after the Games were over and the tourists went home.

In response to concerns over the killings, Tourism Whistler on Monday suspended reservations for dog sledding at Outdoor Adventures Whistler, which is owned by Joey Houssian, son of the founder of Intrawest Corp., Joe Houssian.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/nat ... le1888742/

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/nat ... le1890344/

[Admin]

Another story getting more play right now is the one involving the son of one of the founder of Intrawest.

An employee of Outdoor Adventures Whistler says he killed at least 70 dogs over two days.

Heard about that one. I'll say publicly right now, whoever is responsible for that ought to be "culled" from the gene pool in the same manner. The unnecessary taking of the life of something so innocent and unknowing as a dog, all in the name of profits, is positively despicable. I spend two grand trying to buy my pup a few more months of happiness and some jackass does this?

Whoever ordered those killings knew damned well that the dogs would be a liability after the Games. It's positively infuriating.

[soulskier]

I gave them my notice and got a night job. I am confident many others who have worked for ski corporations have stories of their own.

From those early days being mistreated

Unrelated to this case but, Soulskier, I think it's one thing to be employee friendly and another to give free passes to every missed shift and screw up that your employees make... I'd think you'd be getting walked over by your employees pretty quick with awful customer service to boot if that's your view of how to run an effective business. Not to say I am for some sort of draconian red tape type employee rules either; but really, you missed your shift from your own screw up as a 20 something and expected a total free pass by your manager? That he wanted to have short sit down chat in his office to make sure the same thing wouldn't happen again next shift is being 'mistreated'? I can't imagine how you'd run your MRA resort if none of your employees is actually accountable for anything. The first confrontations with employees in your career are always the hardest, but teach immeasurable lessons on being proactive, fair and..., yes holding people accountable for the jobs that you are paying them for.

Nice cut and paste job.

Along with receiving minimum wage as a lift operator, a season pass was included. I had an accident on my lunch break, it was not intentional.

At MRA mountain playgrounds, employees will be treated with respect (and will likely be shareholders as well.) If an employee has an accident on their lunch break, they won't be reprimanded, that's for sure.

[Patrick]

For those that don't read blogs and don't spend time on ski forums (like a few of my friends), I tried going to rundown of the situation in Ski Mad World.

http://madpatski.wordpress.com/2011/02/ ... e-village/

[soulskier]

Sunshine Village Ski Patrollers vs. Resort Management

http://www.skinet.com/skiing/articles/s ... management

And the plot thickens ....

[Tony Crocker]

Back to this specific case, with the resort badly managing it's PR, one is left with a single version of the truth that, if true, does paint a poor picture of someone in management/ownership. The resort still has several weeks before they have to respond with their side of the story. I wonder when ownership will attempt some kind of meaningful PR in their own defense though (assuming they have a defensible position).

I'm amazed there has been no PR defense mounted. The last time the ski boards were so hot after an issue was the Warren Miller/Level One film. Bonnier/WME defended itself vigorously in the media during that time. I am curious what Sunshine's rationale for this debacle is, because we've heard absolutely nothing.

FWIW Chris Chevalier was my source for Sunshine's snow data for many years. He also was the guide in Delirium Dive when Banff hosted NASJA's March 2002 annual meeting. I have my doubts anyone will be skiing Delirium/Wild West etc. this season given both snowpack and staffing issues.

[soulskier]

Interview with Attorney representing fired senior staff.

http://www.mrablog.com/radio-interview- ... age-staff/

[soulskier]

Skiing Mag pulled their article over the weekend. Here's the latest from ESPN

http://sports.espn.go.com/action/freesk ... id=6099056

[Patrick]

Skiing Mag pulled their article over the weekend. Here's the latest from ESPN

That isn't the only article that has been pulled, that is what I feared initially when I posted links only in Ski Mad World blog. I have a copies of the links I've put.

[Admin]

Skiing Mag pulled their article over the weekend

Pathetic, but not surprising. Take note that we haven't pulled ours.

[jamesdeluxe]

Skiing Mag pulled their article over the weekend

Pathetic, but not surprising. Take note that we haven't pulled ours.

OK, I'm dense. Why all the fear and loathing? Is Sunshine's legal team going after internet ski news providers?