Explore every episode of the podcast Selling Snow

In Part 1 , Brandon Ott and Lexi Dowdall from Alta Ski Area shared how one of the most respected brands in skiing has spent nearly nine decades protecting its culture, its skiing experience, and its identity.

Today, we're picking up right where we left off—and now the conversation gets into some of the topics Alta is probably best known for.

We're talking about the skiers-only policy, what it's like operating beside Snowbird while offering a completely different experience, how they think about destination visitors and the Ikon Pass, and why sometimes the best way to stand out in a crowded industry isn't by adding more... it's by staying true to who you are.

There are some fascinating business lessons in this half of the conversation that go well beyond skiing, so let's jump back into Part Two of my conversation with Brandon Ott and Lexi Dowdall from Alta Ski Area.

Get all 10 Actionable Insights from this episode at www.sellingsnow.com

What do you think of when you hear the word Alta? Big mountains, deep snow, laid-back chill vibe. Whatever it is, you definitely have an image. Whether you’ve been there or just dreamt about it, Alta has built a mythical legend, and for many is a powder mecca on their bucket list.

Today we're heading to one of the most iconic mountains in North America: Alta Ski Area in Utah. A place famous for legendary powder, deep skiing traditions, and a business philosophy that basically says, "Just because everyone else is doing it doesn't mean we should."

In this episode, I'm joined by Marketing Director Brandon Ott and PR & Communications Manager Lexi Dowdall as we dig into how Alta has protected its brand for nearly 90 years, why they deliberately don't chase growth at all costs, how they use storytelling instead of constant marketing, and why sometimes saying "no" is the smartest business decision you can make.

Whether you manage a destination resort, a community ski hill, or you're just passionate about the business of skiing, there are a ton of ideas in this conversation that you can take back to your own mountain.

Let's head to Utah and find out why sometimes the best strategy... is simply not messing it up.

Get all 10 Actionable Insights from this episode at www.sellingsnow.com

Ok we had a great response last week to our compilation episode pulling together the best thoughts on building the ski area/community relationship as one of the most important pieces in running a successful ski area. This week, we’re looking at marketing and some of the more practical things ski areas have done to grow their business.

It’s not just about bigger ad budgets.

Its not about chasing viral videos.

It’s not even really about social media.

Instead, It’s all about following the same progression.

First, build a product that people genuinely want to talk about.

Then understand exactly who you're building it for.

Create experiences those people can't help but share.

Remove friction from the buying process.

And only then start thinking about campaigns and promotions.

So in this special episode, we've pulled together some of the very best marketing lessons from our first twenty episodes—practical, sometimes simple ideas you can apply at any ski area, whether you're a small local hill or a destination resort. There are so many, but to keep the episode manageable, we pulled out a few of our favourites.

Community. A community is defined as a social group of people who share common characteristics, interests, identities, or geographic locations.

Common Characteristics like a garage full of gear for every mountain-related sport, interests like a love for sliding fast down mountains together, identities like the casual nod when goggle tan game recognizes goggle tan game late into the Summer, and geographic locations like anywhere there is slope, snow and people wanting to slide down it.

Skiing at its very core is about community. It was started by communities and welcomes people from all over to come join their community for vacation. 

The ski experiences we all love were, at one time, created by and for a passionate group of people with shared interests, and the ski resorts over time that have flourished and been the most successful have been those that lean into supporting, promoting, encouraging, embracing and growing alongside that community.

I did a quick search, and the word community came up 168 times in the first 20 episodes of this series.

After twenty episodes, we’ve talked about snowmaking, marking, pricing, infrastructure and more, 

But when you really start digging into why some ski areas thrive for decades while others struggle, those things aren't usually the differentiators.

The differentiator is community.

Not the word community that gets tossed into every strategic plan and mission statement.

Actual community.

The relationship between a ski area and the people who live around it.

The people who work there.

Raise their kids there.

Volunteer there.

Argue about the lift line there.

And eventually defend that ski area when somebody threatens what makes it special.

Today, we're exploring that relationship through the eyes of operators from some of the most successful, unique, and community-minded ski areas we've featured on Selling Snow.

We'll hear perspectives ranging from destination resorts to community-owned ski hills, from nonprofit operations to independent family businesses.

But together they paint a pretty compelling picture of what community means in the ski industry.

Let's go ski an off the trail map run, as we talk community with some of the best in the business.

Have you ever experienced a nut-cracker lift? If you have you definitely have stories to tell about it. Today we’re heading into the heart of New Zealand’s Southern Alps to visit a super unique ski area that like most Club Fieldsin New Zealand is power by the nut cracker. Think big alpine terrain, very few people, minimal infrastructure and affordable big mountain skiing.

Forget high-speed lifts, luxury condos, and sprawling base villages. At Craigieburn Valey Ski Area,  skiers ride steep rope tows using Nutcracker, stay in a communal lodge where guests help cook and clean, and spend their days exploring some of the most challenging terrain in New Zealand.

Joining us today is Kurt Carter, General Manager of Craigieburn Valley. Kurt shares the fascinating history of New Zealand's club field model, explains why Craigieburn proudly operates as a not-for-profit ski club, gives us an inside look at a ski area where community often matters just as much as skiing, and poses the question, " Could this model ever work in North America?"

So let’s head out to the access tows for a conversation with Craigieburn General Manager Kurt Carter.

We pulled 12 Actionable Insights from this episode to help you up your own game. Find them all at www.sellingsnow.com

This episode takes us nearly all the way to the Southern Edge of the world. To a place many are surprised to hear has a commercial ski resort.  Tasmania, Australia. Yes, Tasmania has skiing and a ski area that not long ago was fighting for survival.

When Ben Mock and his partners purchased Ben Lomond Alpine Resort, the mountain had managed just 17 operating days the season before. Fast forward a few years, and they're now pushing past 100 operating days, investing heavily in snowmaking, growing revenue, rebuilding guest confidence, and helping reshape what skiing can look like in Tasmania.

But this isn't just a story about snowmaking. It's a story about patience, persistence, community buy-in, long-term thinking, and what happens when operators focus on delivering a reliable product before chasing the next shiny attraction.

We also talk about working inside a national park, rebuilding trust with guests, creating a year-round business, marketing experiences instead of products, and why one of the most memorable parts of the journey might be the road to get there.

So let’’s buckle up and drive up Jacob’s Ladder for a great conversation with Ben Mock.

We pulled 12 Actionable Insights from this episode. Find them all at www.sellingsnow.com

What happens when a ski resort can’t be reached by cars at all? Or when it decides not to compete with the biggest players in the industry?

This week on Selling Snow, we're heading to the highest ski resort in Australia

At Charlotte Pass, General Manager Lucy Blyton-Gray is proving that bigger isn't always better.

Accessible only by over-snow transport during winter, Charlotte Pass has turned what many would see as operational challenges into some of its greatest competitive advantages. Charlotte Pass has built its brand around something increasingly rare in modern skiing: no cars, no queues, and no crowds.

In this episode, Lucy shares how Charlotte Pass leverages nearly a century of history, transforms first-time visitors into lifelong guests, uses storytelling to bring its unique experience to life, and stays fiercely loyal to the families who have been returning generation after generation.

If you've ever wondered how a smaller ski area can stand out in the shadow of much larger competitors, this episode is packed with lessons you can apply at your own mountain.

Now let’s get on the over-snow transport and head up to Charlotte Pass for a chat with Lucy Blyton-Gray.

Get all 12 Actionable Insights from this episode at www.sellingsnow.com

Today we're heading north, back to BC, just west of Terrace, to a legendary powder paradise and the only co-op-owned ski area in North America.

A ski resort that had fallen on tough times. And a community—and even the former owners themselves—that rallied together to save it.

Today on Selling Snow, we’re chatting with Shames Mountain General Manager Christian Théberge for one of the most unique ski business stories in the industry.

We’ll hear how a small remote ski area transformed into one of the world’s most fascinating community ownership stories, why building community trust may be more important than building new lifts, and what ski operators can learn about sponsorship, leadership, transparency, and surviving tough seasons.

We’ll also hear how bake sales, pet rocks, and a community refusing to let their mountain disappear helped save a ski hill.

So let’s put on our gore tex powder bibs, and head up to Shames for a conversation with Christian Theberge.

We pulled 12 Actionable Insights from this episode. Get them all at www.sellingsnow.com

I am so excited about today’s episode. I’ve been hearing about this summer-only ski area near Yellowstone for years and have always been intrigued. Today, we head high above the tree line to one of the most unique ski operations around. The only summer-only ski area in North America, Beartooth Basin.

No hotels. No village. No snowmaking. No high-speed lifts. Just 500 feet of steep summer snow, two diesel-powered platter lifts, and a community of skiers who are absolutely obsessed with the place.

Our guest today is Justin Modroo, the General Manager of Beartooth Basin, a ski area that operates for only a few weeks each year, but has become one of the most legendary hidden gems in skiing.

In this conversation, Justin shares how Beartooth survives with a short summer season, why they intentionally cap skier numbers, how they built a cult-like following without traditional marketing, and why authenticity and community might matter more than luxury amenities in the future of skiing.

This episode is a reminder that sometimes the most important thing a ski area can sell isn’t convenience, size or amenities, it’s soul. Plain and simple fun. So let’s head up the Beartooth pass, get our costumes on, hit the mandatory drop in and ski every day like it’s closing day in our conversation with Justin Modroo from Beartooth Basin.

Get all 12 Actionable Insights from this episode at www.sellingsnow.com

Today, we’re heading down under to the Victorian Alps,  three hours outside of Melbourne, Australia to a fascinating ski resort model built on collaboration.

My guest today is Noel Landry, a Canadian-born ski patroller turned Olympic event operator turned ski resort GM, who now oversees one of Australia’s most collaborative and community-driven mountain operations.

In this episode, we dive into what Noel calls “running winter like a 121-day event,” and unpack how Mt Buller operates within a complex mix of private ownership, government-managed infrastructure, community stakeholders, and independent businesses, all while a ski area with some of the best advanced terrain in Australia.

We talk about:

• Why Australian skiing is completely different from North America,
• How Mt Buller markets the entire resort community together,
• The challenge of converting snow players into lifelong skiers,
• Lessons from the events world that apply directly to ski operations,
• and why collaboration might actually be the greatest competitive advantage a resort can have.

There’s a ton of operational and marketing insight packed into this one.

So let’s head up to the village in the clouds, and in some creamy down under snow under the gum trees with Noel Landry of Mt. Buller.

We pulled 12 Actionable Insights from this episode that you can use to up your own game. Find all 12 at www.sellingsnow.com

Imagine a ski area that is a 90-minute drive from 20 million people. It sounds like a dream on the business side. But imagine, literally millions of those have never skied before, and there is a massive volume of competing entertainment options.

In this episode of Selling Snow, we’re heading back to the East Coast and the hills of New Jersey. Coming off one of their all-time best snow seasons (Yes, New Jersey beat out many iconic western ski areas for snow this year), we sit down with Evan Kovach, General Manager of Mountain Creek Resort, one of the highest-volume ski areas in North America, sitting just outside New York City and serving millions of potential guests.

And what’s fascinating about their model… is that it’s not built on powder days or destination travel.

It’s built on the science of selling, introducing new skiers to the sport, having an epic terrain park scene, and being the alpine backyard for the New York metro area.

We get into how they:

• Pre-sell 60–70% of their business before the season even starts
• Use pricing and inventory to actively shape demand
• Turn night skiing into a massive growth engine
• And most importantly… how they attract and serve the never-ever skier—the people who are choosing between skiing, the movies, or staying home

Because if you want to grow your ski area in today’s market, you don’t just need more skiers…

You need a better system for creating them.

Now let’s head through the Lincoln tunnel and down I -80 for a chat with Evan Kovach at Mountain Creek Resort, New Jersey.

We pulled 12 Actionable Insights from this episode. You can find all of them at www.sellingsnow.com

Imagine building one of the first new ski areas in North America in years, and just four years in, almost having the whole thing collapse, only to re-emerge years later and realize a slightly adjusted version of the original vision?

This week, we’re off to Tamarack Resort in Idaho, a mountain that didn’t just get built from scratch, but had to rebuild itself after hitting some serious turbulence. It's a fascinating deep dive into one of the most unique comeback stories in the ski industry. 

We sit down with CEO Scott Turlington, who’s been part of Tamarack’s journey from the very beginning, through the early vision, the 2008 financial crisis, and then returned to lead the resurgence that’s turning heads across the industry.

This conversation goes way beyond lifts and snow. We get into what it really takes to rebuild trust with your audience, how to position a resort that’s both destination and local, and why marketing is less about flashy campaigns and more about consistently delivering on your promises.

There are lessons here for anyone in mountain ops, marketing, or really any business trying to grow in a competitive space. So let’s get on our blue jeans and head out to the mountain on the shores of Lake Cascade for a chat with CEO of Tamarack Resort, Scott Turlingon.

We pulled 12 Actionable Insights from this episode that you can use to up your own game.

Find all 12 at www.sellingsnow.com.

What if the future of skiing isn’t bigger, flashier, or more expensive—but actually simpler, more human, and more affordable?

In this episode of Selling Snow, we sit down with Travis Baptiste and Cindy Dady from Sunlight Mountain Resort, a fiercely independent ski area in Colorado that’s quietly rewriting the playbook. While much of the industry is chasing scale, Sunlight is doubling down on community, experience, and value and it’s working.

You’ll hear how they’re attracting loyal destination visitors from unexpected markets like Florida and Texas, convincing folks on the front range to go a bit further, why they’ve resisted raising prices even after major capital investments, and how their “vibe-first” philosophy is turning first-time guests into lifelong advocates.

If you’re wondering how smaller or independent resorts can compete and win while updating infrastructure without raising prices, this episode is for you. Now let’s hop in the hot springs and then head up to Sunlight Mountain for a chat with CEO Cindy Dady and Marketing Manager Travis Baptiste.

We pulled 12 Actionable Insights from this episode to help you up your own marketing game. Find all 12 at www.sellingsnow.com.

Jay Peak, in Northern Vermont is known for two things: incredible terrain and an absurd amount of snow.

But behind that reputation is a much more complex story.

After emerging from a high-profile SEC scandal and ownership shakeup, Jay Peak has rebuilt trust and driven record performance—not by chasing premium pricing or polished positioning, but by doubling down on volume, value, and authenticity.

In this episode, we sit down with GM Steven Wright to break down how that strategy actually works—from pricing and packaging to filling shoulder periods and building a brand guests believe in.

If you’re trying to grow visits and revenue in a real-world operating environment, there’s a lot here worth paying attention to. So grab your pow skis and your bathing suit and let’s head up to Northern Vermont for a chat with President and GM of Jay Peak Steven Wright.

We pulled 12 Actionable Insights from this episode to help you up your marketing game. Find all 12 at www.sellingsnow.com 

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

Today's guests decided to open an experts-only ski area in the Midwest, tucked deep in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, with no large population base anywhere nearby. No grooming. No beginners. No rentals. No snowmaking. Just steep lines, trees, cliffs, and lake-effect powder.

Mount Bohemia isn’t just unconventional by design, it’s unconventional by geography. When most people think “Midwest skiing,” they don’t think expert terrain, sustained vertical, or destination travel. And yet Bohemia has built a fiercely loyal following by leaning into exactly those contradictions.

From legendary $99 season passes to reality TV, provocative marketing, and a personality that refuses to be sanitized or corporate, Mount Bohemia has figured out how to sell a remote, extreme, and entirely unique product to the exact right customers.

In this episode, we’ll dig into how Bohemia pulled that off. You’ll hear how focusing on a narrow niche unlocked massive loyalty, why being willing to turn customers away strengthened the brand, and how pricing, community-driven marketing, and radical authenticity helped turn isolation into an advantage.

Whether you’re in the ski industry or running any kind of business, this conversation is about the power of knowing who you are for—and having the courage to build everything around that truth.

Martin Kevjal took a shuttered Cape Breton ski hill and transformed it into Cape Smoky, a four-season oceanfront resort. From installing the Maritimes’ only gondola to 10Xing visitor numbers, he shares the bold vision, behind-the-scenes rebuild, and adventure-driven strategy that turned a forgotten hill into a must-visit destination.

From wild 80s ski bar antics to Canada’s top family resort, Michael J. Ballingall shares how Big White turned snow, staff, and locals into unforgettable experiences. Learn the secrets behind beginner programs, killer marketing, and guest-first strategies that keep visitors coming back. Hilarious, insightful, and actionable, this episode shows how to sell snow, make it fun, and have guests laughing until their cheeks hurt.

Welcome to Selling Snow, the podcast for ski industry pros,  marketers  or anyone who wants to learn more about marketing in the ski business. I’m your host, Andrew Zwicker, with 25 years in and around marketing skiing, and this show is all about learning from the best in the business, so  you can up your marketing game,or just get a peek behind how ski resort marketing works.

Our first episodes include hilarious and candid conversations with Michael J Ballingall of Big White, Lonie Gleiberman of Mount Bohemia, Marin Kejvel of Ski Cape Smokey, Jeff Penseiro of Baldface Lodge and Jason Levinthal of J Skis. Every episode tells the backstory on the guest, their ski area or ski business. Then it does a deep dive into how they market and sell their product from spectacular failures to keen wisdom and insights that you can use today to up your own marketing game.

Grab a hot chocolate, sit back and enjoy conversations with some of the best on how they are selling their ski business, because there's no business like snow business on Selling Snow.