Moving Forward

Welcome to a new issue of SnowOps and the start of a new snow season for North America.

Lindsay RistoSeptember 30, 2020

Watching industry’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic on social media throughout the off-season has been inspiring. We are a hearty bunch that adapts to whatever conditions are thrown at us. Despite the challenges industry faces with the coming season – travel restrictions, reopening efforts, etc. – there will be opportunities for successes as the public continues to be encouraged to explore their own backyard. I’m interested to hear if there is an uptick in local visitors to ski resorts and areas this season.

I will admit, the fluidity and uncertainty of the pandemic have made planning coverage in these pages particularly difficult this time around. The picture is not clear for North America with many areas facing lockdown, some reopening and others scaling back reopening efforts. For this reason, the decision was made to proceed with our annual pre-season planning issue. Upcoming issues of SnowOps will include more COVID-19-related coverage as the situation presents itself.

Kicking off the pre-season planning, how does your ski resort or area measure snow depth? Advancements in snow measuring technology provide some interesting insights.

An interesting trend is happening in North America: Nordic ski clubs are partnering with golf and country clubs to provide members safe, groomed trails. Learn about these partnerships.

Keep your employees and volunteers safe and warm this season by exploring the custom cold-weather gear from Mountain Uniform. Learn how this company has been outfitting industry for decades and why their customers keep coming back.

Lastly, congratulations to the 2020 inductees to the International Snowmobile Hall of Fame, your contributions to industry and the sport of snowmobiling are appreciated by all.

As always, I hope you enjoy this issue of SnowOps and that you find the articles beneficial. Don’t forget to reach out if you have any comments or topics that you would like to see in upcoming issues. Finally, be sure to like and follow us on Facebook and Twitter. All the best for a great 2020-21 snow season, see you in 2021!

Please take care of each other and yourselves,