Overtime after 40 hrs for full time employees
Thank you for continuing to provide this feedback. Even if we can't make something happen immediately it is helpful to know what team members want.
-Jeremy Riss
I had a great two days this week and I know I created a positive experience for 7 customers. Here are two items that I think need attention.
The lift lines need more supervision. If not for a number of instructors stepping in to organize the chaos it would have been very frustrating for our guests. We need to have trained lift personnel control the lines! On Buttercup there was no Ski School only line on the west (most used side for classes) until two instructors made it happen, and no Private opening in the back center.
One of the hand dryers in the men's restroom in the north lodge has not worked for at least three seasons! I keep hoping it gets fixed but so far has not. And all four should be replaced with the high speed ones as it takes a long time to dry your hands.
Thanks for your feedback on maze control. I have witnessed lift operations putting more and more emphasis on this which greatly adds to the guest experience. I do know that lift operations have experienced staffing challenges and it has been awesome to see some lift operators doing access control and line management as well as other departments lending a hand.
-Jeremy Riss
I find it extremely innapropriate that our VP makes time to respond to these comments when most of them are directed at HR (and should be handled as such). Last surveys “Bill & Ted” comment was credible and accurate, yet Jeremy’s response was “be part of the change instead of complaining.” We’ll thats what this survey is for, voicing our opinions and trying to implement change. We’re not filling these out to be shut down by our VP defending himself. Also, I’ve been fighting for two years to bring the price of a Hot Wax back down to a reasonable price. It was doubled with no reason or explanation in 2017. $40 for a simple hot wax is egregious, and when the customer can’t afford it they settle with a much more inferior belt wax. It’s a horrible experience for both parties. Let’s get back to remembering what Service means to us. People over pennies.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, what we were trying to get at in the last response is there was no information provided on what needs to change which makes it hard to take action on the comment. We are sorry that the response seemed defensive – We were trying to point out that ideas for how to improve our leadership or the workplace are welcomed, while name calling is not so helpful. We did reduce the price of the quickwax this season based on feedback from the team last year and we will compare hot wax prices with other shops to see how ours compares.”
- Matt Troskey / Jeremy Riss
I just want to say I love our resort, our team, and every single thing that everyone does to help make our mountain home and family unique and amazing.
Reading the negative comments makes me bummed, if you want to complain about something move to Portland and cry about traffic and how much it rains - most negative things I have seen are pretty rediculous.
Like the whole breakfast burrito thing? The breakfast wraps are literally the same thing but better, they just have a different name! Try reading the menu? Everything Matt Grimsley and the culinary team have done is awesome. Sure the shuttles are late sometimes but it’s a free ride to/from work? The employee lounge coffee could be better but... it’s FREE. For 1000+ people.
I think our team from part time high schoolers sll the way up to directors, VP’s, and COO are great (of course with some exceptions, nothing is perfect) and I appreciate the time you all spend to make improvements within the “perpetual stoke” model. It’s working for me, and on my second season I can say I will be back next year and for seasons after to do my best enriching the lives of those around me as much as mine has been.
Keep up the great work everyone & bring on some more storms!
Thanks for your comments. Oftentimes, adopting a positive mindset is the best way to feel better and be happier, especially in cases when you may not be in a position to change the situation. It also fosters a more open and creative approach to actually working on improvements. - Matt Troskey
Blue till two! And get the sewage smell fixed!!
We opened the cooper ski hill this year, and that's a relief. It's been a busy few days. We got the call we were opening the day after Christmas on Christmas Eve, so we've been a little short on employees. I appreciate how our managers have been working hard next to us. Barbra and Andres have our back with rude guests. Maybe next year we could get a little more notice on opening, that would have helped all of us.
CSSA is an awesome place, I'm planning to be Friday evening, can't wait to check out the operation this year!
-Jeremy Riss
Constant changing of crews is getting very old. It's understandable to let people work a new spot and get training, but it's ridiculous to do it every day or even every other day. Everything would run much smoother if we kept people who work well with each other together. Personally I'm at the point where i'm only going to help train the very bare minimum of what I know since this always happens. Also the telling on people over small issues that have zero effect is ridiculous, this isn't middle school.
Learned this morning we can have water or coffee (in a covered container) when greeting guests. Yay! Those 5am wake-ups result in my need of a bit of extra caffeine to get my stoke going!
I love Meadows and love the improvements I've seen implemented around the resort. Like everyone I would like to see the shortest lines possible (everywhere) while continuing to drive new and returning customers to the resort (increasing the population). I started doing a little research on lift line management and found this tasty paper from Cornell cir. 2002 https://scholarship.sha.cornell.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1758&context=articles
That article is a bit of a snooze but it is fascinating. One thing it points out is that, when the guest has information about queue wait times at the top of the lift they may decide to head to a different lift than if they just head on back down to the bottom of whatever chair they just got off. Since installing digital signage that gives real time lift line wait times around the mountain may be a bit daunting and require a significant investment I think that we should immediately create and install signs in the lift lines that read something like: "This is your lift line, help it move smooth!". The resort can only do so much for line control and installing this message will allow a guest to feel a sense of ownership and may incite some guests to help group and guide the lines in those times when we can't have a traffic director out there.
All that said, every employee I have seen this year that has been directing traffic in lift lines has done an amazing job being direct, loud, commanding and pleasant. I love seeing flair and smiles in this position! Keep up the great work :).
Wait less, ski more
Thank you for the link and interesting ideas. I've seen lift wait times digitally displayed at other resorts, I'm not sure the accuracy but I agree it would be a nice feature. Also agree the folks who have done maze management this year are doing an awesome job!
-Jeremy Riss
I arrived at the Sandy Pioneer St. shuttle stop at 12:37- granted, that’s cutting it close with a departure listed as 12:40- but with the horrendous traffic of peak holiday travel I was feeling rather thankful for arriving on time. What I hadn’t counted on, was arriving to no shuttle in sight, and after calls to HR I found out the shuttle hadn’t been listed as late. Somebody needs to check the clock that the driver is following- because I can assure you, if that driver thought he had left “on time”, he left at LEAST three minutes early; leaving me, and my coworkers who now have to cover my shift, figuratively (and for me quite literally) standing outside in the rain. Catching the bus is vital to my ability to commute and retain my job at Meadows, and employees need to be able to rely on those departure times. Again, I implore you to update the clocks in the busses daily, as I am willing to bet my job on the fact that either the driver departed early, or that clock is fast. Sincerely,
Soggy and Stranded in Sandy