What a great start to the season it has been! Given the extraordinary nature of life at this moment, that is much to celebrate. I believe that because we are all feeling the gratitude of being able to be here on our mountain home that we are handling the challenges of Covid protocols with a high level of grace. That said, as always there is growth and improvement to be had as we strive not only for a full season but excellence. Personally I believe we have an opportunity to be a shining example of how to not simply survive the pandemic, but thrive. To do that it will take every one of us, and it will take the organization to recognize that every one of us has purpose and value here.
Thank you Greg, Lisa, Matt, Mel, Jeremy for being out and about and taking the time to stop for a moment and talk - asking how we are. That seemingly small gesture has powerful positive impact. I am sure more leaders are out and about, these are simply the ones that I have encountered.
Cody and Marshall are some of the finest leaders I have encountered in my career. They remember we are human. They have our back, and they continually work to make Lift Ops a department of excellence. I am proud to be on that team.
Thank you to all the team members who say hello and express your gratitude when you’re in the lift lines. I’m not going to lie, there is nothing enjoyable in telling people all day long to “tuck in that nose” “Your mask please” and those positive words of gratitude serve as a great source of encouragement to maintain the stoke. In particular, the Instructors have been simply wonderful. You have been sunshine in the grey for me and I am deeply grateful.
I was so happy to see Ralph sitting in the driver’s seat of the bus on my first day up the mountain. He is not only a great driver, he has handled the challenge of “the list” well. Actually all the drivers have been doing a good job of adjusting, but “the list” is a constant source of discontent. The reservation system is not working well. For me it is the single biggest source of negativity for me - it is why I put a 9 instead of a 10. First, the seven day advance reservations makes the process of getting your reservation an ongoing headache. I am going to work the same schedule all season. I am always going to need the bus. There are going to be very few exceptions to the times I ride the bus. Why can I not make a standing reservation for Sat - Tues? This simple thing would mean a great deal. And the 3 o’clock time frame the day before is extremely limiting to accommodate changes to schedule. If the reservation system cannot handle last minute changes, what about creating some type of way for people to switch? Recently I had a 5:15 bus reservation but was done early and wanted to catch the 4:15. Sometimes people get a downhill ride with someone and it opens up a seat - there should be a way besides standing in the line asking the driver to let you on. What if “the list” was printed at concierge and if you need to make a change you do it with them? We could encourage people to let concierge know if they are not going to need their seat and open it up to someone who might want to make a change or has another reason they aren’t on the list. If you want to reach out to me, I have more ideas on how that could work positively for everyone. Key: everyone.
COVID Protocols: So much to say on this! We are not walking the talk. We are not being consistent in our messaging. Masks - we are doing great, although I would like to see more targeted education on the blog for guests about what works and what doesn’t. I spend time everyday talking with guests about what doesn’t work about their current set up. 95% of the people want to comply fully, they just don’t always know how to make that happen. Distancing - this is where I feel we are making poor decisions. For guests its the chair ride. When we speak about keeping our distance, in lines, in the lodge, on the patios and then say it’s okay if a single rides the chair up with a double “if they are okay with it” we are contradicting ourselves. It also creates the situation where singles are asking groups if they can join, putting many people in an uncomfortable situation. Besides, it is like saying to people if you are okay with it you can take your mask off while you stand next to me. I realize the Southern Hemisphere example is what the decision to allow mixed groups to ride is based on, but this is not the Southern Hemisphere. Nothing about our national response to the pandemic, our culture and society is similar to the Southern Hemisphere so just because it worked for them means it works here. Covid numbers are rising regionally. Do we really think that consistently letting mixed groups of people ride a chair lift, where it is highly likely they will remove their mask because they can, is not a high risk gamble on a full season? The buses are not socially distant, even if you use 3 ft as the rule instead of 6. I realize this is following the recommendations of the state in regard to transportation, but that doesn’t mean it is right. Why 6 feet everywhere else and 3 feet on a bus? I cannot speak for all, but riding the bus feels much like being below deck on the Titanic. Those who make the recommendations are not the ones using public transportation. We have the opportunity to truly embrace the idea that we are all in this together and there is nothing safe from a COVID perspective about riding the bus. And when the answer to making it better is opening the windows, well that just makes it worse. After spending the entire day outdoors, sometimes wet and cold, we now get to ride a freezing cold bus down the mountain - and still feel good about going to work. I realize that there are those who may say we are lucky to have this transportation available, and I am grateful because I would not work here if we didn’t, but I say you are lucky to have a team of people who are willing to do this low paying work. You cannot win at chess without your pawns. Solutions: Find out who is riding the bus. It doesn’t vary much. And use that data to implement safe rides - maybe there isn’t enough buses? Drivers?
Sorry this is so long, but I’m passionate about humans and excellence.
Happy Day!
Thank you for all the thought you put into this response! We will discuss whether some of the time restraints on the bus reservations system can be adjusted. We know it is less convenient to need to make a reservation but we don't see another alternative that would ensure those planning to ride the bus had a seat available for them. It was already a challenge last season and we though it would be even more of a challenge this season with the more limited capacity. That said we will discuss some of the time restraints and see if those could be adjusted now that we have experience operating the reservation system.
Regarding allowing guests from different parties to ride the chair together, we felt that being outdoors with masks on significantly reduces the risk of transmission and that combined with a short chair ride we wanted to give guests the option to have more to a chair if they chose to. However we don't want anyone to feel obligated to pick up a single so we should think through the best way to manage that without making people uncomfortable.
-Jeremy Riss
I have rarely spent two days in a row at the same lift and I have found that I really like that. I enjoy moving around and mixing things up. Not sure if you are still trying to do set lift crews eventually since I haven't heard anything about that recently, but I feel very safe as is right now since we are all outside, wearing masks, and socially distanced so I am happy to continue moving around. Or maybe we could do set crews but rotate lifts, I don't know if that's possible. Also there's definitely some lifts that most people like better or worse than others so seems most fair to move people around.
Thank you for the feedback. We are indeed still planning on set lifts. Follow up with me directly about your idea.
-Cody Howe
I think we're doing pretty darn good. Guests seem to be happy with our efforts as well. If there was advice or recommendations on the best masks in terms of not fogging goggles (when actively skiing) I would love to know what they are?
There is a product called fogtech DX Instant Anti-Fog in the retail shop. Give this a try I have found it is very effective in preventing fog.
-Jeremy Riss
Make vouchers easier to use with tickets having a list of employees that registered their vouchers online. I registered several vouchers for family and friends to use while I was working but had to come to the ticket booth because tickets didn’t have the information! It happened to several of my coworkers and we were wondering why the online registration wasn’t working at the tickets booth. We never received a confirmation email only two sentences that thanked us then stated to bring ID to the ticket booth and confirm the recipients email. This can be a great way to redeem vouchers as I’ve done at Timberline with vouchers that friends have given me and had no hassles. Hoping you are looking into making it easier to redeem vouchers so we aren’t holding up the line or pulling me from my work on the hill. Also let’s get Daisy running on high wind days when Vista and Cascade are closed to keep the lines down. I worked On Friday 12/18 and it was a beautiful bluebird day but guest were complaining about the lines and lifts stopping. The line on HRM was half way up the hill and it was difficult to keep social Distancing and masks up.
We would love to create the ability to redeem vouchers online but so far we have not been successful in getting that to work. The form we created still requires a manual process to redeem the vouchers. We had significant challenges to start the season with all the vouchers from last season still being valid the first 3 weeks and were being overwhelmed by voucher reservations. At this point though allowing in person redemptions again and a return to more normal voucher demand I think things are running more smoothly.
-Jeremy Riss
Each new season it's always great to see old team members and meet new ones. BTW any chance we can get our meal discount at the food truck/van in the main lot? The food is great and it helps keep people out of the lodges.
I am sorry, but the remote operations (the van and the beer cart on the deck) do not currently have the ability to “talk” to the MHM system to do points or discounts. Hopefully we will get that in the future. However, most of what is available there (outside of the hot sandwiches) is available at Higher Grounds and Wild Flowers which generally are a lot quicker than the Sahale Grill during the lunch rush. Also, the Schuss Grill operates 10:30a – 3p (later some days) Wednesdays through Sundays, and it is very quick.
– Mark Fellows, Director of Culinary Services
With hours cut by 90 minutes every day and lunch never included, i would love to see a lunch voucher for every two childrens/prodeal lessons instructors teach, or at least a box of sandwiches a week, or just some of the good ol fashioned prepackaged meadows cookies now and again.
How to deal with young learners who don’t wear masks properly, help them get up after a fall, put on their skis safely hasn’t been covered.
Need music in the sahale
Anyone working with plexiglass in front of them, take a moment and clean your plexi ! It is very uninviting to approach with a dirty workstation. Thank you!
Good tip, thanks for mentioning that.
-Jeremy Riss
1. Overheard in the lift line from guests on Monday 12/15 @ 9:40 am: 'I don't know how many years its been since I rode this lift (buttercup). I left the line for Mt. Hood Express...it's just too long. Stadium isn't running. That's just a cost saving move. Family of 4 buying season passes...they (Mt. Hood) got ya...but it's not cool...they need to open the mountain up.'
2. Have experienced some members of the security department coming across as aggressive and unfriendly to employees for no apparent reason.