Ski Areas, Sustainability, & Getting Ready for Opening Day with Taos Ski Valley COO, John Kelly

What goes into getting a ski area ready for opening day? We discuss snow making, maintaining & operating chairlifts, and ski area culture and sustainability with Taos Ski Valley’s chief operations officer, John Kelly.TOPICS & TIMES:John’s role at TSV (4:57)Starting out as a Lifty (5:12)The lead-up to opening a ski area (6:56)Early season snowmaking variables (10:40)How snowmaking has evolved (14:18)Why do lifts end up closed? (18:27)Catering the ski experience to folks from various economic backgrounds (27:51)Wearing beacons & avy gear inbounds? (38:24)Climate change: what’s TSV doing? (42:01)Electric snowcats (45:25)What can ski areas collectively be doing to improve things? (46:46)What else is new at TSV? (51:33)What’s your personal favorite ski run? (54:41)RELATED LINKS: Get Yourself Covered: Become a BLISTER+ Member2024 Blister Summit: Learn MoreOur 23/24 Winter Buyer’s Guide Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.