Norden, California — Situated near Lake Tahoe, Donner Ski Ranch has survived a consolidated ski industry thanks to its affordable pricing, family-friendly atmosphere, and long ski seasons. It’s typically among the last to close, not only in the region but in the entire country. So, typically, there’s a lot to praise them for. This is unfortunately not one of those cases.
Last week, Donner Ski Ranch announced that they are installing signs at the bottom of every lift. These signs urge guests to rat out employees who use their cell phones. The move was panned by commentators, with over 280 comments on the post. The ski resort even commented on some of the guest responses. Some of the responses the ski resort gave to customers suggest they didn’t major in marketing.
I was probably going to avoid this topic and let it be, but then they posted about it again. Donner Ski Ranch cited a hypothetical story about a liftie who isn’t focused, which results in your injury. What a story, Mark.
Some Rational Thoughts
Let’s start with the part that does make sense: lifties shouldn’t be distracted by their phones. Lifties need to pay attention, especially with the fixed-grip chairlifts at Donner Ski Ranch.
There was a lawsuit in Colorado that awarded an injured skier $12.4 million because the lift operators were not focused. There’s another lawsuit currently in court against Aspen Snowmass, alleging that its workers were unfocused, leading to a guest’s injury. Donner Ski Ranch, an independent ski resort that would be devastated by such a costly lawsuit, is right to be concerned about lapses in employee judgment.
However, there are better ways to go about this. The first option is to install cameras (like Ring) on each lift, allowing management to monitor employees. Although, frankly, that takes the message of The Police’s most popular song too seriously. The second option is to provide a cubby system where employees can store their phones, and the ski resort knows they don’t have them. Including the ski patrol’s phone number in the social media posts probably wasn’t the best decision, either. Ultimately, it shouldn’t be up to paying customers to figure it out.
While this was a swing-and-miss for Donner’s management team, I still look forward to the next Peruvian food night announcement.
Image Credits: Donner Ski Ranch
