Volume 16 - "Day in The Life of a Full-Sized Snow Resort" - Introduction DISCUSS THIS FEATURE HERE 22nd July 2004

Introduction 

It is a pleasure to once again have the privilege of first writing The Setting Journals and watching it go online, and then corresponding with Snow Japan Forum members on the related thread. Such is especially true this time around, as I need the help of SJ Forum members in shaping up the forthcoming series of articles concerning the topic, "Day in The Life of a Full-Sized Snow Resort" - do you want to read about all aspects of the resort operations, or just those related to the mountain? The thread linked to this volume of the setting journals is the place to let me know!

No doubt most of you have at one point enjoyed an article on some subject presented in a "Day in The Life". Personally, I enjoyed reading such an article when the Toronto Star Newspapers' version of that city was published while I was a University student in Ontario. My understanding is that such reporting consists first of a journalistic team of photographers shooting and reporters writing about their subject as it evolves over a 24-hour-period. Then all the photos and stories are correlated according to time over the twenty four-hour-period concerned. Once done, the editor(s) involved then attempt to present all the various aspects of the subject together as a whole in a manner that portrays an accurate reflection of the subject understandable to the readers. Such a process will be followed over the next several articles as I present to you resort life from an operations standpoint  in a "Day in The Life" format.

There are two main differences besides the subject matter that I can see between this series of articles and that mentioned already which appeared in The Toronto Star newspaper. Firstly, while "A Day in The Life of Toronto" was intended mainly for residents of that city, "Day in The Life of a Full-Sized Snow Resort" is intended for anyone with both access to the Internet and a love for Snow. Secondly, as the related demographics concerning the audience for this series of articles is relatively undefined, the subject needs to be presented in even more of a user-friendly format.

This project began by approaching senior staff members to request an interview about their respective operations. Each time I did so it became clearer to me that I would also have to request an interview with so and so of such and such a division. In other words, instead of the function becoming simpler, it was gradually becoming more complicated! It got to the point where I took a step back and realized that the only way to go about doing this was to proceed via the organizational chart of the resort. Looking ahead a couple of volumes in this mini series within The Setting Journals however, I could see problems arising from forum users asking relevant questions on the related thread(s) concerning operations.  That is, readers contributing to a certain thread would ask questions that to be answered correctly would require basic knowledge of the organizational chart. Quite simply, if I required the organizational chart in order to get a firm grip on this task, then it is only fair that readers also become privileged to such information. Thus, the remainder of this article will lay the groundwork for such understanding by presenting and explaining this document.
  

ARAI MOUNTAIN & SPA ORGANIZATIONAL CHART

  
There are many ways of looking at an organizational chart. The brief explanations that follow for each of the nine divisions in the organization are presented from a functional standpoint.

The Accounts Division of the resort is a busy place throughout the year, with extra staff brought on each white season. In addition to accounts payable and accounts receivable, ticket sales for day visitors are also "accounted for", pun intended.

Quality Control, Employee Training, Secretarial concerns as well as matters pertaining to the English language are the responsibility of the Inventory of Skills Division. This division also features a Globalization Promotional Group that advises other divisions of the resort about international guests.

The Human Resources Division is much like those found at most companies of this size, with payroll, social services, and an organizational buying center falling under this wing. Other sections within this division include the dormitory, a disaster prevention center, and general facility/grounds upkeep.

Most guests to the resort are ultimately concerned with the Mountain Division. This division is sub-divided into four sections including:

Grooming - Responsible for managing snow in the white season and grass etc. in the green season, along with Pisten Bully maintenance and the like.

Lifts - Running the Gondola and lifts each white season and servicing them in the green season.

Avalanche Control - Ensuring that the snow on the mountain is safe to open to the public &

Base - Overseeing mountain operations around the clock during the white season.

The title belonging to the Guest Relations Division is self-explanatory. This division breaks down into the six following sections:

Accommodation at the resort naturally falls under the Hotel Division. In addition to the three resort hotels, this division also includes reservations, the Spa and Aqua Park Pool and Yu.

The Sales Division consists of sections concerned with visual identity, direct sales, retail, and a Micro-Brewery.

The Restaurant Division is one of the biggest at the resort, and consists of all of the resort eateries and lounges.

The ninth and final division at the resort is Itakura Family Park. This division revolves around an off-site plateau located across a valley from the resort. The park is open only during the green season as the amount of snow it receives each winter makes it inaccessible to vehicles.

Where did the idea of doing a series of articles on "Day in The Life of a Full-Sized Snow Resort" come from? Well, The Setting Journals started out as a follow-up to my experiences helping the patrol set the mountain up each morning in the white season. From that time I learned a dramatic amount concerning mountain operations, and thought that others would also be interested in hearing about it. Indeed such was the case, and as I proceeded to cover mountain-related issues, the questions that readers of the articles posed became more interwoven with other operational aspects concerning the resort. Things came to a head when snows arrived earlier than usual two seasons back, and readers began asking the resort why we didn't open early. The answer to that question involved all divisions of the resort and how they work with each other. However, five years into this job I still come across puzzling items at the resort that I do not understand well because my knowledge of operations is still far from perfect.

So come with me as I explore further how the resort functions over a twenty-four hour period during the white season.

Next time in The Setting Journals, I'll begin my exploration of the resort from the strike of midnight and take readers through the various graveyard shifts at the start of a peak day during white season operations.  

Click here to go straight to that next article - "Midnight to 3 AM"