Volume 7 - What’s it like to be a part of a resort in full flight? DISCUSS THIS FEATURE HERE     24th January 2003 Page 1 of 2 (page 2 here)

To follow up on volume 6 of the setting journals, “Why don’t we open early?” it seems prudent to continue with the analogy that opening a full sized ski resort is very similar to the process involving an airplane taking off. There has been quite a bit of chat on the SJ forums since, both positive and negative. Naturally, this translates into more pressure to produce the equivalent or better this time around. No doubt I’ll hear again from some of you following this volume, and all I ask is that when you contribute, please “Tell it like it is….”
  

The first two weeks of December 2002 are remembered now as a period that everything seemed to be happening at the same time. Previous customers/passengers as well as some new ones began to contact ARAI. “Of course there will be lots of snow” and “don’t worry, just come” were the standard lines. Though we did receive early snows in November, most was history by the first week in December, and the managers also had to worry about “economical turbulence”, given that winter resort vacations are considered to be subject to the elasticity of demand. By December 7^th, the reservations had been made, but where was the snow?

The winter workers, some 250 of them, descended on ARAI in that first week of December and transformed the place overnight. In addition to the Japanese from all over Japan, two bands from the Philippines, a Reflexologist from Taiwan, and a handful of Canadians for the Spa and ARAI GUIDE CENTER rounded out the initial picture. All immediately went into intensive training, as we prepared to accept guests from December 14^th. Lunches in the staff cafeteria swelled from the usual 50 or 60 servings up to several hundred, and breakfast and dinner hours were extended as well. The dormitory also became more vibrant, as the variety of local dialects mixed relatively smoothly with those from overseas. How is it possible to bring several hundred people together from all over and unite them into a working unit within two weeks? How is such a team able to serve the needs of guests in a friendly and hospitable manner? Of course, there are lots of variables. Two ones found again and again are a mutual love of fresh white powder and the great feeling one gets by either skiing/ boarding or both!
  

With the operations aspect more or less in place by that second week of December, it all came down to the mood of Mother Nature. In order for any commercial airliner to take off, fuel is a key element. For a snow resort that does not rely on the artificial stuff, lots of fresh snow is required. On December 9^th, working at this resort felt like being at the controls of a commercial airliner full of passengers who were for the most part unaware that there was not much fuel in the tanks. Fortunately, Mother Nature stepped up to bat in a timely manner and hit off the following stats for that second week:

In the setting journals - volume 6 (December, 2002) - it was stated that snow levels of less than 2 meters are characterized as having severe undulations, making grooming tricky at best. Thanks to Mother Nature that week, ARAI was able to get the required grooming done in time.
  

So with the staff in place, groomed snow on the mountain and guests on the way, ARAI Mountain & Spa was almost ready to take-off/open for business.

Two annual traditions related to opening the mountain still needed to be performed before opening however. These were:

For me, the first tradition above was understandable, but the second one caught me a bit off-guard the first couple of times I’d walk into an area where the rituals were being performed. I learned over the years to distinguish between the two religious representatives by noting that the Shinto Priest has both hair and a special hat while the Buddhist Monk has neither. I understand that while it is quite common in Japan for a Shinto Priest to be present for opening ceremonies and the like, it is less common for a Buddhist Monk to participate.

The take-off in the end went very smoothly, and we were fortunate to be able to put a good face on things for the guests that opening weekend. Though a collective sigh of relief could be heard from the operations end following take-off, senior staff knew from experience that a great deal of work was still required for the resort to reach cruising altitude.
   

Page 1 of 2 : Continued here