Your view on what patrol should do at resort

[sava 0]

talisker: " How can we help them improve this?" seems to be by suggesting improvements. This thread was started by somebody who says that they're a patroller. By answering their questions of what could be changed will hopefully help them improve this.

 

 

I agree with FT's implicit statement that this hasn't been a slagfest. A slagfest would be 'Ski patrollers in Japan are bad', rather the comments have been more along the lines of "we would like more powder, Europe and N.A. offer it".

[Fattwins 0]

and the girl never does answer i think she is just running a poll.

[Ocean11 0]

What kind of help are you providing talisker? If one may ask..?

[orinoco 0]

Which girl are you talking about Fattwins?

 

I've seen no slagfest....

 

 

And even if there had been a slagfest, I'd have thought it was people using the forums who were doing that, not "the site". Strange!

[SnowJapan#Andrew 6]

We have actually communicated with I-Am-Patrol, and it seems that he is a guy who has worked for a few resorts in Yamagata and Nagano and is genuinely interested in knowing what people think and improving things.

 

(It's definitely not the lady at Hakuba 47).

[Fattwins 0]

oops

[mattlucas 0]

hahahahahaha

[Fattwins 0]

[NoFakie 45]

[brit-gob 9]

Well now we have that sorted - tell us more i-am-patrol.

[yamayamayama 2]

Yes I'm interested to hear more as well.

[I-Am-Patrol 0]

Hello. Sorry again delay. I am busy now for preparing season. In my experience I work in 3 resort in Japan in Yamagata and Nagano. This year I will be in Nagano again.

 

I am interested in your ideas. I think also that safety is the most important thing and making sure no accident. Marking trails, avalanche control work, helping injured people yes.

 

How do you think about the "customer service" thing? What does that involved?

 

 Quote:

push the company to open terrain that is safe to ski, ie closed areas. Patrol shouldnt have to try to catch people or play a police roll everyday.

Sometimes the resort cannot open some area becqaue of legal issue for example protected or somebody own. In this case if people go into place that clearly marked "don't go", we have no option but "catch people" as you saying. Surely it is the person who go into "don't go" area who is wrong, not the patrol????? I can't understnad it.

[mattlucas 0]

Yes if the area is deemed not safe or is private property then you should be able to catch the people.

 

But can the patrol in this country see an area as safe or not??? Is there really enough training for this?

A lot of closed areas could be very safe if they were monitered by a trained person.

[Ocean11 0]

> Surely it is the person who go into "don't go" area who is wrong, not the patrol????? I can't understnad it.

 

It's like informed consent with doctors. If you know the reason for something it makes it easier to accept. I ducked ropes at resorts when I could see no harm in being on the other side of the rope. If I knew that it caused a big problem for the resort, I would have thought hard about going in there. If I knew there was a danger there that I hadn't seen for myself, I wouldn't go in there.

 

Resorts need to provide more information, and honest information to stop people looking for fun where they really shouldn't. Perhaps patrol could explain that to management.

[marnix 0]

To me the goal is to have as much terrain open as possible. If some parts are considered dangerous after a snowfall and that is communicated, then I will stay clearof it, but if it is just roped off for the whole season for no clear reason then the only option is to duck the ropes.

 

Another thing is that at some reorts "don't go" areas seem to be the playground for patrollers. If you want customers to stay out you have to stay yourself.

[mattlucas 0]

 Quote:

Originally posted by Sanno:
To me the goal is to have as much terrain open as possible. If some parts are considered dangerous after a snowfall and that is communicated, then I will stay clearof it, but if it is just roped off for the whole season for no clear reason then the only option is to duck the ropes.

This hits it right on
Read that I-Am-Patrol

Trees do make a run dangerous
Unmarked obstacles does not make a run dangerous

[Fattwins 0]

Most land in japan is owned by the govt thus the taxpayers own it. I doubt that there are many problems with the private property issue.

Again instead of saying dame you should give a reason. Dont make one up either its easy to see through BS.

[Siren 0]

I am sorry to say this but what most people in this forum want will not make any difference, at least in Japan, for now.

 

Ski resorts, like any sensible business, exist to make money and if possible, with as little hassle as possible. So what if it makes a few more people happier? It simply does not make sense to incur the extra costs (not to mention risk). Better to concentrate on chasing the easy big tickets i.e. families, couples, people who are likely to spend more but don’t worry too much about staying within the robes.

 

No?

[montoya 0]

Siren, you could add "shrinking big tickets" if the numbers here are any indication:

http://www.snowjapan.com/e/features/features-88.html

 

It would be great if we can hear more from I-Am-Patrol about this topic. For example, does it mean anything that both Naeba and Kagura use a bunch of off-piste pics in their marketing?

http://www.princehotels.co.jp/ski/naeba/index.html

http://www.princehotels.co.jp/ski/kagura/index.html

Maybe they just make for better photos?

[Siren 0]

Numbers are important but not as important as the bottom line. And needless to say, you can do a bunch of things to achieve the sort of profit level you want.

 

And I don’t think any comment is necessary whether they make better photos.

[giggsy 0]

Nics pics indeed.

 

Hardly the first industry to use photos & images that may be deemed slightly misleading.

[Fattwins 0]

siren I dont think anyone here has any illusions that we can change things. It is just fun to gabber on about it though.

 

I say speak with your pocket book dont ski at areas that wont think about opening up terrain.

Ski areas like kagura that dont give a crap where you go.

[Siren 0]

I am not saying things cannot be changed of course. But changes need driving and people who are commit to drive the changes.

 

I believe there are enough people who enjoy skiing off-piste and maybe if the preference is clear enough the ski resorts will have to rethink their off-piste policy.

 

So you are right and to use your curious phrase - “speak with your pocket book”!

[marnix 0]

 Quote:

Originally posted by Siren:
Ski resorts, like any sensible business, exist to make money and if possible, with as little hassle as possible. So what if it makes a few more people happier? It simply does not make sense to incur the extra costs (not to mention risk).

The 2 days I was in Kandatsu last season I saw groups of patrollers hanging around in the park or the cafetaria. These guys were not even patrolling slopes. It would cost more to at least let them actually earn their money.
It would be great if they would do it by opening more terrain but at least let them do what they are paid to do: patrolling! Not drinking coffee. Hmm, adding the donuts then they are the stereotypical cops, mountain cops that is.

[zebedee 1]

Perhaps they were taking a break or lunch.

Perhaps their shift was over.