will also examine ski area snowmaking system
design, operational practices, snowmaking capital
and operating costs, and methods for improving
the energy efficiency of ski resort snowmaking
operations.

SROM 184 - SNOW SAFETY/
SKI PATROL OPERATIONS

During SROM 184 you will review the primary
management issues and operational activities of

the snow safety or ski patrol department, with a
focus on managing avalanche hazards. You will
examine the major elements of ski resort avalanche
hazard assessment and safety including avalanche
terrain, mountain weather, snow pack features, and
avalanche rescue. As part of your study of avalanche
hazards and safety, you will have the opportunity

to complete the Canadian Avalanche Centre (CAC)
Avalanche Skills Training (AST) Level I course which
involves two full days of field study. In addition to
examining avalanche hazard concerns and issues, you
will study several snow safety/ski patrol operations
and management topics, including avalanche hazards
and ski area planning, ski resort avalanche control,
ski patrol operations, ski resort accident investigation
and recording, ski lift evacuation, and ski patrol
facilities and equipment.

SROM 190 - FIELD STUDY

This course consists of a five day credit bearing

field trip to visit ski areas. Although venues change
from year to year, it typically includes major ski
resorts and regions throughout western Canada.

The purpose of this visit is to talk with ski area
managers and supervisors, on location, about their
operations and to inspect those operations. Often the
ski area visit provides "hands-on" supplements to the
contents of on-going SROM courses and involve field
work assignments. This trip provides an excellent
opportunity for candid conversations with ski industry
personnel from general managers to line staff, as
well as an excellent opportunity to examine facilities
and equipment.

SROM 254 - SKI AREA
CAFETERIA OPERATIONS

This course provides an overview of food and
beverage operations with major emphasis on ski area
operations. Students learn how to utilize effective
cost controls for the operations. Menu development
and analysis as well as basic layouts for food and
beverage areas are studied including an emphasis on
cafeteria (mass feeding) operations.

SROM 256 - SKI AREA BUDGETING
AND BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

The material covered in Ski Area Budgeting and
Business Management will introduce students to

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SKI RESORT OPERATIONS & MANAGEMENT

the analysis of financial data for a standard Income
Statement and Balance Sheet. Financial ratios that
are normally used to predict the business health of
a ski resort will be covered. Using CVP numerical
analysis, students will learn the impact of future
proposed financial changes on the fiscal health of

a ski resort’s finances. Problem solving will help
students to understand these financial concepts.
Creation of budget templates on EXCEL spreadsheets
for “wages and salaries”, and “departmental
contribution margin” will round out the course
content.

SROM 257 - SKI RETAIL/RENTAL
SHOP MANAGEMENT

Part I: SROM 157 Ski Resort Rental

Operations: Students will be introduced to the
practical aspects of ski and snowboard rental shop
operations. The layout and design of rental shops
now must accommodate a wide range of rental
equipment including: shaped skis, snowboarding
equipment, demos, and other sliding devices such
as snow-bikes. Equipment purchase, rotation and
disposal of aging rental equipment, and inventory
control will be studied. Rental agreements, the
CWSAA rental waiver, and liability issues will be
discussed. The maintenance of rental equipment
and the importance of good record keeping will be
emphasized. Finally, repair shop operations as a
satellite operation of the rental shop will round out
the topics of discussion. Students will complete

a Rental Shop Design project to enhance their
knowledge of effective rental shop layout, flow, and
balance.

Part II: SROM 157 Ski Resort Retail Shops: For the
second half of this course, students will be given an
overview of retailing and how ski resort retail shops
have become an integral revenue centre in today's
ski resort operations. The following retail topics
will be discussed including: buying cycle, customer
service and selling, shop layout, and product
merchandising. Pricing, the basis for mark-up,

and discounting as related to retail shop financial
performance will be studied. Guest speakers from
local ski or snowboard retail operations will present
content on current industry trends and successful
retail strategies. Students will carry out a critical
analysis of a local sports retail shop to enhance
their knowledge of store layout, merchandising, and
in-store security.

SROM 258 - HUMAN RESOURCES
MANAGEMENT FOR THE RESORT INDUSTRY

As labour markets tighten around the globe, good
human resources management is essential to
attracting and retaining effective staff. This is
particularly true in seasonal resorts and ski areas
where the link between staff and the guest is so

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critical. Innovative approaches to human resources
management are necessary to recruit and retain

the right people in the industry. In this course

you will focus on the critical issues that concern
managers in the tourism industry: human resource
planning, recruitment and selection, orientation,
training and development, performance management
and progressive discipline, challenges and trends,
employment standards and labour relations.

SROM 272 - SUPERVISORY
SKI LIFT OPERATIONS

SROM 272 is a continuation of SROM 172. Ski lift
operational considerations are the primary focus

of this course. You will learn about lift capacity,
standard and emergency operating procedures, lift
operations supervision, lift operator training, lift
operations budgeting, and lift operations human
resources management issues. You will also examine
the broad range of passenger ropeways available

for use in the ski industry, from simple rope tows to
technologically advanced multiple haul rope systems.
SROM 272 incorporates elements of LIFT 150 - Ski
Lift Operations Train-the-Trainer, a course created by
Selkirk College for lift operations personnel. Through
the LIFT 150 portion of the course you will have

the opportunity to earn the LIFT 150 certificate, a
credential required by the BC Safety Authority to train
lift operators in British Columbia.

SROM 280 - SKI AREA CONSTRUCTION
AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT

$280, Ski Area Construction and Project Management
builds on topics previously introduced in three related
courses: S171 Ski Area Planning, S172 Lift Functions,
Maintenance and Regulations, and S166 Ski Resort
Facilities Maintenance. S 280 focuses on ski area
construction projects with trail construction and

lift installation receiving the most emphasis. As a
part of examining construction techniques and best
practices, students will study environmental impact
mitigation practices, including measures to reduce
impact on natural water courses. Students will
review government acts and regulations that affect
construction decisions around water courses. S280
also reviews project planning techniques and tools
including Gantt Charts and PERT/CPM.

SROM 288 - SKI RESORT
WINTER WORK TERM

Each student arranges work as a paid, full-time
employee at a ski resort. For certain students,

the employment may be at a cat-skiing operation,
heli-skiing operation or industry product and
service supplier. With assistance from ski program
instructors, a suitable work opportunity is arranged
commensurate with the experience and work term
goals of each student. Some resort operators
recruit Year IL students directly at Selkirk College.

Selkirk College Academic Calendar 2017-18 231