Ep.25 Idar Aaboen and Nina Lensebakken of Stryn Sommerski, Norway

Build It Rock by Rock: How a Norweigan Summer Ski Area Survives with Lean Operations, Loyal Guests & Zero Marketing Budget.

Skiing in the summer is awesome. There is no doubt about that. But at the same time, the combination of convincing people beyond the diehards to come skiing in the summer and being operationally efficient enough to eek out a profit, isn’t an easy task.

This week we’re headed North to the Stryn Summer Ski center in Norway. Open for only a short season starting in late May when their access road gets plowed out and usually running into July, sometimes all summer, but increasingly less in recent years.

 It's off the grid, powered by generators, battling unpredictable weather, and operating with a tiny team. Yet every summer, skiers and snowboarders travel from around the world to ride there.

So what's their secret?

It isn't a massive marketing budget. In fact, they don't really have one.

It isn't fancy infrastructure or endless staff.

Instead, its all about running lean, building loyal customers, leading from the front, and making smart business decisions one step at a time.

In this episode, I sit down with the owner of Strynn Sommerski Idar Aaboen and his partner in life and business general manager Nina Lensebakken, to talk about what it really takes to keep a small ski area alive in a non-traditional ski season. Along the way, we dive into authentic marketing, operational efficiency, customer loyalty, leadership, and why sometimes the best growth strategy is simply building your business... rock by rock.

So get on your bikini and let’s hit side hit heaven with Nina and Idar of Stryn Summerski.

10 Actionable Insights

1. Design for Your Ideal Guest—Not Every Guest

One of the smartest decisions Stryn has made is deliberately choosing not to cater to every skier. While many resorts chase race teams because they bring guaranteed business, Stryn realized they fundamentally changed the atmosphere of the mountain by taking over terrain and limiting access for recreational guests. Instead, they've focused on creating an incredible experience for freeriders, park riders and recreational skiers. 

How Stryn uses it: They intentionally direct race teams to another summer ski area and preserve the relaxed, open atmosphere that their guests love.

How other ski areas can use it: Stop trying to be everything to everyone. Identify which guest segment best fits your brand and optimize your terrain, events and operations around that audience. Sometimes saying "no" creates a stronger business than saying "yes."

2. Treat Complimentary Tickets Like Real Money

One of the first changes Stryn made after purchasing the resort was cracking down on free lift tickets. They discovered years of giving away tickets to friends, partners and local connections had quietly become a major financial drain. Instead of viewing comps as "free," they started treating every ticket as revenue. 

How Stryn uses it: Complimentary tickets are tightly controlled and only issued when there's a clear business reason.

How other ski areas can use it: Audit every free ticket you give away. Calculate the actual dollar value over an entire season—you may discover one of the easiest ways to improve profitability without raising prices.

3. Create Experiences That Guests Want to Share

Stryn spends virtually nothing on paid marketing. Instead, they focus on creating an experience that naturally generates Instagram posts, YouTube videos and word-of-mouth. When guests ski in shorts under blue skies in June, they can't help but share it online. 

How Stryn uses it: Their unique summer atmosphere, terrain parks and scenery become their marketing department.

How other ski areas can use it: Instead of asking, "What should we post on social media today?" ask, "What experience can we create today that guests will post for us?"

4. Design One Feature to Serve Multiple Guest Types

Rather than building separate experiences for every market, Stryn looks for ways to make one investment serve several audiences. Their terrain park layout also creates side hits and natural features for freeriders while leaving groomed runs available for traditional skiers. One operational decision satisfies three different customer groups. 

How Stryn uses it: Every improvement is evaluated based on how many different guests can benefit from it.

How other ski areas can use it: Before investing in new terrain or infrastructure, ask how the same investment could improve the experience for multiple visitor segments.

5. Leadership Should Be Seen, Not Hidden

Stryn believes managers shouldn't manage from the office. Both owners regularly operate lifts, work in the café, sell tickets and help customers. Because they understand every job firsthand, they make better operational decisions and earn more respect from staff. 

How Stryn uses it: The owners are constantly visible around the mountain and interact directly with guests every day.

How other ski areas can use it: Have department managers spend scheduled time working frontline positions throughout the season. You'll identify operational problems faster and build stronger staff relationships.

6. Cross-Train Employees Instead of Hiring More People

Coming from a healthcare background, Nina challenged the idea that every employee should have only one responsibility. Instead, she trained staff to perform multiple roles, allowing the resort to operate with a much leaner team while improving efficiency. 

How Stryn uses it: Employees move between departments depending on operational needs.

How other ski areas can use it: Build cross-training into preseason orientation so staff can cover lifts, ticketing, rentals or food service as demand changes throughout the day.

7. Build "Rock by Rock"

One of the recurring themes throughout the interview is avoiding what Nina calls "air castles"—big promises and ambitious expansion plans that aren't financially sustainable. Previous owners overextended themselves, while Stryn focuses on making steady, affordable improvements one step at a time. 

How Stryn uses it: Every improvement is carefully evaluated against the resort's financial reality before moving forward.

How other ski areas can use it: Focus on consistently completing smaller projects rather than announcing major developments that may never happen. Incremental improvements build guest confidence over time.

8. Manage the Atmosphere as Carefully as the Operations

Guests don't just remember the skiing—they remember how the place felt. Stryn intentionally protects its relaxed, welcoming atmosphere where strangers chat in lift lines and everyone feels like part of the community. They see this culture as one of their biggest competitive advantages. 

How Stryn uses it: Operational decisions are filtered through one question: "Will this improve the vibe?"

How other ski areas can use it: Measure guest atmosphere just as seriously as grooming quality or lift wait times. The emotional experience often determines whether people return.

9. Let Leadership Become Part of the Brand

Instead of relying on polished advertising campaigns, Stryn puts its owners front and center. Guests recognize them, interact with them and see them working alongside employees. That authenticity creates trust that marketing dollars simply can't buy. 

How Stryn uses it: The owners become recognizable faces in videos, social media and everyday guest interactions.

How other ski areas can use it: Encourage your leadership team to become visible ambassadors for the resort. Guests connect with people far more than they connect with logos.

10. Simplicity Is a Competitive Advantage

Despite operating one of the world's most unique ski experiences, Stryn resists adding programs that complicate operations. With a team of only 10–13 employees, they stay focused on delivering one exceptional product instead of stretching themselves too thin. 

How Stryn uses it: Every new idea is evaluated based on whether it strengthens or distracts from the core guest experience.

How other ski areas can use it: Before launching a new event, service or program, ask whether it genuinely improves your core business—or simply adds operational complexity. Sometimes doing fewer things exceptionally well creates the strongest competitive advantage.