Ep.32 - Chris Salhany of Castle Mountain Resort, Alberta

The 16,000-Step GM: Why Running a Ski Area Means Getting Out of the Office

What happens when you take nearly 1,000 acres of incredible cat-skiing terrain, add a high-speed quad, and suddenly give a whole lot more skiers access to fresh tracks? And how do you grow a ski resort without losing the independent, community-driven spirit that makes it special in the first place?

Today, we're heading to Castle Mountain Resort in the Southern Canadian Rockies of Alberta, a mountain known for legendary snow, big terrain, and an authentic, no-frills skiing experience. It's the kind of place where the skiing does the talking, the shareholders are out there ripping laps themselves, and you don't need a luxury village to have a world-class day on the hill.

Castle is entering an exciting new chapter, with the Stagecoach Express opening up almost 1,000 additional acres of skiable terrain, a big jump in season pass sales, and plans to grow into a four-season destination, all while keeping that independent mountain identity intact.

I'm joined by Chris Salhany, the resort's president, who's bringing decades of experience in ski area operations, risk management, and mountain development to the role.

We'll talk about the decision to expand, balancing growth with community ownership, what actually works when marketing a mountain, creating a guest experience that keeps people coming back, and some hard-earned lessons on running a seasonal business.

Now let's head off to the Southern Canadian Rockies for a chat with Chris Salhany, president of Castle Mountain Resort in Alberta

Selling Snow: 10 Actionable Insights from Castle Mountain Resort

1. Turn Underused Terrain Into a New Market Proposition

Quick Description

Sometimes the biggest growth opportunity isn't building something new, but changing how customers access and perceive an asset you already have. A lift investment can change the commercial potential of terrain that was previously difficult to access.

How Castle Uses It

Castle replaced its previous cat-skiing model in a zone of nearly 1,000 acres with the Stagecoach Express detachable quad. The terrain had been part of the resort's lease, and the master plan called for a lift in that area. Chris explained that a study commissioned with support from Travel Alberta forecast an increase in skier visits. After the lift opened in February, Castle saw an uptick in day use, and Chris reported a 25.2% increase in early-bird season-pass sales for the following season. 

How Other Ski Areas Can Use It

• Audit your existing terrain, lifts and facilities for assets that are underused because of access constraints.

• Compare the economics of different ways to unlock an asset, including exclusive, limited-capacity experiences versus higher-volume public access.

• Before investing, forecast how the change could affect day tickets, season passes and skier visits.

• Measure results after opening, while distinguishing the impact of the investment from other factors.

The insight is to evaluate infrastructure by the new business it makes possible, not simply by the infrastructure itself.

2. Target the Geography Where Demand Can Actually Convert

Quick Description

A large audience isn't necessarily a valuable audience. For a regional ski area, reaching people in realistic travel markets can matter more than buying exposure in a much larger population centre.

How Castle Uses It

Chris said Castle was moving almost exclusively toward digital marketing after previous use of print, radio and billboards. Rather than trying to target an elusive demographic profile, the team was focusing on geographic markets, including Calgary, Lethbridge and the northwestern United States.

He also described past campaigns involving transit advertising in large cities that had not worked well in the Canadian market. 

How Other Ski Areas Can Use It

• Define realistic drive-to markets based on travel time, road access and the length of trip your resort can support.

• Run separate digital campaigns for each market instead of treating the entire region as one audience.

• Tailor creative to the reason each market might visit, such as a convenient day trip or a multi-day wilderness-style ski experience.

• Compare markets using pass purchases, ticket sales, bookings and acquisition cost rather than impressions or clicks alone.

The practical lesson: buy access to likely customers, not simply access to large audiences.

3. Make Word of Mouth Measurable

Quick Description

Word of mouth is often treated as something a ski area hopes will happen. Castle's existing ticket arrangements show how a resort can at least begin identifying which members of its community are bringing new people through the door.

How Castle Uses It

Chris explained that Castle offers discounted corporate tickets to shareholders and leaseholders, allowing them to bring friends, family and colleagues. The tickets are associated with the person distributing them, making it possible to track who is generating visits. He was clear that, having only recently joined Castle, he wasn't yet certain of the resort's full approach to encouraging referrals. 

How Other Ski Areas Can Use It

• Create a trackable referral offer for season-passholders, local businesses, accommodation partners or community members.

• Give each referrer a unique code or identifiable ticket allocation.

• Track redemption, first-time visits and subsequent purchases to establish whether referrals create incremental business.

• Compare the cost of referral incentives with other customer-acquisition channels.

Don't simply ask whether guests recommend your mountain. Build a way to learn who generates visits, which offers work and whether those visitors return.

4. Treat Season-Pass Growth as an Operational Forecast, Not Just a Sales Win

Quick Description

A successful marketing campaign can expose weaknesses elsewhere in the business. Before celebrating growth, translate new demand into specific operational requirements and prepare to respond where bottlenecks emerge.

How Castle Uses It

After the Stagecoach Express investment and the increase in early-bird pass sales, Chris discussed preparing for additional guests by reviewing parking, pedestrian movement, lodging, food and beverage. Castle had available parking capacity and room in its hotel, but he anticipated that lodging and food-and-beverage facilities would need expansion as the operation developed. He also described moving management staff into frontline roles and adding parking or guest-services support when required. 

How Other Ski Areas Can Use It

• Translate sales forecasts into expected peak-day demand rather than assuming annual skier-visit growth will be evenly distributed.

• Identify the limiting factor at each stage of the guest journey: parking, ticketing, lifts, food service, washrooms or accommodation.

• Establish operational triggers for additional staffing, altered traffic flow or temporary capacity measures.

• Track actual peak-day performance against the forecast and prioritize permanent investments where recurring constraints appear.

The deeper lesson: marketing and operations need to plan together. Generating demand is only valuable if the resort can absorb it without damaging the guest experience.

5. Build Climate Resilience Around Your Actual Operating Constraints

Quick Description

Climate adaptation is not just about investing in more snowmaking equipment. It means identifying the specific constraints that prevent you from making, managing and maintaining snow when conditions allow.

How Castle Uses It

Chris said Castle relies heavily on machine-made snow, particularly when natural snow or early-season cold is lacking. He identified electrical power as a major constraint: many lifts still run on diesel because three-phase power does not reach the ski area. Existing snowmaking uses fan guns powered by a diesel generator. He said Castle would invest heavily in snowmaking and that snow-management software would play a growing role in operating decisions. 

How Other Ski Areas Can Use It

• Map the dependencies behind snowmaking: temperatures, water, pumping capacity, electrical supply, generators and staffing.

• Identify which constraint most limits your ability to make snow during suitable weather windows.

• Compare investments in additional guns or pumps against investments in power supply, water infrastructure and snow-management systems.

• Use snow-management data to improve decisions about where and when to make snow, rather than relying solely on established routines.

Castle's example is particularly useful because it shows why a snowmaking investment cannot be evaluated in isolation from the power infrastructure needed to operate it.

6. Diversify Into Four Seasons Without Betting the Business on a Single Attraction

Quick Description

Four-season diversification doesn't have to begin with a major lift, extensive trail network or large new facility. Resorts can test demand for activities that use existing infrastructure before making larger capital commitments.

How Castle Uses It

Chris described Castle's gradual expansion beyond its traditional skiing business. Planned and emerging activities included weddings, running races, corporate retreats, wellness retreats and mountain biking. He characterized the approach as slow, thoughtful and methodical, with development taking place in phases rather than through a single major transformation. 

How Other Ski Areas Can Use It

• Start by identifying existing assets that can support summer events, including lodges, accommodation, outdoor spaces and parking.

• Test demand through bookings and events before investing in permanent infrastructure.

• Evaluate each activity by its contribution after staffing, utilities, setup and cleanup costs.

• Expand successful offerings incrementally, while considering how they affect winter preparation and staff capacity.

The important distinction is between adding activities and building a sustainable four-season business. Each new activity needs to work operationally and financially.

7. Turn Your Brand Positioning Into a Filter for Business Decisions

Quick Description

A positioning statement is only useful if it helps management decide what to pursue, what to invest in and what to decline. Your brand should shape your operating strategy, not just your advertising.

How Castle Uses It

Chris described Castle as an “accessible backcountry resort” with a strong focus on skiing, a wilderness feel and authentic mountain experiences. He acknowledged that Castle did not offer the shopping, spa facilities and extensive amenities some destination guests expect, and described it as a particularly good destination for a three- or four-day trip. He also said the resort was not looking to attract large busloads of tourists simply to maximize volume. 

How Other Ski Areas Can Use It

• Define the experience your resort is best equipped to deliver and the guests most likely to value it.

• Use that positioning to evaluate proposed developments, partnerships and marketing campaigns.

• Be explicit about the experiences you do not currently offer, so that marketing creates realistic expectations.

• Revisit the positioning when major investments change the product, rather than allowing the brand to drift with every new opportunity.

The value of clear positioning is not just better marketing. It's a decision-making framework that helps management avoid investments that don't reinforce the resort's competitive advantage.

8. Design the Guest Experience From the Guest's Perspective, Not the Organization's

Quick Description

Policies, signs and internal procedures are often designed around how an organization wants to manage itself. A guest-forward review asks whether those decisions make the visit clearer, easier and more enjoyable for the customer.

How Castle Uses It

Chris said he was working to keep the guest's perspective central to Castle's decisions. He challenged the tendency to use signs and policies to avoid conversations, while acknowledging that legitimate safety signage is necessary. He also described asking the marketing team to make signs more positive, encouraging appropriate behaviour instead of repeatedly telling guests what not to do. 

How Other Ski Areas Can Use It

• Walk the entire guest journey and review signs, instructions, restrictions and points of confusion.

• For each rule or sign, ask what risk it addresses and whether there is a clearer way to communicate it.

• Rewrite non-safety messaging around the desired behaviour, rather than leading with prohibitions.

• Give staff the training and authority to handle routine situations through friendly conversation where appropriate.

This is a practical way to improve guest experience without necessarily adding amenities or spending significant capital.

9. Use the GM's Presence on the Mountain as an Early-Warning System

Quick Description

Time spent with guests and frontline employees can be an operational intelligence tool, not simply a visible leadership gesture. Direct contact helps management identify issues while they are still small and easier to resolve.

How Castle Uses It

Chris described spending busy weekends out on the mountain and said that if he didn't reach 16,000–17,000 steps, he felt he hadn't been doing his job. He explained that conversations with guests could prevent 30 or 40 emails on Monday morning. He also described senior management getting involved during Castle's Huckaberry Festival, which attracted 2,200 people, and being willing to help with practical tasks when needed. 

How Other Ski Areas Can Use It

• Assign leaders specific periods to observe high-pressure guest touchpoints during busy days and events.

• Encourage them to ask guests and staff about problems, rather than simply checking whether operations appear to be running smoothly.

• Record recurring issues and assign someone to resolve each one.

• Use what management learns to improve procedures, staffing and communication before the next peak period.

The goal isn't to make the GM the permanent solution to every operational problem. It's to use firsthand observation to help the organization solve problems at their source.

10. Make the Board a Partner in Change, Not Just an Approval Stage

Quick Description

In an independent or community-owned ski area, successful change depends partly on how management works with the people who govern and invest in the mountain. The quality of those relationships can affect how effectively new ideas move from proposal to execution.

How Castle Uses It

Chris described Castle's shareholder-owned structure as a benefit because many shareholders are active skiers with a personal connection to the mountain. Although significant capital investments and development decisions require shareholder approval, he explained that the relatively direct relationship between the president, board chair and shareholders can allow changes to move quickly. His advice on working with boards was to recognize that board members are volunteers who want to make the mountain better and to approach conversations with that shared goal in mind. 

How Other Ski Areas Can Use It

• Establish a shared set of objectives with the board before presenting individual capital projects.

• Explain how a proposal improves the guest experience, strengthens financial sustainability or protects the mountain's identity.

• Identify which decisions management can make independently and which require formal approval.

• Maintain regular, direct communication so that board members understand the reasoning behind decisions before major votes arise.

The lesson is not that shareholder-owned resorts always make better decisions. It is that management can improve the decision-making process by building on the board's knowledge, commitment and shared objectives.