Mar 9 Ep.7 - Sam Oettli of Mt. Sima
- Andrew Zwicker
- Mar 9
- 5 min read
How a community ski hill north of 60 became an international training center.
How do you build a financially sustainable ski hill in a small northern market while keeping skiing accessible and affordable for locals?
That’s the challenge the team behind Mount Sima in Whitehorse, Yukon has been solving by leaning into what they do best.
Welcome back to Selling Snow, the podcast for ski industry pros, marketers or anyone who wants to learn how ski areas attract visitors.. I’m your host, Andrew Zwicker, with 25 years in and around marketing skiing, and this show is all about learning from the best in the business you can up your marketing game—or just get a peek behind how ski resort marketing works.
Today’s guest is Sam Oettli, General Manager of Mount Sima. Sam has been skiing the mountain since day one before stepping into the GM role.
In 2013, the society that originally built Mount Sima ran into financial trouble and ultimately folded. A new non-profit group, Friends of Mount Sima, stepped in to take over operations with a renewed vision go answer the question, how do you make the economics of a small, northern ski hill work?
The answer was leaning into what the Yukon does best, cold, early winters. By investing in and positioning the mountain as an early-season training destination, Mount Sima began attracting national and international ski teams looking for reliable snow in November. That strategy brought new revenue to the hill, helped stabilize the nonprofit model, and allowed the organization to reinvest back into the mountain while keeping skiing accessible for locals.
In this episode, we talk about rebuilding a ski hill after financial collapse, turning extreme northern conditions into a competitive advantage, and how a small community mountain with just one main lift has become an important training hub for elite athletes.
So grab a coffee, put your handwarmers in, and let’s head north of 60 for a conversation with Sam.
12 Actionable Insights from the Mount Sima Interview
1. Turn Your Climate Weakness into a Competitive Advantage
Insight: Identify the natural conditions your mountain has that competitors don’t and build a strategy around them.
Mount Sima Story:Mount Sima receives relatively low natural snowfall, but it gets cold much earlier than most ski areas, allowing them to start snowmaking earlier. They leveraged this to open early and create a training market.
How Mount Sima Implements It
Heavy investment in snowmaking.
Focus on early-season operations.
Position themselves as an early training venue.
How Other Ski Areas Can Implement It
Identify unique environmental advantages:
Early cold
High altitude
Long daylight
Urban proximity
Build programming around that advantage (training, events, early season products).
2. Create Revenue Before Your Public Season Starts
Insight: Build a preseason business line to generate revenue before the public arrives.
Mount Sima Story:They realized they were already making snow early but not generating revenue from it, so they shifted to hosting national teams training in early November.
How Mount Sima Implements It
Early November training camps.
Dedicated race lanes.
Team bookings before public opening.
How Other Ski Areas Can Implement It
Sell:
race training lanes
freestyle camps
park training
ski instructor training
Offer early access packages to clubs and academies.
3. Start Small and Build Momentum
Insight: Launch new programs with a small pilot customer and grow organically.
Mount Sima Story:Their first training client was the Canadian Paralympic Team, which helped promote the mountain to other teams.
How Mount Sima Implements It
Started with one national team.
Delivered excellent training conditions.
Let word-of-mouth expand the program.
How Other Ski Areas Can Implement It
Start with:
one team
one race club
one event
Focus on excellence rather than scale.
4. Build Community Support by Showing Economic Impact
Insight: When locals understand the economic benefit, they support operational changes.
Mount Sima Story:At first locals questioned why the hill opened for outside teams first, but once they saw the hotels, restaurants, and Airbnbs filling up, support grew.
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How Mount Sima Implements It
Communicates economic benefits.
Builds community pride in hosting national athletes.
How Other Ski Areas Can Implement It
Track and publish:
visitor nights
restaurant spending
local jobs created
Share impact with town councils and residents.
5. Invest Gradually Instead of Big Capital Projects
Insight: Incremental improvements compound into major upgrades.
Mount Sima Story:They slowly added snowmaking capacity and terrain improvements year by year, rather than massive one-time investments.
How Mount Sima Implements It
Gradual snowmaking expansion.
Incremental terrain improvements.
Dirt work and park upgrades annually.
How Other Ski Areas Can Implement It
Set a 5–10 year improvement roadmap.
Improve small components each offseason:
snowmaking lines
race lanes
terrain parks
lighting.
6. Use Training Programs to Improve the Public Product
Insight: Programs designed for athletes can dramatically improve the experience for regular guests.
Mount Sima Story:By running training camps for a month before public opening, the hill opens with fully built terrain and perfect grooming.
How Mount Sima Implements It
Training teams test terrain.
Snowmaking builds base earlier.
Public opening occurs after full preparation.
How Other Ski Areas Can Implement It
Run preseason:
race camps
park camps
instructor clinics
Use them to test operations before public opening.
7. Partner with National Sport Organizations
Insight: Aligning with national governing bodies creates credibility and consistent demand.
Mount Sima Story:They are working with Alpine Canada and Canada Snowboard to become a national training center.
How Mount Sima Implements It
Host national teams.
Develop specialized training infrastructure.
Maintain relationships with sport organizations.
How Other Ski Areas Can Implement It
Partner with:
ski federations
freestyle programs
adaptive sport organizations.
Offer dedicated training blocks.
8. Redundancy in Lift Infrastructure Reduces Risk
Insight: Backup infrastructure protects the entire operation.
Mount Sima Story:They are resurrecting an old T-bar to serve as backup in case the main lift fails.
How Mount Sima Implements It
Rebuild older lift infrastructure.
Use secondary lifts for training lanes.
How Other Ski Areas Can Implement It
Maintain:
backup lifts
redundant snowmaking pumps
spare parts inventory.
This is especially important for remote resorts.
9. Small Ski Areas Have an Experience Advantage
Insight: Smaller hills can compete by emphasizing short lift lines and high lap counts.
Mount Sima Story:Even on their busiest day, lift lines rarely exceed 8 minutes, creating a better ski experience than crowded mega resorts.
How Mount Sima Implements It
Market the lap advantage.
Focus on community atmosphere.
How Other Ski Areas Can Implement It
Promote:
“ski more, wait less”
family-friendly experience
community vibe.
10. Community Ski Hills Should Operate Like Outdoor Social Clubs
Insight: The strongest product of local hills is community.
Mount Sima Story:They view the ski hill as an “outdoor country club” where people gather socially.
How Mount Sima Implements It
Community events.
Family-focused skiing.
Local engagement.
How Other Ski Areas Can Implement It
Build culture through:
weekly races
music events
club programs
après gatherings.
11. Diversify Year-Round Activities
Insight: Multi-season use strengthens financial sustainability.
Mount Sima Story:They operate mountain biking and other summer activities to increase year-round use.
How Mount Sima Implements It
Lift-served biking.
Summer events.
How Other Ski Areas Can Implement It
Summer operations:
biking
concerts
trail running
adventure parks.
12. Remote Ski Areas Must Plan for Supply Chain Delays
Insight: Logistics planning is critical when operating far from suppliers.
Mount Sima Story:Because of their remote location, parts and equipment take longer to arrive when something breaks.
How Mount Sima Implements It
Maintain spare parts.
Plan maintenance proactively.
How Other Ski Areas Can Implement It
Build spare inventory.
Schedule preventative maintenance earlier.
The Strategic Takeaway
Mount Sima’s strategy boils down to four core principles:
Exploit your natural advantages
Create revenue outside normal ski operations
Invest gradually but consistently
Lean into community and partnerships
This is why a small nonprofit ski hill north of 60° has become one of the most important early-season training venues in Canada.es in Canada
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