Ascent360 Helps New Skiers Fall In Love With The Sport

July 14, 2017

Back to back conversion cup awards for Wachusett Mountain and Mission Ridge

Golden, CO, July 14^th, 2017 – Ascent360 today announces how its Customer Data Platform (CDP) is helping ski areas across the country better connect with and convert more new skiers into lifetime season pass holders.  “Ascent360 allows us to jump into the customer marketing deep end,” said Tony Hickok, director of marketing for the 2017 conversion cup award winner Mission Ridge Ski Area in Wenatchee, Washington.  Ascent360’s customer-data-driven platform was ideal for Mission Ridge to quickly launch and scale the mountain’s customer-first Freedom Pass, offering an unprecedented learn to ski/ride program value with unlimited beginner lessons, lift access and rentals.

“It’s not an easy feat to create a culture of skiing for beginners, you must take calculated risks and place strong bets and that’s exactly what Ascent360 empowered our team to do with Freedom Pass. Freedom Pass was developed to directly address and overcome four of the main factors that limit new skiers; cost, know-how, fear and gear. Ascent360 was the perfect automated marketing platform to help us reach out and speak to customers in the right manner, at the right time and with the right message.”

As a third-generation, family owned ski area one hour from Boston, Wachusett Mountain knows what it means to live, breath and love skiing, “Our Dad used to take us here as kids back in the 60’s and now as an owner, I see the distinct waves of different skiers that pour onto the slopes on any given day,” said Carolyn Crowley Stimpson, an owner and 2016 conversion cup recipient at Wachusett Mountain Ski Area. “The WOTS (Wachusett Old Time Skiers) arrive before sunrise, followed by the home school crew, then after lunch it’s the school kids capped off by the corporate folks and night skiers.  You must consider the important nuances of every new skier and Ascent360 makes it simple to reach out strategically, through multiple marketing channels to make sure all of our great skiing opportunities get the traction they deserve.”

“Ski Lift” Takes On New Meaning With Customer Data Platform

For those who have skied or snowboarded, a trip to the slopes is an easy sell.  For the beginner, however, there’s a much needed progression and education necessary to inform newbies of opportunities throughout the season to turn a one-timer into a for-lifer.

• 65% increase from one day to three day “Learn to Turn” packages for Wachusett.
• 20% increase in year over year sales of learn to ski/ride program “Freedom Pass” for Mission Ridge.

The Joys of Skiing, in August

“At the National Ski Areas Association, part of our mission is to help educate ski areas on how to best reduce or eliminate the barriers to entry to get more fresh faces involved in a sport that’s perfect for all ages and positively impacts their overall health,” said Earl Saline Director of Education Programming for the National Ski Areas Association.  “As more ski areas like Wachusett and Mission Ridge invest in innovative Customer Data Platforms, there is a potential to build momentum and enthusiasm year-round for skiing, which in turn can drive hard dollar ROI around conversions and general sales. It’s great to be able to automatically, and authentically communicate with your area’s skiers during ski season about offers, lessons and social opportunities.  But with today’s ski marketing science, you can grab attention in the off season, something fairly unheard of a couple years ago.”

About Ascent360

Headquartered in Golden, CO, Ascent360 provides a leading cloud-based customer data platform for B2C companies looking to turn customer data into insights and income.  Learn more by visiting www.ascent360.com.

For more information, please contact Laura Hazlett at lhazlett@ascent360.com or (720) 863-7851.