Terrain Parks · Resorts · Youth Marketing
Through innovation and signature products that drive the guest experience, we continually think big and deliver to our clients by seeking out the “what’s next” in our environment.
P. Adam_Moran · R. Danny_Davis
Effective Edge
An East Coast work ethic with a West Coast mentality — keeping our pulse on innovation and technology.
Creating and delivering on shareable experiences for our participants and driving new visitation is key. Our services are done with integrity and transparency.
What we do
We take a goal-oriented and business-centric approach when working with our resort partners to develop progressive and sustainable terrain park programs. Through goal setting, milestones, strategy, and park-metrics, we assist in establishing an on-brand, effective, responsible program that aligns with and complements overarching resort goals and most importantly, your guest.
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Over the years, terrain parks have started to evolve from a resort experiment to a carefully managed, guest expected amenity offered by ski areas of all sizes. Our program will integrate a new process for how you are defining success and evaluating the ROI of terrain parks and enhanced terrain.
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We collaborate with your team, we understand that when collaborating closely with our clients, our best work happens. We also understand that the consumer is our key collaborator, as their participation fuels content, influencing others to join us on the many mountain adventures our partners offer their guests.
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GM’s, resort owners, and industry leaders are always on the hunt for the next new idea to implement at their resort(s).
Many have attempted to discover this new exciting idea/concept internally within their own terrain park team, yet few to none have been able to deliver. On occasion a one off has been close to successful yet never fully implemented to its fullest potential. Except for those that sought out the expertise of Effective Edge, the leader in action sports, freestyle terrain, and youth consulting.
If you believe your internal team can deliver on a new idea and shift gears on the current direction of your terrain park program, the most youthful and magnet area of your business, YOU ARE CORRECT. Effective Edge will guide and support your team to reach your goals of success in the areas you decide are key to your business. Through our program and process, your team will now be able to deliver on 100% of any goal or new idea.
The mountain resort is tired of the terrain park with massive features and huge amounts of resources being burned on a large pile of snow that gives little return to our guest and even worse, less usage than any other features or park. Why are terrain park influencers so determined to push the biggest and most resource consuming instead of that which can deliver the most usage and attraction for our guests and engage new customers rather than the core enthusiast.
Our proven program will supply your team with the pathway to implement an efficient, systematic, trackable, goal driven terrain park and action sports guest experience.
Increase efficiencies and track your resources
Increase guest engagement and usage of freestyle terrain
Decrease liability and increase use of industry best practices
Achieve a higher level of employee retention and engagement in your business goals
Ensure your terrain park has goals, a plan, and track these goals throughout the season
Integrate Snow Sports and freestyle terrain to increase your financial return
The opportunity
Never before has so much change and opportunity been upon the action sports industry. You must attract the market of Millennials and new Gen Z now so as to retain them as a guest well into our future.
The questions we answer
Mountain Resort Program
Goal Setting and Bench Marking
During the season Effective Edge will provide multiple on-site visits to establish our goals as a team, then determine milestones and focus areas for improvement. Our team will work with your resort to design and create your new processes and programs based on your guests, staff and operational efficiencies with-in your current budget and experience level. Each program is customized to your resort’s unique needs, strengths, guests and areas for future growth.
With your resort team, we collaboratively generate big ideas, signature features, and design terrain concepts. Products designed for your resort to improve credibility within the Action Sports and Freestyle Park sphere and unique opportunities, ultimately improving the resort’s overall Action Sports and Freestyle Park positioning and brand.
Park and Feature Assessment and Design: We assess your resort and regional markets to determine recommended feature sizing, size and type ratios with input from your resort team. We then utilize this data to design parks that best align with the overarching resort brand and goals, efficiencies, predetermined budget, and look to provide the best experience for your market. The true goal is to increase your reach to new markets and guests.
In a world where recommendations, reviews and shares are the main influencers for people’s purchase decisions, we make sure our clients are at the center of those conversations. We create fun, authentic, I-gotta-tell-my-friends-about-this experiences that get visitors talking about your resort.
Our implementation of signature products we’ve designed has been showcased in past events (The Stash, Peace Park, Red Bull Schooled). Whether it is to build on your mountain terrain, add or enhance guest experiences, or attract a completely new guest market to your resort, we can assist you in implementation, design and the story.
P. Adam_MoranWe offer up a detail-oriented terrain park risk management program that includes assessment, evaluation, and recommendations that are aligned with the Generally Accepted Industry Practices (GAIP) and the NSAA Freestyle Terrain Program Contents.
We partner with AlpenRisk Safety Advisors to deliver the highest level risk management training addressing both pre and post-loss risk management. Our training includes, but is not limited to NSAA Freestyle Terrain content, jump feature measurements, and risk management audits.
We understand it is more difficult than ever to find high-level terrain park operators. Whether your need is a specialty project build, an event requiring the highest level of detail and care, or you just need to flex up labor support during your build season, we can deliver.
Through Effective Edge’s partnership with Snow Park Technologies, we are able to secure the most professional, detail oriented terrain park builders in the industry.
Selected work
Over the years, terrain parks have started to evolve from a resort experiment to a carefully managed, guest expected amenity offered by ski areas of all sizes.
The Burton Star Wars Experience combines Burton’s industry-leading Learn To Ride hardgoods, teaching systems and Riglet Park features with Jedi Master Yoda’s methods of balance, movement, and control. At the Burton Star Wars Experience, kids as young as three can learn to snowboard with the help of Burton’s Riglet Reel, a specially designed reel attached to the nose of youth snowboards.
Watch the film ↗
Data was implemented into a survey only poll for TWS and Newschoolers. By adding real-time resort measurements TWS upped the resort marketing support and increased guest participation by 400%, and removed the popularity stigma from a long-standing resort Poll.
Helping resorts identify the overall usage of their terrain parks through our guest tracker. By developing a better understanding of terrain park usage we can make intelligent decisions on our operational budgeting and seasonal planning. Our counter system tracks usage as it relates to hours of the day, days of the week, and seasons within a season.
Parents and children aspiring to ride together in this area whilst doing different forms of snowsports will find here a domain that is, by common consensus, ideal for shared fun. Riding the Stash means heading into the heart of nature exploring a new line and adventure every lap.
This original vision was built in the spring of 2012 at Northstar, a resort near Davis’ home in Truckee, California, by the famed snow shapers at Snow Park Technologies. They named it Peace Pipe. It was conceived not as an event but as an experiment in geometry — as was the playground they built the next year at Squaw Valley, dubbed Peace Park.
Watch the edit ↗
Four of the best teams in snowboarding — Forum, Burton, Rome, and DC — secretly battled it out at four different resorts, pushing to shoot the best photos and video possible in one week’s time. The prize: the cover shot on the September issue of the mag. The teams worked with experts to design the ultimate park, photographers were challenged to shoot the best photographs, and videographers to film and edit the best videos, which were then submitted to TransWorld that spring.
Watch the film ↗
The Burton Progression Park is a great introduction to freestyle terrain. Each park feature is a smaller version of larger freestyle terrain features, with gentle landings and plenty of elbow room. This groundbreaking park provides a laid-back, non-intimidating environment for riders of all ages who want to develop their terrain park skills. Bonus animation and signage gives coaching tips on how to build your skills from feature to feature.
Changing the resort landscape and creating a new global destination. The Streets at Seven Springs changed the way a resort could enhance its natural landscape and expand in a new direction attracting a global market and global exposure.
Mountain Resort Program
Effective Edge offers a variety of customizable services to fit and complement your resort’s specific business goals. Our Program is separated into many program services, all of which focus on the continued growth and business performance of your resort, while working to enhance the overall experience for the individual action sports participant.
Collaboration
Mike has been on the leading edge of youth action sports for years. His vision and ability to stay on top of upcoming trends have made him exceptionally successful and a leader in his field. Mike is also one of the most easy going and thorough people I’ve had the pleasure to work with.
Shaun CattanachGlobal Experience Manager, Burton Snowboards
About
We are an industry leader in terrain park strategy, operations planning, program mapping, signature guest products marketing, training, and risk management.
President and CEO
Michael has worked closely with resort partners to keep them current with regard to industry trends, as well as through the creation of new, innovative projects and terrain park risk management for the past two decades. He has worked with more than 50 resorts around the globe, is a former head coach at Waterville Valley, NH and has served as a judge at events including the Burton U.S. Open.
His career in the resort industry started in 1988 as one of the first snowboard instructors and a member of PSIA.
VP of Mountain Division
Kevin started his career with a background in International Finance working in New York and Zurich, Switzerland. After deciding to follow his passion for the snow in the Ski Industry, he moved to Whistler to become a Snowboard Instructor. Since his career change he has worked in Ski & Ride School, Terrain Parks, Cat Ski Guiding and other areas of support for Mountain Operations.
He followed the snow for 11 seasons working Park Crew at Cardrona and Heavenly in South Lake Tahoe before moving to Colorado as the Park Manager for Keystone A51. During his tenure at Keystone, he was appointed as the Best Practice Lead for all Vail Resorts and liaison to new Urban Resort integrations. While working for Vail Resorts, he also became more involved in the industry as a panelist for Cutters Camp and a committee member for Colorado Ski Country.
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