HAVE YOU GOT WHAT IT TAKES TO BECOME A SOCIAL REP?
The launch of the Ski Club’s new Social Reps programme promises to reignite a sense of community spirit on the slopes, working in tandem with Freshtracks and resort Reps.
The travel constraints dictated by the pandemic have not only resulted in the regrettable cancellation of Freshtracks holidays in December and January but also mean that the Ski Club cannot currently station Reps in resorts across Europe and North America.
Nonetheless, the Ski Club remains as determined as ever to achieve its key goal: to ensure that Members get the most out of their time in the mountains. Thus, in response to these unprecedented travel times, the Club has conceived a new Social Reps programme, whereby active members of the Club community can register their interest to facilitate social meet ups and activities, both in resort and in the UK.
As Frankie Doherty, Senior On-snow Services Executive, says: “We believe that the role of the Social Rep will help to reignite the ‘Club’ feeling amongst Members and allow for greater Member presence and Club feel in resorts, where we may or may not already have the presence of our dedicated Ski Club Reps.”
Doherty goes on to explain: “While the role of a Social Rep is different to that of a traditional Ski Club Rep, the two are by no means mutually exclusive. Indeed, trained Reps in Zermatt and Verbier are already poised to fulfil new roles as Social Reps.”
It is hoped that Social Reps will work both independently of and in tandem with resort Reps to encourage communication within our community, enabling Members to more easily meet, ski and share their experiences of the mountains. Local Covid-19 regulations permitting, Social Reps can arrange quiz nights and dinners in local restaurants for fellow Members, organise recreational activities and facilitate social skiing meet-ups. They can do so for a day or two during a week’s holiday or, if they’re fortunate enough to be spending more time in resort, for several days over the season.
Like our dedicated Ski Club Reps, Social Reps can organise social skiing but are not able to “lead” or guide Members on the slopes. Furthermore, Social Reps are not required to take part in the Ski Club Mountain Safety and Leadership Course that our Ski Club Reps undertake. Doherty confirms: “We encourage our Social Reps to play an active role in communicating with our Members and share their local knowledge with our community but we do not expect them to take any on-snow responsibility.”
Another key element of the Social Rep role will be to get intimate with the soon-to-be-launched Ski Club App. Set to go live in January, the app is currently being tested by Reps and Ski Club staff, and will transform the way Members communicate and keep informed while in the mountains. In addition to delivering weather forecasts, in-depth ski resort information and local Covid-19 updates, the app will enable Members to easily set up group chats, plan social gatherings and share photos and videos.
Should the idea of helping to rebuild a sense of Club community spirit in the mountains through this new Ski Club role appeal to you, please register your interest with us now by clicking here. The Club will host a Zoom conference in January for all those Members who have expressed an interest in becoming a Social Rep, during which they will be briefed in detail about the role.