What helped me make the decision was, quite frankly, the people behind it. They had a really good plan that they implemented well; they were responsive and thoughtful. In terms of technological advancement, we jumped ahead two decades in just 55 days.

The Challenge

Nestled in the heart of the Upper Valley community, Dartmouth College enjoys a rich ski history and boasts over 100 Olympian alumni. It comes as no surprise that Dartmouth Skiway has become an integral part of this winter-sports-loving region. Yet, what sets this ski area apart isn’t grand modern infrastructure or 400 inches of yearly powder, but rather an unwavering commitment to simplicity and the genuine passion of the ski community. In recent years, the Skiway has continued to evolve in order to better serve its cherished community.

“Our eCommerce and ticketing operations relied on older technology,” noted Mark Adamczyk, General Manager of Dartmouth Skiway. Amidst these circumstances, Dartmouth Skiway found itself grappling with the consequences of their technological limitations. As the pandemic took hold in 2020, it became apparent that the Skiway was burdened with an obsolete combination of systems that limited them from providing the contactless online services needed. Moreover, they understood that to thrive and expand as a business in the ski industry, a system upgrade was necessary.

To merge the gap and comply with both local and school board pandemic regulations, the Skiway was forced to adapt their existing eCommerce platform. This platform was previously only utilized 45 days out of the year to sell early bird season passes and was now being manipulated to sell daily lift tickets and passes all season for the winter of 2020/2021. “We were able to check the box, collect money, and get people skiing - but ultimately, it was barely able to do that and, if we were to ever try to do more, it just wasn’t the right tool,” Mark explained.

Furthermore, the use of disparate, disconnected systems in nearly every department presented various other issues, including:

A lack of centralized data and communication between systems

The inability to pull accurate or useful guest data

Lack of ability to integrate with other solutions

Low data security and access control

To ensure their ability to navigate the years ahead, Dartmouth Skiway needed a comprehensive, all-in-one solution to address the current solutions’ shortcomings and provide a robust platform to enhance their operations today and into the future.

The Solution

After the challenging 2020/2021 season, Dartmouth Skiway selected a new advanced ski resort software system and moved to accesso Paradox^SM. The operator felt confident in the well-developed, proven technology and the company’s commitment to continuous innovation. As a solution developed specifically for ski resorts, it was clear that accesso Paradox was designed to not only meet the Skiway’s immediate needs but also to elevate its ability to connect with and sell to guests.

In addition to addressing technical needs, Dartmouth Skiway also valued the organized, helpful and responsive people behind the accesso Paradox implementation process. The Skiway recognized that working with a skilled, efficient and responsive team is crucial to a successful and seamless transition to an upgraded system.

With this implementation, the Skiway was able to successfully unify all their departments, allowing for streamlined communication and centralization of their data. Once transitioned to the new platform, 60% of the Skiway’s sales shifted to online processing, and the new business intelligence module empowered them with a better understanding of guest identity, behavior and purchasing patterns. In the 2022-23 season, the Skiway was able to leverage data from over 20,000 transactions to launch an audience-specific, 10-day spring pass sale offer. As Dartmouth Skiway was able to enhance accuracy of the ad targeting with accesso Paradox’s reporting module, the campaign resulted in an impressive 34x return on ad spend investment.

Furthermore, the implementation of the accesso Paradox system resulted in substantial improvements not only in ticketing and eCommerce but also in overall operational efficiency. The snowschool and rental departments, in particular, witnessed remarkable advancements, with a nearly 25% increase in participation and revenue growth. This came through the ability to sell packages online, enabling staff to proactively plan and organize instructors, as well as prepare rental equipment in advance of guests' arrivals. Additionally, the integration of accesso Paradox facilitated the installation of SKIDATA RFID gates, offering enhanced security measures that saved valuable time and resources by mitigating fraud and theft challenges.