Ski Club of Great Britain Chief Exec resigns

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@Pruman, ps can I send you a message please - or you send me one?

A snowHead

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

@Riccardo, and, if you could step down from your own, merited, lofty position, perhaps you could remove the offensive quotation from your own post. Thanks.

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@Riccardo, Laughing

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Surprised not to see anything even now on the SKGB site about Mr Ryding, 20hours later. Hardly the “voice of GB skiing” is it.

(To be fair first time I’ve been to the site in a while. Looks like any other travel agent, so probably not the place to go for sports info.)

They seem to have given up maintaining the website and their app and are struggling with Fresh tracks, not answering phone etc. It's very sad.

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@Arctic Roll, SCGB Facebook page. 14.48 22 January 2022. https://www.facebook.com/TheSkiClub/posts/10160335253973109

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@fuzzydunlop, I don't do Farcebook: is this now their main comms channel?

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@Arctic Roll, I can't speak for SCGB, but I would suspect that it is. Facebook (despite its numerous faults and drawbacks) is a much more flexible way of communicating with a group of people than a website. For example, those people who 'follow' the SCGB Facebook page will have been automatically sent an alert drawing their attention to the post about Dave Riding's victory. Getting that information from a website would mean going to the website to look for it (as you did). The first requires no effort, the second a little more so. Making changes or adding information in Facebook is much simpler than doing it on a website. Personally, I don't like Facebook, but I do find it useful.

Similarly SnowSport England has nothing on its website despite having a “News” page, but they did tweet about it (might even have been a re-tweet rather than original). Easy to spit out a tweet by someone in marketing than to do a something on the website which may catch up when the real workers get back in in Monday?

You know it makes sense.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

While I agree that SCGB has completely lost its way - and examples like this show how confused it is - I am not sure that the way forward for 'the Club' is as a news organisation. We can get our news in other ways, and SCGB does need to focus resources on what members value. On the ground snow/resort reporting on the other hand is something it could do (again) though.
The challenge for SCGB is to discard its baggage, retain what is valuable in its legacy and core loyal membership, and deliver an offer relevant to a growing number of members.
@Pruman makes good points - I would add that the governance (and accountability) of the Club is fundamentally broken - it needs to be fixed. The openness and insight on this forum is potentially valuable in this.
Not sure about forming a new club - or who would do this. Agree that a base/entry membership fee of £0-£20 is possible and necessary, and SCGB seems to have 'no hope' - however my simple desire is for a members club that works, - wherever this comes from. I did start a thread on a 'new club' (Blue Sky thinking) and it has possibilities. Perhaps we can refresh that thread if people really have given up on SCGB.

A snowHead

A snowHead

Companies House has now been updated with effect from yesterday, 24 January with:
John Owen Simpson, Gerald David Aitken, Joanna Marion Milner-Percy, ceased to be Directors on 31 December 2021.
John Owen Simpson ceased to be Secretary on 31 December 2021.
Interestingly, there is no mention of their replacements.
The registered office was changed again, from
3.28 Canterbury Court Kennington Park, 1-3 Brixton Road, Oval London SW9 6DE to
3.28 Canterbury Court Kennington Park 1-3 Brixton Road London SW9 6DE

Doutless the website known as "www.skiclub.co.uk" will be updated to reflect these changes.
I'm sure that there are some important little bits that need changing as well, but. . . . .

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

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Gerry-me Corbin you mean. Perfect for not alienating the electorate and attracting new members to the party Very Happy

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@ski3,
Difference is Corbin did attract loads of new members.

After all it is free

@musher, only because they had to pay next to nothing to join!

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People joined the Labour Party then because it was proposing doing something different, now that it is back to just keeping things the same there isn't nearly as much interest.

Seems a pretty good analogy for the SCGB to me.

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Vision, purpose, sense of going somewhere, sense of belonging - above all a shared pride and joy in what you are part of, a growing movement that deliveries value to the community it serves.

@rjs, more like unfulfillable promises, just like restoring rep led skiing in France

You know it makes sense.

I just view all of this with regret. I joined SCGB a long time ago and, for a while, had a family membership. I enjoyed skiing with other members when alone in resorts, met some good reps and had some great days with them. I also thought the cut-price instructor led guiding was very good value and used that several times.

However, the club has very much lost its way in my opinion. I sympathise with the issues they’re facing but it was very clear, some while ago, that they were massively inflating costs in head office without adding much added value to members. Now, they have a high cost base, a declining membership and therefore a dependency on selling insurance and ski holidays. However, both of those activities are somewhat antithetical to being a members club. They are also definitely not, in any shape or form, a representative of UK snowsports.

They look much more like a business than a club devoted to its membership.

So, easy to criticise, but what would a version 2.0 look like ?

In my opinion;

1. Massively reduce overheads and costs. Painful but necessary. The club does not need 20+ staff to fulfil its role.
2. Sell off Freshtracks
3. In-resort services
- Putting together groups
- Helping organise instructors and guides
- Lending equipment
- Organising lunch and restaurant get-togethers
4. Media
- Member communications
- Information
- Guidance (equipment, suitable resorts, training, travel etc etc)
5. Events
- SCGB ski trips (arranged at a good price by the club but actually managed/organised by a ski travel agency)
- Social events and talks
6. LOCAL Affiliated Groups
- Allow significant local autonomy for groups to organise their own events and services to meet member needs - provide club subsidies and assist in organisation (eg. How many people would love to meet with Dave Ryding right now ???)

I think, from those basics, other things could be offered … but they need to be offered on a mostly voluntary basis. The structure needs to look much more like the guides/scouts/IAM etc with local member groups allowed considerable autonomy. Or, to put it simply, to make the whole thing much more a club and much less of a business.

However, the problem with this is that the revenue structure would look very very different and it would not support the current overheads.

So, can it be saved ? Not sure … but if it carries on as currently then definitely not.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

A snowHead

A snowHead

I have looked at the Freshtracks offering and do wonder why there is nothing specifically aimed at beginners, the lowest level you can select for these holidays are

"Early Intermediate
Competent skiing all blues in all conditions and easy reds in good conditions About 4 weeks or more of experience but likes to stick mainly to blue pistes"

I would have thought that many trepid beginners would pay a premium for some reputable consumer-skier focussed "brand", as opposed to a TO who they know is commercially run, to organise somethingthat is all-in and well suited to them, the "right" lessons/instructors, gear, meet-ups, tours where possible. Of course its not hard to do yourself or independently but many who know nothing propably would rather pass this all onto someone else much more expert and all under the aegis of a club for skiers?

This could also help refresh the membership with new blood.

But whatever they must really sort out the copy on their website, it appears very unprofessional at times. We know what this means but just how has this been put?

"Our phones are very bust at the moment as we answer members' queries relating to COVID-19"

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

@Blackblade, I agree - its not the only model that could work, however it does need to be radical and brave. SCGB needs to let go of the issues that drag it down. It simply can no longer afford the cost - and more importantly the risk and management overhead - of running Freshtracks as its own Company. I really cannot understand why the club doesn't find a way to outsource holidays designed by them - that way in can concentrate on improvement the member offer.
I would add a couple of things. Firstly that the Club thinks it has drastically reduced overheads (it has reduced, but not drastically) and that because it is almost breakeven it has done enough. However what it misses is that the overheads remain very high, and that the Freshtracks Company is a huge burden on the club / Company - so that it ends up operating to protect the loss making Company, rather than think radical and create a thriving members club. The Club is doomed to financially decline, just more slowly than in 2017-2019
Secondly the world has changed hugely. Younger people expect a lot for free - and if it is to recruit new members it has to respond to that. So a membership - offering most of the benefits - costing no more than £20 - I think £0 - certainly for the under 40's. You can offer some premium memberships - but the entry level needs to be good. This is a circular problem for the club with the point above - the still high overheads mean Council can't contemplate that - yet it must in my view
Finally I would love to see Council - all volunteers - focussed on building the Clubs reach in resorts. Why not encourage them to go out and network in the resorts, set up meet points and lively local sub groups, secure discounts and offers (resorts would be keen etc) - They could have travel expenses paid - if the club had lively in resort sub groups the Club would thrive, and members would be v happy
The Club needs members on Council willing to challenge and suggest/champion a radical new future. Can't see that happening. - just witness their ongoing obsession with attacking groups like this and Facebook - how on earth can that help?

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I am still a member of the SCGB, despite being both Irish & living in Ireland.

I've found it a really great club over the years, the ski repping service is brilliant, the guided days are brilliant , and as a general source of networking & meeting other members the club has also been really good. The ILG service is also very good imho. So overall very good.

Like others I am really disappointed to see the club decline like it has these past few years. Events haven't been kind to it, such as the case in France ending the volunteer rep/ guide service there, Brexit & of course Covid.

I hope the club can be saved. Like other's I think that with (very) capable leadership, a renewed focus on member's services , a disposal of freshtracks, and a reinventing of the Rep/ILG services there could be the makings of a great club. After all there is still a good membership, and perhaps the basis for rationalising to become relevant & useful for those members again. Will it survive? I really hope so, cos there's nothing quite like it tbh.

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@horgand, I agree with a lot of your post, indeed I’ve enjoyed skiing with you in Cham as a result of the networking that you have described.

However I don’t get the lack of love for Freshtracks. I don’t believe that it should be loss making or (allegedly) subsidised my members’ subscriptions. As far as I can see only a small number of SCGB’s bloated staff headcount actually work on Freshtracks. Also Freshtracks has no intrinsic asset value to be worth selling anyway. For many members (myself included) Freshtracks off piste holidays are a key reason for membership.

A fundamental problem with Freshtracks and the club as a whole is that it exists, and attempts to be managed to provide gigs for the reps/leaders rather than for the greater good of its members. This is even more important with the loss of Leader gigs in France.

I enjoyed a Freshtracks OP holiday in Flaine last month for which there was NO LEADER! This was apparently due to injury. The French guide/instructor managed just fine without a back marker, and the participants were able to have fun and gel without the need for a leader to provide social lubrication. Freshtracks could be a lot more profitable and cost effective to members if they pruned the number of locations and stop using it to maximise Leaders’ gigs.

As you say the ILG also works well without a leader.

I’ve come to skiing rather late in life after many decades climbing/Mountaineering and I’ve recently gained formal leadership qualifications in sea kayaking. So I understand the merits of the SCGB leadership course in general group safety etc, but from an informal skiing with mates / peers point of view and think the SCGB could spin this positively, but NOT in any formal capacity as in leading a group of skiers who would be lost if their “leader” disappeared down a crevasse. I have friends who are qualified mountain guides and fully understand the difference.

Unfortunately the club continues to be managed by the Council for the benefit of its Leaders/Reps rather than its broader membership. Until this changes neither will the club.

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Of course Freshtracks could be more profitable for the reasons I have given. Freshtracks is available on the open market in that new members get a discount on joining, which adds 5% or less to the cost.

Freshtracks has “no asset value” in the sense that it has no tangible assets to sell to a prospective investor that could be used to shore up the SCGB’s coffers.

I haven’t said Freshtracks costs too much to run, indeed the price hike this season seems to be an attempt to cross subsidise other club overheads in the face of diminishing subscriptions

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Ski Club of Great Britain Chief Exec resigns

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