By Jessianne Wright EBS Contributor
BIG SKY – According to Bryn Carey, CEO and founder of Ski Butlers—a newly opened ski rental in Big Sky— the driving force behind his company is “believing in people pursuing their passions in the mountains.”
“We hire folks that love the mountains, we work with partners that have chosen to live and play in the mountains, and we deliver to customers that make the mountains part of their vacation,” Carey said.
“Traveling on a ski vacation can be stressful and I wanted to change that,” he said. So in 2004 Carey opened a delivery ski rental business in Park City, Utah, and the company has grown ever since.
Ski Butlers has expanded to 35 different ski resorts across North America since it opened up shop in Park City more than a decade ago, and on Feb. 8 the ski and snowboard rental began operating in Big Sky.
Ski Butlers delivers directly to the customer, whether that is sending trained ski rental technicians to a client’s lodgings or home for an initial fitting and delivery, or sending the staff out to the slopes to provide last-minute adjustments and support.
The Big Sky location has been very busy for its first month of operation, said Frank Doss, general manager of Big Sky’s Ski Butler operation.
At the end of every rental, Ski Butlers asks customers to participate in a customer satisfaction survey, asking how likely they are to recommend Ski Butler Ski Rental in the future. According to Doss, the Big Sky location is leading in customer satisfaction as compared with their other locations.
“We are first in the company,” Doss said.
The company’s focus on customer service starts with the first contact with a client, Doss said, adding, “We answer the phone with a smile on our face.”
After fitting customers with gear, ensuring they are confident and comfortable, the technicians go over trail maps, suggest off-slope activities, recommend restaurants and often ask if the client needs help with errands or otherwise, Doss said.
Ski Butlers operates from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day of the week in order to fit, deliver, pick-up and provide support.
“Most brick and mortar ski shops close early… we’ll do delivery as late as 8 o’clock so people can get in, get skis and not worry about it when they wake up,” Doss explained.
The team delivers to all lodging accommodations in the area and will also come to a customer’s house. While specializing in delivery, Ski Butlers also welcomes walk-ins to their shop, located in the West Fork Plaza off Big Pine Drive. They encourage customers to call ahead to ensure staff is there.
Partnered with Rossignol, Ski Butlers offers new equipment every year, carrying a variety of hand-tuned skis and snowboards, boots, ski poles, helmets and goggles. Packages are arranged based on a skier’s ability level and goals, and staff can outfit youth and beginning skiers, as well as provide packages for all-mountain, powder and top-of-the-line performance skiing.
Ski Butlers does not have a cancellation policy and they only charge for the time the customer has actually used their skis. Deliveries occur within a roughly 30-minute radius of the shop, extending as far as the 320 Guest Ranch south of Big Sky.
Visit skibutlers.com/big-sky-ski-rentals for more information.
