Pistenbully Pro Academy Grows
It was only conceived a year and a half ago, and now the Pro Academy is so successful that the team under Florian Profanter has recruited another 4 top experts for driver training for the start of this season.
Florian Profanter is and remains "Head of Pro Academy". He is still coordinating everything and is the visionary and designer of the Pro Academy. He will of course continue to be available as a trainer.
"We were truly overwhelmed by the demand last year. Some 50 ski resorts in 12 countries have already taken advantage of the service. Obviously I'm really pleased with the great many follow-up bookings - where I'm now helping the drivers through the season for the 5th time. Together with the team we are well-equipped for the coming season, in order to maintain the high level that we are committed to", promises Florian Profanter.
No wonder then, that Kässbohrer All Terrain Vehicles, Inc. in Reno, Nevada, has also introduced the Pro Academy now. The trainer for the North American unit is Chris Perkins, who has built up an impressive wealth of knowledge about ski resorts over his career. He is also extremely knowledgeable about snow grooming, snow making, ski lift construction, electronic ticketing and GPS systems. This made him the first choice for the Pro Academy.
"Snow grooming has always been one of my passions", explains Perkins. "By working with operators, the Pro Academy enables us to get them up to speed with the latest techniques relatively quickly. Once operators have completed the training, they understand the technical subtleties of the snow groomer, as well as the demands of the actual ski slope and the language of the snow."
Pascal Chatelain can only agree with that. He knows what he's talking about - he has been the point of contact for all training in the French-speaking zone for many years now. "We are bundling all our knowledge under the umbrella of the Pro Academy - and that benefits our customers across the board."
There is a new addition to the team in Christoph Hofer, who will be very active in training matters in the German-speaking zone alongside Florian Profanter. His CV speaks volumes: from snow groomer driver with glacier and snow making expertise to experienced slope manager and finally technical manager responsible for snow grooming and coordinating between the resorts - he has truly done it all. So he really knows the ropes - and sees things from the customer's perspective... He knows exactly what ski resorts need and where the problems are.
Hans-Olof Olson is the Pro Academy man for Scandinavia. Another "old hand": he has been working as a operator in Are in Sweden for more than 20 years and is entrusted with building the World Cup slopes. But he wanted to deepen his understanding: he learnt lots more about snow groomers and snow grooming working in Sweden and the USA. The he met Florian Profanter at the Olympic Games in Sochi, where they were both responsible for grooming the Olympic slopes - Hans-Olof for the women's competition slopes and Florian for the men's.
