Ski Labels – Valet Parking for Your Car, Sure! But For Your Skis???
What, you were expecting valet parking, perhaps?? Un-Uh . . . this scenario is one of the many privileges here, an exclusive enclave at the foot of the mountain. It’s a new form of pampering called Ski Valet service. Membership entitles each lucky person to storage facilities for ski equipment, complete with valet service. The skis of your choice are delivered—freshly tuned upon request—right to you, there at the base of the mountain. What could be better? The ski poles, of course! It is the only private lodge to valet the poles, as well as the skis.
How do they ensure the proper skis get to the proper person? We were hoping you would ask. The Manager of Valet Services—Brandon Ford— contacted us to find a solution for that very problem. We brought out the big kahuna on this one—Jason, our Sales Manager. Our recommendation was our most durable polyester label with an ultra-aggressive adhesive—our proprietary EnduraLabel—that would adhere to both the top laminated fiberglass surface of skis (or snowboards) and around the metal alloy used in ski poles. Then to protect the surface of the label from moisture, abrasion, cleansing agents and the general nastiness that can befall ski equipment on the slopes, we supplied an over-laminate label comprised of a clear glossy laminate. There’s more… The labels had to be printed and barcoded on-site at the luxurious facility, color-coded in each of five colors and proudly display the logo.
Jason put together a complete solution—including our specialty labels pre-printed with the VMS color logo (for the skis), additional labels flood-coated in each of the four colors required and pre-printed with the VMS logo in black (for the ski poles), premium resin ribbons for printing the labels on-site, and clear glossy over-laminate labels to provide extra protection against the perils of skiing steep and deep. 
But how does the color-coding work? With membership, each family is entitled to a locker with four stalls. Each member of the family is assigned a color—either red, green, blue or yellow. The husband, for instance, is assigned the color blue. Blue labels are used for his ski poles and a blue color dot is applied to the label on his skis. These labels have a barcode, as well as a “human-readable” number and the family surname. The valet can then select the husband’s correct skis and ski poles easily. No mistakes. No delivering junior’s ski poles out to the dad when he is about to hop on a chartered helicopter and ski the back bowls. If a family is comprised of more than four people, the additional family members are assigned the color white and their equipment is handled in a separate overflow area. At the end of the day, all the skis/snowboards and poles are collected at the valet tent, the barcodes are scanned by a property manager back at the lodge, and all equipment is placed safely and securely into the correct family locker. It’s an ingenious system and is working to the complete satisfaction of the club membership.
If we can find a solution for one of the most prestigious skis areas in the country—overcoming obstacles like extreme abrasion, harsh cold and various adhesive-unfriendly surfaces—just imagine the solution The Label Experts can devise for your frustrating challenge!
