Building the Family Culture at the Ski School
- Svetlana Vrubleuskaya
- Mar 19
- 4 min read
In addition to bringing back a magnet or postcard as a souvenir from my travels, I always take something even more valuable: conversations with locals who have unique personal stories or professionals working in organizations where internal auditors rarely get assignments, let alone permanent positions.
This winter, I have spent some time in St. Moritz. Some call it a village, while others see it as a small city. To me, it is a place where wealth is visible in many forms—not only financially, but also in its breathtaking natural surroundings. St. Moritz is considered the crème de la crème of Swiss ski resorts and, for some, even the best in all of Europe. It was only logical for me to seek out someone from one of the oldest and most prestigious ski schools. That quickly led me to THE RED LEGENDS.
On February 12th, I had the opportunity to meet Luca Ricou. Despite the high season, he made time for me. Luca is a French-Argentinian employee who has been working at the ski school for nine seasons. He started as a ski instructor in France and initially came here to do ‘just one season’.
Luca is now the Technical Manager, responsible for organizing training sessions and onboarding ski instructors. During the summer, he also plays an HR-like role, overseeing the recruitment and selection of new instructors. Additionally, he was involved in organizational changes after COVID, including a complete management transition.
Creating a Family Feeling in a Large Organization
The purpose of our conversation was to gain a better understanding of the culture within the ski school. My assumption was that working in such an international ski school could be challenging, as employees interact with a wide range of cultures—both among instructors and clients. As an internal auditor focusing on culture and behaviour, I was curious:
What can I learn from how this organization operates in relation to this challenge?
First of all, a little bit about this skischool. THE RED LEGENDS has more than 400 instructors, of whom 200 stay for more than 2.5 months, while the rest work for only a few weeks.
"And I guess this is also a challenge for every organization. The bigger it is, the more difficult it is to create a family feeling."
I asked Luca to tell me more about their culture.
"We moved from an organization that was run with strict rules and protocols to what we have today: an ‘open culture’—a culture where everyone knows each other. I also find it very important to give ski instructors the feeling that they are not just a number."
Investing in communication and connection has played a major role in this cultural shift. The management introduced a new app that has significantly improved communication between instructors, the back office, and ski lift operators. All communication now flows through this app, ensuring timely and consistent information while fostering a sense of equal and open communication between all employees.
"Now it's been one year, and we're much closer to all the instructors, or let's say, it's much easier for everyone to communicate among themselves."
Working with 19 Nationalities
I was curious: how does the ski school stay connected when working with so many different cultures? Are there training sessions or awareness activities that help instructors and the back-office team navigate these cultural differences?
"A big part of the training is what happens on the snow. We train them also in how to behave while waiting for the client, in the ski room, etc. More on the communication side and soft skills in general."
At the same time, Luca points out that the international nature of the ski school is already in its DNA, which is why training on cultural diversity is less emphasized compared to other organizations. However, he does see clear benefits in working with instructors from diverse backgrounds. Diversity leads to better client matches and enhances the overall appeal of the ski school.
"Of course, we understand that perfect match does not exist. Best possible match is the goal. We want someone young and funny for the kids, or more experienced for technique. This helps us assign the right lessons. It is less about where you are coming from, but more about your ski and snowboard experience and the amount of languages you speak."
If Luca Was the Director…
To wrap up our conversation, I asked him very common final question:
“Imagine you wake up tomorrow as the director of The Red Legends and can change anything related to cultural diversity—what would you do?”
Luca took a moment to think, then smiled and said:
“I don’t need to be director to put things in place… I just need to talk to him about it.”
At the same time, our conversation made him reflect on how he could bring cultural awareness more into focus within his team. He sees opportunities to increase awareness without cutting into work time, such as short sessions during the low season or an online training program that instructors can complete before arriving.
With that thought, we wrapped up our conversation.
Back to my question: What can I learn from how this organization operates while working with people from different cultural backgrounds?
You can learn that clear communication, flexibility, and cultural awareness are key to managing diversity in an international organization like this ski school. By fostering an open culture, leveraging technology for connection and prioritizing personalized client-instructor matching over rigid cultural distinctions, they create an inclusive and adaptable work environment despite working with 19 nationalities and fluctuating staff.
