The (sustainable) future of SlopeFillers is here.
Gregg Blanchard /
I love SlopeFillers.
I’ve started a lot of projects in my day, but this is the one I’m most proud of.
Over 2,100 posts across nearly 16 years. I can count on one hand the number of weeks I’ve missed posting something new. The result has been millions of pageviews and dozens of incredible friendships and incredibly humbling opportunities.
The original plan was to get a marketing job at a resort. Instead, I ended up staying on the software side helping Ryan Solutions and Inntopia market their platforms. This was actually great for SlopeFillers and only strengthened the need to stay on top of trends and study the market, but as the site grew it also widened the divide between who I was – a software marketer – and who readers of this site thought of me as – a resort marketer.
Across all those years as more and more people were thinking of me as a ski resort marketing guy, I was spending 95% of my time as a software marketing guy. It’s what I was studying and practicing, day in and day out. I even built and grew my own software platform on the side. I was getting really good at it, much better than I am a resort marketing.
The problem?
Nobody had any idea.
In marketing terms, I had a branding problem. A problem that I could see biting me in the ol’ rear end down the road if I needed a new job.
Days from Death
I’ve been staring at these two, seemingly opposing ideas for a while, weighing what to do.
During the super busy months after the Outside / Inntopia acquisition, I was literally days away from pulling the plug on SlopeFillers on at least three occasions to make time to better hone my software skills. But even then I had so many people tell me they want SlopeFillers to keep going and, honestly, I did too. I still love and appreciate it as much as ever, but I also felt the need to put more time on this other part of my career.
I went around and around like that for much of 2025.
The, about six months ago, I started to see a way forward. A plan that would allow me to do both, not as separate, siloed ideas, but as part of the same whole, and pave a path for SlopeFillers to continue sustainably.
A Sustainable Future
Here’s how it works.
1. One Post a Week
Compared to the early days of SlopeFillers, one post feels “less than.” But it’s a better pace for both the busy resort marketers who read my articles and the guy who writes them. So, I’m embracing it. SlopeFillers is a weekly dose of resort marketing inspiration.
2. Emphasis on Content
You’ll notice much more emphasis placed on the content than before. The nav is simpler, categories are better organized, there’s a focus on subscribing rather than wandering around through other pages. The weekly post is the focal point, not an entry point.
2. Let Old Ideas Go
Speaking of other pages, many of those were hard to maintain even though only a few people use them. To save time and maintain focus, I’ve let some things go like freelancer listings, social media tools, and logo games. It honestly feels great to simplify.
3. One Template
You may notice the same design on my personal website where I’m taking the first steps to elevate my software side. As I do, I’m building a UX/UI kit in a way so I can share it with other projects (like SlopeFillers). This will keep the design moving, without taking dedicated time..
4. Universal-ish Footer
SlopeFillers is a big part of me, but it’s not all of me. This footer is a first step toward trying to weave all of my projects together. It gives me a chance to paint a broader, more accurate picture of who I am and create a tide that lifts all boats.
5. Smaller SaaS
One indisputable fact that SlopeFillers has taught me is this:
You can get really good at something by consistently studying it and writing about it.
So, I’m doing the same for software marketing with a category on my personal site called Smaller SaaS. Interestingly, a few of the posts I have drafted pull lessons from resort marketing. Turns out, good marketing ideas are pretty flexible.
Onward (and Thank You)
I hate pulling time away from resort marketing ideas and inspiration, but I felt like this was an important moment and I wanted to walk you through it.
I’m more excited about SlopeFillers than I’ve been in a while, I feel more clarity about my career and personal brand than I’ve felt in a decade, and I’m excited to better align these two parts of who I am in a way that is more sustainable and aligned to the direction I want and need to go.
Thanks to all of you who have stuck around for so many years. It means more than I can say.
Here’s to many more.