🚀 Overview
Led the development of a full-scale redesign of the Sierra-at-Tahoe website, transforming an outdated Drupal platform into a modern, high-performance digital experience. The new platform unified real-time mountain operations, eCommerce, and guest engagement into a single, scalable system supporting millions of annual visitors.
👤 My Role
Lead Developer responsible for frontend architecture, system integrations, performance optimization, and delivery of key user-facing features across web, mobile, and supporting digital experiences.
⚠️ The Challenge
- Legacy Drupal website that was difficult to manage and slow to perform
- Outdated visual design and inconsistent brand experience
- Manual, time-intensive process for updating mountain conditions multiple times daily
- Limited real-time information for guests (weather, traffic, lift status)
- Fragmented user experience across tickets, passes, lessons, and content
- High traffic demands during peak winter season
🛠️ The Solution
Platform & Architecture:
- Rebuilt the site using WordPress with a scalable, component-driven architecture
- Implemented ACF for structured content and flexible page management
- Deployed on WP Engine with Cloudflare for performance and reliability
Real-Time Mountain Intelligence:
- Integrated weather API for live conditions and 5-day forecasts
- Embedded high-definition live webcams for real-time visibility
- Integrated Caltrans traffic cameras to inform road conditions
- Automated snow totals tracking with interactive charts
Transformed static updates into a real-time information system
Data Visualization & Insights:
- Developed interactive snow total charts using Google Charts
- Visualized snowfall by month and season with trend lines and animations
- Enabled users to compare conditions across seasons
Commerce & Conversion:
- Implemented Accesso eCommerce platform for tickets, passes, and lessons
- Designed a responsive pricing table optimized for mobile usability
- Built a season pass filtering and comparison system
- Added modal-based education for pass features without overwhelming UI
User Engagement & Notifications:
- Integrated OneSignal browser notifications for real-time alerts
- Road closures, Weather updates, Operational changes
- Built a countdown timer to drive urgency for season pass sales
Advanced Filtering & Discovery:
- Developed filtering systems for:
- Season passes (age, usage, holidays)
- Lessons (skill level, age)
- Events (type, month)
- Dining options (type, location)
Improved navigation and reduced friction across key user journeys
Operations & Efficiency:
- Streamlined mountain condition updates for snow reporters
- Simplified updates for
- Lift status, Trail status, Snow totals, Road conditions
Reduced manual workload and improved accuracy of updates
Accessibility & Compliance:
- Implemented Siteimprove monitoring tools
- Developed site to meet WCAG 2.0 A compliance
- Improved accessibility and usability across all devices
Analytics & Insights:
- Integrated Google Analytics for traffic and behavior tracking
Digital Display & Guest Communication System
Implemented a real-time digital display system across the ski resort to improve on-site guest and employee communication.
Developed a data-driven feed from the main website to power in-resort display boards showing:
- Lift, trail, and terrain park status
- Current and forecasted weather conditions
- Road and access conditions
- Snow reports
- Live webcam feeds
These displays ensured guests received up-to-date information without needing to access the website directly, improving awareness and reducing reliance on staff for routine updates. Guest feedback indicated improved awareness and convenience of real-time mountain conditions across resort areas.
📈 Outcome / Impact
- Increased online store revenue by $5M year-over-year
- Doubled website traffic from 2.3M → 4.6M pageviews
- Unified website, mobile app, and email design system
- Delivered real-time operational data for improved guest experience
- Achieved WCAG 2.0 compliance
🧰 Tech Used
WordPress Weather API Caltrans Integration Accesso eCommerce Platform OneSignal Cloudflare WP Engine Google Charts Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) Bootstrap CSS PHP Google Analytics