Ski, snowboard participation dropping nationally.

[sfotex]

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/money/5...h-ski.html.csp


Ski, snowboard participation dropping nationally

BY TOM WHARTON
THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE

Scott Sommerdorf | The Salt Lake Tribune Skiers talk at the base of Solitude's Little Dollie run, Sunday, November 10, 2013.
At the start of every ski season, tourist officials offer the public glowing reports about the value of the industry to the economy, new facilities and the general health of the industry.

The reality, as evidenced by research into national and Utah skiing trends, is much different.

According to a recent national report from the SnowSports Industries America (SIA), participation in alpine skiing dropped 19 percent last winter and overall snow sports participation was down 3 percent.

The report showed that lesson volumes have been flat, season pass and multi-day ticket sales are down, the popularity of snowboarding is on the decline and ticket prices are increasing.

Sixty-two percent of the 19.3 million snowsport enthusiast are male, 54 percent have incomes of more than $75,000 a year and 74 percent own their own home.

In Utah, 65 percent of skiers have incomes of more than $100,000 and 30 percent make more than $200,000. The average age of a Utah skier is 44.1 and 43 percent of skiers live in households with children compared to 21 percent who are singles with no kids.

Snowboarding is not particularly popular in Utah either. Only 17 percent of Utah snowsports participants snowboard. Nationally, the total bumps up to 29.6 participants visiting a resort, down from 32 percent three seasons ago.

Utah skews slightly more advanced and expert when it comes to its snow sports participants, with 56 percent rating themselves as more advanced or expert compared to 45 percent nationally. Fifty percent buy single-day tickets.

The vast majority of Utah skiers drive to resorts, with only 10 percent using public transportation.

While the Beehive State has experienced a decline in trial or first-time destination visitors, repeat visitation is growing, with about 79 percent who have skied here having visited the state one other time.

The SIA national report measured alpine ski numbers, snowboarders, cross country skiers, freeskiers, snowshoe enthusiasts and telemark skiers. During the 2012-2013 season, only freeskiing showed healthy growth, though the number of telemark skiers was up slightly.

Alpine skiing remains the most popular activity, with 8.2 million participants in the recent report. But that is a substantial drop for the 11.5 million during the 2010-2011 season.

Part of these drops can be attributed to a late-starting season in 2012-13, with many resorts not really operating fully until after the Christmas holidays.

Reacting to some of these figures, the ski industry is trying to do everything possible to bring young people into the sport.

At his most recent season-opening press conference, Ski Utah President Nathan Rafferty promoted programs such as a program where fifth graders can buy an online pass for $30 that gives them three days of skiing at all 14 resorts. Park City Mountain Resort is offering a StartNow program including five sessions of instruction for first-time ski and snowboard students that include lift access, equipment rentals and lessons for $40 per session. Snowbasin is offering a free season pass to skiers who participate in five beginner lessons.

Rafferty said Utah ski resorts, which generate 20,000 jobs and bring in $1.3 billion to the state’s economy each year, has set a goal of giving 10,000 beginner lessons in January, which is Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month. Several resorts will offer packages for less than $40 a day.

wharton@sltrib.com

Twitter: @tribtomwharton

—

Other findings from the SIA report

Alpine skiers and snowboarders make up 49 percent of all snow sports participants.

Telemark skiers with an average of 13 days out a year and snowboarders with an average of 11.3 days a year had the highest participation rates.

Snowshoeing is the most popular sport among women.

Freeskiing is the most diverse snow sport, with minorities representing half of its participants.

Walking for fitness is the most common off-the-mountain activity for snow sports participants.

More than 39 percent of snowboarders are under the age of 24.

Forty-three percent of snow sports participants are interested in the Winter Olympics.

The highest number of skiers (18 percent) and snowboarders (27 percent) live in the Pacific region.

Source: SnowSports Industries America

[willie61]

Are you surprised? we have become a entertainment based culture, with all the hi-tech video games and smart phones and computers, people increasingly need to be constantly stimulated and " plugged-in", On the mountain you make your own entertainment.

Now what we need to do get rid of some of those 40+ year old yuppies, skiing the powder mid-week.

[toast2266]

What's the difference between alpine skiing and freesking? Alpine skiing is down, freeskiing is up; seems like people are just re-labeling themselves.

[neckdeep]

Gee, what happens when an industry that mostly tries to cater to the 1%ers who buy mountain real estate discovers that it priced itself out of the reach of a shrinking middle class, a middle class trying to eat bad mortgages while struggling to save $200,000 per kid to pay for college. A return to sanity in the ski industry? No, but we've got some coupons for discount lessons.....so come on up and enjoy a $15 cheeseburger. Ah, yes...the ass kissy genius that is the marketing department....no, boss, the problem isn't your real estate skewed business model, massive debt load and shrinking customer base, we just need a catchy slogan and some coupons to reverse our march into irrelevance.

[Hugh Conway]

Waiting for someone to talk about how much "cheaper" touring is.

[raisingarizona13]

Gee, what happens when an industry that mostly tries to cater to the 1%ers who buy mountain real estate discovers that it priced itself out of the reach of a shrinking middle class, a middle class trying to eat bad mortgages while struggling to save $200,000 per kid to pay for college. A return to sanity in the ski industry? No, but we've got some coupons for discount lessons.....so come on up and enjoy a $15 cheeseburger. Ah, yes...the ass kissy genius that is the marketing department....no, boss, the problem isn't your business model and shrinking market base, we just need a catchy slogan and some coupons to reverse our march into irrelevance.

This^^^. It's gotten out of hand. I don't like the industry very much, it's such a cool sport but this whole gated mansion skiing shit is lame and makes skiing look gay as golf. Shit is so white.

People are trying to survive and skiing is dropping way down on the priority list. If it wasn't for my 6 year old daughter I sure as hell would not be buying a pass this year but around August she told me that she couldn't wait for winter to ski with her Daddy. I'm poor as hell. I'm going to school full time this spring, taking out loans, I currently don't have a job, I'm looking but there isn't much. So you can imagine what I think of 90 dollar lift tickets and 15 dollar cheese burgers.

The majority of the younger gen that is coming out of college sure as hell isn't going to be going on ski vacations.

[Buster Highmen]

Didn't James Carville cover this?

[hatchgreenchile]

Yep…this has been well known for years.
Why worry about something us ordinary skier/riders can’t control?
A few less people at the I70 resorts wouldn’t be such a bad thing.

[raisingarizona13]

I can't figure out why there are more mega resorts being developed. We already don't have enough people to fill the currently existing areas.

[willie61]

The reason so many mega resorts are being developed is because we are quickly becoming a 2 class nation, the rich and those that serve them ( lower class ). they are trying to cash-in on the rich.

RaisingArizona--- That's awesome about your daughter wanting to ski with you, when my son was growing up ( now 21 ) there was 7 of his friends we took up the mountain just about everytime, who's parents didn't ski, my son is the only one who still skis out of the 8, They got distracted by other things.

[skifishbum]

Waiting for someone to talk about how much "cheaper" touring is.

far be it for me to be "that" guy,
and i don't pay for lifts, in a monetary way
but there is sumthin about the abiliity to ski whenever and wherever your skills allow you to
goin again w/

"When you walk out the door in the morning, what matters most is not what type of skiing you do but whether that skiing is any good. On a waist-deep day, dropping into tight chutes or open bowls, down a sweet line throught the trees where pockets of wind-blown snow create so many natural lips and launching pads... So lets let the dubious bickering within our own sport die with it. The answer is already out there, along with the energy, the freedom, and the truth: What "saved skiing" is SKIING". - Tom Bie

and i knew the op when he used to drop knee
call me if ya wanna save skiin the only way i know how this weekend

[neckdeep]

Hey, I see the problem, skier numbers are dropping "nationally" and, as we are told with every American job shipped away to China, "sorry, it's a global economy now, ya know." Well, there are quite a lot of new millionaires....in China...which resort will be the first to market feng shui condos and lifties who speak mandarin?

Wage stagnation isn't going to change, so why offer some coupons for lessons to grade school plebeians when the parents can't afford ski trips anyway. Resorts could cross promote with internationally marketed hedge funds...like, buy into a fund for $10 million or more and get a free week at the Village or Aspen, your choice. Offshore banking, there's another potential marketing tool...hey, why not just be the first ski town to eliminate real estate taxes on ski real estate....you know how those 1%ers love a bargain that shifts taxes to someone else. That'll save ya...or is it just coincidence that Jackson's levitation act happens in an income tax free state?

[justr]

The reason so many mega resorts are being developed is because we are quickly becoming a 2 class nation, the rich and those that serve them ( lower class ). they are trying to cash-in on the rich.

RaisingArizona--- That's awesome about your daughter wanting to ski with you, when my son was growing up ( now 21 ) there was 7 of his friends we took up the mountain just about everytime, who's parents didn't ski, my son is the only one who still skis out of the 8, They got distracted by other things.

This. Over and over. Except we are already a two class society... we are only making the divide greater.

[powski3]

I wonder how much of the explosion in backcountry popularity is driven by the increasingly out of reach price of resort skiing, and whether the shift could ever be large enough to put a dent in resort skier numbers enough to drive a reduction in prices. Problem is, resorts are so safe and convenient for skiing with kids, intermediates, and by yourself that I don't see touring ever becoming a full alternative. The resorts that are close to major population areas still seem packed, and it's comparatively cheap to ski if you live in a select few cities where you can buy season passes and not have to pay for lodging or plane tickets. But the remote resorts are pretty screwed and I think in 20 years very few people who don't live in day trip proximity will be skiing at all.

It would be cool to see a shift back towards the roots in the bare bones model of Silverton. Extensive grooming, high speed lifts, terrain parks, and fancy lodges aren't cheap. Doubtful that will happen though. More likely the industry will continue to consolidate and only the very rich and those who live close to the mountains will continue. It's easy to view skiing as a "need" for those of us who were raised doing it and remain passionate about it, but for the vast majority it's just another recreational diversion that looks insanely expensive in comparison to a pair of running shoes, bicycle, hiking boots, etc.

[Hugh Conway]

I wonder how much of the explosion in backcountry popularity is driven by the increasingly out of reach price of resort skiing

that's totally the perception but many season tickets are cheaper (in most terms - look at the Epic pass or the Big S pass) than they've ever been and backcountry gear isn't cheap. I'd say more "stiff competition for inbounds powder".

as for the barebones shit - people talk a line about it here. Nobody wants to back it up and spend their time there and even the limited $ so that model can survive (for a prime example - Glacier Park Lodge - it was a barebones ski lodge. Everyone here bitched about it not being up to their standards ... despite it being most of what they claim to want and cheap).

[Timberridge]

If resorts posted signs in Spanish and English, perhaps we could get more Mexicans to ski?

[Scotsman50]

Good news. Long may it continue to drop.
Now all I hope for is that BC skiing starts losing its current popularity.

Cull the BC JONGS booting in my skin track.

[powski3]

that's totally the perception but many season tickets are cheaper (in most terms - look at the Epic pass or the Big S pass) than they've ever been and backcountry gear isn't cheap. I'd say more "stiff competition for inbounds powder".

That may be true for those who live in a select few cities close enough to the mountains where a season pass makes sense. But it's still a lot of money for a family to shell out each fall. The diehards with the means will continue, but the fact remains the price of entry is so high compared to other activities. I guess that's a positive if it results in smaller crowds for those of us still doing it, but at the same time it's kind of a shame that such a fun activity will be out of reach for a much higher portion of the younger generations today than it was in the past. Of course that's not only due to the price of skiing itself but a lot of other economic factors reducing disposable income as well.

[Hugh Conway]

That may be true for those who live in a select few cities close enough to the mountains where a season pass makes sense. But it's still a lot of money for a family to shell out each fall. The diehards with the means will continue, but the fact remains the price of entry is so high compared to other activities. I guess that's a positive if it results in smaller crowds for those of us still doing it, but at the same time it's kind of a shame that such a fun activity will be out of reach for a much higher portion of the younger generations today than it was in the past. Of course that's not only due to the price of skiing itself but a lot of other economic factors reducing disposable income as well.

I thought you were talking about the "explosion of backcountry"? That's the same people who'd have bought a season pass ime. The rest yes, but really the ski industry doesn't give a shit as long as they can "live the dream" or at least tell everyone else they are "living the dream"

declining market people fight for market share eg mega-resorts.

[PNWbrit]

I can't figure out why there are more mega resorts being developed.

I can't figure out where these "mega resorts" of which you speak are being developed?

[raisingarizona13]

I can't figure out where these "mega resorts" of which you speak are being developed?

I think the next one is Jumbo. Ones I can think of recently would be Tamarack and Revelstoke. How is the developed real estate doing at those areas?

[snoqpass]

NSAA sez different
http://www.nsaa.org/media/147829/201...ary_Report.pdf

[Snow Dog]

What kills it for the casual skier is the insane lift ticket prices. $100 a day at Whistler! Even now with 3 lifts open (Emerald, Red & Franz's) it's $70. If you're skiing 40+ days a season then a pass (even at $1,100) is ok but you'll never attract new skiers if they have to sell their baby sister to try out the sport.

I found some (unproven) Whistler prices on epicski. I realize the lifts were completely different but the terrain remains the same.

1975 - $9 (good union forestry job $5/hr)
1982 - $14 (graduated with CS degree $11.25/hr)
1985 - $22 (getting raises, $20/hr)
1990 - $35 (movin' up the company ladder, ~$35/hr)
2007 - $70 (retired so who knows)
2013 - $96 (volunteer so ski for 23 days of labour)

Compare that to now -- minimum wage is $10, starting wages are $12-$15, the union jobs are gone, a decent construction job is around $20-$25. That's why people don't take up skiing.

[PNWbrit]

I think the next one is Jumbo. Ones I can think of recently would be Tamarack and Revelstoke. How is the developed real estate doing at those areas?

We clearly have differing definition of what the word mega means.

I think you could justifiably argue there is actually only one mega resort in North America. several other large ones and the rest are "just" ski hills.

[raisingarizona13]

We clearly have differing definition of what the word mega means.

I think you could justifiably argue there is actually only one mega resort in North America. several other large ones and the rest are "just" ski hills.

Call em whatever you want you get what I'm saying.