Ski Stats, Resort Attendance & Retail Performance, 2000-09

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

Odd thought, but....I wonder if this is entirely due to the economy or not. While most people here do, the majority of "normal" people that own skis, take 10, or 15 years to wear them out. But, in the past few years, almost everyone has replaced their skis, probably a good portion of them before they're worn out, due to the benefits of shaped skis over straight ones. However, now that is pretty much over with it would seem based on how few straight skis are left on the slopes, and there isn't much in radical change in skis going on to spur purchases like the move away from straight skis. Just a thought of course....

Interesting..so you are saying that the average skier is on their first pair of Parabolics??? Even though they came out in 1996..

 

[millerm277]

Interesting..so you are saying that the average skier is on their first pair of Parabolics??? Even though they came out in 1996..

I know that my family chucked a couple pairs of straight skis before they were done, and that last two or three years was when I really started to notice them actually being completely gone from the hill, even disappearing from Mountain Creek and the like. And what I really mean, is that in the normal all-mountain area, it feels sort of like there isn't much improvement going on that's significant enough to matter. You had all the people getting rid of straight skis, and in the first couple years of parabolic skis, there were big improvements, but I don't see anything huge like that for the average skier in the past couple years.

Comparing the pair of skis I bought from the 2002 season, with ones from the 2005 season, there is a clear and major difference in the way they ski. The 2005 skis are better in every way, clearly. Comparing the 05's to some sets I was demoing this year....for all-mountain, I don't really feel that much difference. The new ones are a bit better, but not something that I want desperately. Will I get them eventually? Sure. Am I going to go spend a bunch of money to get them before my current skis need replacing? Not likely, there isn't enough of an improvement.

In short: For the past 10-15 years, skis have been making major improvements. Almost anyone notices and likes the difference between straight skis, the first generation of parabolics, and the skis of the last 4 or 5 years. But, I don't really see any major changes going on or radical new technology that most people care about...so what reason do they have to buy new skis?

 

[roark]

re: Equipment innovation: I'd say reverse sidecut and rocker (along with the trend to much fatter underfoot) is pretty significant - the problem is these skis are designed for a specific purpose and the person who only skis a few days (and sticks to the groomers) doesn't care about having a quiver.

 

[billski]

Interesting..so you are saying that the average skier is on their first pair of Parabolics??? Even though they came out in 1996..

Probably so.
From my calculations, 10% of all skiers and boarders combined purchased new boards last year. Go figure, I don't have a run rate.
For me, the first shaped skis were pseudo - the industry experimented a lot with consumers at first, slowing increasing the parabolic. I know, I have some Fisher ICE to prove it. An odd duck at best. Most consumers alson don't switch bindings, I believe they have been bullied into new bindings with every ski or board purchase (safety safety safety), which is not necessarily a bad thing, just an expensive thing.
For families like me the pricing X-factor is enormous - 5X in my case. Makes you pause. Also, for people that only ski a few times each season it's hard to justify a new purchase, since most intermediates never really appreciate the difference in ski types. Another factor - Many of my ski buds keep their skis 10 years just because they are cheap!
We have to remember, most ski/board folks ain't like us!

 

[billski]

Maine Checks in for 2008-09

SAM Magazine—Portland, Maine, Aug. 5, 2009—Maine ski areas posted their second-best season on record in 2008-09, with 1,366,752 ski/snowboard visits. The previous 2007-08 season set an all-time record with 1,401,043 visits recorded.

Early season snowfall and extensive snowmaking systems allowed Maine to maintain strong numbers in spite of the tightening economy, as the state's resorts increased their share of the northern New England market by one percent. Although the increase was small, “the fact that Maine is gaining market share in the competitive Northeast market is a very positive sign," ssid Greg Sweetser, executive director of Ski Maine Association. "Maine ski areas are providing great value and a great product and that is reflected in our attendance numbers. Maine ski areas and the Maine Office of Tourism are showing results from their marketing efforts."