Why People Don't Ski?

mbedle · Aug 27, 2015

Interesting article on a survey done with marketers and non-skiers to find out why people chose not to ski.

http://www.slopefillers.com/why-people-dont-ski/

Really surprised by the disparity between the two groups with cost. Would have thought that to be pretty high on the list. I guess if you are a non-skier, you might not have any idea what it actually cost to ski. Would be neat to see the results of the same survey for skiers asking why they don't ski more. Pretty sure that cost and effort would be pretty high on the list. Maybe peers if their partner is not interested.

dlague · Aug 27, 2015

Well one that they did not cover - many of my non skiing friends do not ski because they do not like the cold.

jimk · Aug 27, 2015

I really like the slopefillers website although many of the topics are too geeky/analytics-oriented for me to appreciate. I often notice industry insiders/bigwigs shooting the breeze in the comments section, including cofounder of Liftopia on this particular topic.

Not Sure · Aug 27, 2015

Funny I remember a conversation a long time ago with a non skier. "Oh that's a rich mans sport" . I asked him if he smoked, "Yes" .Do you drink "Yes" case of beer a week . I did the math and turns out he was the "Rich" man.

joshua segal · Aug 28, 2015

Somehow, the risk aspect of skiing is a place where the old history of non-release bindings bites us and the marketers haven't been able to dispel that notion. Namely, The non-skiers often have this image that skiers are people with broken legs or worse!

raisingarizona · Aug 28, 2015

Skiing is a massive PIA. If I didn't start young I wouldn't be taking it on as a new activity now. It's a mix of many of the things suggested but mainly the cost and the effort. Throw in the driving several hours each way that people do that live in cities and then it becomes a terrible idea to most people.

Jully · Aug 28, 2015

raisingarizona said:
Skiing is a massive PIA. If I didn't start young I wouldn't be taking it on as a new activity now. It's a mix of many of the things suggested but mainly the cost and the effort. Throw in the driving several hours each way that people do that live in cities and then it becomes a terrible idea to most people.

Keep in mind you don't have to drive hours each way to ski if you live in a city unless you want to go to the resorts up north. Places like wachusett and nashoba are excellent places to start skiing and many people just ski there and don't go farther north for their entire lives except on maybe yearly vacations.

Bumpsis · Aug 29, 2015

mbedle said:
Interesting article on a survey done with marketers and non-skiers to find out why people chose not to ski.

http://www.slopefillers.com/why-people-dont-ski/

Really surprised by the disparity between the two groups with cost. Would have thought that to be pretty high on the list. I guess if you are a non-skier, you might not have any idea what it actually cost to ski. Would be neat to see the results of the same survey for skiers asking why they don't ski more. Pretty sure that cost and effort would be pretty high on the list. Maybe peers if their partner is not interested.

The cost disparity point is well taken. I also think that non-skiers in general have no idea how much it costs to ski. It's an important aspect which is not reflected in the survey and it leads the author of this article to a rather simplistic interpretation of the data:

"So, what does this mean?

First, we think that cost is a MUCH bigger issue than it appears to be. We see it as a clear #1. According to this sample it’s a distant #3."
Then, there is probably another aspect which a non-skier probably has no way of knowing: what you get for a the money spent. Between the weekend crowds and often less than optimal ski conditions, yes, skiing can be seen as a major PIA.

Dickc · Aug 29, 2015

Has any one thought that most Americans have been programed by ABC, NBC, CBS local news that winter is COLD, and SNOW is the enemy? We know different, but.....

Not Sure · Aug 29, 2015

Dickc said:
Has any one thought that most Americans have been programed by ABC, NBC, CBS local news that winter is COLD, and SNOW is the enemy? We know different, but.....

Sounds about right ,creating a nation of wimps .
Someone could do well to start a video/TV marketing campaign. "Yea it's cold outside but there are 12 months why waste 3 inside . Get out and enjoy life go Skiing today!, Keep that Bikini fiqure year round"
A few family scenes kids having fun. Neighbors looking on in envy.

Umm....Extra lift lines, then again.....Man it's really cold good day to curl up with a Book!
Yea that's it!

Abubob · Aug 31, 2015

dlague said:
Well one that they did not cover - many of my non skiing friends do not ski because they do not like the cold.

Ha ha! I get that a lot too but in the form of "Well, you like being cold" meaning I like being being cold.

I also think media is feeding the "fear factor". Ski films of the past featured everyday skiers on groomed slopes punctuated with professional skiers doing the riskier stuff. These day it's all exclamation points with urban, backcountry and park being featured and none of what Joey Gaper might encounter. The question: Is that what scares people? or is it just the usual fear of broken legs or twisted ankles that scares people?

Domeskier · Aug 31, 2015

Abubob said:
The question: Is that what scares people? or is it just the usual fear of broken legs or twisted ankles that scares people?

I think it's actually the wolves that scare people.

Abubob · Aug 31, 2015

Domeskier said:
I think it's actually the wolves that scare people.

or is it the moose?

dlague · Aug 31, 2015

Dickc said:
Has any one thought that most Americans have been programed by ABC, NBC, CBS local news that winter is COLD, and SNOW is the enemy? We know different, but.....

Not mention the media never tells feel good stories about skiing or snowboarding - if they do then it is extreme stuff from the Olympics or World Cup.

Rather media reports on avalanche - deaths, lift fails - injuries, skier loses control - death, etc.

Sent from my iPad using AlpineZone

Domeskier · Aug 31, 2015

Abubob said:
or is it the moose?

Could be the polar bears, too, I guess. I might have to rethink this whole skiing thing:

VTKilarney · Aug 31, 2015

Domeskier said:
Could be the polar bears, too, I guess. I might have to rethink this whole skiing thing:

Funny but very fake.

Domeskier · Aug 31, 2015

VTKilarney said:
Funny but very fake.

But these wolves are very real:

witch hobble · Sep 14, 2015

If you've reached late adolescence or early adulthood wearing primarily flip flops, uggs, crocs, bogs, or some hippy sandals of some sort, ski boots are going to be a real torture device.

BenedictGomez · Sep 14, 2015

dlague said:
Well one that they did not cover - many of my non skiing friends do not ski because they do not like the cold.

By far the #1 answer I get among people I know who dont want to ski.

Harvey · Sep 14, 2015

witch hobble said:
If you've reached late adolescence or early adulthood wearing primarily flip flops, uggs, crocs, bogs, or some hippy sandals of some sort, ski boots are going to be a real torture device.

Tele.

Why People Don't Ski?

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