What does declining interest in skiing mean?

[Nick]

I was just putzing around on Google Trends and did a quick search on the term, "Skiing".

http://www.google.com/trends/explore#q=skiing



This obviously isn't a good sign. Interestingly, you can see spikes on the years that there were winter olympics (this year, 2010).

Most other search terms I popped in have the same general decline. Snowboarding, etc. This along with reports of skier visits being harmed make me really wonder about the long-term health of the industry. There will of course always be skiers, but will there be enough to support a thriving industry in places like the Northeast?

 

[snoseek]

Interesting. Less disposable income these days and some very competitive marketing from various companies for that income with rising transportation cost...and everything else for that matter and this is what happens. I bet that trend continues on.

 

[snoseek]

Also the weather. The past three years in the Sierra have been bad enough to change trends in a major way for both vacationers and local California folks. The industry as a whole could do a better job reaching out to various demographics. Get em hooked for cheap

 

[Nick]

I know I've said this in other threads discussing the ski industry at large but I wonder if we also have a "laziness issue" in the US. With new technology (phones, gaming, etc.) are people just becoming more and more couch-potatoey and not interested in activities? Most physical "sports" i plunked into this show similar results of a gradual decline.

I actualy did a quick check and things like "TV", "Couch" and "Sofa" are growing search terms exponentially.

Maybe we should start SofaZone?

 

[snoseek]

^^^This may also explain the growing rate of obesity?

 

[marebear]

Back in the 70's,every high school in my area of Jersey had a ski club and organized trips. Local resorts in the Poconos were booming and there were plenty of folks to share the enthusiasm of the sport. It seems plenty of factors come into play. The economy has not helped and skiing is an expensive pastime. Sadly,and what bothers me most,is the decline in physical activity and general health of society. Everyone would rather stare at their stupid "smart"phones and live via a screen than get the hell outside and move their fat asses. Most of my friends are not aging well and are perplexed as to why.Meanwhile...I will continue to shred 'till I cant no mo.......

 

[Nick]

^Well stated.

I think it is a combo of things. Poor winter weather for a few years and financial issues are part of it.

I wonder "where the bottom is" though.

 

[Scruffy]

Here ya go. Worldwide stats on skier visits per region and country.

http://www.vanat.ch/RM-world-report-2013.pdf

interesting stuff.

 

[Nick]

Awesome doc. Page 78 dives into the US in detail. Particularly interesting is the actual visits seem to be more stable than would seem based on search indicators. Maybe Google isn't an accurate zeitgeist

 

[timm]

Even at a more inexpensive and family friendly mountain like Black (NH), a day on the mountain is going to cost you at least $50-$75, before transportation, lodging, gear, etc. and that is with season passes and 20 visits per year. Whether or not those prices are fair or reasonable doesn't really matter. Even for people extremely dedicated to the sport that can be a tough pill to swallow in an era of stagnating wages.

My first child is going to be born this spring and it is highly unlikely he will see too many lifts as a kid the cost is simply prohibitive and there are too many free alternatives for outdoor activities.

I don't think there is a "bottom" for the industry really. The nature of it will just continue to shift towards luxury markets and being a real estate business. Mid-size and small resorts will probably continue to suffer though.

 

[timm]

Awesome doc. Page 78 dives into the US in detail. Particularly interesting is the actual visits seem to be more stable than would seem based on search indicators. Maybe Google isn't an accurate zeitgeist

I think skier visits are a bad measure. Less skiers could be skiing more days annually and you'd see the visits number grow while actual participation declined. I would want to see participation stats with average age info before declaring any good news. I wonder if baby boomers dying off is going to really crush these numbers.

 

[legalskier]

I spotted this a while back but didn't want to be a Debbie Downer by posting it:

"Middle class getting priced out of ski trips
...Last year, 54 percent of skier visits, defined as one skier/snowboarder riding for one day, came from households earning more than $100,000, according to the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA). That's up from 48 percent five years ago, a 12.5 percent increase.
In contrast, visits from households earning less than $100,000 during the same period slipped from 52 percent to 46 percent-an 11.5 percent decrease...."

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/middle-class-getting-priced-ski-180000835.html

Higher prices, fewer ski areas, aging demographic- all get factored in.
Hopefully the Olympics will stoke some interest.

 

[timm]

Just quickly Googled and according to NSAA the average age of a skier was 33.2 in the 1997-98 season. The most recent number is 38.5.

"Ages 45 to 54 made up 20 percent of skiers last winter [2012/2013], up from 14 percent in the 1997-98 season; the 55-to-64 age group made up 12 percent, up from nearly 5 percent, and those 65 and older rose to 5.5 percent from 2.5 percent, according to the NSAA study."

 

[drjeff]

My personal take is that it if the decline continues and/or god forbid accelerate, you'll see a further stratification between a "ski resort" and a "ski area".

The "ski resorts" as they are now in many cases will have a distinct focus on 4 season activities, and try to incorporate as many non snow activities (zip lines, mountain coasters, indoor water parks, etc, etc) to try and attract non skiers/boarders on a year round basis and have those guest visits augmented via snow season skiing/riding visits. You may even see some of these resorts with their primary annual investments in "new" items spending more on non snow season additions than snow season additions to try and keep the revenue stream solid for the resort 12 months a year.

The "ski areas" will likely see more variable numbers of visits, with a true ski area being more of the classical "mom and pop" ski area that will benefit from good snow years and/or if they have a relatively local decent population base with a strong afterschool night skiing program. These programs will likely, if the decline continues, be a decreasing revenue source. The classical ski areas will live and die by the "snow in my backyard" effect in the local area for weekend traffic. Some may choose to cease non holiday midweek operations daytime operations in favor of just an afternoon/evening operating schedule to cater to the busier school based program business. They may try some summer based, small scale operations with ropes courses, some mountain biking, a festival or two, and if the finances and local potential business volume is there, some zip lines

 

[millerm277]

I think it continues to get harder for a new skier to get a decent introduction to the sport, and to do so without emptying their wallet. I'm not saying skiing has ever really been a cheap sport.

But organized group trips for adults, weekend/after school skiing through schools, etc, are all generally relatively affordable means of getting started, and they've declined greatly. And it's also greatly reduced how many people get "sucked in", because when it's not a large group, people don't ask if you want to come along unless you can actually ski already decently or make it clear they aren't going to have to babysit you.

Certainly, as I and probably most people on here can attest, there are a ton of cheap ways to ski. But most of them require knowledge about ski pricing models, planning in advance, etc. (Ex: Season Passes, discount cards, other pre-purchase/pay some upfront for later discounts).

Those group trips don't require a novice to know a thing to get a reasonable price. Pay your $, show up, rentals, bus, ticket included and off you go. Often with an option for lessons as well.

 

[JimG.]

Declining interest means more snow for me.

Somebody had to say it.

 

[BenedictGomez]

What is that measuring? Skiing as a search term, right. Okay, but what is the output.

Is it a function of percentage of global searches?
Is it strictly counting the number of times skiing was searched?

The answer could have great significance to "what it means".

 

[Scruffy]

What is that measuring? Skiing as a search term, right. Okay, but what is the output.

Is it a function of percentage of global searches?
Is it strictly counting the number of times skiing was searched?

The answer could have great significance to "what it means".

Exactly. Using the same chart. To the right of TRENDS, click on shopping ( for ski related ) you'll see a different story.

 

[TheArchitect]

The graph shows the decline starts before the recession but the recession is a big player in the overall decline (not that that is an original or unique view). People of all ages were impacted by the recession but especially younger people, who typically have less disposable income even in good times. When you're struggling to find a job or keep paying bills it's hard to justify something like skiing.

 

[steamboat1]

There is a lot of grey hair at ski areas during the week.