What does declining interest in skiing mean?

[jimk]

If, demographically, folks of non-European descent will constitute a majority of the population in the next generation then it would make sense to introduce skiing and snow sports to them in the hopes of growing the number of snow sports participants. .

Real good point. Imagine if CO, NM, CA tapped into the hispanic market. I agree with all those that said get the kids hooked via school or other cheap programs and the rest of the family will follow.

A few years back I went to a really swanky resort in Virginia called The Homestead. Think Mt. Wash Hotel, and similarly it's an isle of luxury in the middle of appalachian wilderness. Anyway, I was there on a Friday and darn if they didn't have a bunch of local mtn kids pull up in several school buses at 3pm for a regular after school ski program. I was really impressed that the swanky resort was community-minded enough to reach out to the locals and make that happen.

 

[JimG.]

Some random thoughts:
1) High "sticker" prices for lift tickets with discounting for those in the know does not help bring in new people. Outsiders have an artificially high understanding of what it costs to go skiing.
2) Ski areas make it too easy to jump from area to area. They don't make effective use of loyalty programs. They should take a page from the airlines and make me feel like I am hurting myself if I don't return.
3) Extreme sports as featured in the X-Games and now the Olympics don't make parents relish the idea of their children taking up skiing. As a parent, I tolerate when my kids want to jump off rails - but there is always a part of you that cringes when they do. On the other hand, I understand that these sports draw kids into the sport. But there is definitely a ying and yang here.

All good points.

As for the risks, they exist in most sports. I was relieved my 2 oldest boys got into soccer when they were little, but when they grew up I realized how brutally physical it is. Not as dramatic as launching off of a big terrain feature, just as cringeworthy.

 

[BenedictGomez]

2) Ski areas make it too easy to jump from area to area. They don't make effective use of loyalty programs. They should take a page from the airlines and make me feel like I am hurting myself if I don't return.

Agree 100%. I would love to see an intelligent mountain make a study of this.

My guess is they're afraid they'll cannibalize Season Pass revenue with such a program, but I wouldnt be surprised if you could beat that with increased sales volume.

Smuggs' "Bash Badge" is one of the longest lived programs I can think of that works as a loyalty program.

 

[Scruffy]

Agree 100%. I would love to see an intelligent mountain make a study of this.

My guess is they're afraid they'll cannibalize Season Pass revenue with such a program, but I wouldnt be surprised if you could beat that with increased sales volume.

Smuggs' "Bash Badge" is one of the longest lived programs I can think of that works as a loyalty program.

Hunter Mt. Big Lift Card is similar.

And Killington Express Card.

 

[snoseek]

I've noticed as you travel further west you see much more diversity on the slopes.

 

[dlague]

I think forums like this reduce the amount of searches! I for one do not search skiing much since I know where to get info I need/want.


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[abc]

I'm not sure what we're seeing are just anecdotic data points which may or may not reflect the big picture. Case in point:

- I lived in California for a few years. Yes, there're plenty of Asian skiing there. You see them pretty much all over the hill! Chinese and Indians.

- The "feeder hill" by me was mobbed EVERY SINGLE WEEKEND! Last weekend, the line for lesson and rental were 2 hrs long! (ok, nothing to boast about a 2 hr queue, but you get the picture...). I saw in the line waiting quite a few Chinese and Indians too.

I'm not sure whether the catering to non-European race demographic helps much at all. I have some Indian co-workers. Just about every one of them either skis occasionally (mostly because their kids skis) or waiting for their kids to be old enough to take lessons. Yes, they have the disposable income but more importantly, they see skiing as a socially acceptable activity! Now, that requires continue participation of the population at large to make it "socially acceptable"!

The high cost is turning off the skiing "masses". That hurts the socially acceptable aspect more than anything else. Skiing has changed from being a recreation for the masses to being a sport for the well-to-do (e.g. my Indian colleague and their kids), yet without picking up the "healthy" image of cycling and running. I think that image isn't the best for "growing" the activity ... eh, sport!