Short Swings!
Are older skiers the Rodney Dangerfields of the slopes? Sometimes it feels like ski resorts show us no respect.
Consider that there are no Epic or Ikon senior discounts, and, in the case of some Ikon resorts, there no longer are local season passes and the senior discounts associated with them.
Some of the big players are doing very well. Vail Resorts, which owns Epic, reported a 58% increase in second quarter net revenue over second quarter 2017. Part of the increase was a one-time bonus from the new tax law; part of it was from increases in lift ticket and season pass products.
Like any other business, the ski industry follows the money. Which brings me to one of the key findings from our most recent reader survey. Fifty-six percent of all respondents spent $1000 to $5000 per person on skiing and related activities last season. More than 10% spent $5000 or more per person.
The same can’t be said for Millennials and Gen-Xers, the industry’s primary target markets.
One in five U.S. skiers and boarders are 52 or older. Our survey, which had more respondents than any of our previous reader surveys, showed an average of 15 days on the hill. More than one-third skied 23 days or more.
For those bottom line oriented ski executives who may be reading this: We use your facilities more and spend more than the youngsters. Think twice before removing senior discounts.
New Canadian Resort to Have Longest Vertical in North America
Valemount Glacier Destination is being developed in the Cariboo Mountain Range in British Columbia. When completed, it will have the longest vertical drop in North America (6726′) and the third longest in the world. Developers expect it to become a year-round skiing and sightseeing destination. Near Jasper National Park, the area already has substantial infrastructure. When completed, there will be skiing on several mountains, the largest of which is Mt XXXX, which summits at XXXXX ‘. The resort is a 75 minute drive from Jasper. It is located on the trans-Canada rail line and has a local airport within walking distance of the resort base. Larger airports are several hours away.
According to Tomas Oberti, project manager, the first phase is expected to open for day skiing in December. Full build-out of the project will occur over 20 years.
More on Valemount Glacier Destination at http://valemountglaciers.com.
Seven Skiers Die in Alps Storm
Seven skiers on the Haute Route in Switzerland died in a sudden storm in early May. They were part of a guided group forced to overnight in freezing temperatures. Adding to the tragedy: they were just a few hundred meters from an alpine hut. Elsewhere in the Alps, the storm claimed the lives of another seven climbers and tourists. It was the most loss of lives in Switzerland since 1999, when 12 died in an avalanche in the Valais.
The Daily Senior Skier Skinning Session at Arapahoe Basin
Doris Spencer is 72; Kent Willoughby, 79. They have been skinning up A-basin for nearly 18 years. This short documentary inspired me. I expect it will do the same for you.
Snowbird’s One Star Season
The Bird just issued this one-minute video summary of the season. The resort characterizes 2017-18 as a “one star” season, but you’d never know it from the skiing and boarding in the video.
Baltimore Ski Club Celebrates Member’s 90th Birthday
Dave Karczmarek, BSC Director of Ski Trips, recognizing John Wotell on his 90th.
John Wotell turned 90 in February, and the Baltimore Ski Club recently turned out in force to celebrate. A long time skier, he and his wife, Ann, were active members of the Ski Club of Maryland since the 1960s. For years, he was president of the group and made “President for Life” when he stepped down. He celebrated his 90th at Big Sky. Happy Birthday, John!
Skiing Grandparents Play Major Role Introducing Grandkids to Winter Sports
Courtesy: Daily Mail
Grandparents who ski or board play a major role introducing their grandchildren to the sport. This is one of several significant findings from the April reader survey.
It was the fifth SeniorsSkiing.com reader survey, and it produced the largest reader response to date.
Fifty-eight percent of respondents identified as grandparents. The introduced more than 68% of their grandchildren to the sport. Importantly, 94.5% of the kids continue to participate. Each responding grandparent or grandparent set has an average of 3.7 grandkids.
These “gateway grandparents” may instruct the kids, pay for lessons, or encourage their adult children to do the same. Even if the grandparents don’t live nearby, readers report that they purchase equipment and clothes as gifts, and often host family ski vacations.
The average survey respondent is 68 and skied or boarded an average of 15 days last season. More than one-third skied 23 days or more.
“As this survey shows, grandparents play a major role introducing younger people to skiing and boarding,” observes Mary Jo Tarallo, Executive Director of Learn To Ski and Snowboard, the national initiative dedicated to spreading the joy of skiing, snowboarding and winter sports.”At a time, when the ski industry is seeking ways to attract more participants, the SeniorsSkiing.com survey results shed light on grandparents as a reliable but overlooked source of new skiers and boarders.”
Summer Trail Prep: How It’s Done
What Happens When the Snow Disappears Along With The Crowds?
Grazing cows in summer help cut grass on ski runs. Part of summer prep. Credit: Sun Peaks Resort.
Bet you’ve never thought about how your favorite ski runs get cared for when there’s no snow on the ground.
Yes, they have to be prepped each summer.
Seth Worthen, slopes manager at Sun Peaks Resort in British Columbia, Canada, explained how his 11 person trail crew works. And it’s a seven-day-a-week job.
Willow and alder trees, for instance, can grow four to six feet over the summer—the height of an average person. You might think of willows as bushes, but if left alone, they can become 20-foot trees, fast.
“We use a flail mower,” said Worthen. “It practically makes the willow into chips. Even the larger ones can be laid down flat.”
Summer flowers and hiking at Sun Peaks Resort. Summer prep of ski runs will include cutting the grass after the flower bloom. Credit: Sun Peaks Resort.
The crew starts low on the ski mountain in May as soon as the snow clears. But they often can’t get to the tops of runs until July because of lingering snow.
Early grooming years at Sun Peaks Resort were spent removing stumps and rocks. So now, most runs are just grass.
“We mow ‘em with an off road mowing machine, making stripes up and down. Sundance almost looks like a golf course. When you mow two or three feet of grass growth, it lies down and insulates the ground so we need only 25 – 30 cm (about a foot) of snow to open.”
And then, there are the cattle.
Four farms in the area have grazing rights on Crown recreation land. That means the nice, smooth, grassy ski slopes get help with grass cutting from the bovines. Some years, it’s only a few hundred cattle, but it theoretically could be thousands.
So another job here is setting up electric fences to keep the cattle out of the core village. There are gates so people can access hiking trails.
Among the other jobs, there’s cutting some trees along the edges of existing trails each summer to widen them a bit. Also choosing and marking winch cat trees. These are the trees the grooming cats attach cables to so they can manicure steep ski runs in winter.
“We bore into the trees to make sure there’s no decay,” said Worthen.
That’s a smart move when you are expecting to have a cable on a tree keep an eight ton snow cat from sliding uncontrollably down the mountain.
Summer prep is not exactly a hazard free job. One recent summer, one worker was herding a bull (yes, there are bulls among the grazing cattle) when she stepped wrong off a log and broke her ankle. We know she healed just fine because this winter, she was helping run dogsled tours.
At least a third of the runs are prepped each summer, though there are north facing runs on Mt. Morrisey that get more water so the willows grow faster and have to be dealt with yearly.
Thanks to the fact most runs are now just grassy trails that are skiable with a fairly thin layer of snow and are helped by snow making on major green runs, the resort is usually ready to open for skiing each year by the second week of November.
https://www.sunpeaksresort.com/
Summer flowers and hiking at Sun Peaks Resort. Summer prep of ski runs will include cutting the grass after the flower bloom. Credit: Sun Peaks Resort.
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