DEPARTMENTS
EDITOR’S MEMO Making Hay While the Sun Shines?
14 NEWS AND VIEWS
The New York Times published a piece in November that highlighted some of this season’s affordability-focused ticket products. But the real action was in the 180-comment pile-on, which doubled as a snapshot of where U.S. skiers’ heads are at. Sticker shock dominated. Commenters from Colorado to New England echoed the same sentiment: lift-served skiing has priced-out the middle. Several said they’ve simply quit. “I’m done,” wrote one Ohio-based skier. “I was fortunate to have been able to ski when it was affordable.” Others advised going small. One 75-year-old skier wrote: “I could not justify some of the insane lift ticket prices even if money were no object. My advice? Snow is snow. Fun is fun. Don’t go where you’ll break the bank.” Great value in Europe. Multiple readers said they now fly to European destinations because entire weeks—lodging, food, and lifts—cost less than a long weekend in Colorado. “American ski resorts are outrageously overpriced,” wrote one. “Plus, some Americans have discovered the pleasure of skiing in Europe— trains from airports to ski resorts, much better food, much better accommodations and always much cheaper.” Taken together, the comments read like a barometer. Pass products are proliferating, but so are the people modifying their relationship to the sport due entirely to the cost of entry. The defense. Exorbitant ski area lift ticket (and lesson and chicken tender and beer) prices don’t seem to bother many ski area executives. Why would they? Whenever an occasional guest or concerned editor laments the high cost of participation as a potential issue for the future of the ski industry, most leaders could answer by going full Cusack with their resort’s P&L report held unapologetically above their heads, the numbers (not Peter Gabriel) speaking for themselves. Another albeit less-Cusack response is to argue that skiing has never been more affordable. For who? Season pass holders, i.e., our most committed and loyal customers. It’s true that business is good right now. Skier visits are high, profits and revenue are at record levels, and the register still rings even when the snow isn’t great. The concern. However, there are a limited number of wealthy and committed, as evidenced by Vail Resorts’ declining Epic Pass sales. I walk by ticket windows at ski areas near my home in Vermont and see one-day tickets now exceeding $200, more than it costs for a day at Disney World, and wonder how an average family of four that isn’t in our “if you know, you know” circle of customers can possibly justify the expense. Does a strategy exist that can fill the participant pipeline before we exhaust our supply of the wealthy? The light? There are efforts to make access achievable for the middle class, non-pass-holder segment, which outnumbers the wealthy and the committed multifold. New multi-visit products and, of course, nearly everything the small- to medium-sized, independently-owned ski areas offer give reason to hope that customers clamoring for affordability are being heard outside the internet echo chamber.
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22 ROUNDUP
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30 MOUNTAIN SPY
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32 RISK MANAGEMENT
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36 FOOD & BEVERAGE
Build a menu that tells a story your guests want to buy into.
42 MOUNTAIN OPERATIONS
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48 LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
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56 IDEA FILES
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83 CLASSIFIEDS
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ANDY BIGFORD has chronicled skiing and resorts for nearly 45 years. He ran newspapers in Brecken- ridge and Aspen, and served as editor-in-chief of SKI and GM of the Warren Miller film company. He has written or collaborated on six books, including Chris Diamond’s “Ski Inc.” series for which he is working on a third installment. » 64 SHANNON DUNFEY KONVICKA and KARA YOUNG are Vermont-based, veteran “winter widows.” Konvicka is a former competitive snowboarder and current marketing and communications professional. Young is a lifelong skier who works in communications for a Vermont-based cheese company. Both are known to keep a close eye on mountain conditions reports. » 80 MATT ZABRANSKY is the president of Midwestski- ers.com and MWS Productions. A Chicago native and passionate skier, he champions the Midwest region’s role in growing the sport and frequently appears on podcasts and at industry events to talk Midwest snowsports and community. » 42
Dave Meeker Editor, SAM Magazine
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