SUMMER OPS
AROUND THE GLOBE
BY KATIE BRINTON, SENIOR EDITOR, SAM
1.
The Ordino Arcalís Mirador Solar de Tristaina, part scenic overlook, part sundial, is one of the most visited summer attractions in all of Andorra.
Ski area operators from Europe, Australia, and Japan share insights about the activities and trends shaping their non-winter business.
T here is opportunity in summer ops, accord- ing to ski area operators in Australia, Europe, and Japan, who have also identified a press- ing need to grow their non-winter business as they experience variable snowfall and short- ening winter seasons due to climate change. The good news? The mountains are the perfect cool playground for folks looking to
escape summer heat. Their dramatic beauty is appealing year-round. Ski areas’ existing lift infrastructure and food and beverage facilities can easily pull double duty, and four-season offerings mean year-round employment opportunities, bolstering staff retention. Operators from outside North America shared insights with SAM about their most 30,000-35,000 visitors annually between the end of June and early September, says Joan Viladomat Cortabitarte, chairman of SAETDE / SECNOA, the operating compa- ny of Ordino Arcalís. The 2021 installation of a sundi- al-cum-scenic overlook called the Mira- dor Solar de Tristaina extended the season from early June to early Novem- ber and boosted summer visitation to between 70,000-85,000. The resort does
innovative and effective summer activities and experiences, as well as their forecasts for the future of summer operations. We could only fit a handful of their responses here. Once you are done reading about the opera- tions featured in these pages, learn more from resorts in Norway, Montenegro, and beyond at saminfo.com/summer-ops. more than 200,000 skier visits in the win- ter. “This mix results in approximately 25 percent of the revenues coming from the summer season,” says Viladomat. In summer, the resort offers hiking, road cycling, mountain biking, restau- rants, and guided experiences such as a full-moon hike, but the sundial view- point is the centerpiece of the operation. A circular 4-foot-wide suspended walk- way at the peak of Peyreguils offers visi-
EUROPE
1. ORDINO ARCALÍS, ANDORRA Ordino Arcalís, in Andorra, a principality in the Pyrenees Mountains between Spain and France, has been working on a strate- gic plan to become a year-round operation since 2018. That development plan start- ed with the addition of a gondola with panoramic cabins, six of which have glass floors. The installation attracted around
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