4.
Left: Sierra Nevada Ski Resort, within Spain’s Sierra Nevada National Park, offers stargazing at the Borreguiles mid-mountain station.
this as an indicator of the potential for further developing the resort’s summer offerings. Currently, in summer, Val Cenis offers several family-friendly activities focused on leisure and wellbeing at the top of its Vieux Moulin gondola. These include yoga and fitness classes, as well as experiences like guided alpaca trek- king. The activities, says Marlière, are designed to allow “visitors to reconnect with nature in beautiful landscapes.” This summer, the resort also added kayak and pedal-boat rentals on nearby Lac du Mont Cenis, advertised as “cool activities” to do in the summer heat; the high-alpine lake’s water temperature does not exceed 15 degrees Celsius (approxi- mately 60 degrees Fahrenheit). Val Cenis also began renting electric scooters from the top of the Vieux Moulin gondola “for an adventurous descent,” says Marlière. “These new activities meet the expecta- tions of visitors looking for fun and mem- orable mountain experiences,” he says. “Demand for unique and immer- sive experiences should increase,” he says, adding that the resort expects to keep expanding its summer operations. Among the considerations are a “focus on eco-friendly activities,” as well as “a wider range of options for families and adventure-seekers to improve the guest experience and make activities more accessible,” says Marlière. 4. SIERRA NEVADA SKI RESORT, SPAIN Sierra Nevada Ski Resort, within the Sier- ra Nevada National Park near Granada, Spain, is the most southerly ski resort in Europe. It has 24 lifts that serve roughly 70 miles of ski trails. The percentage of total revenue derived from non-winter business at the resort is “very low,” says Jesús Ibañez Peña, CEO of the resort’s ownership group Cetursa Sierra Nevada. “All the income from the summer season corresponds to a single day of a weekend in the winter season.” The resort offers scenic gondola and chairlift rides that also provide access to hiking trails and unique geologi- cal formations like the Los Posiciones area, overlooking a glacial valley and the highest peaks in the Sierra Nevada range. Mirlo Blanco, an activity park at the base of the resort, provides fami-
Below: The giant Yoo- Hoo Swing is a popular paid attraction at NSD’s Hakuba Iwatake in the Japanese Alps.
5.
ly-friendly attractions like summer tub- ing, skateboarding, trampolines, electric go-karts, a children’s zip line, and a mountain coaster. There are additional activities at the Borreguiles mid-moun- tain station, which is also the site for events like stargazing nights. To that end, “investments in ski lifts have been very important for the improvement of the customer experi- ence,” says Ibañez, who notes that the company has to work “[with]in the dynamics of environmental, social, gov- ernance, and business sustainability.” In the next few years, he says, the company will invest in renovating the Mirlo Blan- co activity area. “We understand that the business must continue to evolve towards a stable
activity over time, fighting against sea- sonality,” he says. As part of that effort, Ibañez plans to grow summer business with more activities in the next five to 10 years, while maintaining a culture of respect for the mountain. While winter remains the key season for the resort, “the summer is very attractive for moun- tain tourism,” he says, noting the impres- sive views and unique experiences that can be offered in summer.
JAPAN
5. NIPPON SKI RESORTS DEVELOPMENT, JAPAN
Nippon Ski Resorts Development (NSD) owns and operates eight ski resorts in Japan, primarily in the Northern Japanese
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