existing summer tubing—not as much fun as winter tubing—may lead us to retire this attraction.” More than 38% of ski areas plan to remove an activity or activities from their mix over the next two years. Eight per- cent of respondents plan to remove lift- served mountain biking in the next two years, while roughly 3% plan to remove disc golf, ropes courses, and/or bungee trampolines. Glamping, summer camp programs, and alpine slides were among other offerings ski areas plan to remove. Otherwise, more than 60% said they were not planning to remove anything. Conversely, 86% of respondents plan to add activities to their summer opera- tion in the next two years. Despite the challenges mentioned by some operators, lift-served mountain biking also has huge growth potential: 18% of respondents said they planned to add it or expand their current offering. Playgrounds were the second most common planned addition (16%), which suggests a desire to reach all age groups. Another 14% plan to add disc golf, and 13% are adding an alpine coaster. Two of the top four planned addi- tions (disc golf and playgrounds) are typically not pay-to-play activities, or are at least not typically profitable on their own, while the other two (lift-served mountain biking and alpine coasters) require huge capital investment, but have the potential for huge return. In respect to activities that do not make a profit (e.g., break even or oper- ate at a loss), one Western Canada resort said, “These provide alternate options and create a sense of animation that help with the overall value of the experience.” Operators are also continuing to identify that this summer market has different goals when it comes to the ease and physicality of their experiences. “We’ve found there is a market for these adventure-lite activities among folks who have hung up their skis but still enjoy being on a lift, parents with young children getting them accustomed to rid- ing a lift before they begin skiing/riding in winter, folks who would never consid- er skiing, and folks looking for easy-ac- cess summer activities,” said one Rocky Mountain respondent. A key in creating an effective activ-
Top 10 Currently Offered Activities
Respondents were asked to check all that apply.
76%
Hiking
Scenic Lift Rides
68%
Cross-Country Mountain Biking Lift-Served Mountain Biking
55%
52%
Disc Golf
39%
Zip Lines
34%
29%
Alpine Coaster
24%
Climbing Wall
Playground
23%
21%
Ropes Course
20
0 10
50
60
70
80
30
40
In Percent
Activities To Be Removed Over the Next Two Years
Respondents were asked to check all that apply.
Nothing
61%
21%
Other
Trampoline/ Bungee
3%
3%
Ropes Course
3%
Disc Golf
Lift-Served Mountain Biking
8%
60 70
0
10
30
50
40
20
In Percent
mountain coaster is the biggest driver of paid summer visits,” said a Rocky Moun- tain ski area. Activities not included as an option on the survey but written in as “other” include go karts, gem mining, ice skating, a spa, ATV tours, and scenic highways.
Churning the activity mix. Some ski areas have found that certain offer- ings don’t work for them. For example, a Northeast operator said, “We retired our aerial ropes course in 2020, as visitation had dropped and expenses to operate had increased. The material cost to replace
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