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Research
Figure 1. Active US skiers/snowboarders as a percent of total US population,
1996-97 to 2016-17

4.0%
Percentage of US Population that Actively Downhill Skis/Snowboards
3.7% Percent of US Population
3.5% 3.5%
3.5% 3.3% 3.4% 3.3% 3.4% 3.4% 3.4% 3.3%
3.2% 3.2% 3.2% 3.2%
3.1% 3.1%
3.0%
3.0% 2.8% 2.8% 2.8%
2.7%
2.5%
2.0%

1.5%

1.0%
WE CUSTOMIZE
0.5%

1996/97 1997/97 1998/99 1999/00 2000/01 2001/02 2002/03 2003/04 2004/05 2005/06 2006/07 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17 SOLUTIONS.

Season
How to Interpret the Results For example, imagine that the universe of all US ski

Understanding how and why these studies exist is import- areas consisted of just two resorts: Resort A, which has a
ant in interpreting the results. For example, the Kottke, ticket price of $100 and hosts 500,000 skier visits annu-
Economic, and Wage & Salary studies are surveys of resort ally, and Resort B, which has a ticket price of $50 and tal-
operators, while the Beginner Conversion and National lies 100,000 skier visits. The average ticket price at those
Demographic projects involve surveys of consumers, facili- two would be $75 if using a straight average. However, a
tated by ski areas (either by emailing a post-visit survey or weighted average would more accurately portray the true
administering a survey to the visitor on site). average ticket price that those 600,000 people paid (assum-
A data point like helmet usage is tracked in the National ing in this simplified universe that all customers paid full
Demographic study, while ticket yield is documented in price). The weighted average in this example would therefore
both the Kottke study and the Economic Analysis. Helmet be $91.67, significantly higher than $75.
usage is self-reported by the individual taking the survey,
and yield is reported by the revenue manager at the ski area. Examples of Actionable Information
Familiarizing yourself with the source of the data can help to National, regional, and state level data can be extremely
put the results in context. useful to ski area managers and operators. A good exam-
The number of ski areas that participate in any given ple of using NSAA numbers at a national level to tell an
season to each of the studies varies, which could poten- important story is presented in figure 1. The estimated
tially introduce some variability into the historical results. To number of active US skiers and snowboarders is shown as a AX500 Smart Gate NG
counteract this variability, RRC Associates generally presents proportion of the total US population (from the US Census
results with “apples to apples” historical comparisons, with Bureau). As shown in the chart, the share of US residents Don’t ever let your customers wait in a ticket line again! Let them order
tickets online, scan with their smartphone, pick up their lift pass and head directly to the lift.
the same ski areas represented in each season of the results. who actively ski and/or snowboard in any given year has We customize solutions for you and your customers. Call +1 435-333-5700 or visit
In addition, most of the different studies’ results are fallen from the 3.3 percent to 3.4 percent range to about teamaxess.com
weighted proportionately by skier visits, such that larger ski 2.8 percent in the past three winters. Knowing this trend
areas have a greater influence in the results than do smaller places a sense of urgency on efforts to increase both the
ski resorts. This statistical technique provides a more accu- number of snowsports participants and the share of US
rate set of results compared to a straight average. residents who actively participate.

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