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TAKEAWAYS ON THE SEASON Resort personnel were also asked what they felt were
This season, as is often the case, the weather had an outsized the greatest limitations to attracting and retaining new
impact on the results, with resort fortunes in different regions customers to snowsports. Cost/price of entry (real or
affected accordingly. As noted, the 2014-15 season also stands perceived), location/difficult access, lack of beginner
out for exceptionally low snowfall in longer-term perspective. terrain, difficulty of the sport (real or perceived), time
available to the customer, competition from other (often
Looking to the future, ski areas were asked to identify the less challenging) activities, misperceptions of cold weather
factors that will have the biggest impact on business in the next (sometimes exacerbated by the media), perceived danger/
five years. By far, the weather (typically consistent, predictable injury risk, lack of knowledge of how to enter the sport,
weather) and the economy were the two most frequently cited limited availability of qualified instructors, and challenges
factors in response to this open-ended question. in attracting ethnically diverse populations were all noted
multiple times in the comments as barriers to attracting and
Among the other challenges cited were increased costs converting beginners.
for labor (including increased minimum wage in some
states), utilities, health care and insurance, governmental Other issues cited by some resorts include a lack of snow, a
constraints and regulatory burden, climate change, aging lack of activities for friends and family who don’t ski or ride, and
skiers, a strong dollar, and competing activities and limited depressed local economic conditions. These obstacles are not
time for skiers/snowboarders. insignificant, and underscore the importance of efforts to bring
more people to snowboarding and skiing.
Meanwhile, opportunities cited include capital
improvements (e.g., lodging, snowmaking, lifts), summer The Kottke report provides a wealth of information on
recreational activities, improved air and ground access, the topics in this article and more. NSAA and RRC Associates
attracting new participants and Millennials, pass partnerships/ would like to thank all the ski areas that contributed their
programs, more effective marketing, and ownership changes. information to the study. To order a copy of the 2014-15 Kottke
Industry consolidation and competition from other ski resorts National End-of-Season Survey Final Report, visit nsaa.org.
were also noted as factors.
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FALL 2015 | NSAA JOURNAL | 33
