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Credit ince the first ski area opened, events have played some role growth, nationally, we’re seeing a pruning of these types of

S in ski areas’ planning and marketing to attract more visitors. events with some of the more homegrown, smaller, one-off,
Races, festivals, concerts, and other special events have always third-party events slowing.
been great ways to build awareness for your brand, drive visits That said, some areas continue to have much success with
and revenue, and cross-promote the sport and the resort in order homegrown events, including Perfect North Slopes in Indiana,
to attract audiences that might not visit your area otherwise. which has hosted its Mud-Stash event since 2011. Highly pop-
Today’s ski areas are under more and more pressure to ular in the region, the run/walk course is loosely patterned
produce results amid plateauing participation numbers and after the Tough Mudder format, but offers a variety of obsta-
the consequences of climate change (or “weather variability” cles for every fitness level, including a roughly 4-mile Mud-
depending on your politics). Simply put, events are playing a Stash and 1.5-mile Mini Mud-Stash. The resort’s employees
bigger and bigger role in helping areas to diversify their offer- design and build all the features. The one-day event draws
ings and drive the bottom line. As such, ski areas across the about 3,000 participants. The majority of revenue comes
country are struggling to crack the winning code and find the from entrance fees ($65—half the price of a Tough Mudder
right mix of key signature events that will align with their resort or Spartan). The event also allows Perfect North to keep
and their guest needs. This might seem like a simple task but, employees on staff during the summer.
as anyone who’s ever produced events can attest, it is fraught Mud-Stash is a great example of how ski areas can leverage
with both financial and safety challenges and pitfalls along a trend without having to host something on the scale of
the way. Because what works for one area doesn’t necessarily a Tough Mudder or Spartan Race. (Incidentally, Perfect
work for all—and what works today won’t necessarily work North decided to develop its own variation of a mud race
for tomorrow. when Tough Mudder would not return phone calls when the
One style of event that has risen to tremendous popularity resort contacted them about hosting an event.) There’s a lot
over the past decade is the “adventure race” mud/obstacle to be said for patterning homegrown events after the larger,
challenge. Led by the success of properties such as Spartan hugely popular ones, which—on any given spring, summer,
Race, Warrior Dash, and Tough Mudder, this category or fall weekend—still deliver tens of thousands of visitors
has seen an explosion in both the total number of events to ski areas around the country at times that otherwise may
hosted annually, as well as the variety of themes and properties have been vacant.
that have come to market. Today, these types of events have Killington Resort in Vermont was an early adopter of
become as ubiquitous at ski areas across the country as the Spartan Race (it probably helps that Spartan founder Joe
snowtubing, ziplines, and mountain coasters, and help to De Sena has a home at Killington). Killington hosted its first
drive a significant amount of off-season revenue at the Spartan Race in 2011. Since then the resort has hosted the event
areas that host them. every September, typically bringing in 8,000 to 12,000 guests
Despite this explosion in numbers, some are starting to per day depending on the weather, according to Rob Megnin,
question whether the wave of the adventure/mud run event Killington’s director of sales, marketing, and reservations.
popularity has crested. Running USA recently reported that Out of all the events Killington hosts each year, the Spartan
participation in these types of events has dropped by 40 per- Race is its most profitable (on a contribution margin basis),
cent since 2013. When asked about this statistic in a recent driven mainly by food and beverage and lodging sales,
interview with Fortune, Tough Mudder CEO Will Dean Megnin says. This speaks a lot to the value these events can
offered some perspective: “Obstacle course racing is an inter- bring to a resort, especially one like Killington—known to
esting industry. I think you see one or two players rising to host large-scale affairs such as the FIS World Cup, brew fests,
the top. I think to be successful today, you have to really have concert series, and the Dew Tour.
an integrated business. You have to, of course, be good at the Still, these events do not come without their risks and
events, but you also have to be good at marketing. You have opportunity costs. There are financial risks from investing
to be good at media partnerships. You have to have ancil- resort labor and capital expenses without the guarantee of a
lary businesses, such as the training business, to support that. return on such investments, and there are guest and liability
Events companies are very much becoming sports media exposures (safety, injuries, etc.) that come with all events.
entertainment and lifestyle brands.” Mountain Creek in New Jersey is another resort that is
From what SNOW Operating is seeing and hearing from well aware of the trade-offs. Also an early adopter of the
resorts, the Tough Mudder’s CEO’s insights hold true. While Spartan Race—having hosted them since 2012—the resort
participation for those hosting one of the big three obstacle now offers two Spartan events each year, in the spring and fall.
race brands continues to reflect stable if not year-over-year Chris Haggerty, Mountain Creek’s VP of resort operations,

FALL 2018 | NSAA JOURNAL | 27
Paddleboard, yoga, and vocalist photos courtesy of Snowshoe Mountain Resort