Page 32 - 74321_NSAA_SpringJournal_Web

for
Figure 3 PASSION SNOWMAKING
Revenue, Expense, Profit per Visit By Ski Area Profit Level, 2015/16

Revenue per Visit Expenses per Visit Profit per Visit
$120 $114.97 $112.60

$101.55
$90 $86.00
$75.17
$69.74
$60

$30 $28.97
$5.43
$0

-$11.05
-$30
Top Half Profit Bottom Half Profit Loss

Figure 4
Distribution of Skier Visits, 2015/16

25 24 and

Number of Ski Areas Reporting 12
20 16 make the best use

15 15 of our temperature

10 8 7

5 4 6 3 3 windows!
2
1 1 1 Mark Meyer, Squaw Valley Snowmaking Manager
0
24,999 25,000- 49,999 50,000- 99,999 100,000- 149,999 150,000- 199,999 200,000- 299,999 300,000- 399,999 400,000- 499,999 500,000- 599,999 600,000- 699,999 700,000- 799,999 800,000- 899,999 900,000- 999,999 1,000,000- & over
0- Mark Meyer (left) & Gregory Gleason, Snowmaking Supervisor (right)

Mark Meyer: “Our snowmaking system is a TechnoAlpin fully automated. Here at Squaw Valley we
are able, on our snowmaking computer, to select which guns to run and at what quality, then all the
US report more than 1 million visits in the 2015-16 season. of the country. The full report, available from NSAA, pumps and compressors needed to run the selected guns, turn on automatically. This type of system
These results show a broad range of ski areas responding to includes detailed information about ski area finances, bal- is very beneficial to us here in California, because it doesn’t get cold here like back on the East
the Economic Analysis survey. ance sheets, income statements, metrics, ratios, and other Coast. We are able to get up and running very quickly and make the best use of our temperature
characteristics of the industry. The report is a critical window, rather than having to do everything manually, which is much more labor intensive and there-
Conclusion resource for individual ski areas to accurately benchmark fore, slower. Our TechnoAlpin fleet of snow guns here at Squaw consists of 80 Rubis Evolution’s and
The results of the NSAA Economic Analysis demonstrate a themselves against other resorts and to understand how 158 3 meter Borax’s or B3’s.”
variable business operating environment during the 2015- their financial performance stacks up against size, regional,
16 season, largely dependent on the geographic region and national norms.
For further information on snowmaking systems, please visit
www.technoalpin.com
32 | NSAA JOURNAL | SPRING 2017