Page 39 - 75920_NSAA_Magazine_web

1
Figure 1: Total US Downhill Snowsports Visits, 1978/79 to 2016/17

65
60
Kottke End of Season Survey 55

50
Preliminary Results, 45

40
2016–17 Season 35 50,197,000 48,200,000 39,700,000 50,718,000 46,861,000 50,630,000 51,354,000 51,921,000 53,749,000 53,908,000 53,335,000 50,020,000 46,722,000 50,835,000 54,032,000 54,637,000 52,677,000 53,983,048 52,519,912 54,122,398 52,089,107 52,198,398 57,337,114 54,410,802 57,593,611 57,067,320 56,882,299 58,896,971 55,068,344 60,502,459 57,353,840 59,787,001 60,540,496 50,966,407 56,904,227 56,491,064 53,577,625 52,791,946 54,749

30
Skier Visits (millions) 15 5

20
By Dave Belin, Director of Consulting Services, RRC Associates 25

10

0
1978/79 1979/80 1980/81 1981/82 1982/83 1983/84 1984/85 1985/86 1986/87 1987/88 1988/89 1989/90 1990/91 1991/92 1992/93 1993/94 1994/95 1995/96 1996/97 1997/98 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

Operating Days
The average number of operating days was generally up enjoyed substantially longer seasons in the Southeast (up
in most regions of the country (figure 3). On an overall 33 percent to 95 days of operation) and Northeast (up
national basis, resorts responding to the survey were open 14 percent to 127 days). Midwestern ski areas were open
an average of 121 days this season, up from 114 days in for four more days, on average, in 2016-17 versus 2015-
2015-16 (an increase of 7 percent). 16 (up 5 percent). The longest seasons were recorded in
The operating winter season was up in every region the Pacific Southwest (149 days open, up 3 percent) and
of the country with the exception of a small dip in the Pacific Northwest (139 days of operation, up 6 percent).
Rocky Mountains (down 3 percent to 134 days). Ski areas
Unscheduled Closures
Figure 2: 2016/17 Visits vs. 2015/16 The share of ski areas reporting unscheduled closures
continues to rise, in part due to more intense and erratic
2016/17 vs. 2016/17 vs. weather patterns. This season, 57 percent of responding
2015/16 5-YearAvg.
2016/17 2015/16 % Change % Change areas reported one or more unscheduled midseason clo-
sures, up from 46 percent last season (figure 4).
Northeast 11,873,126 9,346,316 27.0% -3.1%
By region, resorts in the Pacific Southwest, Midwest,
Southeast 4,194,597 3,956,577 6.0% -15.3%
and Southeast were most likely to experience one or more
Midwest 5,306,459 5,515,741 -3.8% -19.0% midseason closures (93 percent, 79 percent, and 72 per-
Rocky cent, respectively). The regions less likely to experience
Mountain 21,650,606 22,287,491 -2.9% 2.5% unscheduled closures were the Pacific Northwest (60 per-
Pacific cent), Northeast (48 percent), and Rocky Mountains (21
Southwest 7,300,716 7,480,210 -2.4% 14.4%
percent). All regions except the Pacific Northwest had
Pacific a higher incidence of unscheduled closures than in the
Northwest 4,423,606 4,205,611 5.2% 21.4%
2015-16 season. Mid-season closures were typically associ-
Total 54,749,111 52,791,946 3.7% -0.3% ated with weather (wind, rain) or power issues.

SUMMER 2017 | NSAA JOURNAL | 37