This was originally posted on LinkedIn:
With a vast array of Google alerts on everything and anything related to wintersports, I have seen reports pass by full of optimism, as well as doom and gloom regarding our industry. In what I read as a negative perception on the current summer mountain operations trend, an article last week shared there has been more investment in “mountaincoasters” in Colorado this year than investment in chairlifts. Though surely correct, this article seems to suggest that this is possibly a bad thing, a seemingly underlying message in line with some recent online surveys that prompt skiers/snowboarder’s to share their opinion on this approach by their beloved mountain resort.
If perceived from a pragmatic point of view, this thinking outside the traditional mountain operation approach makes a lot sense for these resorts. And if anything I would suggest that we as wintersport enthusiasts should be delighted and embrace this trend. Following some of the resorts in Austria, more and more operators realize that summer visitation to the mountain helps fill up hotels year round, supports local businesses, drives growth of full time employment and creates alternate revenue streams that can be reinvested in the resort itself. With hardly any interference for winter operations, the utilization of wooded areas that sit dormant year round has become a economical driver for many mountain communities. Some resorts in Europe have reportedly welcomed up to 8000 people on the mountain on a 80 degrees summer day! With this kind of summer attendance these resorts have been able to massively improve their vertical transportation, roads and other local services for both winter and summer operations.
So should we, those that wish to protect our mountains to enjoy winter operations, be more open towards the efforts from the mountain operator towards summer attractions? I say yes, and would suggest we instead put our energy in to figuring out how we expose more people to the awesomeness of spending time on a set of ski's or a board in winter. A new chairlift simply won’t bring new skiers to the mountain!
Although I might be a bit bias in my views, I believe there are obvious answers to the current challenges in the industry that are proven and loved by many on the other side of the Atlantic. Often misunderstood as a watered down version of the “real snow experience”, the indoor snow industry has been a huge driver behind growth of wintersport participation in Europe and Asia since the mid 1990’s. As these resorts are only now slowly being added to the global industry reporting there is a lack of insight on exactly how big this impact has been. Yet, although it might be hard to ascertain the exact number of skiers and snowboarders produced, there is a common understanding that at least 10 million people have learned how to ski or snowboard on one of these 60+ concrete mountains. This astonishing fact, equal to 30% of the current skier population in the US, sets the indoor skischool industry in a spot light it deserves. On top of that, I for one would suggest this is a conservative number, knowing the ski school attendance at the indoor resorts I have been fortunate enough to have been a part of.
As I have commented on in previous posts, countries with a high density of these year round, real snow wintersport facilities, such as The Netherlands, show a promising growth in winter sport participation. Out of pace with some other area's these growth numbers are surprisingly driven by a high participation level amongst the elusive “Millennials”, a demographic that often is linked with the decline in participation. It is worth mentioning that in this tiny country ,with just 17 million people, over 1 million people call themselves wintersport enthusiasts. Mind you, the highest natural elevation in The Netherlands is a head spinning 469 feet! A 2016 economic report by ING, outlines a national wintersport participation growth of more than 10 percent over a two year period and makes a point of sharing that one out of five of 18-25 year olds identifies him/herself as a skier/Snowboarder.
If you would ever require proof of these statements, I invite you to one of the most surreal experiences you can have when visiting Austria in Winter… Some of the best towns and resorts in Austria, such as Mayerhoven, turn in to Dutch enclaves during winter flooded with Dutch tweens, teens and young adults , an experience easily the equivalent of Spring Break parties at some of the US beaches.
So what could be the driving factor here, why does the sport thrive in these places…. it is simple: Ease Of Access!
Although North America has not yet been home to an indoor snow facility, we can create a simple comparison between existing attractions that offer such ease of access to the public. What TopGolf is for golfing, surfparks are for beach surfing and cable wakeboarding ponds are for watersports , Indoor Snow will be for the US outdoor wintersports. These attractions all have one very simple and obvious thing in common that drives their guest to come; the ease of access, immediate fulfillment and enjoyment.
Lets look at TopGolf, they makes golf fun again; a large part of the visitation is believed to be a group of people that would never go for a golf lessons at a country club. The ability to learn how hit the ball correctly ,or improve your swing, with friends after work and marvel or laugh at each others skills without having to drag yourself to a course with all the effort that comes with it, makes the business model a success ( okay and maybe the adult beverages help).
A cable park is very much the same, it is the fun you can have after work or school without having to put your boat in the lake, beg your dad/friend to drive it for you and clean it after! These attractions tend to be part of the community, with visitors attending the facility multiple times a month/year, meeting up with friends and creating new friendships as a result of "hanging out". The ease of access aspect in not just one from a physical perspective, the lack of needed investment in golfclubs, boards and boats is obviously a factor aswell.
This ease of access is the essence behind every indoor snow dome, walk in on your flip-flops, get kitted out and hit the slopes. No need to travel far, have one of those plastic coffins on the roof of the car, or have to deal with whiny siblings in the back. Ofcourse, at an indoor resort the slope is a 1000 feet and not 10,000 and you will not be able to show off your goggle marks in your tan afterwards. These facilities are not intended to replace or recreate the mountain experience, they offer the opportunity to learn a new sport, get you ready for the real thing, improve your skills and practice the sport you will eventually love year round.
And this is what is so exciting; the Obvious Snowlution….
What do a large part of the visitors of TopGolf, Cable parks and Indoor Snow domes end up doing? Yep, get out and try the real thing! With a better swing, stronger stance and much better downhill skills, that “real experience” has become more enjoyable, more socially engaging and above everything safer! And isn’t that the objective?
So I say let’s encourage the installation of more mountain coasters, get the word out there that life out on the mountain is just something you must experience! And when we have our potential skier’s attention, offer him or her the snow experience close to home in order to entice them to experience the sport we all so love!
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