I will be heading up to the Canadian Rockies soon to promote my
new book ‘Winter Sport Tourism’, and
it is great to hear about all the early-season snow in North American ski
resorts – especially after such a dry winter last year for ski areas in the
West. Some say this is due to El Niño, which often brings higher than average snowfall to the
Rockies, but regardless of the reason, skiers – and those that make a living
out of the ski industry - are rubbing their hands in delight. Early season snow
conditions and skier perception of these conditions hugely influence
the momentum and success of the overall season. Demand is often the greatest at
this time (over the New Year period, in particular), so poor snow conditions
can be expensive for resorts; the ski industry in the U.S. lost over $1 billion
in aggregate revenue because of poor snow seasons between 2000 and 2010. Skiers
and snowboarders can be a fickle bunch – it is hard enough to tempt them to get
up to the mountains in the first place. In fact, in America only 4.3% of the
population takes to the mountains each winter. Compare this to the percentages
in Switzerland (37%), Austria (36%) and Norway (25%). Easily the most important
factor for skiers/snowboarders is the quality of snow conditions, with more
than eight in 10 skiers indicating that this is extremely important or
important to them in terms of destination selection. So El Niño – bring it on!!!
If you would like more information on the book Winter Sport Tourism please click here
To celebrate all the fresh snow, the publishers are offering a special 15% discount on purchase, using code SNOW15 at checkout!
