Category: Ski Industry

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The 2020 International Report on Mountain & Snow Tourism has just been published.

The "White Season" in Europe and the Big Snowstorms.Photo by Unsplash.

The 2020 International Report on Mountain & Snow Tourism has just been published.

Overview of key industry figures for ski resorts

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April 2020 –

The 2020 edition of the International Report on Snow and Mountain Tourism has just been unveiled at an online press conference this Wednesday April 22, 2020 by the Swiss expert Laurent Vanat in partnership with the organizers of Mountain Planet, world’s leading trade fair for the mountain development and industry which should have been taken place from April 22 to 24, 2020 in Grenoble / Alpexpo. Based on the winter 2018/19 figures, it presents rejoicing figures in a depressed covid-19 environment.

The 2020 International Report on Mountain & Snow Tourism has just been published. Laurent Vanat.
The 2020 International Report on Mountain & Snow Tourism has just been published. Laurent Vanat.

Highlight – the 2018/19 ski season has been the best ski season of the millennium!

The 2018/19 ski season presented in the 2020 International Report on Snow & Mountain Tourism report is the best of the new millennium as far as global visitation figures are concerned. It is a pleasure to see that despite adverse conditions the ski industry is facing, with climate change, increasing competition and the demographics, it still has the potential to feature globally 3 seasons in a row with growth. In today’s depressed environment further to covid-19 abrupt closure of the 2019/20 season in most of the northern hemispheres’ ski areas, this is heralding of a better tomorrow. It demonstrates the strength of the ski industry notwithstanding the current situation and allows dreaming that the 2020/21 season will enable to return to a high level of attendance at ski resorts all over the world.

Indoor slope in Finland - Photo copyright - Laurent Vanat. The 2020 International Report on Mountain & Snow Tourism has just been published.
Indoor slope in Finland – Photo copyright – Laurent Vanat. The 2020 International Report on Mountain & Snow Tourism has just been published.

During the 2018/19 winter, United States ski areas recovered with excellent snow conditions and performed well above average. The country is back on the top of the podium for the 2018/19 season. Visitation level was the 4th best in the past 41 years. It may also have been boosted by the spread of the mega-passes that the enhanced competition created by the consolidation of the industry is heavily promoting. This trend, together with dynamic pricing, has also now reached Europe. Both are introducing a disruption in the traditional business model of the industry that is still viewed with a touch of scepticism in some places and not yet widely adopted. However, discounted multi-resort seasonal passes seem to have helped for the recovery of attendance at Swiss resorts for instance. Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia are also featuring some interesting examples, which integrate interactive customer relationship management systems.

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Final chance to participate in crowdfunding of the 2019 International Report on Snow & Mountain Tourism

Indoor slope in Finland - Photo copyright - Laurent Vanat. The 2020 International Report on Mountain & Snow Tourism has just been published.

Final chance to participate in crowdfunding of the 2019 International Report on Snow & Mountain Tourism

In order to both keep the International Report on Snow & Mountain Tourism available for free download on the Internet and to ensure the sustainability of its yearly update, several individuals, companies and organisations get mobilised since 2016 and participate to the crowdfunding campaign. This support enabled up to now to cover about half of the investment in the preparation of the 2016, 2017 and 2018 reports.

Final chance to participate in crowdfunding of the 2019 International Report on Snow & Mountain Tourism. Laurent Vanat photo.
Final chance to participate in crowdfunding of the 2019 International Report on Snow & Mountain Tourism. Laurent Vanat photo.

2019 will see a new updated issue of the International Report on Snow & Mountain Tourism, which will be released next April. The subscription to the 2019 crowdfunding campaign is therefore now open and a renewed call is addressed to all the fans of this world acknowledged international report to support it with a voluntary contribution. Independent of the amount of its contribution (over a technical minimum), each contributor will be listed in the acknowledgments section of the report.

To participate, please contribute using the link https://www.paypal.me/laurentvanat or announce by return e-mail to vanat@vanat.ch your contribution to the 2019 crowdfunding campaign and proceed by bank transfer. See bottom of this message for details.

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Listex’s State of the UK Snowsports Market Report 2018

James Gambrill, Founder of Listex talks at the Forum. Listex’s State of the UK Snowsports Market Report 2018.

Listex’s State of the UK Snowsports Market Report 2018. Listex is London International Snowsports Trade Exchange that gathers the UK andEuropean ski industry each year in May and September.

Its Forum covers lots of interesting topics, such as their annual State of the Snowsports Market. As a marketeer, I’ve found this report interesting as it focused in how buyers got inspired and went on to book their ski holidays, who they trust and what is important for them when booking a ski holiday.

Here is the executive summary of the report and if you go to the end, you’ll have a link to be able to read the entire report.

The Forum at Listex 2018. Listex’s State of the UK Snowsports Market Report 2018
The Forum at Listex 2018. Listex’s State of the UK Snowsports Market Report 2018

Inspiration, Information and trust:

Friends and families continue to be the most cited, and most trusted sources of information and inspiration for skiers when choosing a holiday. Social media continues to score very poorly, even amongst the under 35 demographics.

Important factors:

Price, snow and ski area size continue to be the most important factors when choosing a ski holiday destination, but below these headliners, there has been some shifts with accommodation and food quality making gains. Amongst the under 35’s, resort altitude scores as less important and après-ski climbs the table, suggesting some shifts in priorities.

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Resort Industry Veterans get together to acquire Idaho’s Tamarack Resort.

Tamarack Resort. Resort Industry Veterans get together to acquire Idaho’s Tamarack Resort.

A group of Resort Industry Veterans are to get together to acquire Idaho’s Tamarack Resort. Tamarack Resort Holdings to invest immediately to complete Village Plaza.

Tamarack Resort Holdings (“TRH”), a partnership of investors and managers with decades of development and operations experience at premier resort properties across North America, has entered into an agreement to purchase all of the Tamarack Resort operations and key assets in Donnelly, Idaho.

The announcement follows the State Board of Land Commissioners’ approval this morning to transfer the state lands lease to TRH for continued mountain operations. TRH is purchasing all key assets necessary to operate the resort now and accommodate future expansion plans, including property on mountain, ski lifts and operations equipment, lodge amenities, lodging operations, the telecommunications utility, declarant rights, lake front equipment, sewer and water bonds, a portion of the golf course and the unfinished Village Plaza.

Resort Industry Veterans get together to acquire Idaho’s Tamarack Resort.
Resort Industry Veterans get together to acquire Idaho’s Tamarack Resort.

TRH is also purchasing other private real estate assets and parcels and is taking over the lease to operate The Arling Center event venue. The transactions will close Nov. 30, 2018. “We have been evaluating and working on this agreement for nearly two years to truly understand the history and complexities of the resort. The partnership strongly believes Tamarack has a tremendous opportunity to thrive as a four-season destination of choice for Idahoans and visitors from across North America,” said TRH President Jon Reveal. “Our team looks forward to proving our commitment to Tamarack, Valley County residents, Idahoans and all our guests through investment, completion of unfinished projects and improved resort amenities and offerings.”

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Alterra expects to sell 250,000 Ikon ski passes while Vail Resorts Epic Pass sales are up thanks to the $99 military pass

The state of the industry in Colorado - Alterra expects to sell 250,000 Ikon ski passes while Vail Resorts Epic Pass sales are up thanks to the $99 military pass

Alterra is expecting to sell 250,000 of the new IKON Pass while Vail Resorts stated that their sales of the EPIC Pass are up thanks mostly to the $99 military pass. This was the excerpt heard during the annual Governor’s Tourism Conference at the Talisa Hotel in Vail. The “Trends in ski” panel with Alterra’s Head of Sales Bob Stinchcomb, Vail Resorts marketing chief Kieran Cain and Powdr’s Jennifer Rudolph.

Lauren Berlamino, of Karsh Hagan, a marketing, design and tech company started the discussion with where the whole ski industry is in Colorado, noting the challenges of shorter seasons due to climate change and aging demographic. The opportunities to be had are the experiences beyond skiing and the leading the way in sustainability.

Powder Skiing in Back Bowls In Vail, CO. Photo: Vail Resorts. Alterra expects to sell 250,000 Ikon ski passes while Vail Resorts Epic Pass sales are up thanks to the $99 military pass.
Powder Skiing in Back Bowls In Vail, CO. Photo: Vail Resorts. Alterra expects to sell 250,000 Ikon ski passes while Vail Resorts Epic Pass sales are up thanks to the $99 military pass.

One-fifth of skiers are 55 years or older, with some of the most avid participants are aged 70 and older. Skiers and snowboarders visits in the country have increased from 8.7 million in 1996-97 to 9.2 million in 2017-18. Berlamino states that this growth does not correlate with the overall population growth over the past years.

“It kind of sounds like we’re facing an uphill battle, but really Colorado is doing amazing in this industry,” she said. “I think nobody’s better positioned than our state to continue to ride this momentum and be successful amidst all this change that we’re seeing.”

Powder Skiing in Back Bowls In Vail, CO. Photo: Vail Resorts. Alterra expects to sell 250,000 Ikon ski passes while Vail Resorts Epic Pass sales are up thanks to the $99 military pass.
Powder Skiing in Back Bowls In Vail, CO. Photo: Vail Resorts. Alterra expects to sell 250,000 Ikon ski passes while Vail Resorts Epic Pass sales are up thanks to the $99 military pass.

According to the National Ski Areas Association, Colorado’s share of overnight ski trips in the calendar year of 2017 was 21 percent, followed by California at 13.7 percent. Of the 53.2 million skier visits, that’s about 11 million visitors to Colorado.

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Taos Regional Airport Launches Taos Air- an Air Service to Dallas, Austin

Skiing in Taos - Photo credit: Ski Taos. Taos Regional Airport Launches Taos Air – an Air Service to Dallas, Austin

Taos Regional Airport Launches Air Service to Dallas, Austin

Taos Air to increase accessibility to Northern New Mexico region, improve economic and tourism opportunities for Taos.

After its worst winter in 100 years, instead of flying to be bought by Alterra  (even though it is now offered in the IKON pass) – or being bought by Vail Resorts and being part of the EPIC Pass, Taos decides to buy an airline! This is definitely not where the industry is going, but this completely got me hooked to learn more about it!

A red sky in Taos - Photo: Ski Taos.Taos Regional Airport Launches Taos Air – an Air Service to Dallas, Austin
A red sky in Taos – Photo: Ski Taos.Taos Regional Airport Launches Taos Air – an Air Service to Dallas, Austin

Getting to Taos Ski Valley has never been easy. The resort is located in the Sangre de Cristos mountains, a subrange of the Rockies in the north of New Mexico. The nearest airport is Albuquerque, three hours away. Santa Fe is only two hours away but has little regional flights, while Denver is a whooping 5 hours drive.

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What is new in equipment for the 2018-19 ski season –Finches Ski Emporium and Rossignol – as found at the The Telegraph Ski and Snowboard Show

Head Vector Ski Boot 2019- sold at Finches Emporium. Telegraph Ski and Snowboard Show. Photo: The-Ski-Guru.

The Telegraph Ski and Snowboard Show always indicates the start of the Northern Hemisphere ski season – or at least that it is coming closer! I love going to the show, now in its third year at the Battersea Park site. I choose to go on the Thursday, when it is more the trade day, and you can have a chat with all exhibitors, and also then I return on the Friday with my boys and husband, as an annual outing. The Ski Show is always a great place to see what is new in equipment – in this post will highlight some ‘pearls’ found at Finches Ski Emporium and the Rossignol stand.

London Ski Show, a bit of what you get when you visit. Photo: The-Ski-Guru.
London Ski Show, a bit of what you get when you visit. Photo: The-Ski-Guru.

What caught my eye at Finches Emporium

Boots:

Rossignol Pure Pro 100 Women’s Ski Boots – The 2019 Rossignol Pure Pro 100 women’s alpine ski boot is specifically designed for women’s physiology. It has a slim fit to provide foot support for performance skiing. It comes with a liner that can be customised – heated and moulded during the ski boot fitting process. The liners are fully lined in merino wool, which is very soft and warm.

A flex of 100 makes these boots great for all mountain skiing and for experienced and strong skiers. The flex of 100 is on the stiffer end of the scale for women’s boots to support fast skiing in all types of terrain.
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Alyeska Resort and Hotel Alyeska in Girdwood to be sold to a Canadian hospitality company.

Alyeska Resort - Courtesy: Alyeska Resort - Alyeska Resort and Hotel Alyeska in Girdwood to be sold to a Canadian hospitality company.

Alyeska Resort and Hotel Alyeska in Girdwood to be sold to a Canadian hospitality company.

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A ski resort near Anchorage (Alyeska Ski Resort) has agreed to sell its properties to a Canada-based hospitality company.

Heliskiing from Alyeska. Courtesy: Alyeska Resort - Alyeska Resort and Hotel Alyeska in Girdwood to be sold to a Canadian hospitality company.
Heliskiing from Alyeska. Courtesy: Alyeska Resort – Alyeska Resort and Hotel Alyeska in Girdwood to be sold to a Canadian hospitality company.

Pomeroy Lodging has entered a contract to buy Alyeska Resort and Hotel Alyeska in Girdwood, the Anchorage Daily News reported Tuesday.

Alyeska said it will “sell substantially all of its resort assets,” including the 300-room hotel and the popular Girdwood ski area. The resort is about 40 miles southeast (64 kilometres) of Anchorage.

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News from the Tirol’s ski resorts 2018/19

Ischgl - Copyright: Tirol Werbung- Jarisch Manfred. News from the Tirol’s ski resorts 2018/19.

News from the Tirol’s ski resorts 2018/19

Tirol, the renowned winter sports destination in the Alps, keeps investing in its infrastructure. The Tirolean lift companies are dedicated to ensuring the balance between nature and tourism. Here’s a quick look at the most important news and events this winter.

  • Ischgl invests €25 million in its ski area

The Gampenbahn, built in 1988, will be demolished and replaced by a six-person chairlift. It will start at 1924 m and carry up to 2,800 passengers per hour to 2,848 m above sea level. The 900 m height difference will set a world record for this kind of ski lift. In addition, two new restaurants will open in the area.

Valley Station Gampenbahn with restaurant. Copyright: Silvrettaseilbahn AG. News from the Tirol’s ski resorts 2018/19.
Valley Station Gampenbahn with restaurant. Copyright: Silvrettaseilbahn AG. News from the Tirol’s ski resorts 2018/19.

  • Two new lifts for Kitzbühel

In Kitzbühel, two new lifts within the existing ski resort boundaries will start running on 08.12.2018. These lifts will improve capacity in the increasingly popular Kitzbüheler Horn while maintaining its status as a quiet family ski area. The cost of this along with the expanded snowmaking facilities amounts to around €17 million.

The “6SB Brunelle” chairlift features special wind stabilisers, which will keep wind sensitivity to a minimum. The new lift will also be equipped with heated seats made from real leather, covers and mechanical safety bars.

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Aspen Snowmass Announces The Meeting 14 FilmFest Screenings

The state of the industry in Colorado - Alterra expects to sell 250,000 Ikon ski passes while Vail Resorts Epic Pass sales are up thanks to the $99 military pass

Aspen Snowmass Announces The Meeting 14 FilmFest Screenings,   Presented by Rylo

FilmFest Screenings will take place Oct. 4-6

The Meeting 14, presented by Rylo, FilmFest will take place in Aspen Snowmass Oct. 4-6 and feature screenings of the latest outdoor and ski/snowboard film.  Films will include “Free Solo” By National Geographic, “Would You,” by Jeremy Pancras Visuals, “All In,” by Matchstick Productions, Zig Zag by Level 1, “We Tried,” by Shredbots and “Stay Tuned,” by Absinthe Films. In addition, the FilmFest will once again include the entertaining local’s favorite, NEPSA awards, a short film contest centered on skiing, snowboarding and comedic acts by local and amateur filmmakers. For the second year, the NEPSA awards will include a photo contest, in which local and regional photographers can enter a piece of work that will be displayed in a gallery format prior to the NEPSA video presentation.

The Meeting Aspen 2017 - Photo by Jeremey Swanson. Aspen Skiing Company.
The Meeting Aspen 2017 – Photo by Jeremey Swanson. Aspen Skiing Company.

The following films will be screened at The Meeting 14, presented by Rylo. For full list of film trailers, click here.

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