There’s an interesting article in the Denver Post about how Colorado resorts are preparing for the retirement from skiing of the lucrative Baby Boomer generation. This might be five years away but the resorts are already trying to attract a new generation of skiers and snowboarders to replace the boomers.
An ageing population of skiers is a serious problem for the industry with the proportion of skiers aged 45 to 54 having increased from 14.0 percent to 19.9 percent, with age groupings above 54 also showing an increase.
Resorts in Colorado are trying to attract younger skiers with huge terrain parks and massive halfpipes. In Europe resorts such as Laax have also invested heavily in their parks.
Although it’s not my thing, I don’t have any issues with halfpipes taking up huge areas in resorts. I do wonder though how sustainable it is for the future of resorts. How many of the kids who spend their days in the parks will still go skiing in 20 years time?
Also, what will the effect be on ski schools? By encouraging new entrants to skiing to use the parks, the result will surely be a huge drop in demand for instructors. Will it mean resorts will spend more money on their parks than on their lift systems?
My other concern is that by spending all your marketing dollar trying to get young people to your parks you may alienate other young skiers who would otherwise be interested. Most halfpipes I have seen have been populated by a mainly male crowd, or is this beginning to change? Is it all a bit of a wave that resorts should try and ride while they can or should they be trying to attract a more traditional visitor?
photo courtesy of jeffcapeshop
