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INDUSTRY EVENTS CCSAA CONVENTION 2008 2007-08 may be remembered as The Year It All Came Together in the Nordic world, across both Canada and the U.S. Certainly that was the tenor of the Cross Country Ski Areas Association (CCSAA) convention (upgraded this year from “conference”), held April 7-11 at Devil’s Thumb Ranch in Tabernash, Colo., a snowball’s throw from Winter Park.Operator attendance tripled to 45 areas, complemented by two proto-operations, 16 suppliers, three Nordic associations, one tour operator, and a medley of media—a total of 85 participants plus speakers. Most participants came from the West, with a strong New England contingent and very few from the Midwest. Attendees represented 15 states and four Canadian provinces as well as, for the first time, Australia and New Zealand. Higher numbers were partly due to a more accessible location and great snow conditions from coast to coast, which was not the case the previous year. Almost 25 percent of attending areas posted record skier visits, and most of the rest ran fairly close. It certainly didn’t hurt that skiing was phenomenal during the meetings, with close to a foot of snow over four days. The Venue Counts The convention focused on two allied themes: green/sustainable development and marketing. There probably couldn’t have been a better site for a convention themed thusly. Devil’s Thumb Ranch is the most modern, impressive, and extensive Nordic operation in the Rockies. It hasn’t always been so. The Ranch started in 1975, when 1964 XC Olympian Dick Taylor designed 35 km of trails. He also ran the operation for five years. For the following 20 years, Devil’s Thumb had a series of owners with vision but limited resources. Denverites Bob and Suzanne Fanch bought the 400-acre property in 2001 and have added land to it; there’s now 100-plus kilometers of groomed trail, spread over 5,000 acres. They’ve replaced sometimes doddering facilities with cabins, retail and meeting space, and most recently (December 2007) a 52-room lodge and restaurant modeled after Timberline Lodge, Ore. It’s become what Taylor calls “a real temple for XC skiers,” with over 15,000 visits and 700 season passes sold this past winter. The Ranch has become a model “green” property. Its history included organic/sustainable farming; today, the Fanches grow hay, graze cattle, and have a substantial timber operation to limit mountain pine beetle devastation. The Fanches weren’t committed to a green orientation initially, but understood that it could offer long-term payback (especially using geothermal heat), but they did feel it was a “neat thing.” They built a post-and-beam activities center using local stone and hand-hewn Lincoln-era logs from an Indian barn. The wine cellar (with both geothermal heating and cooling) was built of cherry wood from Bob Fanch’s family land in upper New York. Other sustainable commitments include sand filtration treatment for waste water; geothermal heating for the new lodge, perhaps the largest single geothermal installation in a U.S. resort; beetle-killed logs in the lodge and new spa; flow restrictors in showers and toilets, use of fluorescent bulbs where possible, recycled flooring, and recycling the old overnight lodge for staff housing. Suzanne Fanch and the ranch P.R. expert, Holly Johnson of Imagica Communications, explained that this environmental commitment has inadvertently become a “publicity bonanza.” The ranch has received rewards from the EPA, Mountain Living magazine, and Outside magazine. Most importantly, it was recently featured as the only U.S. property in the “Top 20 Eco-Friendly Resorts in the World," which has given the ranch international cachet. A green theme pervades marketing, and media were introduced to the idea since early in the construction process. Ranch marketing concentrates on key words (“warm,” “authentic,” “approachable,” outdoorsy”…), all of which are incorporated into Devil Thumb’s mission statement and marketing materials. Following is a recap of some other sessions. Climate and Snow Colorado journalist and frequent SAM contributor Allen Best, who first XC skied at Devil’s Thumb Ranch, talked energy and climate change. Best began to research climate change four years ago, and feels that the “core theory [of this science] is holding up well.” He added that highly visible changes still lie decades into the future, but said that immediate personal changes in energy use (such as home insulation) can make a difference in those future changes. All players in construction (architects, contractors, government agencies), he added, need to be on the same page to mitigate energy consumption. University of Colorado geography professor Mark Williams, who ran a XC area in California in the 1970s, has studied how climate change will affect snow and the ski industry in Aspen, Colo, and Park City, Utah, focusing on air temperature and precipitation as influenced by human emissions. He looked at three scenarios (best, worst, and “business as usual” current rates of rising air temperatures), projecting results for 2030 and 2100. He noted that precipitation could go up, and that most of the warming will take place in summer. Depending to some extent on the scenario, resorts might not see major changes by 2030, but there will be “huge differences” by 2100, depending to a great extent on what humans do (indifference or mitigation). Not everything is “doom and gloom” (the worst effects of warming are 50 to 70 years away), but Williams’ conclusions were somewhere between sobering and terrifying. For example, he predicts that while New England may continue to have winter, the Northwest probably won’t—and that the increase in CO2 emissions in the past few years have been worse than the original “worst case” scenario. Sustainable XC Operations NSAA President Michael Berry described measures that alpine areas are taking to reduce emissions and use renewable energy. He referred the audience to www.nsaa.org/nsaa/environment/the_greenroom/, NSAA’s database on environmental programs and practices. Consultant John Frado of Nordic Group International looked at environmentally sustainable trail systems and base lodges. He noted that appropriate practices translate into energy savings and can minimize greenhouse emissions. He said that trail design can “make the experience renewable, too;” well-built trails simply don’t waste anything. Nordic Sales and Profiles Scott Jaeger of Leisure Trends Group, based in Boulder, Colo., discussed changes in Nordic retail and demographics. The company tracks 2.1 million active outdoor participants in its Most Active Americans Panel (MAAP), of whom 15.5 percent say they’re XC skiers (#32 in participation rate among 71 traced activities). The members of this most-active group who are XC skiers are different from the average XC skier. MAAP skiers are highly educated (77 percent college grads or grad school); almost 60 percent are male (this is strikingly different from all XC area visitors, who other research pegs at up to 60 percent female); 60 percent have partners; and only 32 percent have children. Average age is 42; and average household income is more than $116,000—strikingly higher than the average XC skier, according to other research. The primary motivation for MAAP skiers is to enjoy nature/scenery; participants want escape, tranquility, and a shared experience with family and friends. The quality of the experience, in short, matters a great deal to these active participants—and they can afford to get what they want. Jaeger also encouraged resorts to take advantage of the excitement generated by the Olympics, which are coming to British Columbia in 2010. The Olympics offer a huge opportunity to showcase XC skiing; a recent Leisure Trends survey showed that six in 10 Americans will watch the Games—an audience that is equaled only by NFL football. Marketing from Media to Planning Marketing isn’t a comfort zone for most XC managers. Because of that, the convention showcased marketing more than any previous CCSAA meetings. One example was a roundtable with five journalists, each with different backgrounds (XC consumer magazines and web sites, city magazine with regional reach, and a freelancer). The writers discussed how resorts should approach with stories, from their preferred contact method (generally e-mail with no attachment) to information about lead times. As a former XC operator and current Nordic consultant, I was asked to explain the value of having a marketing plan. (Doing guest research is always a good place to start, by the way.) Knowing what you want to communicate, and then forming a plan to communicate it, leads to everything from increased visits to greater guest retention. I also offered suggestions on how to create a plan—including goal definition, target niches, tools, positioning, budget, and the all-important action plan. Holly Johnson of Imagica Communications discussed the benefits of developing a plan in-house versus working with a professional. She also discussed how to build media relationships, such as the vital role of a photo library. Next Year’s Venue Speaking of seizing the excitement of the Olympics: The frontrunner for next year’s convention is VANOC (the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games), with meetings at Whistler Olympic Park and lodging in nearby Whistler. Text and photos by Jonathan Wiesel, Nordic Group International
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EVENTS WRAPUP 
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