Congratulations for reviewing the important 1974 Aspen skier market studies! (Fall issue) It should be pointed out, however, that misleading conclusions were repeated throughout this review. The faulty information reiterates that the last skier market study took place over five years ago in 1968. Comparisons are made in the review with this 1968 study, while pointing out that the earlier study is not really comparable.
The important point missed by our reviewer is that a principal reason for conducting the 1974 lift survey was to reveal changes from the 1972 lift survey. It is especially noteworthy and unusual for a repeat survey to be conducted at a ski area two years later with nearly perfect comparability in methodology and survey design. Comparisons between survey findings in 1972 and 1974 are prominently featured in the 1974 lift survey report.
Some of the interesting changes between these two periods included significant increases in share of skiers from the South and Canada, a nearly 50 per cent increase in the share of skiers with annual household incomes of $25,000 and over, and a near-25 per cent increase in the share of skiers staying in condominiums. Because of Dr. C. R. Goeldner’s special attention to conduct the 1974 study comparable to Tourism Research Associates’ 1972 lift interview study Aspen is setting the pace for fresh, sensitive skier market studies.
Robert Lundy
Dr. Lundy is president of Tourism Research Associates, which conducted the 1972 Aspenlift interview study.
Ted Farwell answers: “No offense was intended to Dr. Lundy or to his fine 1972 study of the Aspen Skier. Most of my article was a review of the 1974 study, which was my assignment. Space did not permit me to show a lot of interesting comparisons and trends. I highlighted a couple of points from the earlier study to give emphasis to trends I found interesting.”
Arctic snowmaking
Sir:
I sincerely appreciate the enthusiasm of the Snow Machines International people regarding what appears to be a first in their sale of equipment to an oil exploration organization for use in Northern Canada. (Fall SAM)
In 1964, our personnel designed a major snowmaking system for the Sun Oil-Great Canadian Oil Sands project for ground protection and frost penetration prevention. The first big guns were developed at this time.
A great deal of work over the past ten years has been carried out in the field of frost penetration prevention and perma-frost protection by personnel of this firm. This work has covered ice bridges, snow roads, water supply insulation, ore body protection as well as several other experiments using artificial snow as wind breaks and surface pipeline insulation.
A great deal of data has been accumulated over the ten year period as to how well artificial snow insulates the ground, its frost lifting characteristics and the effect of ground residual moisture upon that insulating effect.
Jeffrey A. White Pres.
Command Engineering (Int’l)
