Ski area managers as a group are very adept at keeping a vast array of exact numbers at their fingertips. From snowmaking capacity in gallons-per-hour to acres of available terrain (often to the hundredth of an acre), most questions posed to them are answered with precision. The exception is when the question asked is, “What percentage of your guests are snowboarders versus skiers?” Suddenly that precision is replaced with an almost embarrassed (or at least resigned) expression that might be followed by the answer, “We go with the industry average of 20 to 25 percent” or “We really don’t separate them; demographically they’re the same as the skiers in our target market.”
But getting accurate information on skier-versus-snowboarder participation rates would help managers gain some insight and perhaps lead to more efficient operating practices. One mountain manager, when asked the question above, claimed that it “seemed” that there were more snowboarders early in the season. If this was in fact true, he continued, “we’d probably be redesigning our snowmaking strategy for opening the mountain. We’d get the terrain park and other trails that snowboarders seem to like up and running earlier.” Additionally, with accurate figures, ski areas would be able to evaluate the impact of the differences they see with national or regional averages and possibly make even more valuable adjustments to their operations.
So why not just ask ticket sellers to ask customers whether they ski or snowboard and get a real headcount? Because they can’t get accurate figures and probably shouldn’t be saddled with the responsibility. While there is a consensus that polling customers will get an acceptably accurate figure, the method itself is one that managers seek to avoid. One general manager summed it up this way: “We’ve got ticket sellers moving more than 30 different products between lift tickets, lessons, rentals, discounts, combinations and all sorts of things. I really don’t want them doing any thing else. We want them totally focused on selling tickets.”
That makes sense, but if you don’t ask a ticket seller for skier-snowboarder headcounts, what’s the alternative? It seems there are plenty. Most are based on extrapolating figures, such as finding the percentages of rider versus skier injuries recorded in the first aid room. Although it doesn’t interfere with operations, neither does it provide any real level of accuracy. Another method being used by a number of mountains is to have lift attendants count skiers and snowboarders as they unload. Again, the accuracy here is questionable. As one manager told us, “We’re not really sure what the numbers mean, but we feel that it gives us an indication of the breakdown.”
But while skiers and snowboarders typically spend different amounts of time on the lifts versus the slopes, there is a way to correct lift counts to produce an accurate ratio. During the 1999-2000 and 2000-2001 seasons, students in the ski area management course at the State University of New York at Delhi conducted research at four different mountains to see if the different behaviors of the two groups could be quantified and then adjusted with an accurate mathematical formula. Primary research was performed at Belleayre Mountain, N.Y., where the course is taught in January. The results of the study were then verified by follow-up work at Stratton Mountain and Bromley Mountain Resort in Vermont and at Hunter Mountain, N.Y.
Two primary factors were measured. The first was the difference in time it takes for skiers versus snowboarders to make runs down the mountain. Secondly, time differences between the two groups in loading and unloading lifts were calculated since they would also affect their respective run-lift ride rates.
Video and Stopwatch Recording
Two different methods were employed to measure run times. The first was to videotape a specific section of a slope at Belleayre Mountain and then use the recording to time how long each participant was “in-frame.” Cameras were positioned on beginner, intermediate and expert slopes to shoot up the fall line. At the end of the day the recordings were analyzed. The method yielded a sample size of 422 snowboarders and 1,430 skiers. As a result of the measurements, we found that snowboarders moved down the slopes 26 percent slower than skiers, a difference that remained the same across all slope difficulty ratings.
The second method of calculating relative run times measured the time it took skiers and snowboarders to move from one point of a trail to another using redundant teams of observers with stop watches. They measured times on different types of slopes at Belleayre for eight consecutive days just after the New Year’s holiday in 2001. The measurements of 261 snowboarders and 709 skiers replicated the 26 percent result of the prior year. This same method was then repeated at the other mountains, verifying the results at Belleayre. The 26 percent difference in skier versus snowboarder time seemed to be generated by both different speeds and different lines of travel, with snowboarders generally taking much wider turns than skiers.
The other factor that had to be measured was skier and rider behavior at the conclusion and beginning of a run. These activities were again timed with stopwatches, keeping track of 335 snowboarders and 1,026 skiers. Riders took additional time to finish their runs and prepare to load and also took additional time after unloading before they began their runs. This extra time stemmed from the tendency for snowboarders to ride in larger groups than skiers, therefore needing more time to assemble at both the top and bottom of lifts. That means riders average an extra minute and 28 seconds, which converts to 1.47 minutes, for loading and unloading.
While we first thought riders’ overall time would be affected by their tendency to sit and watch others and by having to free a boot from a binding to negotiate the loading maze and then reattach boots at the top, it is negated by the fact that when skiers fall on the slope, they have to spend time gathering equipment and putting it back on before resuming their runs.
Adjusting Lift Counts
After obtaining all the measurements, the class then derived the following equation to accurately estimate rider-skier ratios based on lift counts:
R% = CR (1 + (.26 + 1.47 / TL)) / CT
- R% is the percentage of riders
- CR is the lift count of snowboarders
- TL is the lift time in minutes
- CT is the total skier-rider count
Say you count 50 snowboarders versus 150 skiers on a 12-minute lift. That would immediately seem to indicate a 25 percent snowboarder share (50 of a total of 200 customers), but the adjusted rate is a full 10 percentage points higher:
50(1 + (.26 + 1.47 / 12)) / 200 = 50 (1 + (.26 + .1225)) / 200 = 50 (1.3825) / 200 = 69 / 200 = 35%
Additionally, the 35 percent number may still be understated as it doesn’t account for the number of riders who spend long periods of time in terrain parks and use lifts only occasionally.
While it’s doubtful any method would match the accuracy of polling guests at the ticket booth, an adjusted lift count using the formula above could provide many operators with an acceptable balance between labor-intensive accurate numbers and an acceptable method of deriving those numbers. Then, armed with this information, ski area managers could improve their options by reevaluating trail-opening priorities, reassessing media placements and judging the effectiveness of skier or snowboarder targeted promotions.
