Have you ever been confronted by skiers who are 70 or older who feel that they should ski for free? Well, consider that it might make more sense and is better business to allow children, rather than seniors, to ski free. Hook kids on skiing during their childhood and host them as they raise families in their prime earning years. In fact, some organizations and schools are already answering the call.
First, let’s take a look at the statistics: Cross-country skiing participation shows that only 17 percent are under age 18 (NSGA 2000 Sports Participation Study). However, fewer than 13 percent first tried cross-country skiing after age 45 and less than four percent started after age 55 (SIA 1995 XC Skier Opinion Survey). At the same time, more than 40 percent of nordic skiers started cross-country skiing under age 25. The largest segment of skiers (40 percent) is aged 25-55 and 53 percent of them started skiing during those years. Clearly we need to concentrate on attracting younger skiers.
In the Schools
A public elementary school program run by Nick Montello at the Neshobe School in Branford, Vt., is a low-cost idea that could be duplicated across the snowbelt. Montello is a physical education teacher who incorporates cross-country skiing and snowshoeing into his classes in the winter. According to Montello, “I beg, borrow and steal funding to purchase new cross-country ski equipment using the PTO, school budget, local grants and renting and selling the equipment.” Most of the equipment is rented to the school kids for only three dollars per weekend.
The classes usually take place on trails at the school in sessions that last about an hour and a half. “The school is 100 percent behind this,” says Montello, “and they’ve supported it for 14 years. I always go out with a first aid kit, a walkie-talkie, space blankets and extra poles.” And there are educational interpretive sessions on wildlife and science that are incorporated into the class, too.
Local cross-country ski area operator, Tony Clark of Blueberry Hill in Goshen, Vt., sells equipment to Montello and the school at cost. But even more importantly, Blueberry Hill offers free skiing to the school’s 400 kids all season. On weekends, Montello sometimes uses a bus to take the older kids to Blueberry Hill for more advanced skiing.
SIA Pays to Get It Done
SnowSports Industries America (SIA) instituted the SnowTrax program three years ago. It takes cross-country skiing directly to schools by hiring an agency, Nomad Communications of Norwich, Vt., to run it. This year, the program will put 3,000 children on skis for free at their schools across New England. Additionally, SnowTrax will offer weekend introduction programs at participating cross-country ski areas to clusters of schools in a region.
Almost every morning from January to March, the SnowTrax van arrives at a different elementary school loaded with cross-country ski equipment, towing a snowmobile to groom tracks. It then turns the school into a nordic center for a day. SnowTrax teaches kids everything they need to know about the sport. This year, SnowTrax will distribute discount coupons to families offering a 15 percent savings on introductory equipment packages at local participating retailers.
State Organizations
There are also a growing number of state-sponsored school programs that offer free cross-country skiing to fourth and fifth graders. Programs in Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire and California are reaching out to children in elementary schools. Here are outlines of a few of the school programs:
The WinterKids Fifth Grade Passport program in Maine gives every fifth grader in the state the opportunity to enjoy three days of free cross-country skiing at 13 participating areas. The passport also offers its holders discounted or free lessons, rental equipment, trail passes, lessons and rentals for parents and siblings, too.
In New Hampshire, the SkiNH organization is offering the “Earn Your Turns” program to fourth graders of any state. Free skiing at all of New Hampshire’s 15 cross-country ski areas is available upon a fourth grader’s completion of a project about some aspect of skiing including essays or models. A fourth-grade teacher must verify the project’s completion. The free skiing offer is valid every day of the season, including weekends and holidays.
The Vermont Ski Areas Association offers the Vermont Passport Program to Vermont’s 8,000 fifth graders. Any fifth grader is able to download an application from the association’s Website and send it in to the association with a photo, proof of their fifth-grade status and a $10 processing fee. In return, the student gets a passport booklet with three coupons for each nordic ski area in Vermont.
Where Do We Go From Here?
While SIA’s SnowTrax program and state programs do reach out to thousands of kids, SnowTrax only goes to about 50 schools per season out of 10,000 estimated elementary schools in snowbelt states. There are 28 of those states, yet only four conduct cross-country passport programs. And even then, the cross-country aspect of the state programs is a small subset of the alpine ski program. There’s plenty more to do to reach kids and encourage them to try and take up cross-country skiing.
Perhaps it’s time for other industry folks to get involved with schools and give presentations and set up cross-country ski components to physical education programs. Retailers and area owners, especially, could end up creating some very valuable lifelong customers.
