One of the most revealing survey questions asked about activities in addition to skiing that are most preferred at a ski resort. Seventy percent of the Stowe skiers preferred socializing activities, while only 29 percent preferred sports or recreation. Exactly half of the Stowe skiers preferred apres ski or “partying” activities, ten percent preferred dining out, while the remaining ten percent preferred related activities (drinking, dancing, talking). Clearly, the Stowe skier, like so many others, demands a socially stimulating experience. To view him as only a “sports freak” would show a serious misunderstanding of his prevailing socializing requirements.
A balanced socializing climate ordinarily would be based upon near parity of the sexes. Stowe management expected their market to consist of approximately two females for every three males. However, the survey found only one female for every three males. In light of the crucial importance of socializing activities it seems obvious that efforts designed to attract more females, together with increasing emphasis on socializing opportunities, should make the Stowe experience even more responsive to skier priorities.
Slightly over one-third of the 29 percent who preferred sports or recreation at a ski resort specified ski touring; another one-sixth preferred swimming or diving. Only negligible numbers mentioned any other sport or recreation, including such Winter sports as ice skating, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, tobogganing, or hockey.
Several noteworthy skier characteristics were identified. The 50:50 split between married and single skiers suggests the need for sensitivity in catering to the somewhat different socializing needs of these two market segments.
Three important income levels were identified: 29 percent with $25,000 and over annually, 39 percent between $10,000 and $25,000, and 24 percent with under $8,000. The large size of this under $8,000 market was not predicted but certainly must be considered in servicing or altering this varied mix of income levels.
The affluent income segments are not surprising considering the strong educational backgrounds represented by the Stowe skier: 50 percent attended or graduated from college, while another 25 percent attended graduate school. Since only 13 percent had a high school education or less there may be some underpenetration of this market segment.
The desirability of accommodating the differing needs of various market segments was illustrated by the broad but balanced range of ages encountered. A full 32 year age range (18-49) was required to include five-sixths of the skiers. Similarly, a wide range of experience was represented; from 2 to 15 seasons were required to make up the skiing experience reported by 80 percent of the skiers. Furthermore, the number of skiers was uniformly distributed along this 14 season range.
The much discussed new affluent leisure class was found to prevail at Stowe. A full two-thirds of the Stowe skiers will have three or more weeks vacation with pay in 1973. And not coincidentally two-thirds of them were on a ski vacation.
Finally, a high level of loyalty to Stowe was demonstrated since over forty percent had skied at no other area in New England except Stowe during the past two seasons. Further evidence of this high loyalty was the finding that over two-thirds of them had skied at no more than three areas in New England during the past two seasons.
The Mount Mansfield Company intends to orient their advertising and other planning in directions responsive to the survey findings. They have confidence in the findings because most of them confirmed their existing impressions. As with all surveys, the unexpected findings created most interest and impact. For this reason the more surprising results have been stressed above.
To maintain a competitive advantage in serving the notoriously fickle leisure consumer it is important to keep abreast of his rapidly changing characteristics and requirements. A skier survey represents a way to identify these dimensions of skiers. Such insights make more attainable the difficult task of attracting and satisfying the diversity of market segments necessary for peak profitability.
