The big overview on the season just finished — yes, we know that this issue publishes when a number of areas are still open and offering great skiing — is that almost everything looked rosy. And what a year for it to happen! The newspaper headlines were full of layoffs, recession/depression talk, discouraging and often contradictory economic indicators (interest rates, dollar conversion, DJIA, inflation rate), but the ski area industry recorded a banner year. And it couldn’t have come at a better time, especially for the hard-hit east.
The caution, of course, is “What does the bottom line look like?” Volume doesn’t necessarily mean profit, especially in inflationary times.
For this issue, SAM asked its stringers to summarize the season. As usual, we make the disclaimer that we make no claim of completeness. We aim at impressions only.
THE ROCKIES
Phenomenal season
by LOIS BARR
The 1974-75 season has been a great one for Colorado skiing. Tod Martin, executive director, Colorado Ski Country, U.S.A., said during the 16 days of the Christmas holiday, attendance was up a total of 940,000 skiers at Colorado ski areas. This represents a 40 per cent increase over the same time last year.
He noted that most areas are reporting an increase in skier days as of the middle of March with the unusual exception of Winter Park, which is reporting a decrease. Martin attributed this decrease to the fact that Winter Park opened 13 days later than usual this year because of a lack of snow. The area has experienced record crowds since, he said.
The executive director said some areas have experienced a phenomenal season. Purgatory in southern Colorado, for example, is up 96 per cent. Keystone, which this year opened a six-story hotel, a village plaza and John Gardiner Tennis Club, is reporting a 40 per cent increase in skier days.
Last fall, Colorado Ski Country predicted 4.8 million skier visits this season. Martin said the total probably is going to top five million.
He attributed the increase in skiers this year to a need for people to get away from their troubles. “The more worried they become, the more they need to get away from things,” he noted. “This ski season has been one of the few bright spots in the Colorado economy.”
At Aspen, where new records were set over the Christmas holidays when more than 16,000 persons visited the slopes in one day, officials were predicting a “significant increase” in the number of skiers this season. They said they foresee at least as great an increase as the 7.4 per cent jump which was recorded for the 1973-74 season. Last season the four Aspen mountains recorded a total of 1.2 million skier visits.
THE SIERRAS
Another record-buster
by BOB LOCHNER
After a slow pre-Christmas start due to late snowfall, the 1974-75 ski season in the Sierra Nevada mountains turned out to be another record-buster for most resorts.
Despite fears of an energy crisis and tight money, skiers refused to stay away, and when the snowstorms hit, they really dumped the white stuff — from late January on. The large areas looked good until at least April 20, while Squaw Valley, Heavenly Valley and a couple of others should see their way into May, including Alpine Meadows, which had enough snow to maintain its new tradition of skiing on Memorial Day.
Peak crowds hit over the Washington’s Birthday weekend, when both Squaw, with 12,000 skiers, and Heavenly, which didn’t announce a total, reported the biggest one-day attendance in their history. And the season as a whole ranked with the all-time best at both places — possibly the best, pending final accounting.
Mt. Reba-Bear Valley reported revenue up 20 per cent as of early March; Tahoe Donner claimed to be running 80 to 100 per cent ahead of last season at about the same time, and John Crofut, marketing manager at Yosemite, didn’t cite any figures but merely said, “Last season was our best ever, and we’re running well ahead of that now.”
Limitations on lift-ticket sales became a bit more prevalent during the season. Northstar, which had a 2500-skier lid last year, added a chairlift and boosted it to 4000, then cut back to 3200; Sugar Bowl set its top at 2500, and Alpine effectively shut off sales when the lot was full — meaning about 4800. And these marks were reached all three places several times during the year.
PACIFIC NORTHWEST
Slow start, hot finish
by JOHN HOEFLING
Any private thoughts of pessimism by ski area operators last fall have turned to public expressions of optimism now — thanks to an unusually good season in the Pacific Northwest this year.
It was a rather slow snow year in this region. But then, who needs 20 to 30 feet of snow every year. More than sufficient quantities, though, held up under the record crowds of skiers seen in many areas.
The year was probably summed up best by Mt. Bachelor President Bill Healy who said, “If this is a recession — what would good times be like?” He reported the “best ever year” for his area. A mid-November start permitted Bachelor to show a 12 per cent increase in visitors soon after the first of the year. Surveys taken by Healy show that 28 per cent of the holiday skiers came from out-of-state. During normal mid-week business, about 13 per cent of the visitors were non-Oregon people.
Crystal Mountain General Manager Ed Link reports his area’s sixth successive profitable year. “It was an outstanding season, with no apparent problems due to the economy,” he said. “Midweek patronage was way beyond expectations, allowing us to achieve our budget estimates with ease. Inflation hasn’t hurt us too much, as we were able to control rising operating costs,” Link added.
Crystal looks forward to early summer operation, with a freestyle camp already scheduled, plus the possibility of one or two racing programs.
In the mind of Timberline’s Dick Kohnstamm, “This year was one, not of depression or recession, but of inflation.” Timberline enjoyed a terrific amount of business, he said, with sales up 12 to 15 per cent. “But most of these improved sales was eaten up by higher operating costs, leaving very little extra profit,” he added.
With a new 30-year operating permit in his pocket, Kohnstamm saw Timberline’s occupancy rate even with last year. He reports half of their business coming from out-of-state, with an ever increasing amount coming from the airlines. A couple of Amtrack tours also contributed to the area’s gross.
All in all, Kohnstamm was not displeased with the current winter season. “We have to be pleased, because there are so many other industries that have had more problems,” he explained.
Pacific Northwest Ski Area Operators Association President Keith Petrie believes the good business reports have helped to dispel the “predictions of doom and gloom for the recreation business last fall.”
Petrie reports that the area operators are recognizing that, “there must be some new means of transportation — mass transit, not private car type — especially in the non-metropolitan areas that have no public transportation.”
Petrie’s own area, Anthony Lakes, Oregon, got a late start due to first snowfalls coming just before the Christmas holidays. Since then, Anthony’s attendance has pulled even with last year. A scheduled May 1 closing should produce a net increase, he predicts.
THE MIDWEST
Weather cooperated
by TEDDEE GRACE
Business for most midwest ski areas was up during the 1974-75 season from 10 to 30 per cent.
Area managers, who predicted the increase last fall based on pre-season bookings, attributed the upturn in the face of the worst recession in decades to a number of factors, including early November snows, good snowmaking conditions but with fewer-than-normal sub-zero days to discourage skiers, strong promotional efforts and the fact that the tight money situation prompted midwesterners to ski closer to home.
Telemark, Cable, Wis., Jerry Berard, general manager, said business for both the ski area and the Telemark Lodge was up 21 per cent over the same period last season.
Charles Moll, manager of Boyne Mountain Lodge, said business was up 10 per cent across the board as of the end of February. He believes his area was helped by the fact that more midwesterners skied the midwest this year.
At Sugar Loaf, Mich., lift ticket sales for the season were up 22 per cent as of the end of February, according to manager Dan Burfiend, and at Wisconsin’s Alpine Valley, manager Fred Cimino says that though his area only got 18 to 20 inches of natural snowfall this winter, he’s had a very successful season thanks to ideal snowmaking conditions. He adds, however, that Alpine Valley’s year-end figures may indicate that skiers are trimming extras.
“The recession hasn’t affected us a bit,” says Cimino. “Midwestern skiers haven’t given up skiing, but they may be giving up some of the luxuries. We’ve had 5,000 to 8,000 more skiers this year than last, an increase of about 10 per cent, but we’re getting more day skiers than in the past.” Cimino says food and bar sales have been up 5 per cent and equipment rental 6 per cent, but lodging and ski lesson sales remained at last season’s levels.
At Big Powderhorn, Michigan, Louis Gheller, manager, says business is up 15 to 20 per cent. They received early snows enabling them and other Upper Peninsula areas to start their seasons on Thanksgiving, two weeks earlier than normal. And from all indications these areas should have good skiing through mid-April.
The increase in ski business was not limited to well-established areas. Conditions combined to make the ski industry perhaps one of the few in the midwest where starting a new business was not only possible but potentially profitable.
Sundown, Dubuque, Ia., opened Dec. 1 for its first full season and has fared well. “We’ve had a very good season,” says Joe Wachtel, manager. “The weather has cooperated. We’ve had more than 53 inches of natural snow, almost 13 inches more than our annual average, and we’ve been able to make snow all season so we’ve had an unexpectedly long season. We’ve been averaging about 1100 skiers a weekend and had had 15,000 by the end of February.”
“Business is definitely up here in the Midwest,” sums up Ralph Smith, executive director of both the Midwest and Central Ski Areas Associations. Smith says weather has been the big factor. “Our temperatures have been ideal, consistently in the high teens and 20’s with very few sub-zero days, and we’ve had an abundance of snow. As of the first week of March no area had less than 10 to 12 inches and the average was 30 to 36 inches. That’s unusual.”
Smith also says that Midwest areas have been promoting more aggressively and receiving excellent cooperation from retailers, manufacturers and reps. He believes the Central Ski Area’s Association promotional campaign, “Take A Friend Skiing. . .” may be paying off. “There’s more rental activity than ever before,” Smith says. “Many areas are reporting that they’re out of rentals by Friday night or Saturday noon. That means there are a lot of new skiers out there and that idea is reinforced by the fact that retailers are also noting increased interest in low-priced packages.”
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
What recession?
by LUANNE PFEIFER
“Despite the fact that we were bombed out (snowless) Thanksgiving it has still been a good year for us,” says Bud Hayward, owner of June Mt. in the High Sierra. “Mid-week lodging occupancy increased 25 to 30 per cent which helped erase the effects of the Thanksgiving drought.”
The area was also aided by unseasonal March rains in Los Angeles which publicized that “winter was still here” for Easter skiing. By early March all lodging reservations were full for Easter week in June Lake and even near-by Leevining 13 miles away.
“There is no effect of a recession at Mammoth,” states Don Sharpe spokesman for Dave McCoy, who fled to Hawaii in the midst of a six foot snow-dumping in March.
Mammoth’s mid-week trade was up all year. However, the biggest twist to the season was Easter. Coming at a good time ski calendar-wise, plus the well publicized snow storms (record breaking March rain fall in Los Angeles) Easter holiday crowds were even bigger than at Christmas. Deep snow coverage at Mammoth, though the snows did come unusually late, assure daily operation until June again this year.
Closer to Los Angeles, Snow Summit in the San Bernardino Mountains experienced no recession cut back in skier attendance. “Perhaps all the skiers are staying closer to home as an economy measure,” says Jo Alexander, executive director of Snow Summit.
Ticket sales were cut off at a maximum turn-out almost every day of the Christmas holiday period, and several times thereafter. Snow Summit attributes this rise in popularity to an extensive snow making equipment set-up this year which covers almost one half the skiable terrain there. The gross ticket sales at Snow Summit to March 1 were as good as the best natural snow years at the resort.
Nearby Mt. Baldy ski area, on the other hand, which has no snowmaking, considers this season the “worst disaster” for them snow-wise according to Chuck Lewsadder, owner of the resort for the past five years. Six hundred skiers on Washington’s Birthday was the best attendance for them.
Lynn Newcomb at Mt. Waterman on the Angeles Crest Highway called it a year almost as good as the snow drenching winter of ’69. “We are a small area but we had to cut off ticket sales twice at 700 skiers, says Newcomb. “Twenty five minutes to wait for a chair lift is too much.”
MOUNTAIN STATES
Substantial gains
by BARBARA WICKS
Despite a slower-than-usual start, substantial gains were posted by most Utah, Wyoming and Idaho resorts this season. Snowbird was about 15 per cent ahead by early March in their skier days and food services. Gil Jenson of Brighton had a slow December, followed by 20 per cent increases in January and February.
Lack of snow delayed the opening at Park City, so business was down some 12 per cent, despite Christmas and January increases over the previous year. Spokesman Dale Zabriski also noticed a slackening in restaurant, ski shop and ski school business. “People are still skiing, but they are cutting down on the extras,” he commented.
Despite a disastrously bad start, Sun Valley business is way up over last year. At Baldy alone, skiers were up 15 per cent in February, and the company’s guest count is up 18 per cent.
Jackson Hole claims a banner year with about a 25 per cent increase in revenues. The increase is attributed to new lodging, improved air service and the addition of a new chair which opened up more intermediate skiing.
THE NORTHEAST
The great comeback
by JOHN HITCHCOCK
Thanks to natural snow that came to the mountains at the right time, the winter of 1974-75 will definitely go down as the year of the “great comeback,” though the competition for the “profit dollar” makes winning much harder than it did three or four years ago.
While many ski centers in the northeast reported record gross incomes, even before closing down for the season, inflation and increased operating costs took some of the smiles away — even on the proverbial trip to the bank with the deposits.
The gasoline-energy problems of the previous season had little impact on attendance this winter, but the cost of energy was a big factor in narrowing the profit margin, especially with huge power costs for snowmaking.
And concern for the dollar resulted in some significant changes in skiers’ habits — like shunning the former Friday night departure in favor of an early start Saturday morning, to save the cost of a night’s lodging.
Although the Christmas-New Year’s and Washington Birthday holiday periods saw a lot of skiers paying top dollars throughout the industry, in between and in the spring, it was a buyer’s market. Ski area after ski area tried ploy after ploy to get the trade, especially during the mid-week period. Prices were cut, extras were offered and there was no shortage of promotional creativity to get skiers out onto the generally excellent snow.
Night skiing was very popular, and some operators said that many skiers skipped a few weekend outings to enjoy the lower priced sessions under the arcs.
Generally, the larger ski areas closest to the population centers reported the best business, with a greater percentage of midweek and night trade, plus the reliable weekend influx. Further north, it was a different story. Sugarloaf in Maine said the midweek falloff was striking, but the weekends made up for the slack.
Jiminy Peak in Hancock, Mass., an hour from the Albany metropolitan region, on the other hand, found its increases at almost every hour of the day and day of the week. Manager Brian Fairbank said the gross would exceed the best previous winter, 1970-71, by around 20 per cent.
Channing Murdock of Butternut in Great Barrington, Mass., also reported a strong year, although not his best. But his Sundown area, not far from Hartford, Conn., reported a record income.
Almost all of the southern areas were discouraged over the March business, or lack of it. A rainy Monday at the end of February washed out the cities, and despite snow-making and new snowfalls in the hills, the skiers headed further north.
Destination areas such as Mt. Snow and the other Vermont giants found no shortage of skiers in March and were looking forward to a strong April, particularly Killington where they usually close down around May 1.
Governor holds up Beaver Creek plans
Vail’s plans for developing Beaver Creek have been the cause of a significant 3-way showdown involving Vail, the Forest Service and the new state administration headed by Governor Lamm. Strip away the specifics of this particular situation and its attendant politics and you have just one more confrontation between the no-growth interests and those who consider controlled recreational development as an appropriate land use.
The basic chronology of the past three months involves the following (it is important to remember that the master planning of the Beaver Creek area is long since complete, as is the filing of an Environmental Impact Statement, and that we are reporting only the most recent developments):
- In mid-January the Beaver Creek development plans were reviewed by the Land Use Commission, and approval came on a 7-2 vote.
- A week later, Regional Forester Lucas designated Beaver Creek as a “winter sports site” which is the first major step in the permit issuance procedure.
- Immediately after his inauguration, Governor Lamm fired virtually the whole Land Use Commission and appealed the Lucas decision to the Chief Forester on the grounds that the Environmental Impact Statement was inadequate, especially with regard to off-site impact caused by the ski area develooment. This appeal is under consideration at press-time, and a decision — probably backing up the Regional Forester is expected some time in May.
- Vail, which enjoys excellent relationships with the concerned state agencies, anticipates their position will prevail, though probably after the adoption of some face-saving device. The Governor’s office is currently discussing possible “compromises.”
Team Training Center closes
The U.S. Ski Team Training Center facility at Park City Resort closed its mid-mountain accommodations in February. Lack of snow at the beginning of the season, a water system problem which occured in January, and delayed installation of the area’s 4,000-foot Pomalift all contributed to the decision to close the training center bunk houses and administration building. The training center will continue to operate and maintain the surface lift on the area’s slalom training slopes and will maintain all g.s. and slalom runs.
Officials of the U.S. Team office in Park City expect to reopen the training center next fall. The new lift is rescheduled for summer installation. It will provide direct access to all training center runs. An improved water system is also planned.
Vail votes down union
Some 250 employees of Vail Associates, Inc., recently voted 5-1 against joining the Oil, Chemical and Atomic Workers union. Jim Bartlett, executive vice president, said he was pleased with the vote of confidence given by the employees.
Sun Valley rejoins Rockies group
Sun Valley, one of the original six members of the Ski the Rockies marketing group, has rejoined after dropping out in 1973 to pursue its individual marketing program.
Nine members of the Ski the Rockies marketing group have joined together to form a summer promotion group called Rocky Mountain Summer Times. The major objective of this group will be to create awareness that these resorts offer full resort facilities to the summer vacationer. Resorts involved include Aspen, Brekenridge, Crested Butte, Jackson Hole, Park City, Snowmass, Steamboat, Sun Valley and Vail. Resorts will engage in extensive publicity campaign, including publication of a four-color tabloid.
NASTAR makes new gains
World Wide Ski Corp. of Aspen, Colo., which administers NASTAR, reported record participation figures all over the country. Over 40,000 skiers had negotiated NASTAR courses at 73 ski area resorts by the end of February, up 33 per cent over the same time period last season.
The biggest increases were noticed in the northeast, where much of this increase can be attributed to a fine snow year after the recent winter droughts. The Southeast region also experienced a dramatic participation increase of 31 per cent.
Increases of 38 per cent were recorded the Pacific coast NASTAR areas despite a very slow start of the ski season there. In the Rocky Mt. region participation rose 24 per cent by early March and in the midwest, 14 per cent.
NASTAR’s original sponsor, the Jos. Schlitz Brewing Co., has increased its support of NASTAR by establishing several special programs that have encouraged local skiers to participate in NASTAR team, dual-challenge, competitions.
Curb on federal funds for ski areas
A significant shift in policy by the Bureau of Outdoor Recreation has been spotted in a letter from B.O.R. Director, James Watt to Senator James Buckley, of New York. “Recent revisions of Bureau policy,” the letter says, “require that for any development proposed for Land and Water Conservation Fund assistance, the sponsoring agency must determine the extent to which the project will create a competitive situation with privately financed and managed developments already providing identical or similar recreation opportunities. These findings are usually based on a survey of use or occupany of privately operated facilities as well as those already developed on public lands.”
The letter was in response to some questions as to the appropriateness of federal money having been made available for the construction of snowmaking facilities at the New York State-owned Belleayre Mountain. Over $624,000 in federal funds went into that project.
A book slated on all aspects of snow
A massive and encyclopedic reference text on snow is in the works in Canada and is slated for publication by June 1976.
Published through Information Canada, and financed by Atmospheric Environment Service, the book will cover all aspects of the formation, properties and control of snow. The prospectus states that, “The voluminous information available on snow is widely scattered throughout the literature, and there is no general reference text that brings this information together in a convenient form.”
Among the projected chapter headings are several that would bear on ski area operations: “Skiing”, “Vehicles in Snow”, “Snow and Buildings”, “Avalanche control, forecasting, rescue.”
SAM Technical Editor, Nils Ericksen, of Dufresne-Henry Engineering, has been asked to contribute a chapter.
Five nominated for NSAA directorships
The NSAA Nominating Committee met recently and placed the following in nomination for election as directors for full 3-year terms: Richard D. Bass (Snowbird, Utah); Stuart Campbell (Buck Hill, Minn.); Richard A. Coker (Cataloochee, N.C.); Charles D. Lewis (Copper Mt., Colo.) and Roy Parker (Sierra Blanca, N.M.).
PEOPLE
Big Bromley names three new corporate v.p.’s: Robert Paron (ski operations), John Cueman (comptroller) and Robert Bierwirth (construction and services) . . . Herbie Hernandez, sales manager of Texas International Airlines, elected president of Ski New Mexico for 1975 . . . John Kates named manager of marketing planning for Vail. He will report to marketing director, Chuck Johnsos . . . . . Phil Neville promoted to director of sales for Wisconsin’s Telemark . . . Skeeter Davorski, formerly with Head/AMF in Boulder, has become marketing manager for Grand Targhee in Wyoming. . . . Lois Barr appointed publicity director for Keystone .
ERRATA
The Winter issue of SAM annually contains two features that are exceptionally susceptible to error: the supplier directory and the survey of new lifts. Following are the ommissions and errors brought to our attention:
We omitted from the list of ski area consultants Resort Counseling Associates, 3430 Evergreen Point Road, Bellevue, WA, (206) GL 5-1960—F.D. Voorhees, managing principal.
On the Thiokol (Logan Div.) listing in the product directory, we showed the over-snow vehicles, but omitted the listing under the lift headings.
In the survey of new lifts we missed several new ones in Canada. These will be added into our statistical inventory, including their VTFH. Omitted were six lifts installed by Mueller Lifts, Ltd., of Vernon, B.C. These include a 4,000-ft. gondola at Mount Hays, Prince Rupert, B.C.; double chairlifts at Lake Louise, Alta. and Whistler Mt., B.C.; a T-bar at Mica Creek, B.C.; a Handle tow at Tillicum Valley, Vernon, B.C.; and a T-bar conversion at Mt. Baldy, Osoyoos, B.C. Total length of these lifts is 19,490 ft., total vertical is 5,432 and total capacity added is 4,800 per hour.
In addition, we omitted a Staedeli T-bar at Big Ben Ski Centre, Cornwall, Ont. (length 330 ft.; 65-ft. vertical; 1,000 per hour capacity; speed, 360 ft. per minute).
SUPPLIER NEWS
SMI changes hands and moves headquarters
Snow Machines, Inc. has a new name (the “I” used to stand for “international”) and a new corporate structure headed by a new president, James Vanderkelen, of Midland, Mich.
Effective immediately, administration and all unit service will be covered from the new company headquarters at 1512 North Rockwell Drive, Midland, Mich. 48640 – (517) 631-6091. General sales offices will continue to be in the east under the direction of Hugh Knapp. Their new address is P.O. Box 448, Lakeville, Ct., 06039 (203) 435-9811.
Knapp reports that, due primarily to increasing foreign sales, SMI is expecting their best year ever. Further, the company expects to introduce at least three major modifications of the standard Snowstream 32D model at the NSAA Spring Trade Show.
Dufresne-Henry expands
Dufresne-Henry Engineering, of North Springfield, Vt. recently acquired the engineering firm of Webster-Martin, Inc., of South Burlington, Vt. A spokesman said, “Both firms will continue to operate individually and separately, but will provide each other consultation and assistance.”
