The research is being done by Jim Spring’s Leisure Trends/Gallup organization and it got a November fix on a cross-section of alpine skiers as to when they last skied and what their skiing plans were for the current season. Part II will go back to these same people in late Spring to find out what their skiing activity actually was. All of these fascinating questions and answers can be cross-tabulated against age, income, geography and other demographic factors.
Among the highlights of the findings to date:
- Last season, 61 percent of Americans who identified themselves as alpine skiers actually skied. That leaves 39 percent who did not. Question: Is this a typical pattern, or was it influenced—and if so, by how much—by economy, war and weather?
- For the current season, 79 percent said they planned to ski; 16 percent had no plans to ski; five percent were undecided. Those who planned to ski said they would ski a mean average of 12.3 days. Question: How do intentions compare to implementation? These numbers are high, very high. The answers next Spring will be fascinating!
- Among Americans who skied last season, the mean average of days skied was 9.87. This mean average divided into the skier-days the industry counted last season suggests that about 4.8 million Americans over the age of 18 skied in the 1990/91 season. Question: How does this get reconciled with the much higher numbers generated for skier participation by other research, notably that done by National Sporting Goods Association and American Sports Data? (There are major differences of opinion about methodology which will be explored in March SAM.)
- The brightest news in this new research is the high level of perceived quality that skiing enjoys. When asked about the quality of their last ski vacation, 84 percent of skiers who skied last year reported it was either excellent (47 percent) or very good (37 percent). Only five percent reported it was mediocre or worse.
- There is a clear correlation between frequency and the number of days skied. Skiers from households with less than $60,000 annual income tend to ski five days or less, while those above that income level tend to ski six days or more.
- Also, skiers earning less than $40,000 (31 percent of the adult skier population) represent the largest group of the skiers who did not ski last season and who indicate no plans to ski this season.
- Skiers who did not plan to ski this season were asked in what season they had last skied two or more days. No less than 90 percent had not skied since 1989. Biggest reason (49 percent) given for not planning to ski was “financial burden.”
- Looking at those who do plan to ski this season, the concentration is in ages under 24, between 35 and 44 and over 60. In income, the more affluent are the ones planning the greatest increase in participation, with a major increase indicated by the eight percent of skiers in the $100,000-plus category.
In his preliminary conclusions on this mass of important new data, Spring thinks the industry should come to grips with what he sees as the “leaky bucket” where our market losses are greatest: among those making less than $40,000, who are less well educated. “This group,” Spring comments, “represents 31 percent of the skier population and tends to be forgotten.”
The question he poses is one of perception and reality. Is the cost of skiing really lower than people’s perception of it, in which case our job would be to persuade them of this to keep them in the sport? Or, is it a harsh reality of high cost that is persuading these people to opt out—and others not to take it up?
Details of this excellent USIA research will be available soon. Read, learn, inwardly digest!
