The primary reason most ski areas get little more than a passing grade for their signage is the sheer volume of different types of signs that are required by law, demanded by commercial needs and necessary to keep skiers happy, safe and pointed in the right direction. But technological advances and advertising revenue derived from ski signage point the way toward more efficient multifunctional information centers.
What a Mess
The myriad signs needed for ski areas seems endless. Skiers at most major resorts arrive through one of several portals in parking lots or shuttle stops. Then they must find their way to ski rentals, ticket windows, ski schools and children’s services. Skiers eat in any of at least a dozen food outlets that are often dispersed around the mountain, shop in distinct retail areas and rent condos or hotel rooms in different village configurations. Then, there are additional services commonly available from health clubs to cash machines. And all this before ever setting foot on the slope. Once on snow, the range of necessary signage is no less extensive. From warning and instructional signs related to loading and unloading like the ubiquitous “Keep Ski Tips Up” and from lift towers with nature-related, safety or commercial messages to difficulty signs mixed with directional signage for on-hill restaurants, signs of all sizes and shapes at ski resorts are crying out for some sort of cohesive design.
But while progressive ski area managers might like the idea of integrating on-slope and service-related signage, signs like trail markers must remain the simple internationally accepted graphics using black diamonds, blue squares and green circles.
Another constraint affects the large number of ski areas that operate at least partially on National Forest land, and so are subject to the Forest Service’s policies on signage. Aside from the fact that sign policies are determined by the Forest Service’s regional offices, because some base areas are on private land while peaks are on federal land, rules for signs may differ from one part of the mountain to another.
“On National Forest land in Colorado we allow advertising on temporary signage relating to a special event,” says Ed Ryburg, the winter sports director for the National Forest Service for Colorado. “Advertising inside buildings is OK. Colorado and Utah are very specific about what they allow. The Pacific Northwest tends to allow more sponsorship banners whereas in the East they allow more direct advertising.”
“In theory there is no straight advertising,” says Brian McCartney, mountain manager at Vail. “But it seems we are allowed to take advantage of commercial opportunities where we can show a clear public benefit.”
On the other hand, large parts of Vail’s base is under the authority of the Town of Vail, which has it own sign codes. According to McCartney, the town’s decision makers are unsure if signage should be increased to help visitors or reduced to prevent the area from becoming “mallified.” In answer to all the restrictions and requirements, ski areas have increasingly taken different approaches to their signage.
Larry Walker, senior designer at Mammoth Mountain, Calif., says the resort has deliberately moved away from the idea of a single visual identity, “rejecting the idea of a single font.” Mammoth, currently in the midst of a $215 million development program, now has three specific entry portals, each with its own theme (Mountain/National Park, basic ski-area Tyrolean and contemporary modern) but similarly using a “natural” palate to avoid bright urban colors. Main service buildings are clustered at each of these portals with designs and themes that are somewhat related to the theme of the portal.
“We don’t like cutesy building design and the high snow buildup means things are kept very simple,” says Walker, “so signage plays a big part in providing identity and is a crucial way to enhance these environments.
“It’s only been in the past couple of years that staff here have realized the need to visually communicate with customers. This is especially so when there is no front-line greeting staff. Our customer base is primarily urban and they are used to using graphics and signage without thinking about it,” says Walker.
Gavin MacDonald, director of village development for Tremblant in Quebec, faces different concerns. All design is worked out far in advance and uses themes to reflect local environments: in this case Quebeois architecture.
Because the development is set over several thousand acres, the first requirement is for arrival signage to be placed logically to direct visitors to the correct area, which means coordinating efforts with the municipality so signs help guests get to their destinations smoothly.
“We negotiated with the municipality,” says MacDonald, “And now they use our signage well before a visitor gets to the resort, which enhances continuity. We also try to reflect the environment in the signage, so use stone bases with wood or cast iron and stone. All signs are visually connected through a resort logo at the top. We have strict guidelines for our commercial tenants who must use the same materials and we have been very impressed by what some of them have done. … One problem is simply who pays. Is it the operations group, is it the real estate group, our club group or even the local municipality?”
At far smaller Silver Star, B.C., it has been possible to create a single visual theme that ties all base-area activities and services together through signage that references 1890s Western Canada.
“We started from scratch to build a 12-month village,” says Don MacLaclan, marketing director of the resort. “We had architectural free reign and immediately decided we didn’t want the usual Tyrolean theme as much as something more locally authentic. Many old mining towns in the area mix western and Victorian motifs so we used common fonts of the period, copied antique signs we found and then used brighter colors.”
Meanwhile, Vail, Colo., despite being one of the world’s best-known ski areas, has only sporadically focused on its signage requirements. Mike Steversen, a former advertising manager who was also supervising signage development, points out that every part of the mountain has a different look with resulting confusion. “We have thought about the concept of unifying our signage, but all different parts of the mountain have gone their own way and we simply can’t get everyone on the same page,” he says. “And just because we have a $23 million marketing budget, it’s not like we have a lot of spare cash. Also there is the problem of which department pays for what.”
Some initiative was taken at Adventure Ridge, a mountain-top series of recreational amenities that use signage described as “1940s European.” Although this has given the development a visual theme, it has done little to integrate it with the rest of the area.
Brian McCartney adds, “To the extent we are involved with signs, we are more concerned about providing signage for purposes of information such as weather conditions rather than marketing.”
Sign Shops or Sign Suppliers?
With so many different signs necessary, ski areas must decide whether to buy signs prepared by commercial sign makers or to establish and operate their own in-house sign shops. Jim Neil, manager of The FallLine Corp in Reno, Nev., estimates that 50 percent of the nation’s ski areas operate their own sign-making shops. But this number is probably declining as ski areas realize the cost benefits of going outside.
“We only use local external sign shops,” says Silver Star’s MacLaclan. “From basic vinyl to more complex etched wood, the local talent does quality work that is easy to service. We sell 7,000 season tickets locally and get 60 percent of our visits from locals, so it is in our interest to support local businesses.”
But Mammoth Mountain’s sign shop is relatively typical among ski areas that make their own signs. The shop coordinates input from other departments, such as metal cut-outs done at the resort garage shop and wooden signs from the carpentry department. “The resort is like a small city so we utilize the skills of many different departments,” says shop manager Mike Ebwell.
Lake Louise, Alberta, houses the central sign shop for its parent company, Resorts of the Rockies, for both summer and winter mountain resorts.
“Last season we started installing 8-foot by 16-foot signs at the top of each lift with the idea of bringing all information together,” says Assistant Shop Manager Justin Miles. “Included is a location indicator, elevations, temperature, trail maps run and grooming signs. There is also an explanation of avalanche signage and a small interpretation of the immediate area. Advertising promotes other resorts in the group.”
The signs are assembled of a combination of latex paint and vinyl lettering on large plywood sheets. Run signs are small painted aluminum signs screwed directly into the plywood. The signs are mounted on reinforced wooden posts. Signage trim is in resort colors of green, white and yellow.
“A collage of information and an increase in mountain-map signs means fewer paper trail maps, which cut down litter,” says Justin Miles.
During the summer months the sign shop, which is equipped with a Gerber Edge Plotter, a vinyl cutter, a scanner and 24-inch laminator for posters, works on signs for summer activities at other resorts within the group as well as warnings and apologies for customer inconveniences relating to construction work at resorts. The shop also gets involved in producing interpretive signs to be mounted to lift towers for summer gondola riders that work in conjunction with a printed brochure that offers details on the location’s natural environment. All signs, predominantly on round wood or powder-coated metal with vinyl lettering, feature the resort colors.
The generic nature of on-snow signage on simple polyurethane or aluminum, screen printed or using vinyl lettering, means often even ski areas with a sign shop will source signs from outside.
Jim Neil at FallLine estimates no sign company controls more than a few percent of the ski area market, although there is a gradual move to consolidation. Typically, companies such as Gopher Sign Co., based in St Paul, Minn., offer basic trail marking signs.
“Many signs are sourced most cheaply from local shops. But as a large company we can offer a far better deal on other signs. For example, because of the number of avalanche danger signs we sell, we can offer them for around $40 while a local shop might get $100. A typical medium ski area account for signage is around $4,000 per year, which means that the company makes no attempt to compete purely on signage.”
Advertising and Information
The need to offer different types of information in real time, however, means more resorts are starting to add electronic components to systems so they now incorporate both traditional maps and LCD displays and electronic messaging.
Until recently, the cost of these put them out of reach. But increasingly, ski areas are relying on companies such as Ski View, Keevyn and Sitour to step in and shoulder the burden of designing, installing and maintaining multifunction or simple traditional signage in exchange for selling advertising in locations where it is allowed.
Ski View has a presence at 160 mountains and provides lift tower safety signs, most of which are printed, laminated and attached to brackets. Major advertisers include Chevy Trucks and Chap Stick.
Focusing on the 25 major resorts across the U.S., Keevyn started by installing ski racks in exchange for the ad space, but the rack model was so successful that the company has sold 2,000 of the units at retail as well.
“After installing ad-driven racks at 18 areas we realized we were running out of opportunities and started looking for a new product,” says Robert Scholl, company president. “We entered into a joint venture with Lumiplan, a French manufacturer of electronic signage for transportation hubs that is also active making signs for French ski areas. They had attempted and failed to sell electronic signs retail to U.S. ski areas, so we went in on the advertising side. We asked ski areas what their main problem was and they said ’emergency messaging.’ We went back to France and designed a customized solution.”
The basic sign is a 4-foot by 6-foot column with a 12-line, 18-character LCD configured around a map. This incorporates a voyant that includes a four-color flipper to designate status of things like lift lines and grooming. The company installs the signs, sets up the software, which is tied to a central computer and trains operators.
Whatever the numerous and disjointed sign requirements resort managers might find themselves dealing with, it’s most important to coordinate efforts so guests can enjoy themselves without ever having to worry about where they are.
