Whatever Happened to Gates?
The recent Sugarbush Adventure Summit posed the question, what is adventure? The answers were mostly variations on “exploring” and “having new experiences.” The specific notions ranged from learning to ski to steep tree skiing. They included riding terrain parks and skiing in gates.
This last item is a missed opportunity at most areas. Skiing or riding in gates is both a great teaching tool and a fun way for skiers from the novice level on up to test their ability. When skiers are given the chance to run gates, they invariably find it addicting. By giving skiers a way to measure their progress, skiing in gates might even encourage them to take more lessons. Gate skiing should be a key part of the learn-to-ski and retention programs that drive the NSAA growth initiative.
I know what you’re thinking: “We already offer NASTAR. That’s plenty.” NASTAR is not the answer. It is at most a small part of the answer. There is no reason to charge $5 any time someone wants to run a racecourse while terrain parks and halfpipes are free. There’s a place for timed events and for receiving medals, but that shouldn’t be the only way skiers can get on course. Gates should be free and available to anyone who comes to the area. Like terrain parks, courses should be available in several degrees of difficulty, from easy learning courses for novices to really demanding courses with auto timers for accomplished racers. NASTAR would become a special event, the equivalent of a local slopestyle or big air competition for freestylers.
The whole idea of racing needs to return to its roots, which was more about navigating an obstacle course than simply turning around gates. So rethink courses from the ground up. Gates need not consist of big long flexible poles that constantly need to be straightened or reset. Replace them with stubbies, cones, foam mushrooms—anything that can be anchored in the snow but has a very low potential to cause injury or pop out of the snow. Fence off the course to keep other skiers and riders from wandering into the path of gate skiers, as with terrain parks. Control courses much like parks. Post a sign at the entrance to the race arena that invites all to enter but “warns” visitors of what lies below. Then let ’em rip. In a world of reality TV it makes sense to allow, nay, dare snowriders to test themselves on a course. The Average Joe loves the chance to be a Superstar.
How well would this approach to gate skiing work? It would be very cheap to find out. Maintaining a course costs nothing compared to a terrain park or halfpipe. And if gate running is once again seen as a big adventure, it will give skiers another reason to flock to the mountains.
Golden Oldies?
by Jennifer Rowan
Late in the summer, we decided it was time to tackle all the boxes that had been piling up down in our basement. Hidden among the reams of paper, old issues of SAM and directories from every trade show since 1962 was a binder titled, “101-Plus Great Ski Marketing Ideas: Marketing and Promotion Techniques for the Ski Industry.” This compilation was commissioned by the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) and put together by our former editor, Janet Nelson, in 1985, almost 20 years ago.
I took my little discovery home that night for what I thought was going to be an amusing look at how the industry used to do things and to see how far we have come. But, as the introduction states: “As all creative people know, there is no such thing as a new idea. However, there are untold new ways to reshape an idea and achieve desired goals.”
In the first section, “New Skiers,” Wende Gray, then marketing manager at Sunday River, described her area’s efforts to convert non-skiers with a $25 beginner package that included a lift ticket, rentals and a lesson. She went on to say, “To attract non-skiers and convert them to skiers, the entire area must make a commitment to the program. Operations has to be geared to making quality snow on beginner’s terrain. The most patient lift attendants are assigned to beginner lifts. The rental shop has to have an adequate supply of good equipment. Boots must be dry in the morning…” And the list goes on.
Further in, Ski Sunlight describes its family ticket rate, whereby families with children under 19 never pay more than $45 a day, total, to ski. Steamboat offered a kids-ski-free package with the purchase of a five-day lift ticket. Wintergreen gave free lessons to equipment renters and Snow Summit offered free beginner orientation. Killington and Rossignol sponsored a go-anywhere ski deck and two instructors to introduce urban dwellers to skiing (have you seen those travelling rail set-ups recently?).
Does any of this sound familiar? I don’t wish to take the wind out of the sails of our current marketing departments, but many of the programs we see today are, in fact, reshaped ideas from the past. And why shouldn’t they be? At the end of the day, marketing is about driving business. In the recreation/service industry, it is about customer satisfaction. Yes, there are trends among consumers, such as Americans taking shorter trips closer to home, that we should be aware of and respond to. But since leisure was first invented, I can’t think of any trend that called for wet boots, surly lift attendants, bad equipment, or overpriced tickets. This is just common sense stuff. No matter what great marketing plan ski areas may have in place, if they fail in any one of these areas, they’ve lost a customer.
The current focus on trial and conversion is a good thing. It needs to be at the top of everyone’s list. But, we don’t need to re-invent the wheel. Great marketing ideas are really just simple ideas that address the basic needs of our customers in their pursuit of a good time.
So, the next time you clean out your office, maybe grab a closer look at some of those older materials. There may be a gem in there that you haven’t yet tried, such as this great idea from 1985: At Sugarloaf/USA, during slow periods, parking lot attendants cleaned snow and dirt from the windshields of guest’s cars. Once cleaned, attendants left a note that said, “We have cleaned your windshield and headlights so that you may have a safe trip home. We hope that you will see your way clear to come visit us again. Thank you for skiing at Sugarloaf/USA.” Simply change the “skiing” to “skiing/snowboarding” and you have yourself a great (new) marketing idea that leaves a nice final impression on your customer.
