NWSCC Sunshine/Banff-Canada:  April 17-24, 2005.  Another late season trip, but at an area famous for late spring snow, including some big powder dumps. Tentative plans call for 3 nights at Sunshine (ski in, ski out) and 4 nights in Banff to enjoy whatever activities you may desire including more skiing at Lake Louise or Sunshine. This is an "accountants special" planned to take place after April 15, but also a great trip at a great price for everyone. Contact Linda McGavin.

 

 

 

Strong Numbers for Pacific Northwest Ski Areas

Hood River, OR  –  Washington state ski areas recorded 1.86 million skier visits during the winter of 2003-2004.  Oregon’s ski area operators are projecting visitation of 1.63 million skier visits.  Ski area operators in Alaska and northern Idaho also reported strong business volumes last winter.  Assuming Oregon operators realize their summer attendance forecasts, the Pacific Northwest will enjoy its third best season ever by tallying a combined 4.71 million skier visits in 2003-2004.

 “Considering the health of our regional economy, the operators are pleased with the resiliency our industry demonstrated this year,” commented Scott Kaden, President of the Pacific Northwest Ski Areas Association.  “Last ski season proved once again that the Northwest ski industry is experiencing strong demand, particularly near the large metropolitan areas,” added Dave Riley, Chairman of the Pacific Northwest Ski Areas Association and Vice President and General Manager of Oregon’s Mt. Hood Meadows Ski Resort and Cooper Spur Mountain Resort.

 Preparing for the Future

As the population of the Pacific Northwest grows, not surprisingly, so does the region’s interest in snow sports.  In addition to regional population growth, demographically, a significant number of “early retirees” (i.e., 50- to 65-year olds) are enjoying the sports of skiing and snowboarding.  Equally important, the “echo boomers” are moving through grade school, coming of age, and picking up snow sports in noteworthy numbers.  As a result, Pacific Northwest ski area operators must prepare for larger volumes of visitation.  The demographic changes are evident at Pacific Northwest ski areas.  In addition to strong visitation, operators have detected a trend of ever larger peak attendance days – more pronounced than what occurred in the 1980s and 1990s.  Most guests concentrate their skiing and snowboarding in the months of January and February when several holiday weekends allow families – sometimes three generations – the opportunity to spend more time together in the mountains.  Over the past 15 years, the region’s ski area operators have added capacity to the critical components of their ski areas to ensure the quality of the guest experience doesn’t decline appreciably during periods of peak attendance.  “Chairlift and slope grooming technology have really changed how Northwesterners are able to enjoy the mountains,” commented Kaden.  “In particular, our operators have fashioned networks of ski lifts and slopes that are designed to help skiers and snowboarders progress through the ‘learning curve’ even more quickly.  In addition, ever-improving snow sports gear, and continuous refinement in coaching methods, result in guests being able to pick up our sports with much greater ease.  Ultimately, this means higher levels of guest satisfaction and a higher likelihood that weekend trials will result in lifelong enjoyment of our sports.” 

Note:  A skier visit is a standard measure of resort use.  It is defined as one person visiting a ski area for all, or part of, any day or night.  Visits by snowboarders are included in skier visit tallies.

The Pacific Northwest Ski Areas Association is a non-profit trade association, which represents the interests of ski and snowboard facilities located in Washington, Oregon, Montana, Idaho, and Alaska.  The Association’s member ski areas – most of which operate on public land – collectively host an average of 4.5 million skier visits annually.  For additional information on Pacific Northwest skiing and snowboarding, contact the PNSAA office at (541) 386-9600, or visit www.skiwashington.com, www.oregonski.org, www.idahowinter.org, or www.ski-inlandnorthwest.com to link to the website of your nearby mountain.