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Tricia

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This article in the Colorado Sun about the editing and re-editing of Chris Diamond's book "Ski Inc 2020" while the face of the ski industry changed and changed and changed again.

After Chris Diamond spent years as a leader in the ski industry and currently running, Ski Diamond Consulting, its no surprise that he has a unique view of the changes that we see every day and how they impact this sport we love.
I'm looking forward to reading this book.
 

Henry

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It will be interesting to read.

I wonder if he included what's happening in China. 1-1/4 million skiers. 500 resorts (many have man-made snow on desert hills near Mongolia). The Chinese middle class is growing, they like to travel, and they want better resorts than they have at home. Is this what Vail Resorts and Alterra are getting ready for?
 

HardDaysNight

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It will be interesting to read.

I wonder if he included what's happening in China. 1-1/4 million skiers. 500 resorts (many have man-made snow on desert hills near Mongolia). The Chinese middle class is growing, they like to travel, and they want better resorts than they have at home. Is this what Vail Resorts and Alterra are getting ready for?
I don’t doubt it. And it’s already happening. Park City gets large numbers of Asian tourists not only during the ski season but year round. The place is chock-a-block with them now. Can’t vouch they’re all Chinese but certainly many are. They have a unique and characteristic way of skiing in a tuck with their poles under their arms and protruding upwards like porcupine quills.
 

Slim

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They have a unique and characteristic way of skiing in a tuck with their poles under their arms and protruding upwards like porcupine quills.

nothing Asian about that, come have a look at the Birkie crosscountry ski race in Wisconsin and you’ll see tons of people doing just that at the back of the race, while snow plowing! pretty scary in XC, since it’s harder to go around them, and the poles are much sharper!
:philgoat:
 

KingGrump

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I don’t doubt it. And it’s already happening. Park City gets large numbers of Asian tourists not only during the ski season but year round. The place is chock-a-block with them now. Can’t vouch they’re all Chinese but certainly many are. They have a unique and characteristic way of skiing in a tuck with their poles under their arms and protruding upwards like porcupine quills.

I haven't skied PC since 2014. Had 3 exchange days off my bird pass that season. Didn't see the mass influx of Asian skiers then. But that was before Vail.
I have no doubt about your observation since you are a PC local. That probably means Vail has started their marketing campaign in China already.

I remember back in the early to mid '80s, Snowbird had trail signage in Japanese. The Japanese economy was booming. There were numerous Japanese tour groups on the hill. They all disappeared after bubble burst.

I supposed the corporations are just looking for new paying customers.
 

HardDaysNight

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Towards the end of last season I was chatting with a delightful Chinese woman who was a US based tour guide for a large skiing group from mainland China. The group was on the mountain every day for a week and had several of their own coaches in tow (judging by their shouted instructions not necessarily by their personal skiing skills!). Apparently it was an excursion focused on exploring the American West which, according to my woman, holds great fascination for the Chinese. I can easily see Vail jumping all over a market of that size! Hell of a lot of potential new paying customers and in many ways not as severe pains in the arse as the current ones!
 

Uncle-A

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Towards the end of last season I was chatting with a delightful Chinese woman who was a US based tour guide for a large skiing group from mainland China. The group was on the mountain every day for a week and had several of their own coaches in tow (judging by their shouted instructions not necessarily by their personal skiing skills!). Apparently it was an excursion focused on exploring the American West which, according to my woman, holds great fascination for the Chinese. I can easily see Vail jumping all over a market of that size! Hell of a lot of potential new paying customers and in many ways not as severe pains in the arse as the current ones!
If they had their own ski coach's doesn't that cut into the ski school revenue? Are the mountains willing to look the other way for the new customers?
 

Kneale Brownson

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If they had their own ski coach's doesn't that cut into the ski school revenue? Are the mountains willing to look the other way for the new customers?

Ski resorts often allow groups to bring their own coaches. Sometimes the package includes a local instructor to permit lift line cutting.

How many Vail or any US resorts have instructors who speak Chinese?
 

Wendy

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The growth of skiing in China seems to be influencing Chinese Americans, too. Over the last few years, there has been a huge increase in Chinese Americans skiing here. It’s notable since the Poconos are not traditionally a hotbed of diversity. In talking to some, they tell me they have started their own ski groups. They’ll put up a sign in Chinese characters for their club at their table. Since I talk to just about anyone, I’ve gone up and asked what the group was all about. At Jack Frost, they leave crock pots of Chinese food for lunch plugged in along the walls.
 

Uncle-A

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Ski resorts often allow groups to bring their own coaches. Sometimes the package includes a local instructor to permit lift line cutting.

How many Vail or any US resorts have instructors who speak Chinese?
Good point, instructors that speak the language of the student is a good thing for travelers.
 

tube77

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I don’t doubt it. And it’s already happening. Park City gets large numbers of Asian tourists not only during the ski season but year round. The place is chock-a-block with them now. Can’t vouch they’re all Chinese but certainly many are. They have a unique and characteristic way of skiing in a tuck with their poles under their arms and protruding upwards like porcupine quills.

Although I am not a Chineses, your comment is still offensive enough to make other aisian people including myself feel extremely sad. You are simply stereotyping and mocking asian skiers by saying "They have a unique and characteristic way of skiing in a tuck with their poles under their arms and protruding upwards like porcupine quills".
As far as I have observed for years in east coast, many of the beginner skiers with some bravery/ignorance/recklessness whether they are caucasian/african american/hispanic/asian are skiing like that. It's not unique to Chinese or Asian.
100% of my ski accidents in the past seasons were caused by a 10~20s non-asian male beginner skiers with that postures on the double black slopes where they are obviously not ready to ski on.
 
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Sibhusky

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The growth of skiing in China seems to be influencing Chinese Americans, too. Over the last few years, there has been a huge increase in Chinese Americans skiing here. It’s notable since the Poconos are not traditionally a hotbed of diversity. In talking to some, they tell me they have started their own ski groups. They’ll put up a sign in Chinese characters for their club at their table. Since I talk to just about anyone, I’ve gone up and asked what the group was all about. At Jack Frost, they leave crock pots of Chinese food for lunch plugged in along the walls.

I was seeing that at Jack Frost in March 1999. We were there for a race.
 
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