What will help the sport of skiing grow?

[jmeb]

do not get the tights while skiing. It cant be warmer..

Tights accentuate what has made Kim K more money than most of us will ever know.

 

[Josh Matta]

IMO shes Fugly.

 

[SecretAgentMan]

not a kardashian thankfully.

Get Chloe Kim to ditch the board for sticks.

 

[Monique]

IMO shes Fugly.

I suppose it's fair play to comment on someone who makes money on their looks, but ... eh, no, I don't think there's any context in which it's called for. No need to comment negatively on anyone's looks.

 

[Seldomski]

Yes; Deer Valley.

Which run is that? I can't place it.

 

[Analisa]

Which run is that? I can't place it.

Haven't the slightest, never been. Insight coming from the people at People.

 

[Josh Matta]

I suppose it's fair play to comment on someone who makes money on their looks, but ... eh, no, I don't think there's any context in which it's called for. No need to comment negatively on anyone's looks.

I think its insane you can be famous by being famous.

 

[Monique]

I think its insane you can be famous by being famous.

Totally different subject (and also way off topic)

 

[David]

Might try googling before putting a gold medalist and multiple x-games winner into a nothing-celebrity family based on the athlete's name alone.

Didn't recognize the name as a skier and I don't follow snowboarding. Sheesh...

 

[Tricia]

This is what will help the sport of skiing grow...
Skiing families FTW!
https://vtskiandride.com/the-family...xRFlsmIEi4AAdEGA_rx4aLFLl-2w8GnnQ_8tYZNT9fqBo
@Alba Adventures

 

[Philpug]

More Snowbasin goodness.
View attachment 59350

Anything more than this is plain unnecessary.

No Diving2

• Guy in Shorts
• Feb 29, 2016

No Diving1

• Guy in Shorts
• Feb 29, 2016

I've used both.

 

[jzmtl]

Not actively shooing away local daytrippers would be a good start.

Tremblant just "upgraded" the tent at north side base, which is where most of the locals go and already very crowded on busy days. It's now 2/3 the size, took away all the shelves and replaced them with paid lockers.

Coupled with the "pay more for less" new pass, I think this will be my last season there.

 

[CalG]

I can give an Anecdote of what can "work".

When our kids were young, the local bump offered free seasons passes to all the school students that made the honor roll. My own kids worked hard starting at fourth grade to get that pass. Of course, we parents had to pay window prices to keep them company. Debby Downer! But The kids got out on those passes several times each season.

Then, there was a State sponsored program called D.A.R.E. , drug, alcohol, ?, ?. It was known as the "Refuse to Abuse" program, and it offered a series of FAMILY ski events at ski areas up and down our entire state. The kids met kids from other places, there were great "races" and other activities. The prizes were fantastic. Snow boards, skis, all sorts of stuff, and EVERYONE got a "tee shirt" or two printed with all the ski industry sponsors.

My own family didn't miss an event...

Result?

Two patrollers (three if you count the dad) Two Pro, and one volley
One ski instructor

Hundreds of great ski related pictures from all over the world.

After all, what does one do on thier day off from skiing, except to go somewhere else to ski?!

Bottom line? Kid friendly, family inclusive "events" of any and all kinds.

 

[Alba Adventures]

This is what will help the sport of skiing grow...
Skiing families FTW!
https://vtskiandride.com/the-family...xRFlsmIEi4AAdEGA_rx4aLFLl-2w8GnnQ_8tYZNT9fqBo
@Alba Adventures

Tricia and Phil - we can thank you all enough. Really, we are speechless by all that has happened this week. Being featured in this story, your sharing it, our latest edit being widely shared close to 50 times and also being included in Burkes video for opening day. Its just been an amazing week.. To top it all off - some amazing SNOW..

This was the edit Burke Mountain did which were in..

Families that ski together, stay together

 

[laine]

This is what will help the sport of skiing grow...
Skiing families FTW!
https://vtskiandride.com/the-family...xRFlsmIEi4AAdEGA_rx4aLFLl-2w8GnnQ_8tYZNT9fqBo
@Alba Adventures

@Alba Adventures - I love that you ended up at Pico as your home mountain. The small mountains really are the key. That's where I spent my formative years. After a year or two at Whiteface, we started going to Pico as a family, and I have strong memories of learning to ski with my parents. It's exactly because it wasn't Killington, I was allowed to lap Bonanza on my own, while my parents skied the rest of the mountain. I remember having to ask strangers to hold my jacket on the lfit, because I was so little and would slide under the safety bar. But it was all good. Everyone treated everyone like family. (It was also the 70s, where my parents were fine letting me and my brother at 6 and 8 ski on our own for a half day.)

I want to believe smaller mountains are the key to growing interest with families. But they also struggle to compete on the cheap deals. I don't know how that will continue to be sustainable and it does worry me.

 

[jmeb]

It won't save skiing, but uphill skiing (at resorts, at former resorts, in the backcountry) is one of the few segments of skiing that seems to be growing rapidly. Part of it is probably a fad. But I think part of it also reaches a group of people who are new to the sport, but enjoy other fitness-focused activities. And helps reduce the focus on skiing gnarly stuff, or skiing blower powder, etc -- placing focus on fitness, being outside, and in the mountains.

Aspen Co really seems to be leading the way in reaching out to this segment.

 

[Alba Adventures]

@Alba Adventures - I love that you ended up at Pico as your home mountain. The small mountains really are the key. That's where I spent my formative years. After a year or two at Whiteface, we started going to Pico as a family, and I have strong memories of learning to ski with my parents. It's exactly because it wasn't Killington, I was allowed to lap Bonanza on my own, while my parents skied the rest of the mountain. I remember having to ask strangers to hold my jacket on the lfit, because I was so little and would slide under the safety bar. But it was all good. Everyone treated everyone like family. (It was also the 70s, where my parents were fine letting me and my brother at 6 and 8 ski on our own for a half day.)

I want to believe smaller mountains are the key to growing interest with families. But they also struggle to compete on the cheap deals. I don't know how that will continue to be sustainable and it does worry me.

Good morning Laine. Yes and we agree with you 100% and are very concerned by the super passes. These passes do make a ton of sense for families as you can get many options for little costs, though some of these places, though great, are often busy and some might not have as much character or are difficult for families to navigate. I like to think that maybe the super passes will help the smaller mountains, as we are following the lead of what Magic Mountain posted - Not Epic, Not Icon Just Magic. When Matt Cote posted that a couple of weeks back, a bell went off. We are trying this year to focus on some of these important places that we have not been to, that are so ideal for families, and offer your the ambience and escape necessary (for us city folk).

We have focused these last few years to get our friends and their families motivated to ski. So far it is working - and to our delight, many are going to places like Mohawk, Butternut, Catamount, Plattekill, MRG, Magic, Jay, and even our beloved Pico.

This is Ray responding now - and yes - the 70's rocked for being independent anywhere as a kid.. My dad was a late bloomer in skiing. Given that he is from a tropical climate, his parents (my grandparents) had no clue what skiing was. Then my dad went on a work trip, a few weeks later took my twin brother Rennie and I (to Masthope which is now Big Bear/Big Boulder I think), we skied on our own not knowing what we were doing and got hooked. Rediscovering Pico as a family, that sense of place and freedom for us and our kids just clicked. Totally. Since finding home at Pico we have tried other places, loving everywhere we ski, though come back to our place in central Vermont - thinking of sitting at the summit or on the Outpost Chair looking out towards the Chitteden Reservoir...

This past weekend we went to Burke Mountain - not sure if you have been up to the NEK - though Burke - it has that same charm.... I hope its OK to post our latest season opener video here on this thread. We try to find families on the mountain to ski with , talk to them and include them in our stories. Families seeing other families ski, and we hope will inspire more families to give skiing a try.

 

[BLspruce2]

Its probably naive to think it will happen but you need more small feeder mountains that can be profitable. Small ski area near where people live with snow making, night skiing, lessons etc . Target after school programs and kids and young families and make it affordable. They do not need to be big nor steep but accessible and affordable to young families. Examples would be Mt. Wachusett ski area in Massachusetts, Mt Cranmore in North Conway NH. There are small ski areas in Penn. and the Midwest which are active yet just small hills but they get young kids out and learning. Some even have active Beer league skiing programs. I know that global warming is biting into the sport but getting young people involved is the key to replenishing the older skiers leaving and keeping the sport alive.

 

[dbostedo]

^^^^
Where I grew up outside of Pittsburgh, the big resort was Seven Springs, with Hidden Valley and Blue Knob being the secondary ones. A lot of folks might refer to Seven Springs (and the others) as a feeder hill, but it has it's own feeder hill closer to Pittsburgh - Boyce Park. That's where I, and a lot of folks near me, learned to ski, on a 150 ft hill with just a couple of small lifts. It was known for two things when I was young - lessons, and having jumps before parks became a thing, when some places didn't allow building jump or ramps. Seems like this is a good arrangement for the metro area, giving a cheaper, easier, closer way to learn, before driving up into the "big" mountains.

All that said, there's no reason the big conglomerates couldn't keep the "feeder hills" going as they buy them up. Seems like that would be prudent, as opposed to putting them out of business. Just in the last couple of years, Vail has bought several feeder hills in the midwest. (At least I think they'd fall into the feeder hill category.)

 

[Alba Adventures]

It won't save skiing, but uphill skiing (at resorts, at former resorts, in the backcountry) is one of the few segments of skiing that seems to be growing rapidly. Part of it is probably a fad. But I think part of it also reaches a group of people who are new to the sport, but enjoy other fitness-focused activities. And helps reduce the focus on skiing gnarly stuff, or skiing blower powder, etc -- placing focus on fitness, being outside, and in the mountains.

Aspen Co really seems to be leading the way in reaching out to this segment.

I agree to this, though for adult skiers. Families is where the growth will happen and if mountains get smart, they will find ways to make it very attractive for families to get out and ski, to eventually become uphill skiers too..