During the weekly Marketing Chat Twitter chat last week, there was a good discussion about how it feels like winter (at least in the West), has moved back a week. I’m not a meteorologist, but it sure feels that way to me, particularly on a day like today, May 2, when it snowed here in Park City! The question seems to be evident, “Should ski resorts move their scheduled season a week or two later?”
Would an extra week or two of skiing in April really benefit most ski resorts? I say no. First, the first week or two of the season is almost critically important in terms of employee training, public relations and getting everything in order for the business critical Christmas/New Years break, which occurs (for better or worse) just a few weeks into the winter season. Second, the benefit of extending longer after most people’s thoughts have turned to spring and summer won’t attract many crowds and certainly doesn’t have the benefit of driving additional skier visitation the next season the way an early opening does.
Is this foreshadowing bigger issues to come for ski resorts in terms of climate change? I sure hope not, but for now, I hope that resorts don’t knee jerk too quickly on adjusting their seasons. What do you think, does it make sense for ski resorts to start adjusting their season dates?
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Tags: ski resort · weather · winter2 Comments
It seems like business levels do a fairly good job of dictating what the resort should do as far as staying open, though coming from the East is almost seems a crime for only Snowbird to be offering up (limited) skiing with so much snowfall this spring. What I would really love to see is the ski day extended with the time change. When the clocks "spring forward" in the spring, why not keep the lifts going longer to take advantage of the added daylight and close an hour or so later especially out west where night skiing is not common as it is on the East coast?
Valid point about the time change Adam, particularly if an early opening is only done a few main lifts, the additional operational costs shouldn’t be too much.
To your other point, I think most resorts just don’t think the added PR of staying open late is worth running their operations in the red. BTW, as I’m writing this, I’m looking out the window at a very snowy morning here in Park City!