among and between recreational users and nonrecre- 

 ational users. These problems are acute for managers 

 of public lands — particularly the Forest Service and 

 Bureau of Land Management. Problems are chang- 

 ing fast, faster than techniques are being developed to 

 cope with them, and probably faster than changes to 

 the natural, biological system resulting from recrea- 

 tional use. Unfortunately, less is known about river, 

 reservoir, and lake users than about their impact on 

 the physical resources. ^'^ 



In the absence of full documentation of recrea- 

 tional use. many decisions have been made intuitively 

 by recreation planners and managers to minimize 

 problems and to maintain quality recreational oppor- 

 tunities. For example, some States in the North Cen- 

 tral region have found it necessary to limit the time of 

 day that motorboats may be operated on some lakes 

 in order to assure anglers that they can enjoy reason- 

 ably safe and productive fishing experiences. In 

 numerous other situations, waters have been zoned to 

 provide or to limit various boating activities. Also, 

 use rationing on rivers through limitations on camp- 

 ing and open fires, party-size restrictions, limitations 

 on length of stay, and other use restrictions have been 

 imposed or are anticipated. Daily launch limitations 

 (controlling the number of groups permitted to start 

 per day at an access point) and party-size restrictions 

 are common measures for controlling use on about 30 

 rivers or river segments in the United States. ^^ Some 

 management strategies seem to have worked well and 

 have gained public support; many others have not. 

 Managerial action frequently has been reflected both 

 in dissatisfied recreational users and in litigation by a 

 variety of recreation interests. 



Snow and ice activities — Snow and ice activities 

 attract participants from all regions of the country. 

 However, individuals from the Rocky Mountains and 

 Great Plains region and the Pacific Coast are more 

 Ukely to participate in downhill skiing, while individ- 

 uals located in the Northeast and North Central 

 regions are more frequent participants in ice skating 

 and sledding. 3' For activities like snowmobiling and 

 cross-country skiing, persons living in the Rocky 

 Mountains and Great Plains, North Central, and 

 Northeast have participation levels greater than those 

 in other regions. 



"Anderson, Dorothy H., Earl C. Leatherberry, and David W. 

 Lime. Annotated bibliography on river recreation. USDA For. 

 Serv. Gen. Tech. Rep. NC^I. North Central For. E.xp. Sta., St. 

 Paul. Minn. 62 p. 1978. 



3* McCool, Stephen F.. David W. Lime, and Dorothy H. .Ander- 

 son. Simulation model as a tool for managing river recreation. 

 USDA Forest Service. Gen. Tech. Rep. NC-28. North Central For. 

 Exp. Sta.. St. Paul. Minn. 8 p. 1977. 



5' 1977 National Outdoor Recreation Survey, op. cii. 



These cold weather activities attract a cross section 

 of people, with a growing number of families and 

 older individuals becoming participants. These trends 

 are supported by the 1977 National Outdoor Recrea- 

 tion Survey'**' which showed that downhill skiing, 

 cross-country skiing, and snowmobiling were among 

 the top activities that individuals who are not cur- 

 rently participants would like to try in the future 

 (table 3.1). A national survey of the skiing market 

 conducted by the Forest Service in 1978 indicated 

 that 1 1 million adults are active downhill skiers.'" 

 Also, about 4 million adults participate in cross- 

 country skiing. 



The supply of snow and ice recreational activities 

 can be divided into two basic types. Developed 

 opportunities are provided for such activities as 

 downhill skiing and ice skating in winter sports com- 

 plexes which often charge fees for the use of their 

 facilities. For example, the cost of a lift ticket for a 

 day of downhill skiing ranges from S8 to SI 6. These 

 developed areas vary in size from small community 

 facilities to major corporate ventures which support 

 communities and serve international clientele. Dis- 

 persed cold weather recreational opportunities in- 

 clude activities such as cross-country skiing, snow- 

 mobiling, snowshoeing, mountaineering, ice fishing, 

 and general snow play in undeveloped areas. Access, 

 parking, sanitation facilities, trails, weather and 

 safety information are normally needed for these 

 activities. 



For downhill skiing, the supply of facilities de- 

 pends on suitable access, terrain, and weather con- 

 ditions that will give adequate snowfall. In some 

 cases, snowmaking machines are used to extend the 

 season or range. There are 2,246 ski lifts in the United 

 States of which 1,337 are aerial (table 3.10). Forty- 

 one percent are located in the Northeast and 22 per- 

 cent in the Rocky Mountain and Great Plains States. 

 The Forest Service, the largest public supplier of 

 downhill skiing opportunities, has 30 percent of all 

 the Nation's ski lifts operating under permit by 

 concessioners. 



The number of ski lifts is not, however, an accurate 

 measure of the downhill skiing opportunities or the 

 capacity of a region. A long lift going to the top of a 

 steep hill provides a longer ride and a more challeng- 

 ing skiing experience than does a short lift to the top 

 of a gentle hill. The concept of "vertical transport 

 feet" has been developed to provide a more meaning- 

 ful interpretation of capacity. 



The measurement of lift capacity in terms of verti- 



'"'1977 National Outdoor Recreation Survey, op. cit. 

 ■" LaPage. W.. and Standley, S. Growth potential of the skier 

 market. USDA For. Serv. (In press). 



90 



