﻿ESTIMATING 
  LIFT 
  AND 
  TOW 
  UTILIZATION 
  

  

  Ski 
  area 
  operators 
  were 
  asked 
  to 
  estimate 
  the 
  maximum 
  number 
  of 
  skiers 
  that 
  

   could 
  use 
  their 
  1964-65 
  tows 
  and 
  lifts 
  on 
  a 
  single 
  day 
  without 
  having 
  them 
  wait 
  longer 
  

   than 
  10 
  to 
  15 
  minutes. 
  (See 
  question 
  8.) 
  Using 
  this 
  as 
  a 
  measure, 
  the 
  answers 
  showed 
  

   that 
  about 
  19. 
  1 
  million 
  skier 
  visits 
  a 
  year 
  would 
  saturate 
  the 
  existing 
  capacity. 
  This 
  

   is 
  far 
  more 
  than 
  the 
  4.3 
  million 
  visits 
  actually 
  recorded. 
  Even 
  on 
  weekends 
  and 
  holi- 
  

   days, 
  the 
  operators 
  indicated 
  they 
  could 
  have 
  handled 
  6,2 
  million 
  visits, 
  more 
  than 
  

   twice 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  skier 
  visits 
  actually 
  recorded 
  during 
  weekends 
  and 
  holidays. 
  Based 
  

   on 
  the 
  operators' 
  appraisal, 
  nearly 
  50 
  percent 
  of 
  the 
  available 
  lift 
  and 
  tow 
  capacity 
  was 
  

   not 
  being 
  used 
  even 
  during 
  the 
  generally 
  crowded 
  weekends 
  and 
  holidays. 
  

  

  Another 
  way 
  of 
  judging 
  how 
  fully 
  existing 
  facilities 
  are 
  being 
  utilized 
  is 
  to 
  con- 
  

   vert 
  the 
  VTF 
  ratings 
  calculated 
  for 
  the 
  lifts 
  and 
  tows 
  into 
  potential 
  number 
  of 
  skier 
  

   visits 
  possible 
  on 
  any 
  single 
  day. 
  It 
  has 
  been 
  estimated 
  that 
  the 
  average 
  skier 
  wants 
  

   about 
  8, 
  000 
  VTF 
  per 
  day 
  of 
  skiing. 
  This 
  would 
  be 
  eight 
  trips 
  per 
  day 
  down 
  a 
  hill 
  

   with 
  1,000 
  feet 
  of 
  vertical 
  drop 
  or 
  16 
  trips 
  per 
  day 
  down 
  a 
  hill 
  with 
  500 
  feet 
  of 
  vertical 
  

   drop. 
  This 
  193, 
  299, 
  839 
  VTF 
  per 
  hour 
  of 
  lift 
  and 
  tow 
  capacity 
  available 
  in 
  1963-64 
  

  

  1 
  5 
  

  

  meant 
  that 
  966, 
  499, 
  195 
  VTF 
  were 
  available 
  to 
  skiers 
  during 
  a 
  day. 
  If 
  each 
  skier 
  

   were 
  to 
  use 
  8,000 
  per 
  visit, 
  this 
  capacity 
  would 
  satisfy 
  120,812 
  skier 
  visits 
  during 
  

   any 
  single 
  day 
  (966,499, 
  195 
  / 
  8,000 
  = 
  120,812). 
  This 
  would 
  be 
  available 
  at 
  cable 
  

   and 
  rope 
  facilities 
  as 
  shown 
  below: 
  

  

  Type 
  ' 
  Total 
  capacity 
  Capacity 
  

  

  (VTF/hr.) 
  (Skier 
  visits/day) 
  

  

  Cable 
  155,939,799 
  97,462 
  

  

  Rope 
  37, 
  360,040 
  23, 
  350 
  

  

  Total 
  193,299,839 
  120,812 
  

  

  Applying 
  this 
  figure 
  to 
  an 
  average 
  80 
  -day 
  season 
  indicates 
  that 
  western 
  ski 
  areas 
  

   would 
  theoretically 
  have 
  been 
  able 
  to 
  handle 
  9.7 
  million 
  skier 
  visits 
  during 
  the 
  1963-64 
  

   season 
  (80 
  X 
  122,350 
  = 
  9,664,960). 
  Because 
  only 
  4.3 
  million 
  visits 
  were 
  recorded 
  

   during 
  this 
  season, 
  western 
  cable 
  and 
  rope 
  capacity 
  was 
  apparently 
  only 
  44 
  percent 
  

   utilized 
  that 
  season. 
  (4,3 
  million 
  actual 
  visits 
  / 
  9.6 
  million 
  visit 
  capacity 
  = 
  44%) 
  

  

  U.S. 
  Dep, 
  of 
  Commerce. 
  The 
  skier 
  market 
  in 
  northeast 
  North 
  America, 
  p, 
  63. 
  

   Wash. 
  D,C.: 
  U.S. 
  Govt. 
  Printing 
  Off 
  ice 
  . 
  1963. 
  

  

  1 
  5 
  

  

  Assuming 
  5 
  hours 
  of 
  effective 
  operation 
  daily. 
  Most 
  ski 
  areas 
  operate 
  7 
  hours 
  

   per 
  day, 
  starting 
  at 
  about 
  9a.m. 
  and 
  stopping 
  at 
  4 
  p.m. 
  , 
  without 
  any 
  lunch 
  break. 
  

   However, 
  all 
  lists 
  and 
  tows 
  are 
  seldom 
  fully 
  operative 
  during 
  the 
  entire 
  day. 
  Weather, 
  

   mechanical 
  difficulties, 
  and 
  other 
  problems 
  reduce 
  the 
  amount 
  of 
  time 
  the 
  lifts 
  actually 
  

   run. 
  For 
  these 
  reasons, 
  the 
  full 
  7-hour 
  day 
  has 
  been 
  discounted 
  to 
  5 
  hours. 
  

  

  45 
  

  

  