﻿HOW 
  SURVEY 
  OF 
  SKI 
  AREA 
  OPERATORS 
  WAS 
  CONDUCTED 
  

  

  An 
  attempt 
  was 
  made 
  to 
  visit 
  every 
  ski 
  area 
  that 
  had 
  been 
  in 
  operation 
  during 
  the 
  

   period 
  1955 
  to 
  1964 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  all 
  areas 
  that 
  were 
  operating 
  during 
  the 
  1964-65 
  season. 
  

   Operators 
  of 
  ski 
  areas 
  operating 
  under 
  permit 
  from 
  the 
  Forest 
  Service 
  were 
  contacted 
  

   by 
  employees 
  of 
  the 
  National 
  Forests 
  on 
  which 
  these 
  areas 
  were 
  located. 
  Operators 
  of 
  

   ski 
  areas 
  on 
  private, 
  State, 
  and 
  other 
  Federal 
  lands 
  were 
  contacted 
  by 
  employees 
  of 
  

   the 
  Intermountain 
  Forest 
  and 
  Range 
  Experiment 
  Station. 
  

  

  Each 
  was 
  asked 
  to 
  fill 
  out 
  a 
  Ski 
  Operator 
  Questionnaire 
  (see 
  page 
  30) 
  while 
  the 
  

   interviewer 
  was 
  present. 
  If 
  this 
  wasn't 
  possible, 
  the 
  operator 
  was 
  asked 
  to 
  return 
  his 
  

   completed 
  questionnaire 
  by 
  mail. 
  

  

  A 
  total 
  of 
  223 
  ski 
  areas 
  were 
  contacted, 
  197 
  of 
  which 
  were 
  operating 
  during 
  the 
  

   1963-64 
  season. 
  Of 
  these, 
  171 
  had 
  kept 
  the 
  necessary 
  records 
  and 
  were 
  willing 
  to 
  fill 
  

   out 
  the 
  questionnaire. 
  Owners 
  of 
  20 
  of 
  26 
  ski 
  areas 
  that 
  had 
  formerly 
  been 
  in 
  operation 
  

   also 
  filled 
  out 
  questionnaires. 
  

  

  In 
  those 
  situations 
  where 
  the 
  operator 
  was 
  either 
  unwilling 
  or 
  unable 
  to 
  complete 
  

   the 
  questionnaire, 
  the 
  interviewer 
  was 
  instructed 
  to 
  make 
  the 
  best 
  estimate 
  of 
  both 
  

   attendance 
  and 
  lift 
  and 
  tow 
  capacity 
  from 
  whatever 
  sources 
  he 
  could. 
  Frequently, 
  

   records 
  maintained 
  by 
  National 
  Forests 
  were 
  used. 
  In 
  the 
  few 
  cases 
  of 
  lost 
  or 
  missing 
  

   records, 
  attendance 
  was 
  estimated 
  as 
  similar 
  to 
  that 
  of 
  nearby 
  ski 
  areas 
  with 
  like 
  

   facilities 
  and 
  capacity. 
  For 
  the 
  most 
  part, 
  these 
  were 
  smaller 
  ski 
  areas 
  with 
  limited 
  

   attendance 
  and 
  lift/tow 
  facilities. 
  Combined 
  attendance 
  estimated 
  for 
  all 
  such 
  ski 
  areas 
  

   was 
  less 
  than 
  4 
  percent 
  of 
  the 
  total 
  skier 
  visits 
  recorded 
  during 
  the 
  1963-64 
  skiing 
  

   season. 
  Although 
  no 
  measurement 
  of 
  accuracy 
  of 
  attendance 
  information 
  is 
  possible, 
  

   the 
  error 
  is 
  unlikely 
  to 
  exceed 
  ±5 
  percent 
  of 
  the 
  total. 
  

  

  PROCEDURE 
  FOR 
  DETERMINING 
  CAPACITY 
  OF 
  LIFTS 
  AND 
  TOWS 
  

  

  Lift 
  and 
  tow 
  capacity 
  was 
  expressed 
  as 
  the 
  Vertical 
  Transport 
  Feet 
  (VTF) 
  gen- 
  

   erated 
  in 
  1 
  hour. 
  The 
  formula 
  used 
  to 
  calculate 
  VTF/hr. 
  is 
  given 
  below: 
  

  

  VTF/hr 
  . 
  = 
  (VR) 
  (NR), 
  

  

  where 
  

  

  VR 
  = 
  Vertical 
  rise 
  of 
  a 
  lift 
  in 
  feet 
  

  

  NR 
  = 
  Number 
  of 
  rides 
  per 
  hour 
  generated 
  by 
  the 
  lift. 
  (This 
  is 
  usually 
  ex- 
  

   pressed 
  by 
  ski 
  lift 
  manufacturers 
  as 
  "skiers 
  per 
  hour.") 
  

  

  Total 
  lift 
  and 
  tow 
  capacity 
  per 
  hour 
  was 
  derived 
  from 
  question 
  9 
  (see 
  question- 
  

   naire). 
  The 
  VTF/hr. 
  capacity 
  was 
  calculated 
  by 
  multiplying 
  the 
  vertical 
  rise 
  of 
  the 
  

   lift 
  or 
  tow 
  (col. 
  3, 
  question 
  9) 
  by 
  the 
  reported 
  skiers 
  per 
  hour 
  capacity 
  of 
  the 
  lift 
  or 
  

   tow 
  (col. 
  7, 
  question 
  9). 
  

  

  38 
  

  

  