﻿The 
  average 
  skier 
  must 
  travel 
  a 
  long 
  way. 
  Although 
  a 
  few 
  skiers 
  are 
  fortunate 
  

   enough 
  to 
  live 
  within 
  25 
  miles 
  of 
  a 
  ski 
  area, 
  western 
  skiers 
  travel 
  an 
  average 
  of 
  139 
  

   miles 
  one 
  way 
  to 
  reach 
  their 
  ski 
  areas. 
  The 
  average 
  one-way 
  distance 
  increases 
  to 
  

   320 
  miles 
  when 
  skiers 
  take 
  vacation 
  ski 
  trips, 
  that 
  is, 
  trips 
  on 
  which 
  they 
  stay 
  away 
  

   from 
  home 
  four 
  or 
  more 
  nights. 
  Naturally, 
  the 
  nonwestern 
  skier 
  travels 
  much 
  further- 
  - 
  

   600 
  miles 
  is 
  the 
  one-way 
  average 
  - 
  -when 
  he 
  comes 
  to 
  the 
  Western 
  States 
  for 
  a 
  ski 
  

   vacation. 
  

  

  The 
  California 
  skier 
  travels 
  nearly 
  twice 
  as 
  far 
  on 
  a 
  ski 
  trip 
  as 
  does 
  the 
  skier 
  

   from 
  the 
  other 
  Western 
  States. 
  Nor 
  does 
  he 
  stop 
  at 
  the 
  State 
  line. 
  The 
  ubiquitous 
  

   California 
  skiers 
  comprised 
  60 
  percent 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  western 
  nonresident 
  skiers 
  who 
  

   visited 
  Colorado, 
  Nevada, 
  and 
  Utah 
  during 
  1965. 
  

  

  Twenty 
  percent 
  of 
  those 
  who 
  visited 
  western 
  ski 
  areas 
  during 
  the 
  1964-65 
  season 
  

   were 
  participating 
  in 
  their 
  first 
  year 
  of 
  skiing. 
  This 
  followed 
  the 
  same 
  pattern 
  found 
  

   in 
  a 
  similar 
  study 
  made 
  earlier 
  of 
  attendance 
  at 
  ski 
  areas 
  in 
  the 
  eastern 
  United 
  States.^ 
  

   Actually 
  31 
  percent 
  of 
  those 
  skiing 
  in 
  the 
  Western 
  States 
  during 
  the 
  1964-65 
  season 
  

   could 
  be 
  classed 
  as 
  "novices" 
  inasmuch 
  as 
  they 
  had 
  only 
  been 
  skiing 
  for 
  1 
  or 
  2 
  years. 
  

  

  Another 
  pattern 
  became 
  evident 
  from 
  the 
  results 
  of 
  this 
  survey 
  of 
  western 
  ski 
  

   areas; 
  namely, 
  participation 
  isn't 
  on 
  a 
  continuing 
  year 
  -in 
  -year 
  -out 
  basis. 
  On 
  the 
  

   average, 
  10 
  percent 
  of 
  all 
  those 
  who 
  ski 
  one 
  year 
  don't 
  ski 
  the 
  following 
  year. 
  

  

  Regularity 
  of 
  participation 
  declines, 
  

   furthermore, 
  over 
  the 
  long 
  haul. 
  Among 
  

   those 
  who 
  reported 
  they 
  had 
  learned 
  to 
  

   ski 
  3 
  to 
  4 
  years 
  ago, 
  96 
  percent 
  skied 
  

   every 
  year 
  since. 
  The 
  proportion 
  dropped 
  

   to 
  78 
  percent 
  among 
  those 
  who 
  reported 
  

   they 
  had 
  learned 
  to 
  ski 
  5 
  to 
  8 
  years 
  ago 
  

   and 
  to 
  61 
  percent 
  among 
  those 
  who 
  re- 
  

   ported 
  they 
  had 
  learned 
  to 
  ski 
  9 
  or 
  more 
  

   years 
  ago. 
  

  

  48% 
  

   3-14 
  YEARS 
  

  

  ^U.S. 
  Dep. 
  of 
  Commerce. 
  The 
  

   skier 
  market 
  in 
  northeastern 
  United 
  

   States. 
  Wash. 
  D.C.: 
  Govt. 
  Printing 
  

   Office. 
  1965. 
  

  

  MANY 
  SKIERS 
  

   ARE 
  IMOVICES 
  

  

  31% 
  

   1-2 
  YEARS 
  

  

  5 
  

  

  