﻿THE 
  WESTERN 
  SKI 
  INDUSTRY 
  AND 
  SKIER 
  TODAY 
  

  

  Skiing 
  as 
  a 
  form 
  of 
  recreation 
  got 
  its 
  impetus 
  in 
  the 
  West 
  when 
  the 
  first 
  ski 
  runs 
  

   were 
  constructed 
  in 
  1936 
  at 
  Sun 
  Valley, 
  Idaho. 
  During 
  the 
  1963-64 
  ski 
  season, 
  more 
  

   than 
  415,000 
  skiers 
  were 
  coursing 
  the 
  snowclad 
  mountains 
  of 
  the 
  12 
  Western 
  States 
  

   and 
  their 
  expenditures 
  --more 
  than 
  $115 
  million 
  - 
  -made 
  a 
  significant 
  contribution 
  to 
  the 
  

   economy 
  of 
  the 
  West. 
  

  

  The 
  surge 
  in 
  number 
  of 
  skiers 
  during 
  the 
  50 
  's 
  developed 
  into 
  a 
  nationwide 
  

   phenomenon. 
  It 
  captured 
  the 
  attention 
  of 
  those 
  sports 
  enthusiasts 
  who 
  are 
  always 
  

   seeking 
  new 
  ways 
  to 
  test 
  their 
  physical 
  capabilities. 
  It 
  also 
  challenged 
  the 
  imagination 
  

   of 
  private 
  entrepreneurs 
  and 
  public 
  land 
  managers 
  - 
  -particularly 
  those 
  interested 
  in 
  

   acquainting 
  more 
  and 
  more 
  people 
  with 
  year 
  -long 
  experiences 
  of 
  the 
  outdoor 
  recreation 
  

   opportunities 
  . 
  

  

  This 
  is 
  reflected 
  by 
  what 
  occurred 
  during 
  the 
  9 
  -year 
  period 
  1955-63. 
  Skier 
  

   visits 
  tripled- 
  -from 
  1.4 
  million 
  in 
  1955 
  to 
  4.3 
  million 
  in 
  1963. 
  And 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  

  

  In 
  this 
  report, 
  a 
  visit 
  was 
  considered 
  as 
  one 
  person 
  visiting 
  a 
  ski 
  area 
  to 
  ski 
  

   all 
  or 
  part 
  of 
  a 
  day. 
  

  

  CABLE 
  CAPACITY 
  

   INCREASING 
  RAPIDLY 
  

  

  ROPE 
  

  

  I 
  I 
  I 
  I 
  I 
  I 
  I 
  I 
  1 
  I 
  

  

  1955 
  1956 
  1957 
  1958 
  1959 
  1960 
  1961 
  1962 
  1963 
  1964 
  

  

  YEAR 
  

  

  1 
  

  

  