﻿CONTENTS 
  

  

  Page 
  

  

  FOREWORD 
  o 
  ii 
  

  

  THE 
  WESTERN 
  SKI 
  INDUSTRY 
  AND 
  SKIER 
  TODAY 
  1 
  

  

  THE 
  FUTURE 
  OF 
  SKIING 
  IN 
  THE 
  WEST 
  11 
  

  

  12.1 
  million 
  visits 
  anticipated 
  in 
  1976 
  11 
  

  

  Physical 
  demands 
  of 
  skiing 
  discourage 
  many 
  12 
  

  

  Cost 
  of 
  skiing 
  deters 
  many 
  people 
  13 
  

  

  Travel 
  time 
  is 
  a 
  problem 
  » 
  15 
  

  

  Many 
  skiers 
  do 
  not 
  participate 
  every 
  year 
  16 
  

  

  Participation 
  can 
  be 
  increased: 
  better 
  lifts, 
  tows, 
  and 
  slopes 
  one 
  approach 
  . 
  . 
  17 
  

  

  Safer 
  skiing 
  is 
  needed 
  « 
  18 
  

  

  Areas 
  needed 
  closer 
  to 
  markets 
  19 
  

  

  Overnight 
  accommodations 
  facilitate 
  skiing 
  for 
  many 
  20 
  

  

  Lift 
  and 
  tow 
  capacity 
  probably 
  will 
  not 
  need 
  to 
  increase 
  as 
  rapidly 
  as 
  

  

  attendance 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  o 
  « 
  « 
  23 
  

  

  Sites 
  for 
  new 
  ski 
  areas 
  are 
  plentiful 
  „ 
  24 
  

  

  Skiing 
  is 
  an 
  important 
  economic 
  consideration 
  in 
  many 
  communities 
  . 
  . 
  „ 
  . 
  . 
  26 
  

  

  Promotion 
  efforts 
  will 
  need 
  to 
  be 
  intensified 
  „. 
  ...» 
  ... 
  . 
  27 
  

  

  Greater 
  public 
  motivation- 
  -the 
  key 
  to 
  expansion 
  28 
  

  

  APPENDIX 
  „ 
  „ 
  . 
  „ 
  29 
  

  

  Western 
  States 
  Ski 
  Area 
  Operator 
  Questionnaire 
  <> 
  30 
  

  

  How 
  survey 
  of 
  ski 
  area 
  operators 
  was 
  conducted 
  38 
  

  

  Procedure 
  for 
  determining 
  capacity 
  of 
  lifts 
  and 
  tows 
  38 
  

  

  Procedure 
  for 
  collecting 
  attendance 
  data 
  „ 
  40 
  

  

  Estimating 
  lift 
  and 
  tow 
  utilization 
  „ 
  45 
  

  

  Relating 
  past 
  attendance 
  to 
  the 
  future 
  47 
  

  

  How 
  the 
  survey 
  of 
  skiers 
  was 
  conducted 
  » 
  48 
  

  

  Skier 
  Questionnaire 
  » 
  » 
  . 
  o 
  . 
  49 
  

  

  Adjustment 
  for 
  sampling 
  bias 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  » 
  <, 
  53 
  

  

  How 
  the 
  skier 
  population 
  estimate 
  was 
  derived 
  „ 
  55 
  

  

  Reliability 
  of 
  skier 
  data 
  „ 
  . 
  o 
  . 
  . 
  56 
  

  

  How 
  inventory 
  of 
  potential 
  new 
  sites 
  was 
  conducted 
  . 
  „ 
  60 
  

  

  TABLES 
  

  

  1 
  Percent 
  of 
  skier 
  expenditure 
  by 
  item 
  and 
  by 
  type 
  of 
  trip 
  ....<,..,. 
  14 
  

  

  2 
  Average 
  (mean) 
  number 
  of 
  days 
  skied 
  per 
  skier 
  and 
  the 
  standard 
  error 
  of 
  

  

  that 
  average 
  (mean) 
  during 
  the 
  1963-64 
  season, 
  by 
  State 
  and 
  residency 
  

  

  class 
  o 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  o 
  o 
  .. 
  o 
  .... 
  o 
  ... 
  . 
  58 
  

  

  3 
  Average 
  (mean) 
  daily 
  expenditure 
  per 
  skier 
  and 
  the 
  standard 
  error 
  of 
  that 
  

  

  average 
  (mean) 
  during 
  the 
  1963-64 
  season 
  by 
  State 
  and 
  residency 
  class 
  . 
  58 
  

  

  4 
  Confidence 
  limits 
  for 
  percentages 
  of 
  the 
  entire 
  skier 
  population 
  estimated 
  

  

  to 
  have 
  certain 
  characteristics 
  during 
  the 
  1964-65 
  season 
  59 
  

  

  5 
  Confidence 
  limits 
  for 
  percentages 
  of 
  the 
  skier 
  population 
  19 
  years 
  and 
  old- 
  

  

  er 
  estimated 
  to 
  have 
  certain 
  characteristics 
  during 
  the 
  1964-65 
  season 
  . 
  59 
  

  

  iii 
  

  

  