If you build it, they will come.
Ski resorts around the world are learning that instead of shuttering runs during the increasingly lengthy summer season, if they offer summer activities and events, the people will come - AND - they will spend money.
While it’s true that mountain resort patrons love putting on skis or boards and shredding fresh powder in the winter, smart resorts are also looking at ways to make themselves booming year-round destinations. They’re capitalizing on breathtaking vistas and developing areas for mountain biking, rock climbing, and golfing, and even hosting summer concerts and beer festivals.
As ski resorts struggle to keep up with rapidly evolving downward generational trends in skiing and snowboarding (only 19% of skiers and snowboarders continue in the sport long term and Millennial and Gen Z participants ski and ride less than prior generations), many see the opportunity for increased revenue in the summer activities market.
Summer has become a critical season for resorts everywhere.
Ski Resort Management magazine noted in 2017 that ski resort revenue from summer 2016 was almost twice as much as it was in summer 2007. In that same time period, summer visitors increased by 45%.
In what was historically a “downtime” for ski resorts, late spring, summer, and fall now serve as an important time period to increase annual revenue.
Liftopia reports that roughly 75% of all US ski resorts have adopted some type of non-winter activity.
4 Reasons Ski Resorts Should Expand into Summer
The move to embrace the “off-season” began in earnest after the 2014 Ski Area Recreational Opportunity Enhancement Act, which allowed ski resorts operating on public land to expand their services beyond the winter season. With an estimated 60% of ski resorts in the US operating on public land, this was a significant change.
The USDA estimated that expanding recreational activities into summer months would:
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Increase annual visits to national forests by 600,000
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Add more than 600 additional full- or part-time jobs
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Boost local mountain communities by roughly $40 million
Here are four reasons resorts are choosing to invest in summer activities.
1. Appeal to New Demographics
As noted earlier, ski resorts continue to focus on growing their return visitor base, since only 19% of skiers and snowboarders continue in the sport long term. By opening their resorts to hosting summer events and investing in ways to capitalize on their existing infrastructure and terrain, ski resorts are not only inviting repeat visitors for the winter but introducing themselves to new visitors.
2. Capitalize on Existing Infrastructure
There is a reason mountain biking is one of the most common summer activities offered by ski resorts around the country – the terrain, the vertical, and the scenery already exist, creating the ideal setup for mountain biking enthusiasts. Resorts already have the framework in place to host summer activities and events. There’s lodging, parking, food services, and mountain terrain already in place. Letting the property lie fallow during summer months is a waste in potential revenue opportunities.
3. Steady Job Opportunities
In the traditional business model for ski resorts, once the winter season is over, so too is the quality staff you’ve taken the time to carefully screen, hire, and train. Going through that process at the start of every winter season can be onerous and costly. However, by maintaining activities during the summer and fall months, resorts are less likely to lose their best employees to summer work. Instead, staff members build on their experience at the resort, offering a more seamless transition from season to season.
4. Reach Record Number of Visitors
The number of skier and snowboard visits has rebounded since the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing resorts to recoup losses and invest increased revenues in summer infrastructure. Skier visits were down nearly 14% in 2019-2020, mainly due to a pandemic-shortened season, and the ski industry lost an estimated $2 billion.
But the industry has had a surprisingly quick comeback, and the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) estimates that the 2021-22 season reached a record high of more than 60 million visits.
The pandemic seems to have had a silver lining for ski resorts:
- Increased participation in outdoor activities
- Increased midweek business
- Growth in numbers of those learning to ski
- Lapsed skiers returning to the sport
As noted above, this upward trend in winter visits tends to increase visits in the shoulder seasons as well. Now is a great time to capture the interest of winter guests for a summertime visit.
The Beauty & Ease of Installing Alpine Pumptracks
From climbing walls to mountain biking, visitors are drawn to attractions that offer them the natural resources already available at ski resorts. Instead of strapping on a board and shredding down the mountain, biking tourism has emerged, becoming a magnet for cycling enthusiasts and families. They are actively seeking new vacation destinations to bring their mountain bikes to explore thrills on trails and pumptracks.
The Outdoor Industry Association reports that “bicycling is one of the fastest growing types of outdoor recreation and tourism nationwide." It's estimated that 48 million people bicycle recreationally per year, contributing $96.7 billion per year to the economy.
What Is a Pumptrack?
Pumptracks are made of rollers, banked turns, and other features that are designed to be enjoyed by riders “pumping” instead of pedaling or pushing their bikes. Today’s designs are also accessible to skateboards, scooters, and wheelchairs.
They are relatively easy to use, and can be enjoyed by a wide range of rider levels, from beginner to advanced. Parents can kick back, have a drink, and relax outside while the kids ride, or join in the fun and make it a family activity. More experienced riders can tune their skills and timing.
For ski resorts with large amounts of unused space during summer months, installing a pumptrack is an ideal way to capitalize on existing infrastructure and attract outdoor and mountain biking enthusiasts.
Unlike original pumptracks, which were painstakingly carved out of dirt, and required heavy maintenance due to weather and erosion, more recent designs use concrete, asphalt, and composite fiberglass.
Our modular pumptracks are one of the easiest ways ski resorts can invest in expanding into the summer and fall months. These pumptracks can be assembled and disassembled, somewhat like giant Lego bricks. Modular pumptracks can be rented for as short a time as a one-day festival or set up for the entire shoulder season and stored away when the snow starts to fall.
With a variety of designs to choose from, PARKITECT pumptracks can be incorporated into the existing landscape, installed as permanent structures, or assembled as temporary structures. If you’re interested in testing one out at your resort, you can rent a modular pumptrack for any length of time, from a single day to several years.
We’ve installed PARKITECT modular pumptracks in the following ski resorts, with great results:
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Les Gets, France
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Méribel, France
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Bike Republic, Sölden, Austria
Check out this track installed in the famed Méribel resort in the French Alps.
Having a pumptrack and other shoulder season activities at resorts increases local real estate values. When properties can be used or rented out year round, they appeal more to owners and investors. Instead of just a winter destination, you have a place where you can vacation in the winter, summer, or any season.
Whether permanent or temporary, integrating a pumptrack into your ski resort can not only generate much-needed off-season revenue but create repeat business and happy customers.
For more information about bringing a pumptrack to your resort, get in touch.
