A Longwoods Int'l survey delivered to 150 members of
the New England Ski Industry Summit revealed that the
average age of skiers in New England "rose" from 36.2 to
40.6 between '94-98, while the "nationwide average rose more
slowly," according to Ellen Barry of the BOSTON GLOBE. The
survey also revealed that the number of 18- to 24-year-olds
who went on ski trips dropped by 5%, and the number of 25-
to 34-year-olds dropped by 8%. Longwoods Int'l Pollster
Bill Siegel said that he "had been shocked by the rapid
aging on New England's slopes." The Longwoods survey found
that "typical enthusiasts" of ski vacations "have an average
age of 38.7 and earn more than $70,000 a year," while the
number of ski vacationers who "earn less than $25,000
annually dropped" from 13% to 5% over the five-year period.
Also, while "the amount of overnight travel grew" by 22%
nationally, the "number of overnight ski trips in New
England grew" 11%, which is "less than half as much as the
26% increase in the number of overnight ski trips
nationally" (BOSTON GLOBE, 9/14).
VAIL-ED ATTEMPTS AT RETAIL: In Denver, David Williams
writes that Canada-based Intrawest is "making a bold leap
into the Vail Village retail scene this ski season, with
plans to open" a 10,000-square-foot Vail Mountain Adventure
Center. Intrawest VP/Retail Operations Sandy Black said
that his company is "talking to Nike about partnering" on
the project, to be "modeled" after the "highly successful"
Whistler Mountain Adventure Center, which "converts to a
Nike retail outlet in the summer months" (DEN. POST, 9/14).
