Have you been to a Ski Resort lately? Turtleneck sweaters and tight ski pants have been replaced by tatooes, body piercing, and a much more colorful crowd.

A bonanza for ski areas

During the early 80s the ski industry was in trouble. Plagued by flagging crowds, an aging clientele, seasonal weather changes, and a limited timeframe for annual revenue acquisition. The industry needed a shot in the arm and received it from a most unlikely source called snowboarders. The younger set could identify with an easier learning curve which was closely related to skateboarding and soon gained an identity of its own. Traditional ski schools where snowplows, stem christies and parallel turns were traditionally taught were being replaced by snowboarding clases filled with eager new recruits. The bottom line was it was cool to board and uncool to ski. The ski industry was about to be transformed.

Rise of Snowboarding

Snowboarding was born in the mid 1960s when a skier named Sherman Poppen experimented with bracing a pair of conventional skis together which could then be ridden sideways down a slope near his home. This invention was known as the snurfer and would soon begin to gain appeal as snowboarding innovators such as Jake Burton, Tom Sims, Mike Olson and others created snowboard designs that could be used by the masses. During the early 1980s snowboard competitions began to sprout up as competitors, media, and fans collectively fed this growing sport. By 1998 snowboarding was clearly the fastest growing winter sport in the world and the Olympic games featured snowboarding at its winter games in Nagano, Japan. By the 2006 Olympics the United States would land 7 medals in Torino, Italy and stars such as Shaun White, Danny Kass, Hannah Teter, Gretchen Bleiler and others would add to the interest and appeal of snowboarding.

Economics of Snowboarding

Whereas the basic snowboarding setup is less expensive than a traditional skier’s costs for skis, boots, poles, and apparel the costs can still approach $1000 for a board, bindings, boots, goggles, snowboarding jackets and pants. Both traditional ski manufacturers such as K2, Columbia, Scott, Armor, Lange, and others join Gen-X companies such as Burton, DC, Sims, Roxy, Dakine and others competing for snowboarder dollars in equipment and apparel.

Fast Forward to Future

Ski Resorts vary greatly in their approach to the snowboarding explosion. A declining number of resorts such as Deer Valley in Utah reject entirely the snowboarding culture and don’t allow snowboarders on the hill. This ski area caters to a high income clientele that appreciates this philosophy and shows a willingness to pay a premium in lift tickets and lodging to enjoy an exclusive skiers only environment. Other areas such as Bear Valley in the San Bernadino mountains near Los Angeles completely embrace the snowboarding culture. Over 90% of Bear Valley’s terrain is known as “freestyle” or “park” due to the wide range of snowboard friendly structures and jumps that clearly define this sport. Bear Valley boasts an assortment of boxes, rails, tubes, jumps, and half pipes which are designed for a variety of skill sets. Probably the most common approach taken by ski areas to the snowboarding revolution is one of appeasement where both skiers and snowboarders are welcomed and specific areas may be set aside to be more conducive to each type of venue. Park City, Utah might fall into this category as it boasts an almost equal division of boarders and skiers on its slopes. Generally ski areas that cater to both skiers and snowboarders are popular with families that have parents that ski and kids that snowboard.

Ultimate Winner?

Ultimately everyone wins in the increasing popularity of snowboarding as ski areas continue to flourish with strong revenues which give them an ability to open new slopes catering to both skiers and boarders. Essentially an entirely new ski culture has been created leading to an interesting mix of old and new participants ready to take to the slopes.