E 03 | ISSU 2013 DEC
The Federation’s Secretary General on Olympic success, industry trends & participation levels.
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FIS’ Sarah Lewis
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Have you ever wondered how the work of the International Ski Federation might affect your winter sports business?
Amie Postings Co-Editor With so many official bodies, organisations, and associations governing the winter sports industry, it’s often hard to know who is responsible for what, not to mention the impact they might have on your winter sports business. The FIS (International Ski Federation) is the governing body for international skiing and snowboarding, and is the largest international winter sports federation. Sarah Lewis is the Federation’s Secretary General. “There are more than 7000 FIS ski and snowboard competitions staged annually and the Federation is recognised by the International Olympic Committee. We manage the Olympic disciplines of alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, ski jumping, Nordic combined, freestyle skiing and snowboarding, and we set the international competition rules. Our role is to develop specific initiatives to promote snow activities as a healthy leisure recreation.” That’s a very admirable goal and something that all segments of the industry can buy into. It’s all very well to have ”goals” and ”objectives”, but what does the FIS do in practice to increase levels of winter sports participation? “We introduced World Snow Day in 2012 and 225,000 participants took part, with the number nearly doubling to 430,000 in 2013. 660 World Snow Day events have been planned for 2014 so far in 39 participating countries, and you don’t need mountains or snow to organise an event. There are no rules, regulations or registration fees – anything goes. Being part of the World Snow Day family means events can be branded with the recognised identity and publicised
on a global platform. All segments of the winter sports industry should be involved in World Snow Day.”
disciplines, freestyle events and snowboarding), available free of charge worldwide.”
The FIS also takes an active role in identifying industry patterns, and it’s fair to say that many negative trends have come from their research in previous years. If the winter sports industry is shrinking globally, what can we do to reverse this?
Lewis herself skied at the highest level during her own career, taking part in the 1987 Alpine World Championships and the 1988 Olympics. We wondered how the World Cup circuit has changed since then.
“There’s huge competition for everyone’s time, both with other sports and activities, but especially with computers, games and television, which is more of a concern. Additionally there’s a changing population in many countries. Where winter sports were a traditional family activity, this is no longer the case. The traditional ski week or trip that was part of a school’s curriculum has been withdrawn, which has had a negative effect on introducing youngsters to snow activities at an early age. The FIS ‘Bring Children to the Snow’ campaign is working to try to reinvigorate enthusiasm for snow activities.” Many argue that it’s during this Olympic winter that the global industry as a whole has its best opportunity to benefit from professional sporting success. “Ahead of the Games, the media will focus heavily on the ‘road to Sochi’ and the coverage in all forms of media will reach new heights. It’s not just the ski and snowboard media who follow the sport, but news and features desks get involved too. The Olympics are a huge opportunity for the National Ski Associations to capitalise on the media attention of the Games. We’ve just launched a brand new FIS website and an official FIS YouTube channel which will feature all the FIS disciplines (Alpine skiing, the Nordic
“That was last century but every year when the season begins, memories flood back and it seems only a short while ago! The World Cup circuit has changed significantly, but the main change was the introduction of prize money in the early nineties. There were already sponsorship opportunities and commercial partnerships for both teams and athletes. Over the past 20 years the commercial side, with opportunities for exposure of a sponsor’s engagement and its activation, has developed significantly.” Lewis’ own professional career is testament to the opportunities that the global winter sports industry can provide for athletes, once the competition days are over. What opportunities exist for other athletes? “The FIS Academy is part of the World Academy of Sport, which delivers learning programmes for athletes, managers, administrators, officials and coaches. The FIS Athlete Certificate covers a range of areas including personal management, Olympism and life after competition. The World Academy of Sport will also be introducing an International Baccalaureate, providing a great opportunity for athletes who live much of their lives on the road.” Our Team GB athletes in Sochi this winter will demonstrate how well a non-Alpine nation can complete against Alpine countries on the
world stage. Does Lewis think we’ll ever be able to compete at the same level? “British skiers and snowboarders can certainly achieve top results, including Olympic, World Championship and World Cup medals – it’s not easy, but the Aussies have done it, so why not! There have been a number of successful British snow sports athletes, beginning from just before my era! Gina Hathorn narrowly missed an Olympic medal in Grenoble 1968, then Konrad Bartelski made the World Cup podium in 1982. Shortly afterwards, Martin and Graham Bell, Lesley Beck, and then Emma Carrick-Anderson came along. Chemmy Alcott and Dave Ryding are further examples. More recently James Woods won the freestyle ski slopestyle World Cup title last season, which is a special achievement to show consistency over the season. Team GB has every reason to be confident in Sochi this winter.” Staying on the subject of our non-Alpine nation, how did a British woman come to hold one of the most powerful positions in international snow sports, and have you faced any particular challenges? “To be really honest, I don’t recall any challenges I have faced that are especially connected to being a Brit or a woman. There are plenty to deal with without adding obstacles! I grew up in a girls-only school environment, while at the same time playing and watching football with the boys, so I feel at home wherever I land. Perhaps there is one challenge to mention – packing for business trips is more complex for women, so men have it easy on that score! The major competitions are the easiest, when we are in FIS ski gear every day for a couple of weeks!” Find out more about the work of the FIS on its website – fis-ski.com.
Is This Industry For You? Rob Stewart Co-Editor If you haven’t already experienced your first slide of the winter by now, then hopefully it won’t be long until you do. Here we are, ready to go, with five more snowy months to look forward to. Initial signs are positive. We’ve gone from trying to sound upbeat, to seeing hard figures suggesting that this winter could be the best for a very long time in terms of numbers. There are very few people I know of that work in the snow sports industry that don’t participate themselves, because they are absolutely passionate about their sport. Often I hear the words, ”it’s hard to make money in the ski industry”. I say it’s hard to make money in any industry, and to do so, you have to work hard, be smart, and get a bit lucky sometimes too. But what we should all be asking ourselves is how we can increase participation in our sport. The Snowsports England’s (SSE) Go Ski Go Board and Slide To Sochi
campaigns, supported by Snowsport Industries Of Great Britain, are a fantastic start, and could be the perfect opportunity for everyone in the industry to think about increasing the numbers once again.
info@mpibrokers.com • T: 0845 180 0065 www.mpibrokers.com
The ultimate office
The essential Ski Test for UK retailers and snowsport media
Channel Four has commissioned a new show called The Alpine Challenge, to be screened in early 2014. Celebrity skiers pitch themselves against each other in various disciplines, including some form of slalom race. There will be groans from some quarters no doubt, but the fact is that it will provide yet another platform for our sport in an Olympic winter, and if this helps to increase the public’s awareness then surely this can only be a good thing? This is the time of year we should all be excited, fingers crossed the snow arrives, stays and produces another epic winter. The reality for many, including tour operators, overseas teams, ski schools, retailers, and anyone in the hospitality sector, is that the hard work starts here and it goes on for a very long time. The best thing about it though, is you get to go out and play in the snow.
www.sigb.org.uk/sigb-ski-test
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Where Does Your Winter Team Come From?
Recruit, Retain, Re-hire
SWEETSPOT SKI TRAINER THE KEY TO GREAT SKIING!
63% Re-employed from last season
DYNAMIC, CENTRED BALANCE IS THE KEY TO GREAT TURNS. CHALLENGING, QUICK AND FUN TO USE FOR ALL ABILITIES, AND PROVEN TO TRANSFORM SKIING PERFORMANCE
45% Recommended by previous staff 13% Referrals from other operators 9%
Client base
4 sizes in each pack
35% Own website / blog 35% Social media 13% Natives 7%
AlpJob.com
26% Ski-Jobs.co.uk 17% Seasonworkers.com 21% Other
Amie Postings Co-Editor Aside from the levels of snow, it’s the one thing that can make or break your business success this winter. You may have ticked every box on your maintenance list, and have a killer marketing strategy in place, but if your winter team isn’t up to scratch, then your business won’t be either. As this month’s Ski Trade recruitment survey shows, 87% of you have undertaken recruitment activity in preparation for this winter season.
View the full results at theskitrade.com. 61% of survey respondents have recruited a team that is the same size as last winter, while 37% have increased the size of their winter team. Just 2% of the winter sports industry has reduced the size of their team.
Special Offer On Winter Season Insurance
As you’ll discover in our article on page 7, a comprehensive winter season insurance policy has never been so important. It’s even more important if you’re relying on your winter team to provide their own policies. The Ski Trade has joined forces with MPI Brokers, providers of overseas resort staff insurance, to offer trade readers a 5% discount on their Part A policy. Part A insurance has been specifically designed for responsible employers, to provide cover for all team members, and includes emergency medical expenses, mountain rescue, and personal liability. Quote ”Ski Trade” when you make an enquiry to claim your discount. For more information visit mpibrokers.com.
63% of this winter’s workers have been reemployed from last season by the same employer according to our survey. Other popular sources of new employees include recommendations, social media posts and websites, and blogs.
options online. From there they can compare roles, and perhaps more importantly, employers. Sites such as AlpJob.com enable employers and seasonaires to connect directly, which is especially cost-effective when filling those last-minute vacancies.”
91% of this winter season’s workers will work overseas in Europe, of these 61% have been employed on a UK-based contract of employment.
Meanwhile, over in Bourg St Maurice, Cool Bus airport transfers serve the resorts of Tignes, Val d’Isère, La Plagne, and Les Arcs, amongst others. Owner Rob Forbes explains, “We have 15 new members of staff this winter, five were hired at the end of last season. We never offer anyone a job without meeting up with them face-to-face and seeing them drive one of our vans. We don’t advertise our vacancies and most applicants come via word-of-mouth. On the whole it’s been easier to recruit this season and the quality of applicants has been much higher.”
34% of employers found the volume and quality of available candidates to be the same as in previous years, while 26% believed the recruitment process has been more difficult than in previous years. Although many winter season positions are filled via word-of-mouth, there’s no doubt that the recruitment process has moved online. Spencer Collingwood at AlpJob.com told us, “both new and experienced season workers typically weigh up their winter job
Another New Exhibition For Birmingham
Escape Events Ltd, creators of the original Daily Mail Ski Show, and the Adventure Travel Show, is launching the Mountain Life Show at Birmingham’s NEC on 18–19 October 2014. Promoted as “the UK’s only lifestyle event dedicated to adventures in the mountains”, it promises to cover ski, snowboard, climb, trek, and bike. Martin Anslow of Escape Events explained, “we’ve identified an opportunity to introduce an event that will appeal to a discerning, high-spend core audience aged between 24 and 45, with exciting new content covering adventures and outdoor activities. Our team knows the industry well and will bring a fresh, new approach to marketing, with an emphasis on connecting exhibitors with new clients.” More details at mountainlifeshow.com.
The quality and accuracy of pre-employment information provided, and the thoroughness of the induction process will often determine
Do Winter Festivals Increase The Market Size?
They certainly do, according to Aidan Byrne of Altitude Comedy Festival, Europe’s largest comedy festival on snow. “As Altitude hosts some of the world’s best and biggest comedians, comedy fans make the journey to Mayrhofen simply for the chance to see them in smaller venues than they’d ever play in the UK. Comedy fans that have never tried skiing or snowboarding before come to the festival and have a go for the first time. We genuinely believe that Altitude inspires many comedy lovers to try a winter sports holiday, and a lot of our audience return every year.” Find out more about the Altitude Comedy Festival at altitudefestival.com.
employee retention. “I provide pre-interview job descriptions and my own guide to working a season for successful candidates. Our induction and training process is 2 weeks long and I plan regular performance appraisals during the course of the season” one large Val d’Isère-based chalet operator told us. “Sometimes employees have a very unrealistic idea about how their season will go, and despite the preparation, I’ll still have a dropout rate this winter.” Rather than examine the rates of pay offered to season workers this winter, Ski Trade looked at employment package benefits. A season lift pass, return flights, shared season accommodation, uniform, and ski or snowboard equipment rental are the top five package benefits offered to season workers this winter, while other ideas to improve staff retention rates include team trips, staff drinks, transport outside working hours, and family and friend discounts.
Making Winter Holidays More Social
Winter sports accommodation providers, ski schools, or any industry segment looking to attract the valuable groups market, should take a look at startup Make It Social. It’s essentially a social booking platform that begins with a simple ”Make It Social” button on your own website. Your customers then invite their friends to join their booking via social media channels, and, perhaps most importantly, make payments direct to you individually. Payment gateways are easily integrated, and enquiries are quickly converted to sales. “While only 10% of customers trust ads on websites, 70% trust peer recommendations,” the founders told us. The platform also has a number of useful features too. Find out more at makeitsocial.com/business.
How Green Can You Go? Patrick Thorne Columnist There’s now been a clear focus on being environmentally-friendly at the world’s ski areas for the best part of a decade, but of course it’s a never-ending battle. Initially the big thing ski resorts did was to retrofit traditional power-hungry lighting with low-energy systems, with sensor controls so that they only worked when they were required. Then they worked (and continued to do so) on bigger capital projects – replacing old-fashioned snowmaking and grooming equipment with far more energy-efficient models. Using their integrated computer management systems that sense when the equipment needs to be operated or not, based on fractional complex environmental condition calculations, significant efficiency savings can be made. Some have sought to generate their own clean power or buy in green energy, and others look at ways of encouraging people to travel to and from their resorts in as eco-friendly a manner as possible. Most have looked at all these things, and many more. But at ski resorts around the world there are more unique ideas that push the envelope. Step forward the Ecorider Ski School of Chamonix (ecorider.org). Established a year ago with the philosophy “be green, dream white”, it’s a ski school that supports sustainable development and offers ”eco-tourists” – or indeed anyone looking for a green-tinted time on the slopes of the Chamonix valley – an environmentally-friendly experience on the piste. What separates it from a normal ski school? Well, apart from teaching its green philosophy, this winter
Ecorider is offering its customers the use of an eco-designed Dynastar pilot park, with a new range of skis made with biosourced materials, including their very own “Cham-Ecorider” model.
“IT ACTIVATES YOUR BODY AND MUSCLES IN A WAY THAT NO OTHER SKI SIMULATOR TOUCHES. QUITE SIMPLY, IF YOU USE THIS YOUR SKIING WILL IMPROVE”! Gavin Kerr Hunter. Director, SnowPerformance
RRP £45.00 www.skia.com
In addition, each instructor wears recycled and bio-sourced skiing gear, and promises to calculate his/her carbon footprint and try to reduce it. The organisation also takes part in a carbon offset programme by donating to a reforestation project in Asia with “Pur Projet”. Fellow French resort Les Gets, widely regarded as one of the world‘s leading ski destinations for its environmental initiatives, is battling to do everything imaginable to be green too. Beyond big initiatives, such as a community biomass heating plant using re-claimed wood, which heats 12 municipal buildings via a heating network over 1km-long beneath the village, and ISO 14001 Environmental Management Certifications for the tourist office and the local golf club (the first in France to obtain this Certification), there are some original and unique ideas too. These include: using organic products for ski maintenance, and biodegradable oil for piste bashers; speed regularisation of certain lifts to avoid frequent stops by moving slowly thus reducing energy consumption; and using solar panels to power the Chery Nord radio repeater. It’s not always easy, as evidenced in one major resort where considerable energy is used on refrigeration in an environment generally operating in sub-zero temperatures, but where no easy alternatives have been found. Nevertheless, resorts will keep trying to be ever-greener, coming up with evermore creative solutions, and they should be proud for leading the world in that at least.
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Duty of Care Why Ski Resorts Are Joining Forces Rob Stewart Co-Editor There’s not much room left in the Alps for new ski resorts. Even without the possible ecological issues, finding suitable terrain isn’t easy, and there seems little point when skier numbers are flat at best. But you can’t stand still in business. Remaining stationary doesn’t make good reading for investors or visitors alike. So, neighbouring Alpine resorts are increasingly looking to engage, creating a larger marketing platform to compete with the bigger players. We’ve seen several announcements for this winter, including: Warth-Schröcken linking with Lech-Zürs, in Austria; and in Switzerland, Grimentz and Zinal are installing a new cable car
providing easier access, and Arosa is linking with nearby Lenzerheide. The Ski Amadé region in Austria is a good example of a large number of small villages, 28 in total, forming a marketing affiliation to create what’s now the second largest ski area in Europe. Although not all the separate areas link up by ski lift, the Amadé brand means the smaller towns have more chance of survival, as they can offer so much more than just a few ski lifts. We spoke to Marlen Rogenmoser of the Lenzerheide tourist office and asked why the CHF40m (£27.5m) investment for the new ski lifts was worthwhile. Rogenmoser said, ”The most important opportunity is for a larger resort with 225km of ski slopes. With it we
gain in attractiveness and reputation. Arosa Lenzerheide will be the largest contiguous ski region of Grisons and will be one of the top 10 ski resorts in Switzerland.” This investment provides what is now a key driver of revenue for the established ski markets in Europe – ”attractiveness and reputation” as Rogenmoser puts it, or as we might also say ”the USP”. Creating a larger ski resort means it has more to say, adding value to the product. Over in Grimentz and Zinal, the construction of a single cable car has cost CHF28.6m (£19.6m). The area already has a good reputation amongst the ski touring and freeride community, and whilst the new lift will increase accessible off-piste terrain, it will bring in more visitors, slowly changing the dynamics of the resort.
Amie Postings Co-Editor
Pascal Bourquin from the Grimentz-Zinal lift company said ”the cable car connection between the two areas guarantees a critical mass for the long-term development of the resorts. Our liaison project aims to increase the loyalty of our holiday clientele and to capture a larger share of this market.’
Only 23% of respondents in the Ski Trade recruitment survey (page 4) plan to provide seasonal insurance within their employee benefits package this winter. It’s a statistic that sends shivers down the spine of Michael Pettifer, MD and Founder of the specialist ski insurance provider MPI Brokers. “Many winter sports companies risk endangering their seasonal staff – and themselves – by failing to provide suitable insurance for their staff on a corporate basis” says Pettifer. “Employers have a general duty of
care to ensure their staff members are properly covered and leaving this to them is fraught with complications and exposes the company to potential claims from employees.” Government and insurance industry estimates suggest that at least 20–30% of seasonal staff working in winter resorts do not have adequate insurance, if any at all, to cover their in-resort activities. “They should have insurance for loss and injury for the duration of their employment, and while travelling to and from their ski resort. They also need personal liability cover for damage to property and injury to others” explains Pettifer.
Should a member of staff be involved in a serious accident, the costs of Alpine rescue, specialist medical treatment, and repatriation are huge. Insurance against these costs seems like a small price to pay. MPI’s overseas resort staff insurance covers off-piste skiing and snowboarding, with or without a guide, in addition to ski racing and snow parks. Cover also includes private physiotherapy treatment in-resort or in the UK. “We’ve made it much easier for employers to manage insurance for this winter with our online register, where employers can manage leavers and replacements in their team, swapping leavers
for new starters at no extra cost, providing the original staff member has not made a claim. Staff can also have access to their own policy through our online portal. It couldn’t be easier to manage your staff insurance requirements this winter.” MPI Brokers has also responded to the ski hosting ban by providing liability insurance for staff ”hosting” – skiing with guests, in a personal capacity during their free time. For more information on MPI Brokers, visit mpibrokers.com or call Michael Pettifer on +44 (0)1428 664265.
Ultimately, if resorts are confident of growing their share in a flat market, there will surely be losers. Small, family, village resorts will fight on price and perhaps survive by offering good value for money. We’re therefore likely to see a polarisation in the industry, where on one side you go big, spend more, and get a lot for your money. On the other side you go small, spend less, but get value.
ChaletManager allows us to more effectively manage our bookings and client information...specific to our very ‘specific’ industry!
Anyone caught in the middle of that might find things get increasingly difficult in the future.
Olly & Emma Lambourne, Mountain Mavericks, Morzine
LISTEX Growth Proves Industry Value
International Ski Travel Market Event Shapes Up
Go Ski Go Board Campaign Still Time For Well Under Way A Challenge
ChaletManager ♥’s winter...
Just because your season has started doesn’t mean that ours has finished.
LISTEX proved to be a success in its second year, with a 60% increase in overall attendance, and a 45% increase in the number of trade exchange participants. The Ski Trade attended to make a presentation about emerging markets, and network with some key industry insiders. Apart from the meetings between travel providers and industry buyers, there was plenty to listen to during the forum sessions, which concluded with ”How to Grow the Market”. James Gambrill, LISTEX Director, commented, ”LISTEX is now firmly on the map as a key part of the UK snowsports calendar and gives an opportunity for professional meetings for both buyers and suppliers, whilst the forum revealed the passion within our industry with some heated debate.“ listex.co.uk
Reed Travel Exhibitions will stage the inaugural International Ski Travel Market (ISTM) from 17–18 March 2014. The forum will bring together around 80 European tourist boards and inbound ski travel suppliers, with 80 leading outbound tour operators, at pre-arranged appointments. Major tour operators such as Crystal are signed up to attend, as well as niche operators such as Ski Unlimited and Art De Vivre Voyage-Boutique. ”There is a tremendous buzz surrounding ISTM and it’s generating excitement right across the European ski travel industry. Not only is it the ideal opportunity to promote and attract business, but it’s also the perfect way for everyone involved to share ideas and give an overall boost to the sector,” says Peter Grimster, Exhibition Manager. istm.co.uk
The campaign to encourage more people to get into snow sports is well under way, so far around 9300 have attended Slide to Sochi roadshows around the country, while 1420 people have taken a GO SKI GO BOARD taster session at various slopes in England. ”Everyone in the industry should engage in GO SKI GO BOARD in the lead up to Sochi 2014,” says Betony Garner, Snowsport Industries of Great Britain Snowsports Media Officer. ”By getting more people into snowsports, it can only help build our Industry.“ Get involved by linking to the GO SKI GO BOARD website, or follow @SnowsportEng on Twitter. Slide to Sochi roadshows are scheduled for slopes in Rossendale, Telford, Aldershot, Southampton, Bracknell, Silksworth, Snowtrax and The Snow Centre at Hemel Hempstead. goskigoboard.org.uk
Twenty teams have signed up for the 2014 Alpine Challenge, organised by youth charity Snow-Camp, from 16–19 January. ”There’s still space for more teams,“ says Dan Charlish, Snow-Camp’s Director. ”If you’d like to combine a two day ski and snowboard-a-thon in Morzine, raise some money for a great cause and have the time of your life, then get in touch.“ Some of the teams already involved include Morzine Source Magazine, EA Sports, Mountain Mavericks, DHO, Skills Active, and Norton Rose. Ebay has also entered a team, making it an eclectic mix of companies with a variety of ski and snowboard levels. Teams are made up of four people, and everyone must ride together through the challenge. snow-camp.org.uk/alpinechallenge.
We love this time of year. It’s when our clients really get the most benefit from using ChaletManager and we get to continue development of the system making it bigger and better for next year.
www.chaletmanager.com hello@chaletmanager.com +44 (0) 1865 522199
With real-time availability on your website, a MyBooking area for guests to enter their details, ski passes, finance, expenses, reporting and so much more. It only takes minutes to set up a system so it’s not to late to use ChaletManager this season.
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Multiple Properties, Multiple Resorts, Multiple Countries
Feature Sponsored By
Jude Lamb, Mountainsun staff in-resort need a lot of information on a daily and weekly basis in order for our holidays to run efficiently. Growing an accommodation business of this size, while making sure that guests remain at the centre of everything we do, has been very tricky. The flow of information was at times very tough and time-consuming. We knew we needed to invest in a professional system to help us manage our expansion. We started with a single 12-bed chalet in Les Coches, La Plagne, in France. Eleven years ago we added a 16-bedroom chalet hotel to our collection, sleeping up to 56 guests in the Dolomites, and Mountainsun was born. We had a data system developed for us to manage our reservation
process, but eventually it couldn’t keep up with our rate of expansion. Winter 2013–14 sees Mountainsun grow to six properties, and more than 200 beds in five different resorts across two different countries. Our reservations office is based in the UK, and our ground
This is our second winter using the ChaletManager system, and my advice to similar businesses would be to research data system options thoroughly before deciding where to invest. It’s a big job to change the way your business communicates!
The ChaletManager ”Admin” function means that within a couple of clicks, we can provide guests with all of their holiday information in a very professional way. The time-saving implication of this means that we’ve never been so up to date with receiving guests’ balance payments, which in turn greatly improves the company’s cash flow ahead of the new winter season. If you have multiple properties, you’ll know how important this is! We find the ”My Booking” function invaluable as it gives guests access to their own holiday information, and reduces the number of pre-holiday questions that used to fill up our email inbox every day!
every day, but they are also able to access their own property and guest information using ChaletManager. This reduces the margin for error, and enhances our professionalism. The ChaletManager “Reports” function means our teams can quickly view guest, finance, lift pass, equipment hire, and transfer information, without waiting for our reservations office to send reports, and ChaletManager has also been fantastic at making tweaks to our reporting functions very quickly.
My colleague and I communicate with our teams on the ground in resorts
MountainSun: mountainsunltd.com
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Build Them, But Will They Come? the success of attracting a younger generation to the sport. Today it’s crucial to invest in a yearround resort providing summer activities. When French purpose-built resorts first sprung up in the 1960s and 70s, there was no requirement to ensure a summer trade too. This will not be the case for any emerging ski resort destination, where both summer and winter activities must be available to guarantee survival. If we look at the case of China then we can see large growth in skier numbers during the previous decade, with 16m skier days last winter. However, there is only a 20% return rate on this because the experience is not always a good one.
The Ski Trade has recently returned from a trip to Kazakhstan, where we covered the United Nations World Tourism Conference on emerging ski destinations in Eastern Europe and Asia. Apart from the opportunity to look at a country not widely understood by outsiders, it was also a chance to learn from experts about the management of ski resorts, and the challenges they face when it comes to making money from them. In Kazakhstan alone, there are currently nine ski resort development projects
underway. This looks very ambitious, and realistically, in the next 10 years, we’ll probably see only half of those succeed at the most. Even if they complete two of these, it will more than double the existing ski infrastructure currently in place. There are many other destinations looking at expanding their mountain tourism, including Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and even North Korea. But where are the skiers going to come from? There are around 6000 ski areas worldwide ranging from one
ski lift upwards. Only 100 of these are considered to be international resorts that attract foreign visitors. All other areas rely completely on local and domestic tourism for their business. The emerging nations, therefore, have to invest in creating a ski culture within the region and beyond. Crucial to this will be programmes in schools that are government-funded, allowing children to start skiing and, hopefully, they’ll want to continue into adulthood. Perhaps countries like Georgia, which gets a lot of snow and, therefore, can attract a freeride,
heli-ski fraternity, will be able to entice foreign skiers, but they will still be relatively small in number. South Korea is an interesting example of how to grow a snow sports market. Before 1975 there were no ski areas and few skiers, but they invested heavily and created a widespread schools programme. It has also created resorts that have a theme-park feel, catering for the demands of the public. Night skiing is very popular, and some areas open until 4am. It’s also worth noting that 70% of visitors to the ski areas are snowboarders, reflecting
In many cases the 523 ski areas within China (there are only 11 with over 300m of vertical) are too far from the main populations, and the ones that are closer are not always the best. For countries looking at expanding their mountain resorts, bearing in mind that creating a local ski culture is crucial for success, proximity to large conurbations is important. Perhaps creating these new markets will start to help increase overall worldwide skier numbers again, and then who knows? We might see them heading to the slopes of Europe one day too.