Management & Tourism
NSAA: US ski resorts defy weather and post strong numbers
“Some ski resorts described the season as a roller coaster. I applaud the operators for their flexibility in taking advantage of a late season storm or producing snow at the end of March to keep the ski resorts open longer,” said Kelly Pawlak, CEO of the NSAA, during the presentation of the numbers at the National Convention in Frisco, Texas.
Large ski resorts accounted for 57 percent of skier visits. Although small ski resorts make up 59 percent of the operating ski areas in the USA, they reported only about 13 percent of the total skier visits.
At the LEITNER-POMA booth, Jon Walters, Erick Chaparro, and Neva Modric held the fort (from left to right).
From left: Larry Hays, Conor Rowan (President of Starlifts), and Ryan Hingston showcased the diversity of the SUNKID WORLD.
Paul Johnston represented the rope manufacturer TEUFELBERGER-REDAELLI at the NSAA Convention.
Jay Bristow, Shawn Marquardt, Markus Reichmuth, Christian Limburg, Carl Biagosch, Cooper Bateman, and Ed DiRosa took their seats in their DOPPELMAYR cabin (from left top right).
At the PRINOTH booth were (from left) Horst Haller, Scott Jones, Troy Osborne, Rachel Templar, Ben Listowich, Walter Piekartz, Mark Palmateer, and Jesse Gibson.
From left to right: Martin Baumgartner, PJ Briz, Aaron Madison, and Michael Mayr provided information about the product portfolio of snowmaking specialist TECHNOALPIN.
Regional Features
The NSAA measures the size of ski resorts based on vertical transport feet per hour (VTF/h), a calculation of the capacity of the lifts.
The Rocky Mountains remained the most visited area with 26.7 million skiers, followed by the Northeast with 12.4 million and the Pacific Southwest with 8.0 million.
In fourth place was the Midwest with 4.8 million skiers. The Northwest reported 4.2 million visitors, while the Southeast also counted 4.2 million guests. This region enjoyed the most stable development.
Kenny Hess, Ski Area Manager of Massanutten Resort (in the middle), received the Lifetime Achievement Award from NSAA CEO Kelly Pawlak and Dave Byrd.
Team KÄSSBOHRER (from left): Jeb Ellermeyer, JP Wirtz, Bryan Demarest, Colin Hales, and Bill Brandt discussed PistenBully, SNOWsat, and more.
The motivated team of the ropeway manufacturer FATZER: Frank Amend (left) and Philipp Enzler.
Benjamin Alexander, Jamaica’s first Olympic skier, presented his ideas for more diversity in skiing.
DEMACLENKO provided information about the Titan 4.0 fan gun (from left to right): Andreas Lambacher, Craig Raphaelson, Charles Blier, and Steve Daly.
SI editor Johanna Janisch was on site in Texas to capture the mood among US ski resorts.
Lifetime Achievement Award
The mood among the 687 conference attendees, including many ski resort operators, was accordingly good. Kenny Hess, Ski Area Manager of Massanutten Resort, received the “Lifetime Achievement Award” from NSAA CEO Kelly Pawlak.
The NSAA also awarded prizes for successful campaigns by ski resorts in the areas of conversion, sustainability, community and partnerships, climate change impact, sustainability heroes, marketing, and guest and employee safety.
Additionally, grants for sustainable slopes were promised – specifically for Timberline Lodge & Ski Area, The Summit at Snoqualmie, Burke Mountain Resort, and Eldora Mountain Resort.
“With so many strong submissions, it was particularly difficult this year to decide which ski resorts would ultimately take the top spots,” said Pawlak.
.
