HITTING THE MARK
Ski areas see millennials as their future, but attracting them takes planning
When Aaron Kellett peers out the window of his office at Whiteface Mountain near Wilmington, N.Y., these days he’s usually smiling.
“My office is right next to our beginner trail, and when I look out I see people on our beginner trail,” said the 38-year-old Kellett, who’s been the manager at Whiteface for four years. “That means we’ve got new people learning how to participate in our sport.”
And that’s a good thing. As baby boomers begin to pull back from the athletic endeavors of their youth, ski resorts are focusing on attracting new participants to the slopes. The idea is to get them there and keep them, and the millennial generation (ages 18 to 34 in 2015) tops the target list.
According to the latest demographics from the Colorado-based National Ski Areas Association, baby boomers (ages 52 to 70 in 2016) and those 71 and older have steadily become a smaller share of the visitor base as they’ve aged. Combined, in the past decade they’ve declined from 36.2 percent of visitors to 21.3 percent. Millennials, on the other hand, represent the largest group of snowboarders and skiers, but they also have the fewest number of days per season. The figures show that the industry will need to increase the frequency of the millennial participant to match that of the exiting baby boomer.
At Taos Ski Valley, which was cited by NSAA for having the best overall marketing campaign for 2016, millennials aren’t separately targeted, but the demographic is important.
“Millennials are big on experience, and Taos Ski Valley has long been known for delivering an authentic, unpretentious and culture-rich winter mountain experience,” marketing manager Dash Hegeman said. “That is something we work very hard to protect and cultivate.”
Nate Fristoe, director of operations at RRC Associates, which last year produced a report on the millennial generation, says: “We have this funny little dilemma. We’re trying to build participation. We know we have to grow participants, but we also know that on most of our weekend days we’re hitting capacity.
“To be sure, millennials are different. They embrace the environment, like to plan spontaneously, prefer to travel with friends and crave healthy food. They also relish sharing their adventures on social media.
“Millennials are harder to attract, for sure. It’s not as cut and dried as it was even 10 years ago,” Kellett said. “They want the best deals, and they’ll do whatever it takes to get the best deal. They don’t mind spending money to do what they want. It’s the experience. It’s so much more than just skiing.”
In New Mexico, one of the best skiing deals around is the Power Pass.
“This is truly the most powerful pass in the Southwest,” says Stacey Glaser, marketing director.
Power Pass guests can enjoy unlimited access to all four resorts: Sipapu, Pajarito, Purgatory and Arizona Snowbowl (which include over 13,000 acres, 26 lifts, more than 200 trails and 13 terrain parks). The Power Pass also includes its own set of unique perks, including 3 free days at Taos Ski Valley, Loveland, amd Powder Mountain.