5:05 PM Mon, Dec 31, 2007 | Permalink |
Are you of the mind to dismiss skiing, and especially snowboarding, as something for the young crowd?
Do you consider yourself just to old and creaky to climb back onto a pair of skis, even if you used to do it?
Well, don't be surprised if you get some sort of a marketing feeler in the months ahead asking if you would consider screaming down a mountainside once again with a "plank" tied to each boot. (Make that 1 big plank if you're a boarder.)
Last summer, the state's ski area trade group decided to "regroup" and boost business by tapping into an old market. Adults. Skiing in Washington is growing, but not at "break neck speed." According to Ski Washington, when you smooth out the ups and downs, the the sport has grown about about one pecent a year, or ten percent over the last decade.
Adults are one of the big target groups in growing the sport, and they fall into two sub groups, the "never-dunnits" and the "haven't-dunnit-in-a-whiles." On Snoqualmie Pass today, we quickly found adults who fit into both of those categories.
John Gifford is the general manager of the Stevens Pass ski area, and is president of the Ski Washington trade organization. He says often people ski in their younger years, but then get busy with careers and carting their kids to soccer games and drift away from the sport.
If you're one of those people, would you consider getting back up on the slopes?
Great idea for a New Year's Resolution - get back on the skis! How are conditions and lodging at Crystal Mtn?
Well I was a "never dunnit" until I turned 65 and got a cheap midweek season pass 7 years ago and now I am enjoing a $59 super senior pass at Snoqualmie several times a week. Some people just never could afford it when they were younger.
I used to love skiing, and I'm going to try it again this week after a long hiatus. Wish me luck! Biggest problem has been finding ski gear to fit.