I’ve touched on this subject before, and have tried starting a post around this idea a few times, but today, I hope to get the words out right. No “how to” post today, more of a deeper thinker than anything else. The question I keep asking myself is: why do resorts always try to expand? That has two sides. First, are resorts expanding capacity at a rate that is faster than skier numbers are growing? Second, in marketing mode, does a bigger, faster, and stronger resort always make for a better, more attractive skiing product?

I’m not pretending to have the answers, but what I find fascinating is the debate from both sides and what that is teaching me about how skiers think. One such movement that is picking up a lot of steam in the industry is Mountain Rider’s Alliance. As a skier it intrigues me. As a marketer, it’s revealing some very interesting insights into how skiers regard the industry.

How it Works
It’s pretty simple, these guys focus on sustainability and the skiing. So, their flagship ski area, Manitoba Mountain, is designed with surface tows and renewable resources to get skiers to some pretty incredible terrain. At 1,000 skiable acres, it’s hardly a giant as far as areas go. Here are a few of the rules their “mountain playgrounds” will live by:

• Strategically placed lifts
• Free parking with quick access to lifts
• An updated, real-time website that provides information about lift operations and weather conditions
• Alternative off-the-slopes activities for those not interested in being on the hill and/or bad weather days
• A reliable eco-friendly shuttle bus system
• A clock at all lift stations
• The ability to purchase membership shares and have a voice in your own mountain playground
• Shareholder and member privileges

The Momentum
I first caught wind of this organization this summer, loved the idea, and even pitched in with some design and development work, but I really wasn’t sure how they would be received in the industry. So far, they’ve had some incredible coverage and responses:

• Skiing Magazine
• Powder Magazine
• Ski Area Management
• ESPN
• Teton Gravity Research
• First Tracks
• …full list »

The consensus seems to be that this isn’t just a crazy idea cooked up by altruistic skiers, this is an extremely smart idea cooked up by altruistic skiers that is starting to resonate in the hearts of all snowsport enthusiasts. In other words, many do believe less is more when it comes to the product of skiing.

More Intriguing Debates
Canyons Resort and Solitude recently announced a proposal to link the resorts with an 8-passenger gondola. As a huge fan of Solitude on powder days, my jury is still out on whether I like the idea, but if you skip past the “unbiased” media coverage and read the comments here, here, and here, you get some pretty interesting insight into how skiers and boarders are viewing the proposal. Among other comments, lots of skiers are questioning Solitude’s brand.

What Does it All Mean
Beside the end result, the one thing I will be watching is how skiers on both sides argue their cases. When trends like this emerge, there may not be a right and wrong, but just the act of debating the reasons for supporting or ignoring something like Mountain Rider’s Alliance or the Canyons / Solitude interconnect would provide volumes of insight into how skiers think and behave. I’m not one to read comments on news sites, but it’s like a public focus group for these ski proposals. Free market research anyone?

About Gregg & SlopeFillers
I've had more first-time visitors lately, so adding a quick "about" section. I started SlopeFillers in 2010 with the simple goal of sharing great resort marketing strategies. Today I run marketing for resort ecommerce and CRM provider Inntopia, my home mountain is the lovely Nordic Valley, and my favorite marketing campaign remains the Ski Utah TV show that sold me on skiing as a kid in the 90s.