Millenials aren’t skiing enough?

raisingarizona wrote

I look at big lifted trucks and think to myself “man it would suck to climb in and out and of that thing all day long”. Then I laugh at myself and realize I’m getting old.

Haha --- it's like jumping off cliffs, ain't for everyone

Scruffy wrote

Ethan Snow wrote

 

I also think Skiing has become way too mainstream, and commercialized. Wide trails covered with manmade snow, fast lifts, fancy lodges, expensive food, and expensive lift tickets. The preceding generation is responsible for this. Just because that's what they wanted and could afford, I think if skiing was more like it used to be, it would be a lot more accessible to more people.

I agree that skiing has become too mainstream, and commercialized, but don't put that on an entire generation dude. That same generation, and the generation before it, brought you MRG and Plattekill, and Hickory, just to name a few; how to you reconcile that?  The mega resorts of which you speak, was more a dream of a few money makers; it's a "if you build it they will come" sort of thing, as opposed to an entire generation screaming for it. Last time I was at Killington, Sunday River, or SnowBird, for example,  there just as many GenXers and Mills there and boomers. You gotta let got of your chip, dude. Every generation feels they've missed out on the "good ol'days".

I didn't get the feeling Ethan was pointing fingers and certainly don't think he has a chip on his shoulders. I took it as he was pointing out that it was the boomers and x'ers that created what many of us can't stand about today's skiing. I mean, I used to get ski mags and couldn't wait to get them. Now I could care less as they're nothing but real estate mags. It's like this whole Xbox thing --- I don't get it, but only because it wasn't around when I was a kid. If it was I'm sure I would've been doing that instead of having BB gun fights in the hayloft. That said I'm thankful it wasn't.

Ethan Snow wrote

I also think Skiing has become way too mainstream, and commercialized. Wide trails covered with manmade snow, fast lifts, fancy lodges, expensive food, and expensive lift tickets. The preceding generation is responsible for this. Just because that's what they wanted and could afford, I think if skiing was more like it used to be, it would be a lot more accessible to more people. 

So this is the "nobody goes there anymore because it's too crowded" argument?

If skiing went back to the way it used to be the industry would collapse.

Yeah, this is a ridiculous argument. Boomers made skiing. There was hardly any skiing before them. What did they ruin? And, yeah, look what happened to all the little mountains that didn't make snow and groom and install modern chairs? NELSAP, that's what happened.

So tired of this generational scapegoating. It's so easy. Requires no real critical thinking. Y'all finally look up from your devices and whine, "hey, you screwed things up, mew mew". Yeah, well, now it's your turn. Get to work.

Agreed Benny!  Also, I’m not even sure you can blame the “homogization” on X, if you can even blame it on a single generation.  I’m X, and I sure as shit don’t want wide boulevards and fancy lodges.  I grew up skiing in the 80s and came of age skiing in the 90s, and I don’t think the “homogenization” was even that bad then.  I still maintain that “homoginization” had its roots in the mid-90s, when outfits like ASC were starting to explode.  At that time they were looking toward Millenials as much as anyone else as to what skiers wanted.

The homogenization was simply a matter of money.

There was money to be made in skiing by bringing more people the mountain, keeping them there longer (even if they weren't skiing as much), and providing them with ample opportunity to empty their wallets.

Just like there's money to be made by convincing people they need a "quiver" of skis or they aren't having fun.

Marketing One-O-One.

My Dad started skiing in the 1950s in New England and he used to say to us (me, my brother and sisters) how easy we had it - skiing with chairlifts, snow making, indoor bathrooms (except Gore until recently), step in bindings, warm clothes, plastic ski boots, metal/fiberglas skis, etc .

This was in the 1970s. It was a bit tongue and cheek, but all the improvements made skiing accessible to way more people than the years when there where mostly rope tows and no snow making.

The reason so many smaller ski areas closed was the owners could not make money. Snow making is expensive to install and expensive to operate. There were other factors, but if you cannot open you cannot make money. It is that simple.

From what I've read, the history of skiing is much like that of any new industry.  A lot of people jump on board on what they see as an emerging business and put out a minimally viable product, e.g. rope tows or command line operating systems.  From there, a funnel effect happens - increased innovation happens (adapt or die).  Industry consolidation happens - in skiing it's bridging two mountains (think Whistler Peak 2 Peak) or ownership, and fewer players are left standing.

Part of the issue I see, via friends' kids, nieces, nephews, is that the work ethic stops at a very young age.....as in you can't fail a kid in school for not trying.  True competition in anything is getting more and more sparse.  We are just another type of animal that, despite humanity's attempt, are more often subject to Darwinism than not.

Education is more important in more mature sectors, e.g. medicine.  For emerging businesses (YouTube channel operator, professional hacker), formal education probably hasn't been developed yet.  There were 150 types of jobs 100 years ago; today there are 2000.  A millenial's challenge is to find which one is for them.  Bad news?  Lots of digging.  Good news?  Lots of choice.

A decision on your collegiate path should be based on either a) I want to get a job in that field, or b) I want to learn how to learn better.  It's a pretty costly plan b.  BTW, I've met a lot of MBA's.  Not worth the $75k or whatever it costs - use that cash to start a business.

Millenials, like anyone, can look at all the reasons why life sucks, of those there are plenty, but what they should do is understand the opportunity, find an inspiration and get to f'ing work.  Who knows, one may even find it rewarding.  

Good jobs far away from mountains?  OK.  But there's telecommuting, AWD vehicles, better constructed roads to get there more safely and quicker.

To me, it's a question of optimism and effort.

This post may be a run of non sequiturs, but I have a job....today.

Great post D.B. Although I'm not sure you can say "skiing is much like that of ANY new industry." For many industries you are inarguably correct.

50 years ago ski areas were like gas stations. You had lots of small hills all over to cover your geographical location. You could even have two right next to each other like Belleayre and Highmount for competition.

Automobiles on the other hand haven't really changed that much in the last 50 years. Sure, there's been incremental technological improvements over the years, but what actually makes the car move doesn't look one bit different today then it did 50 years ago, and everyone still has to go to the gas station. America runs on gas stations, and I still think there's something very authentic and satisfying about going into a gas station, getting coffee, or whatever else you need. Gas stations have not changed one bit, and people still appreciate them. Then again that might change in my lifetime with electric cars on the way. Then, I'll drive be driving past a ghost gas station someday with my kids and have to explain, "well once upon a time, we used to have to fill up our cars with this oily smelly shit that made it run."

Maybe a bad comparison, Idk. Regarding Boomers being responsible for the homogenization of skiing, I didn't mean to sound like I have a chip on my shoulder, wasn't trying to blame anyone. Maybe it's an unrealistic expectation for skiing to be "back to the basics." Hell, even Plattekill is almost as expensive as Windham now.

And here's what I was up to today. First time with slabs under my feet this season. Started to think I'd never get out. Can anyone name the Location? Whoever did the roofing job on that lift shack did a great job!

We skied at Belleayre and walked over just off Deer Run to check out the top of Highmount.

Hopefully it reopens as part of Belleayre sometime in the future.

I don’t think you were supposed to answer Sno, since you were there and all...

LOL, yeah, I always enjoy looking at old ski areas. For some reason I find it fascinating how close Deer Run comes to the highmount area. It's almost as if they had this idea that they would expand over there back in 2001 when they put that trail in.