A Millennial View of the Future for Ski Resorts

Millennials get a pretty bad press. We’re accused of being lazy, entitled and selfish, while our equality campaigning and vegan menus are threatening everything that older generations hold dear. Now Millennials (18-34 year olds) are ruining snowsports, apparently. No, not in the traditional, being drunk, obnoxious and dangerous on the slopes kinda way; we’re ruining skiing and snowboarding on a whole new level, by not going.

MILLENNIAL MONEY MELTDOWN

As the Baby Boomer generation gets older, their days on the slopes are numbered, and although Generation Xers (post Baby Boomers pre Millennials) are still booking ski holidays in reasonable numbers (even with the spectre of Covid-19 hanging over them this winter) it appears that there is a growing void left after them. The issue here reaches beyond just declining rates of new participants; as we existing skiers and snowboarders in our 20s and early 30s are not getting on the slopes anywhere near as frequently as those from older generations.

In the UK more than two-thirds of those who ski or snowboard these days are aged between 43 to 65, according to research. It’s a similar story elsewhere; in the USA a study by the National Ski Area Association found that on average, older skiers spend twice as many days skiing or boarding than Millennials (like the girls on board, below).

The problem the snowsports industry faces here is that for every Baby Boomer who eventually hangs up their skis for good, they need two Millennials replacing them in order to prosper in the future.

The primary reason for this declining trend in young people actively taking part in snowsports hardly takes a genius to figure out; we just don’t have the money. According to a 2017 report by the Resolution Foundation, our generation is the first in well over 100 years to be financially worse off than the generation before us. As costs of living increase faster than average wages, our disposable income takes a hit - and this is even before the financial mayhem of a global pandemic - meaning that we Millennials are forced to be more choosy than ever with where we spend our precious extra cash. Here’s where the winter sports industry has its biggest problem when it comes to attracting new young blood.

COSTA RICA V COST A FORTUNE SKI RESORTS

Snowsport holidays have several entry barriers that can be off-putting to first timers; skiing and snowboarding can be difficult to learn, potentially painful and cold, but for Millennials the cost factor is the biggest obstruction. For Brits, the average winter sports holiday in Europe costs around £900 per person (and this is before Brexit potentially hikes up prices even more). It's a hefty sum, which rises even higher for newbies when you add the expense of getting kitted out with the necessary clothing and gear. Now, consider that on a similar budget it’s been possible pre-Covid to do a month in South-East Asia or Central America and you begin to understand why the idea of spending a week falling on your arse on a frozen mountainside is the less appealing option.

Once the Covid-19 turbulence has calmed down for airports and airlines you can bet the first to buckle up for long haul trips to fall into warm seas and sunbathe on white sand beaches will be Millennials.

But what about those of us who’ve been skiing or snowboarding since we were children, those of us who’ve already got the bug because our parents are from the generation who could actually afford snowsports family holidays? Well, we already know that existing Millennial skiers and snowboarders are spending less time in resorts than the generations before them, and this can be partially attributed to the type of travel experiences that my generation now desire, and what offers the best bang for our buck.

A recent survey of 5000 Millennials as in 18-35 year olds, conducted by the travel company Contiki, discovered that zip-lining through Costa Rican rainforest, or bathing in Iceland’s thermal springs were among the top 20 most coveted travel experiences; snowsport trips didn’t get a look in.

This is perhaps why ski resorts like Serre Chevalier are frantically putting in zip lines.

INSTA-GRATIFICATION

We are the Instagram generation, hungry for the most unique, eye-catching and ‘like’ worthy experiences that we can share with our followers. An endless stream of new and exciting global experiences hitting our newsfeeds, combined with easier and cheaper travel to far flung destinations opened up a world of exploration that was inconceivable or inaccessible to most of our parents when they were younger. And after months of being locked down thanks to Covid-19 what do you think we Millennials can't wait to do? Yep, pick up our backpacks and explore the world.

The boom of the Millennial driven ‘experience economy’ hasn’t gone unnoticed by snow industry executives, who in recent years have poured a lot of energy, and presumably cash, into trying to turn boring old ski resorts into Millennial adventure playgrounds. Music festivals on the slopes, paragliding, bungee jumping, snowmobiling, ice climbing plus zip-lining the list of activities and entertainment available in ski resorts designed to grab our tiny Millennial attention spans is still growing.

MILLENNIAL MARKETING

But all of this seems to be kind of missing the point. Combining outdoor activity, Insta-perfect scenery and the opportunity to show off, snowsports already have the necessary components of a marketable ‘Millennial experience’. As those of us who are hooked on the white stuff (I’m talking snow here) can testify, skiing and snowboarding really can be enough fun by themselves. Throwing a load of additional activities (at additional costs) into the mix without addressing the existing financial elephant in the room is not going to send young people flocking back to the slopes. Resorts need to be thinking less: ‘If you build it, they will come’ and more: ‘if you make it affordable, they will ski’.

The industry isn’t completely oblivious to our situation however, and some resorts are taking steps in the right direction. In the USA, those in close proximity to major metropolises are waking up to the Millennial market potential on their doorsteps, and there are some affordable offers emerging. In recent years the Peak Resorts group have introduced their Drifter Pass, which gives season long shredding across 10 resorts to 18-29 year olds for just $399. A pretty good deal, even by this tight-fisted Millennial’s standards.

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Other resorts across the American East Coast are making similar moves to entice students and 20 somethings from New York, Boston and Philadelphia into making regular trips to the mountains.

MOVING MOUNTAINS (TO SNOW CENTRES)

What is really concerning here is that this problem has the potential to reach far beyond my generation. If Millennials continue to shun the slopes then who is going to introduce our kids to snowsports and bring through the next generation of talent? We’re at a strange point with competitive skiing and snowboarding in the UK; the role models are more prominent than ever, but unless snowsport participation can reverse its decline we’re in danger of being unable to capitalise on this and drive future success. Where is the next Aimee Fuller (below, image Roxy) or Dave Ryding going to come from if we Millennials are unable to give the next generation the opportunity to hit the mountains? 

To their credit, British Ski and Snowboard are making valiant efforts to grow snowsports in the UK, with initiatives to offer discounted or free sessions at indoor or dry slopes across the country. However, their mission for the UK to become one of the top five Olympic ski and snowboarding nations by 2030 will surely be a serious challenge if Millennials are still being priced out of the ski holiday market. As good a job as our artificial snow centres do at introducing people to skiing and snowboarding they are no substitute for the real thing. Are our children destined to only experience skiing or snowboarding from within the confines of four walls, while Europe’s pistes regress to being the preserve of the super rich?

IN THE OLD DAYS WHEN THERE WAS SNOW

The future of skiing and snowboarding as sports is one thing, but the future of the snowsports industry and those whose livelihoods rely on it is a far more troubling issue. Thousands of people worldwide earn their living through through this industry, mostly via winter sports tourism.

If the global pandemic lockdown has been a wake-up call for ski resorts showing how bleak the prospect of closure can be, then the Millennial migration away from snowsports and mountains is like the Titanic's alarm bells after hitting the iceberg.

Of course, as irreversible climate change (created by our predecessors) continues to tighten its distinctly un-icy grip over the planet, winter sports will probably be finished within the near future anyway; another thing of the past for Baby Boomers to reminisce fondly over, like free university education or affordable housing.

So don’t worry about saving too hard, the mountains will probably be snowless by the time we Millennials have the money to go to them anyway.

Angus, 28 , is a writer, photographer and snowboarder. Riding for 15 years, he has snowboarded in Austria, Andorra, Slovenia and France, including a season in Tignes. Aim: to spend less time in an office, more time outside.

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Main Image: Angus Rosier