Each resort surveyed had increased expenses that more than offset its higher gross revenues. That 1995 National Ski Areas Association survey lumps data collected from the Utah ski resorts of Alta, Deer Valley, Powder Mountain, and Brian Head with resorts from Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, New Mexico and Colorado. Ski resorts must continue to cater to aging Boomers and their families. The implications are significant. Skiers' rising expectations are digging deeply into resort owners' pockets.
Older skiers have more money and want more comforts than younger skiers.
They also take the skiing experience slower. Younger skiers will scarf down a hot dog for lunch, then rush off to squeeze in the maximum number of ski runs. Sophisticated ski service consumers, Boomers expect to be whisked quickly to the mountain top, without waiting in lift lines. This year, Park City installed Utah's first 6-passenger, high speed lift. Named Silverlode, the lift moves skiers up 1,300 vertical feet in five minutes.