I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Alice Pearce. Until recently, Alice served as the founding president of Ski New Hampshire, Inc. I’ve known Alice for more than two decades. Hers is one of the brightest, most energetic minds ever to run any ski organization. I asked Alice to bring me up to speed on the future of downhill sports in the U.S.I’m no expert on skiing, but one thing I’ve always presumed is this: there are very few tourism activities that are as weather-dependent as skiing and snowboarding. In the early ’90s, shortly after Alice entered the industry, the climate-gods dealt New Hampshire a nearly snowless winter. Things were so bad that the Boston Globe’s headline read, “Downhill Eraser,” a parody on a leading motion picture of the day. Alice and the ski area managers went to work and, before long, snowmaking capability had improved markedly. More important, the industry focused on ways to notify skiers about the availability of quality snow. Instead of individual ski areas attempting this alone, Ski New Hampshire, Inc. did it with a unified voice–and pocketbook.
Given the climate and cohort (i.e., age) dependency of skiing, two revolutionary changes have been implemented during Alice’s watch–not that she would ever accept credit for them. These days, there is hardly such a thing as a winter-only mountain, as mountain biking, zip lines, golf, and tennis facilities are becoming ubiquitous. Once as rare as dodo eggs, year round employees are gradually approaching the norm. The second, and more far-reaching, phenomenon is the significant role that real estate development plays in the industry. Like golf and tennis, the fiscal viability of skiing has become linked to second home sales. Clearly, this isn’t your 1970s ski industry any longer.
One thing that plagues the entire tourism industry–and, skiing is no exception–is concern over retaining customers. Alice informed me that only one in five people who takes a first ski lesson ever returns to the slopes. With the aging Boomer population no longer in prime skier condition, skiing and snowboarding need to find ways to rebuild their clientele. The focus now will be on Echo Boomers and their Generation Z offspring. Fortunately, better snowmaking technology, improved skis and snowboards, terrain-based learning, web-based marketing, and better prepared instructors have come to the rescue. Who says skiing is going downhill?
How we wish that the Tenney Mountain Ski Area could find a new owner and keep it flourishing. I’m not a skier, but always enjoy watching others while sipping some hot coffee or cocoa in the lodge. It would be fantastic if someone could come along with the money and the vision to make that area a success for the town of Plymouth, the State of NH, and the residents of the condo complex the ski lodge is located in.
It has been frustrating to watch Tenney sitting there, Dot. The ramifications of a well designed and operated resort would be considerable. One model that was proposed would have created a year-round facility, with loads of new housing development, and numerous jobs. Perhaps, as the economy improves, Tenney will rise like the phoenix, aka Jay Peak.