Based on the just completed SeniorsSkiing.com Reader Survey, 92% of you plan to go skiing next season. This, despite growing coronavirus concerns, especially within our age cohort.
You also weighed in on the importance of preventive measures ski areas can take to control the virus:
- 86% of you consider continuous sanitizing in all public areas (e.g. dining, lodge, restrooms) to be extremely or very important
- 74% say social distancing in dining areas, lift lines and other public spaces is extremely or very important.
- 59% report use of face masks on lifts and in public spaces is extremely or very important.
- 50% indicate daily limits on numbers of skiers and boarders are extremely or very important.
Almost 3,500 of 16,500 readers responded. That’s 21% of our growing subscriber base. Past survey response rates rage from 17.5% to 27.5%.
As to where you plan to ski, 40% will stay local; 56% will take one or more long distance ski trips and ski locally, and 25% will take one or more long distance trips.
Of those taking long distance trips, 42% will ski the US Rockies, 26% will ski the US West, 14%, each, will ski the Canadian Rockies and the US East, and 10% will ski in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Asia, or South America.
We also asked with whom you usually ski. The question listed “solo,” “spouse,” “spouse and friends,” “friends,” “adult children,” “grandchildren,” etc. and gave you the opportunity to check “all the time,” “quite frequently,” or “somewhat frequently,” “rarely,” and “never.” Your responses, while not absolute, present a proportional picture:
- 48% ski with friends all the time or quite frequently
- 44% ski solo
- 43% with spouse
- 34% with spouse and friends
- 25% with adult children
- 16% with adult children and grandchildren
- 10% with grandchildren
We’ll report on other findings in future issues, but one we thought you’d be interested in learning is the amounts you reported spending last season on all aspects of skiing (e.g. equipment, clothing, accessories, travel, lodging, food, lifts, etc.) for yourselves and others.
- 51% less than $2500
- 29% between $2500 and $5000
- 19% more than $5000
The average respondent’s age is 69.8. Seventy-three percent are male; 27% female.
Thank you for taking the time to provide your points of view. We expect that your input, especially on next season’s plans, will help inform resort management decision-making.
The survey was conducted in early June using Survey Monkey.
Hopefully, there will be a season next year. I just recently read that Solitude Resort is staying closed all summer and with the new surges of the virus, who knows? I’ll be staying tuned and praying!
There better be , haven’t got too many left!
There should hopefully be a anti-virus shot available before the season gets into full swing.
During the 1917 pandemic, 7 or 8 respectful, reputable companies of medicine manufacturing expertise claimed to have discovered the vaccine and began marketing each and it turned out all were failures. Many early birds who thought of having gained immunity died. The same sequence of events are possible this time too. Tread carefully, as for all we know this smart virus probably mutates.
They way it’s working out now, most liberal Democrats are staying out of the vacation areas and beaches. Better for me. Hope same holds true for skiing. Only us ‘live free or die’ types will ski which means less crowds and better deals for me!
I hope you’re not really serious. Perhaps in some areas that attitude will NOT get you into serious trouble but in my hospital we went from COVID-free during the initial round in March-June to about 25% COVID patients recently during the second round. “Round-2” hospitalizations are mostly in the 20-60yr age range primarily because Sr’s take this seriously while Millenials and Gen-X and some of the post “Boomers” do not. Take care of yourself or you may join the “Live free AND Die” types. I don’t mind skiing with the younger snowboarders (they pay the bills so that I can ski for free) but I want as many Sr’s around as possible. I think skiing will be very different this year if spring skiing this year was any indication. It was lonely riding up the hill with only 1 person per quad chair and reservations-required to even get a ticket. I can’t imagine what it will be like if only 1-4 people are allowed to ride up in the Heavenly Valley or Jackson Hole’s trams. You may think “live free or die” is acceptable, but if we don’t get this pandemic under control NATIONALLY, the insurers for the ski areas will insist that the areas enforce the most restrictive conditions. “Follow the Money” will always overrule “Live free or die.” Look at conditions now — you are required to quarantine in place for 14 days if you want to travel to Hawaii, Arizona, and even New York city. At greater than 10,000 new cases a day, Fla gov DeSantos may have to do something if he wants to stay in office… “Follow the Money”… Disney lost what ??? 5 billion (with a “B”) dollars so far this year. They’re already releasing their $200 million “Mulan” to Disney+ streaming to try to salvage some earnings…. How long to you think the folks with the big money invested in Orlando and Miami are going to wait before they tell the “gov” what to do?? Just like “GOT” “Winter is Coming” and with that is the loss of the tourists. Personally I don’t want to be required to ski in a facemask and faceshield. If it’s 15 below at the top of Jackson hole with a 20 mph wind I may want my helmet with visor and a neoprene mask but as you indicted, it would be my choice not the requirement of the insurers. When I wore a younger man’s clothes the ski areas wouldn’t shut down any chairs because of the wind. Don’t saty that it can’t happen … it is already happening …. A couple of years ago I skied Whistler / Blackcomb and they shut down the entire top of the mountain. Since it was raining (or at least very very wet snow) on the bottom third all that was left was the middle third of the mountain. Help us get this pandemic under control before next summer. I want to have some group skiing time ……..