Idaho Resorts Just The Ticket For Thrifty Skiers
Idaho skiers love their sport, but they are stingy.
A new study shows they ski an average of 12 times a year - almost exclusively on day trips. They economize by bringing their own lunch or by skipping lunch altogether, and the single biggest expenditure of their ski trip appears to be a lift ticket.
Also, Sun Valley is the king of all Idaho ski resorts, even if Grand Targhee is counted as an Idaho rather than Wyoming resort. Out of $66 million in skier income - counting resident and non-resident dollars - Sun Valley accounts for two-thirds of the total, said John Hunt, a professor of recreation and tourism at the University of Idaho.
Hunt reported on alpine skiing trends to the Idaho Travel Council last week.
The alpine trends will be contained in a three-part Idaho Winter Sports and Recreation Study, Hunt said. The other parts involve snowmobiling and cross-country skiing, the results of which have yet to be released.
About 8,000 skiers were contacted in lift line interviews for the study, which also examined skier visits, resort income and more.
“There’s no question that Sun Valley is the granddaddy of them all,” Hunt said. “Skiers rate their experience at Sun Valley real high. What people want and how they rate it, Sun Valley matches it.”
Sun Valley also was rated as tops in the nation recently by Ski magazine.
Idaho’s other major ski areas rate high overall, Hunt said, among resident and non-resident skiers. Eight resorts were included in the study: Schweitzer Mountain near Sandpoint, Silver Mountain near Kellogg, Sun Valley, Grand Targhee at Alta, Wyo., Bogus Basin near Boise, Brundage Mountain near McCall, Pebble Creek near Pocatello and Pomerelle near Albion.
On a scale of one to five, with five being a high rate of satisfaction, Idaho residents rated their ski experience a 4.3. Non-residents rated their ski experience in Idaho a 4.4.
Moreover, skiers say their experience is close to what was promised in travel promotion ads or ski reports. Beyond the quality of snow, Idaho skiers rated service-oriented factors as being the most important, such as the friendliness of lift attendants and ski instructors.
The quality of entertainment and night life rated as being less important, according to the survey.
At Sun Valley, more than two-thirds of its 438,000 skier visits in 1995 were by non-residents. About 99 percent of the non-residents stayed at Sun Valley for one night or more.