F Vail

[witch hobble]

It's a fact that skiing used to be a middle class sport. What changed? Sincere question.

Ehhhhh. Skiing used to be “more accessible” to the middle class perhaps. And a larger % of people were categorized as such. And of course there will be outlying mountains, families, individuals etc. But I don’t think it has been a “middle class sport” during it’s time in America.

 

[Harvey]

Witch may have a point, depending on how far back you go. But the lift advancement may have something to do with it too. When people had to herringbone up at the North Creek Ski Bowl, I don't think it was a rich mans sport. Or after Schaeffer added that first rope tow.

I know this is 5 years old, but as I mentioned before, it's the latest version available for free. I have no idea if the methodology is sound or not. Data is based on the NSAA National Demographic Study.

This rise in income for skiers was at a time of low inflation. Remember that the median HHI in the US is around $68k and that is for 2020, not 2017.

It's an opinion, dope seems a bit harsh.

 

[Campgottagopee]

When people had to herringbone up at the North Creek Ski Bowl, I don't think it was a rich mans sport. Or after Schaeffer added that first rope tow.

You are most definitely correct. If it was a rich mans sport my family never would've gotten into it. Somewhere my mom has pics of skiing the ski bowl in the 30's and 40's. Maybe I'll ask her over X-Mas if she knows where they are.

 

[Harvey]

Somewhere my mom has pics of skiing the ski bowl in the 30's and 40's. Maybe I'll ask her over X-Mas if she knows where they are.

That would be so cool!

 

[witch hobble]

People of more modest means who live close to the hill have always been more likely to at least have the opportunity to become skiers than people of modest means who live in the cities.

My grandfather was an early ski customer of the North Creek area. He probably fits a profile. He herringboned the ski bowl, he rode up and slid down, he came in on the train or in a shared car. He was fairly young sporty guy who grew up in Fairmont, WV (obviously not skiing) but was working at GE in the mid/late 30s, about to join the war effort, then settle into comfortable suburban post war family life with leisure time for skiing.

 

[raisingarizona]

A lot of tiny, super rural western towns had their own rope tow 60+ years ago and were only used by the local community. They didn’t have much money.

I would argue that this countries skiing roots had little to do with it being an elitist sport for the wealthy. I think Sun Valley was that sort of place but most other rope toe hills were for regular folk.

 

[witch hobble]

It’s a scale thing. Once it became “the ski industry” the emphasis was on people with disposable income and leisure time.

More people skied a couple trails at Killiington last weekend than the sum total of people who rode 100 of those rope tows over a year.

 

[tirolski]

I know this is 5 years old, but as I mentioned before, it's the latest version available for free. I have no idea if the methodology is sound or not. Data is based on the NSAA National Demographic Study.

This rise in income for skiers was at a time of low inflation. Remember that the median HHI in the US is around $68k and that is for 2020, not 2017.

It's an opinion, dope seems a bit harsh.

The rich got richer, explains yer graph.
Please explain the harsh dope opinion.

 

[Harvey]

Once it became “the ski industry” the emphasis was on people with disposable income and leisure time.

When (what year) did this happen?

I still think it has to do with high fixed costs.

The rich got richer, explains yer graph.

The "rich got richer" may be true, but the graph only addresses the 5% of Americans who ski. So it only explains the graph if you are saying that skiers are rich people.

I tried to read the study to see if the income numbers quoted were mean or median, but I didn't see it.

Only this:

 

[witch hobble]

When (what year) did this happen?

I still think it has to do with high fixed costs.

It’s a cultural change/evolution, so it’s not like a switch was just flicked. Late 30s to early 60s. There were cottage industries in places like North Creek during the 1930s, but I’d say by the time that you could find a ski shop in a wealthy city or suburb away from the mountains, and that mountains like Vail had real estate marketing along with their initial design plans….you were looking at an industry.