snoloco
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jan 1, 2021
If you've followed in industry in the last few years, you've probably heard about parking at ski areas filling up. I believe there are multiple factors behind it, such as increases in skier visits driven by mega passes, population growth in certain regions, decline in public transit service, and people not carpooling after the pandemic.
There are many ways to deal with this, and I wanted to start this thread to find which measures are the most acceptable to the skiing public. Note that there are pros and cons to each option, and you can't make everyone happy. I'll explain each poll option below.
Expand Parking:
This is simple, just increase the number of parking spaces available. Pros: Doesn't effect existing parking policies, almost guarantees an increase in skier visits. Cons: Environmental impact, can be difficult to get approved, more traffic.
Paid Parking:
Charge for a significant amount or even all parking. Can be tiered based on vehicle occupancy. Can offer season parking pass. Pros: More revenue, encourages carpooling, does not require expanding parking lots. Cons: Major public backlash especially from season passholders, can feel like a bait and switch to guests who don't know about it in advance.
Carpool Incentives:
Take measures to encourage carpooling without charging for parking. This could include setting up an app or forum to help people find rides, or reserving the closest spots for HOVs. Pros: Increases skier visits without needing to expand parking, lower environmental impact. Cons: Can't think of any.
Parking Reservations:
Require free reservations for parking, and don't allow parking without one. Pros: No one drives up and gets turned away when parking is full. Piece of mind for customers. Cons: Can significantly devalue a season pass if one can't get a reservation for parking, loss of revenue from potentially fewer skier visits.
Limit Ticket Sales:
Limit the number of skiers on the mountain, hopefully also reducing demand for parking. Pros: Can mean a better ski experience with less wait time or trail crowding. Cons: Turns away business, difficult to predict correct number of tickets to sell.
Raise Ticket or Pass Prices:
Raise the cost of ticket and pass prices to reduce demand. Pros: Potentially more revenue, better ski experience with less wait time or trail crowding. Cons: Can alienate long-time customers. May deter new skiers from picking up the sport.
Increase Public Transit:
Facilitate ways for customers to arrive without driving and parking. Pros: Reduces environmental impact, increases skier visits, can be a better experience for certain customers to not have to drive. Cons: Expensive to operate, no guarantee that skiers will use it.
Personally, I would look for ways to expand parking if doing so would not result in a major increase in traffic. I'm also all for improving public transit and encouraging/facilitating carpooling. I'm against paid parking, and I also would rather not do anything that turned people away. However, if it came to that, then parking reservations is the best solution.
What are your thoughts about the cause of parking issues at ski areas, and what are the best ways to solve it?
There are many ways to deal with this, and I wanted to start this thread to find which measures are the most acceptable to the skiing public. Note that there are pros and cons to each option, and you can't make everyone happy. I'll explain each poll option below.
Expand Parking:
This is simple, just increase the number of parking spaces available. Pros: Doesn't effect existing parking policies, almost guarantees an increase in skier visits. Cons: Environmental impact, can be difficult to get approved, more traffic.
Paid Parking:
Charge for a significant amount or even all parking. Can be tiered based on vehicle occupancy. Can offer season parking pass. Pros: More revenue, encourages carpooling, does not require expanding parking lots. Cons: Major public backlash especially from season passholders, can feel like a bait and switch to guests who don't know about it in advance.
Carpool Incentives:
Take measures to encourage carpooling without charging for parking. This could include setting up an app or forum to help people find rides, or reserving the closest spots for HOVs. Pros: Increases skier visits without needing to expand parking, lower environmental impact. Cons: Can't think of any.
Parking Reservations:
Require free reservations for parking, and don't allow parking without one. Pros: No one drives up and gets turned away when parking is full. Piece of mind for customers. Cons: Can significantly devalue a season pass if one can't get a reservation for parking, loss of revenue from potentially fewer skier visits.
Limit Ticket Sales:
Limit the number of skiers on the mountain, hopefully also reducing demand for parking. Pros: Can mean a better ski experience with less wait time or trail crowding. Cons: Turns away business, difficult to predict correct number of tickets to sell.
Raise Ticket or Pass Prices:
Raise the cost of ticket and pass prices to reduce demand. Pros: Potentially more revenue, better ski experience with less wait time or trail crowding. Cons: Can alienate long-time customers. May deter new skiers from picking up the sport.
Increase Public Transit:
Facilitate ways for customers to arrive without driving and parking. Pros: Reduces environmental impact, increases skier visits, can be a better experience for certain customers to not have to drive. Cons: Expensive to operate, no guarantee that skiers will use it.
Personally, I would look for ways to expand parking if doing so would not result in a major increase in traffic. I'm also all for improving public transit and encouraging/facilitating carpooling. I'm against paid parking, and I also would rather not do anything that turned people away. However, if it came to that, then parking reservations is the best solution.
What are your thoughts about the cause of parking issues at ski areas, and what are the best ways to solve it?
