December 12, 2005
First tracks | Greg Sweetser of Ski Maine previews the upcoming season on the slopes
By Richard Smart
According to Greg Sweetser, the nature of the ski industry makes it impossible to predict how good the year will be until the season is all but over. Still, Sweetser, the executive director of Portland-based Ski Maine, said season pass sales for Maine's big resorts are strong this year, and weather patterns have been favorable thus far. The combination, he says, points toward a good year for the state's ski industry.
Sweetser is predicting about 1.3 million skiers statewide, which is in line with the past three seasons. But he's not just sitting back and assuming they'll hit the slopes. Among his efforts to promote the industry was his recent attendance at the Boston Ski Show, the largest skiing trade show in New England, where he represented Ski Maine's 19 members, which range from areas like Sunday River that are known nationally to others such as Quoggy Jo in Presque Isle that are relatively unknown outside of their community. Sweetser estimates some 40,000 people attend the four-day show, which he says gives Maine ski resorts a chance to reach the Massachusetts skiers who account for a large portion of the state's ski industry revenue.
The other population Sweetser is trying to get on the slopes is Maine residents. By his estimation, only about 20% of Maine residents ski, accounting for a little more than half of the state's skier days ˆ one person making a trip to a ski area. Sweetser said one of his most effective strategies for getting people to ski various mountains is a book of vouchers Ski Maine created in the early 1980s that allows skiers to try all of the member areas in Maine at a discounted price. He said many people like the voucher program, which retails for $500, because it provides a similar amount of skiing as a season pass, but isn't restricted to one location.
Ski Maine, which was founded in the early 1960s, also aims to get more kids to take up skiing. In 1997, it created a new organization called Winter Kids that allows all children in fifth, sixth and seventh grades to ski for free at any of Ski Maine's associated areas. "[Winter Kids] is focused like a laser on what do we do to get more kids outside in winter," says Sweetser.
It seems that's an uphill battle, so to speak. Sweetser says there are so many demands for the average child's attention ˆ including the growing practice of focusing on one sport, to the exclusion of others ˆ that an afternoon of skiing may not be at the top of a kid's to-do list.
In the end, though, despite all of the efforts of Sweetser and the ski resorts, the skiing industry is entirely at the mercy of Mother Nature. Cold weather and snow ˆ even just enough to dust people's lawns ˆ is the best marketing the industry could have. Sweetser says the smallest amount of snow near a person's home will do more for the ski industry than 40 inches of snow on the mountains. "It is white gold when it falls," he says.
Sweetser, who at age 51 describes himself as a life-long winter sportsman, hopes his efforts will help skiing return to the prevalence it had in years past. According to Sweetser, it wasn't so long ago that many communities had a rope tow ˆ the predecessor of the ski lift ˆ where people could learn to ski on small hills such as Stroudwater in Portland. That changed in the 70s, he says, when insurance costs drove most small organizations out of business.
Today, Sweetser says, cross-country skiing has begun filling the void left by community rope tows. As he sees it, everyone should have a winter hobby. "Winter is Maine's longest season," he says. "We have to get people as passionate about snow and winter as we are."
Sweetser is predicting about 1.3 million skiers statewide, which is in line with the past three seasons. But he's not just sitting back and assuming they'll hit the slopes. Among his efforts to promote the industry was his recent attendance at the Boston Ski Show, the largest skiing trade show in New England, where he represented Ski Maine's 19 members, which range from areas like Sunday River that are known nationally to others such as Quoggy Jo in Presque Isle that are relatively unknown outside of their community. Sweetser estimates some 40,000 people attend the four-day show, which he says gives Maine ski resorts a chance to reach the Massachusetts skiers who account for a large portion of the state's ski industry revenue.
The other population Sweetser is trying to get on the slopes is Maine residents. By his estimation, only about 20% of Maine residents ski, accounting for a little more than half of the state's skier days ˆ one person making a trip to a ski area. Sweetser said one of his most effective strategies for getting people to ski various mountains is a book of vouchers Ski Maine created in the early 1980s that allows skiers to try all of the member areas in Maine at a discounted price. He said many people like the voucher program, which retails for $500, because it provides a similar amount of skiing as a season pass, but isn't restricted to one location.
Ski Maine, which was founded in the early 1960s, also aims to get more kids to take up skiing. In 1997, it created a new organization called Winter Kids that allows all children in fifth, sixth and seventh grades to ski for free at any of Ski Maine's associated areas. "[Winter Kids] is focused like a laser on what do we do to get more kids outside in winter," says Sweetser.
It seems that's an uphill battle, so to speak. Sweetser says there are so many demands for the average child's attention ˆ including the growing practice of focusing on one sport, to the exclusion of others ˆ that an afternoon of skiing may not be at the top of a kid's to-do list.
In the end, though, despite all of the efforts of Sweetser and the ski resorts, the skiing industry is entirely at the mercy of Mother Nature. Cold weather and snow ˆ even just enough to dust people's lawns ˆ is the best marketing the industry could have. Sweetser says the smallest amount of snow near a person's home will do more for the ski industry than 40 inches of snow on the mountains. "It is white gold when it falls," he says.
Sweetser, who at age 51 describes himself as a life-long winter sportsman, hopes his efforts will help skiing return to the prevalence it had in years past. According to Sweetser, it wasn't so long ago that many communities had a rope tow ˆ the predecessor of the ski lift ˆ where people could learn to ski on small hills such as Stroudwater in Portland. That changed in the 70s, he says, when insurance costs drove most small organizations out of business.
Today, Sweetser says, cross-country skiing has begun filling the void left by community rope tows. As he sees it, everyone should have a winter hobby. "Winter is Maine's longest season," he says. "We have to get people as passionate about snow and winter as we are."
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