Oregon Skier Profile and Economic Impact Analysis
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Oregon Skier Profile and Economic Impact Analysis December 2012 Final Report Prepared for: Ski Oregon Prepared by: Community Planning Workshop A Program of the Community Service Center at the University of Oregon ECONorthwest Special Thanks & Acknowledgements This project was funded through Ski Oregon, Travel Oregon, and a grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration (EDA) to establish a University Center (EDAUC) for economic development at the University of Oregon. The EDAUC is a program of the Community Service Center at the University of Oregon. Community Planning Workshop wishes to thank the following individuals for their assistance with this project. Amy Nyberg, Travel Oregon Brian Reed, OSIA President Karen Siegle, Ski Oregon Kevin Wright, Travel Oregon Michael Sturdevant, Travel Oregon Randy Rogers, Snowmystr Sports Scott Kaden, Pacific Northwest Ski Areas Association We also thank the managers and staff at all Oregon ski areas for their assistance in administering the survey. CPW Staff Robert Parker, AICP Director Madeline Phillips Becky Steckler, AICP ECONorthwest Staff Alec Josephson Tessa Krebs Jonathon Jubera Photo Credits Ski Oregon, Timberline, Bob Parker, Dylan Parker, Martin Heim About the UO EDC The University of Oregon Economic Development Center is a partnership between the Community Service Center, the Center for Sustainable Business Practices, the Sustainable Cities Initiative, and UO faculty. The UO Center provides technical assistance to organizations throughout Oregon, with a focus on rural economic development. The UO Center seeks to align local strategies to community needs, specifically with regards to building understanding of the benefits of sustainable practices and providing technical training to capitalize on economic opportunities related to those practices. The EDC is partially funded through a grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration. Table of Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .................................................................................................................... I CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................... 1 BACKGROUND ........................................................................................................................................ 1 Purpose and Methods ................................................................................................................... 2 ORGANIZATION OF THIS REPORT ................................................................................................................ 3 CHAPTER 2: THE SKIING AND SNOWBOARDING MARKET ................................................................ 5 THE NATIONAL SNOWSPORTS MARKET ....................................................................................................... 5 DEMOGRAPHIC TRENDS ............................................................................................................................ 6 SNOWSPORTS PARTICIPATION .................................................................................................................... 8 The Pacific Northwest .................................................................................................................... 9 The Oregon Ski Market ................................................................................................................ 10 KEY FINDINGS ....................................................................................................................................... 12 CHAPTER 3: CHARACTERISTICS OF OREGON SKIERS AND SNOWBOARDERS ................................... 13 DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS ............................................................................................................ 13 PARTICIPATION PATTERNS ....................................................................................................................... 17 Ability Level .................................................................................................................................. 18 Participation Rates ....................................................................................................................... 19 KEY FINDINGS ....................................................................................................................................... 24 CHAPTER 4: SKIING AND SNOWBOARDING IN OREGON ............................................................... 25 OVERALL VISITATION PATTERNS ................................................................................................................ 26 DAY VISITOR CHARACTERISTICS ................................................................................................................ 30 Travel Characteristics ................................................................................................................... 30 On-Mountain Activities of Day Skiers .......................................................................................... 32 DESTINATION VISITOR CHARACTERISTICS ................................................................................................... 34 Visitation patterns of destination visitors .................................................................................... 34 DESTINATION SKIER ACTIVITIES ................................................................................................................. 35 KEY FINDINGS ....................................................................................................................................... 36 CHAPTER 5: SKI EQUIPMENT SHOPPING PATTERNS ....................................................................... 39 SHOPPING PATTERNS AND ADVERTISING .................................................................................................... 39 LOCATION AND TIMING OF EQUIPMENT PURCHASE ...................................................................................... 40 KEY FINDINGS ....................................................................................................................................... 45 CHAPTER 6: ECONOMIC IMPACT ANALYSIS ................................................................................... 47 ECONOMIC IMPACT TERMS AND DEFINITIONS ............................................................................................. 47 DIRECT ECONOMIC IMPACTS ................................................................................................................... 48 Equipment Expenditures ............................................................................................................. 50 Estimated Day Skier/Snowboarder Expenditures ........................................................................ 50 Estimated Destination Skier/Snowboarder Expenditures ........................................................... 51 ECONOMIC AND FISCAL IMPACTS RESULTS ................................................................................................. 52 SKI EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURING IN OREGON ............................................................................................ 55 Key Findings ................................................................................................................................. 57 CHAPTER 7: PERCEPTIONS OF SUSTAINABILITY ............................................................................. 59 SKIER/SNOWBOARDER PERCEPTIONS ....................................................................................................... 60 IMPORTANCE OF SUSTAINABILITY ............................................................................................................. 61 SUSTAINABLE SLOPES ............................................................................................................................ 62 Implications ................................................................................................................................. 63 KEY FINDINGS ...................................................................................................................................... 64 APPENDIX A: SURVEY METHODOLOGY ......................................................................................... 65 SAMPLING .......................................................................................................................................... 65 SURVEY DEVELOPMENT AND ADMINISTRATION .......................................................................................... 67 LIMITATIONS ....................................................................................................................................... 67 APPENDIX B: SURVEY INSTRUMENT ............................................................................................. 69 APPENDIX C: ECONOMIC IMPACT METHODOLOGY AND SUMMARY OF RESULTS .......................... 81 APPENDIX E: ................................................................................................................................. 87 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This report presents an analysis of the economic impacts of the Oregon ski1 industry for the 2010-11 season. The results are based on a survey of 874 skiers/snowboarders at Oregon ski areas during the 2011-12 ski season. The survey gathered a broad range of data, including participation patterns, shopping patterns, on- and off-mountain