Archive for the 'Commentary' Category

I attended a lunchtime presentation in Park City yesterday as the keynote speech by Michael Berry was “The Future of Skiing” and it promised to answer the question about why skiing growth was flat and what was going to happen when the Baby Boomers exited.  I was eagerly awaiting the magic words “Resort skiing has become moronically expensive and we need to reduce ticket prices by at least 60%…” but they never came.  Instead, it was almost the opposite, and at one point a speaker even stated that one of her organization’s goals was to “increase the daily spend” of people who come skiing in Utah.  Sigh.  But, it was still interesting.

Annual skier days in the US have been around 57 million for the last 5-10 years, with about a 1% growth.  Of this, there are about 9.5 million “active” skiers in the US who make up the majority of the visits.  Eighty-five-percent of the people who try skiing for the first time never return and fear is one of the biggest obstacles to getting people to try it.  Getting beginners hooked is tough, and in that regard, shaped skis were a boom to the industry as they made learning easier.  Three-percent of America skis, and Albany, NY has the highest percentage of skiers in the US (not sure how that was measured).

Skiing and ski areas are considered “multi-generational gathering areas” for families, and when it comes to making vacation plans, Moms wear the pants, or Bogners in this case.  The “magic line in the sand” for skiing families is an annual household income of $75,000 or more.  Below that (or if the weather sucks), people won’t go.

I’ve been out of the resort loop for a while, so whenever I do go, I’m blown away by the prices.  For $100ish per person, per day, it better be damn good, but apparently people don’t seem to care.  As far as this goes, Michael admonished the ski industry to “… not retreat from the quality experience.  If people are use to sleeping on 400 thread count sheets, you can’t go back to muslin.”  Much of the emphasis on keeping existing skiers skiing is aimed at increasing the quality of the experience, which basically means adding value, whether you want it or not.

One of the more interesting points, at least for me, was a comparison of early skiers who were considered “elite athletes” because they had to master floppy boots, stiff skis and dicey bindings.  Through steady improvements in grooming and gear, the athletic bar has been lowered, while the financial bar has been correspondingly raised, which makes today’s skiers elite earners.  Sure, there will always be dirtbag skiers, but it is less the norm nowadays.

Hmmmm.  There you have it.

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I have the same thought every year when I get to line 37 on my 1040 tax form (adjusted gross income) — I need a new job. Ski Mountaineering has its ups and downs (haha..) but it is not a career you get into for the money.  I started my “business” about ten years ago when I published The Chuting Gallery and at times, the financing of it is far more extreme than the actual skiing.  The first year I was in business I only kept track of my sales and not my expenses, which was a rude shock when it came time to pay self-employment taxes.   

I’d say I’ve come a long ways since then, but I really haven’t.  My one formal meeting with a CPA took place midweek on a chairlift at Alta (midweek is a good time to meet doctors, lawyers and CPA’s at ski areas).  He summed it up something like this “So, you have a fun job that requires lots of expensive toys and travel, you don’t make much money and you want to write the whole thing off on your taxes, right?”  Pretty much.  He then went on to explain how this was very similar to being a photographer where you buy expensive camera gear, go on a trip, shoot tons of photos, and may not sell a single image, or perhaps sell them years later.  For such a fun job, there is a lot of blind faith involved, and from a tax standpoint, what makes the difference is if it is a hobby or a career.

Skis, boots, poles, skins and a business card that says "Ski Mountaineer." Now it is a career, not a hobby.

Part of the downfall (haha…) of ski mountaineering is that it is such a small market that there just aren’t a lot of options for selling photos, stories or books.  As far as trips go, if you can sell enough photos and stories to break even on expenses, that is a wildly successful outing.  Most of the time it is a losing proposition, which is why sponsors are so important, although I think of them more as “lifestyle enablers.”

The taxation crux of all of this is deciding what are legitimate business expenses that allow me to perform my job.  I couldn’t survive in my office of choice without a titanium spork, Lexan coffee press, Leatherman Skeletool and beacon, so those fall under “Office Supplies.”  A celebratory outing at the Bush Company where future skiing plans are laid qualifies as “Meals & Entertainment.”   The really tricky ones (from a moral standpoint) are the big fixed assets.  Dentists need expensive drills and X-ray machines, whereas Ski Mountaineers need expensive kites and helmet cams, right?

A flying fixed asset with a three year depreciation schedule being put to work on the Bagley Icefield.

That’s my story and I’m sticking with it.  I figure all of my tent time will have me well prepared if I get thrown in jail.

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The HMS Shithead takes shape in the special climate controlled hanger.

Oh sure, a private “ship” might seem like an extravagant gift, but heli skiing in the Wasatch is a subject that gets backcountry skiers very excited.  I know when the Powderbirds decide to share a drainage with me, I often get so excited that I jump up and down until my pants fall off and I lapse into a Tourette Syndrome type of trance and begin screaming in heli-tongues whilst slapping my butt cheeks.

Building a papier-mache pinata and drinking beer go together well as sloppy craftsmanship and lack of attention to detail is essential.

This proud little ship has a few modifications which technically make it an A-Hole instead of an A-Star.  But, just like a real Powderbirds ship, it will be filled with fat, alcohol and pork products.  Hopefully it will have a longer life span than most of the the Powderbirds pathetic little 45 second flights, but if not, it will share its bounty with the masses and can then be burned or thrown away in an eco-friendly manner that the Powderbirds would do well to emulate.

The HMS Shithead gets its first coat of paint. The logos and stickers come next.

Stay tuned for a potential trip report on the maiden flight of the Shithead over the weekend.

Epilog…

Inserting the payload. The Vodka represents the backcountry skiers - cheap and semi pure of spirit in an unbreakable container. The Slim Jim beefsticks represents the WPG clientele - nasty little cheese infused by-products wrapped in plastic through no fault of their own. The Mini Snickers represents the Forest Service response to years of complaints against the WPG. The Mini 3 Musketeers represents Tyrone, Crusty & Oily, the three swashbuckling WPG guides who are living a long gone dream.

Marla getting harassed by the helicopter - just like a day of backcountry skiing in the Wasatch, except this time the backcountry skiers get to strike back.

Oh no! The good ship Shithead has lost its main rotor... yet still keeps going! Billy using the force (and a little help from his canine pal) to line up the coup du grace.

"You shan't recover from this one darling" Spinal Tap

The Shithead going up in flames during a sombre funeral pyre ceremony. So long sucker.

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From a Wasatch backcountry skier’s perspective, putting a chairlift up Flagstaff Mountain would be the equivalent of having an Exxon Valdez oil spill there once a year.  It would be devastating beyond words and turn the Days/Silver/Mill D zone into extended slackcountry which would be completely undesirable from a touring point of view.  Currently, it is probably the biggest bang for your hiking buck with a 45 minute approach to some of the best skiing the Wasatch has to offer.  Because of this, people are fired-up over the very notion of a lift even being considered and rumours, accusations and insults have already begun to fly.  Of course, a set of survey stakes marking where the chair would go didn’t do much to allay fears either.

In all, I thought the meeting went really well, if for no other reason than 150-300 people showed up for it, which shows how concerned people are about the topic.  The first three speakers (including me) all commented on the underlying core problem – the Wasatch Mountains have seen a vast amount of growth in the last 15 years, with much of it occurring in the last five or so years.  Trailheads are filled to overflowing on a regular basis, traffic jams are common in the canyons and there’s no end in sight.

The presentations began with Liam Fitzgerald from UDOT who is in charge of keeping the road open and cars safe from avalanches in Little Cottonwood Canyon.  Liam is to avalanches as Warren Buffet is to finance – level headed, tops in his profession and emotionally detached from almost anything but his job.  He explained the rationale for the lift, but was also open to other options as well.  A key issue of the debate is the idea that the 105 howitzer munitions may be going away, and at the same time, the Department of Homeland Security is not thrilled with the idea of firing explosive rounds over buildings and people, or having a misfire land in a neighborhood.  Assuming this happens, someone asked a question about how this would effect the rest of the canyon, since miles below the Flagstaff area are also controlled with artillery.  Liam paused, then said “A lot of people would be writing their Senator.”  Skiing tourism is a huge deal in Utah, and if you can’t open the key roads due to safety concerns, it effects the entire state.

Onno Wieringa from Alta spoke next, and it is hard not to like this guy.  That said, it is also hard to trust him as Alta has so much to gain from this chairlift and almost nothing to lose.  They don’t make any money from backcountry skiers, and if anything, they are just a pain-in-the-ass to deal with as far as avalanche control goes.  Onno mentioned that if Flagstaff truly was a desirable place to put a lift in, they would have done it years ago, which sounds good, except that Alta only recently acquired the land in the first place.  I think it was excellent that Onno showed up, although he didn’t do much to dispel the Alta underground rumor that the lift is a “done deal.”

After I spoke (presentation photos forthcoming on straightchuter.com), Rick Luskin, who is the in-house attorney at Black Diamond was up next.  Rick’s background credentials for this presentation were almost too good to be true.  Before becoming an Environmental Attorney, Rick worked as a ski patroller and was involved with the Alpine Meadows (?) avalanche were a heavily skier compacted slope ripped loose and buried a base lodge, killing many people.  After that, as a recently minted attorney, he was involved in a lawsuit over ski resort development where the opposing council said not to worry about issuing a restraining order to protect a meadow on a Friday, only to find out that it was bulldozed under by Monday for a golf course.  Rick’s parting worlds were to the effect of “It is good to listen to people and like them, but not necessarily trust them.”

To add to all of this, the Wasatch is an unbelievable patchwork of land ownerships.  In the mining era, plats were bought, sold, divided and subdivided all over the range.  Some are only big enough to hold a mine shaft and others are substantial. Some have been traded off in land swaps, some have been developed and some are using the option of development as leverage something else.  All of it gets covered with 500+ inches of killer powder every year.

And then there is the economy. 

It should be an interesting couple of years coming up in the Wasatch.

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