Snowflex Pushes For Next Generation Of Ski Resorts Coming To The USA
Imagine hitting the slopes on skis in June or even competing in a snowboard rail jam in August! Plans are now underway in the USA to build year round ski slopes using successful and proven technology from the UK called Snowflex. This high performance synthetic ski slope system allows skiers and snowboards the opportunity to ride, learn, train, and even compete an additional 8-9 months a year.
For the ski business industry, this is good news and will be a new stage of needed growth, development, and strategy. Throughout history, skiing and snowboarding disappears when the snow melts away and doesn't show back up until the early winter months. The general ski and snowboard business season is only 3-4 months, at best, in only select regions of the country. The need for snow locks these sports into a window of time that is controlled mostly by temperatures and Mother Nature. This scenario creates a business "plateau", as there are no other options to keep riders on the slopes and business active.
With Snowflex already establishing itself in the US, the traditional business model will quickly change for the positive, which in turn, will again grow and strengthen winter sports for the future. Surprisingly, the greatest interest to bring this new technological synthetic surface to the slopes is private development companies and entrepreneurs, not the ski resort industry as one might think. What private business sees is the opportunity of a well-established sports industry of over $5 BIL per year based on a 3-4 month business season and opening those numbers up to operating 365 days a year.
According to Dieter Sturm, President of All-Season Extreme, Inc. the exclusive USA rep for Snowflex manufacturer Briton Engineering Developments (UK), "Traditional ski resort holding companies may need to look at who the "new users of the ski world" coming on board are and also consider breaking away from their old styles of doing business and commit to growing their specific "core" business another 3 seasons a year."
"We are currently working with over 12 development and design firms that are in different phases of developing year round ski resorts throughout the country, also including non-snow regions. What these groups see are the exciting potential of revenue numbers that can be generated by keeping skiing and snowboarding operational and active 12 months a year, as opposed to the unpredictable 3-4 month traditional season," Sturm noted.
Areas of current specific interest include California, Texas, Las Vegas, Branson, the Poconos, Georgia, Florida, New York, Michigan, Indiana, Tennessee, and the Northeast region. “There will be great opportunities for those business groups who commit early embracing the new Snowflex technology, as markets will be quickly locked up with territorial rights as time goes on," said Sturm. The year round Snowflex Ski Resorts and Centres are also being targeted to "urban" cities, which will offer customers easy and convenient travel ski slopes to ride on daily or weekly.
The success of Snowflex slopes can been found in the UK and Europe where over 70 year round slopes already exist and generate revenues on a year round basis. In fact, a number of beginners who started learning on Snowflex in the UK recently competed in the Pyeong Chang Winter Olympic Games for their country. Here in the US, one existing non-business Snowflex Centre has been up and running for the past 8+ years at Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA. Their slope operation has been profitable every year and has brought thousands of new riders to market.
"No longer when the snow melts will skiing and snowboarding just vaporize as the snow melts in the heat of the sun," said Sturm. "Skiing and snowboarding soon will be active year round here in the USA, even in warm weather climates. Technology has once again made it possible to transform a sports industry into even a bigger and better one for the future. This is exciting news for all!"
