Greetings from Soldier Hollow in Utah where we just hosted 40,000 people for 13th Annual Soldier Hollow Sheepdog Championships. This week the Canadian National Cross Country and Biathlon Teams are here at training camp. Next week the US moves in for their training camps as well as the Western Regional Youth biathlon camp. Also on the schedule for next week the Korean Ski Federation is doing a site visit and there's a technical visit from the Interational Biathlon Union. Never a dull moment, for sure.

As one of its initiatives for the season, the CCSAA Board is investigating the development of an online portal at the CCSAA website for skiers to acquire trail passes from CCSAA member ski areas. In other words, the CCSAA website would be an additional place to sell trail passes for each of the participating ski areas. A survey is being sent next week to our ski areas to see how many would participate (using the platform). I've been the point man on this exciting new initiative and hope you find this a valuable new benefit of your CCSAA membership. I know Soldier Hollow will definitely be using the online portal for our ticket sales.
 
This edition of the Nordic Network includes a link to a look at the SIA research of the market with 13-25 year olds. Additionally, we posted some interesting statistical trends.

See you on the trails....

Richard Hodges, CCSAA Board of Directors

P.S. from Chris
Our database software transition is underway and shortly anyone who hasn't renewed their membership for the new ski season will be receiving a second invoice. Thank you to those who renewed in a timely fashion. Every time a member pays from the initial billing or responds the first time a request is made for information, it saves CCSAA from additional administration time chasing down those that are late or don't respond. Everything we can do to be more efficient gives us more time to work on programming and benefits.

Cheers,
Chris signature
Chris Frado, CCSAA Executive Director
Example Image
industry news * announcements * research * helpful tips September 2015
Cross Country Ski Areas Association
Nordic Network content contributions by Roger Lohr

Cross Country Ski Areas Association is a non-profit organization representing member ski service providers, whose purpose is to promote the growth and improve the quality of cross country ski operations in North America.

Contact CCSAA   603.239.4341
Sponsors & Advertisers
MARKETING NEWS!
Research on 13-25 Year Olds

There are some interesting findings in research conducted for SIA in the USA in June 2014 and February 2015 of skiers, snowboarders, and nonparticipants aged 13-25. This research is a continuation of a study that began in 2006. It does not specifically incorporate cross country skiers or snowshoers, but I'll pose some considerations in those areas based on the findings. Click Research on 13-25 for the full article.

Snapshot Statistics & Trends

A Telephone Call
As consumers become more mobile and more digital, research by Inovca, a call intelligence company shows that the old fashioned telephone call is more important than ever.
 
Smartphones, mobile marketing, and click-to-call capabilities have helped the number of inbound phone calls to businesses rise dramatically and people who call are MORE likely to buy.
 
Why Are They Choosing to Call?
59% to quickly get an answer
57% to talk to a real person
54% to get more info than available on the website
44% to accomplish something that can't be done online
42% because its convenient
 
Wearable Technology Skyrockets
The International Data Corp estimates that 72.1 million wearable technology units will be shipped in 2015 up from 26.4 million units shipped in 2014.
 
Devices capable of running third party apps will take the lead in 2016 changing from a majority of basic wearable technology products such as Fitbit and Xiaomi to smart wearable products such as the Apple Watch or Microsoft Hololens.
 
Outdoor Recreation Participation
The Outdoor Industry Association participation study in 2014 showed:
 
Backpacking - 10,101,000 participants up 11% in 3 years
Trail Running - 7,531,000 up 11%
Freestyle Skiing - 4,564,000 up 14%
Cross Country Skiing - 3,820,000 up 13%
Snowshoeing - 3,501,000 up 16%
Stand Up Paddling - 2,751,000 up 38%
Telemark skiing - 2,188,000 up 26%
CCSAA MEETINGS
CCSAA Meetings for 2015-16

* Eastern Meeting: Waterville Valley, NH on Thursday,
November 5, 2015

* Annual Conference: Snow Mountain Ranch, CO
April 5-6, 2016

These meetings provide a great opportunity for networking with your peers in the business and professional development for your ski area staff. It is impossible to come away from any CCSAA meeting without learning about some new ideas.
INDUSTRY NEWS
Certificates of Insurance and How They Affect You

It is a very common practice for land owners and landlords to ask for certificates of insurance. It is also a common practice to have these other entities named as an "Additional Insured" under your liability insurance.
 
When you name another party as an additional insured, you agree to share your liability limits in the event of a lawsuit.  Suddenly a million dollars in coverage could be reduced to less than half, depending on the alleged culpability of the ski center operator.
 
If you are providing certificates to a third party and naming them as an "Additional Insured", be aware that you are offering your limits to them in the event of a lawsuit. An Umbrella policy is the best way to fully protect yourself. Let me know if you would like information on Umbrella coverage.

Tom Lawrence, Aurora Insurance 518-860-4456
Aurora
Capital Watch - September Edition

The September edition of the NSAA Capital Watch includes information about a possible government shutdown, the executive order to require 7 days of annual paid sick leave that may extend to ski areas with special use permits on USFS land, and more discussion about continued legal challenges to the Affordable Care Act healthcare legislation. For the full edition click September Capital Watch.
CCSAA CONTACT INFO
New Address

88 South Lincoln Street, #1
Keene, NH 03431 


Same Phone
603-239-4341