Snowsport England’s SlopeTracker report shows continued growth in domestic snowsports participation

• Quarter four of 2014 (October/November/December) showed 10.6% growth year on year in snowsports participation at slopes in England
• From October 2014 – March 2015 (six month period) there was 4.4% growth year on year
• From January 2015 – March 2015 there was 1.8 % growth year on year
• Slopes are reporting mixed results, with most slopes reporting increases in participation, but some slopes recording a decline in participation numbers
• Positive results from market research of slope users including high loyalty, high frequency of use, high satisfaction and high advocacy

Snowsport England’s latest SlopeTracker research report shows continued growth in snowsports participation numbers at indoor snow centres and artificial slopes across England.

Following positive figures in the wake of Sochi 2014, the latest SlopeTracker report, published today, shows that this growth has continued into quarter four of 2014 and the first three months of 2015, although growth has slowed in the January – March 2015 period.

In quarter four of 2014 (October/ November/ December), there was continued significant growth in the use of slopes, with growth reported at 10.6 % (data from eight slopes). This trend can also be seen over the six month period October 2014 – March 2015, with the rise slightly dipping, but still continuing with a 4.4% rise year on year (data from eight slopes).

For the period January 2015 – March 2015 data was collected from 11 domestic slopes, enabling more insight into the participation figures. Encouragingly there was a 1.8% growth year on year in participation numbers, although this also shows that growth has slowed up.

Of the 11 slopes whose data was compared in the first quarter of 2014 and 2015, seven of the slopes reported a rise in participation, with four slopes reporting declines in numbers. With the best performing slope seeing a 25.2% rise in participation and the worst performing slope seeing a 11.5% decline, the difference in performance is considerable.

SlopeTracker also collects research from people using the slopes, with highlights of the market research include including high loyalty, high frequency of use, high satisfaction and high advocacy.

The research shows that 67% of people surveyed had been using a slope for 12 months or longer and that 44% of people used a slope at least once a month. Customer satisfaction is highlighted with almost 53% of people saying that they are extremely likely to continue using a slope and over 54% of people said that they would recommend the slope to a friend.

Tim Fawke, Chief Executive of Snowsport England said of the findings: “We are delighted that the latest Slopetracker figures show a continued rise in snowsports participation and customer satisfaction. There could have been a danger that the positive trend seen post-Sochi would be short-lived, but the hard work of the slopes, combined with programmes such as GO SKI GO BOARD and This Girl Can seem to have paid off.

“As we can see from the figures, growth has slowed up, however, and not all slopes are enjoying increases in participation. Attracting people to slopes and retaining customers, particularly out of season, continues to be hard work, and as a governing body we are working with slopes and clubs to try support them in their mission to get people using their slopes and participating in snowsports.”

The ‘SlopeTracker’ report was compiled by Spike Marketing, the data insight specialists in travel –  www.spikemarketing.co.uk

Written by Snowsports England