It has been a good season for ski resorts this year. America received some great snow systems this year and many locations in Europe fared even better. The same cannot be said for Canada however, although they have had great snow for as many years as we can remember so it was about time they had a bad season. The majority of ski resort owners where made very happy this year as the looming recession threatened to make the slopes a very lonely place to be. But the mere comprehension that they could be facing financial difficulties led many to ponder the possibilities of further monetising the summer months.

A bill was introduced to Congress in America recently that would allow ski resorts to make much better use of their facilities in summer. There has been talk already about European resorts adopting a similar idea. The summer period usually counts for about 15% of a ski resort’s total income for the year. if the resorts could be utilized for a wider range of sports and more formal events then this percentage could sky rocket. Most people think that mountain biking is the most obvious and sport

There are often mountain bike trails at the base of ski mountains already and used mountain bike shops dotted around the areas. This would make the sport very accessible both to locals and visitors alike as they would not be forced to purchase or transport their own gear, just rent it as they would a pair of skis. The proposed idea however is for mountain biking a little more on the extreme sports side of things, utilising the ski lifts that are already in place to host downhill mountain biking events and competitions on the steep runs.

Roger Joules who runs one of Lake Tahoe’s ski resorts says “mountain bikers have been looking for some steep and challenging runs and our slopes are perfect for that in the summer. If we charge a small amount for the use of our lifts then it’s a situation where both parties win”