This is an exciting time for CCSAA and the cross country ski industry. With health and wellness constantly being in the news and a recent Olympic Gold Medal, cross country skiing is poised to get some great attention.
This summer, CCSAA is embarking on several new initiatives to help drive the interest in cross country skiing and better support the ski areas the provide the service. Below is an outline of these initiatives:
Consumer Website
The consumer website will be separated from the industry side and will retain the www.xcski.org URL. The website will be simpler, cleaner and faster with new pictures. The search has been simplified with a new visual map and integration with snow reporting on the TrailHUB platform. Every ski area will receive a free base level membership in TrailHUB. The website build is well underway with a planned launch of early to mid July.
Industry Website
The Industry side of the website will have a new URL, completely new look and functionality. The navigation is simpler and more intuitive and the content is presented in a more intuitive format. The resource center is being revamped and more video education will be added. There will no longer be a login as your listings will be presented in a more streamlined manner.
End of Season Survey
Special thanks to all that have completed the End of Season Survey these past two years. We had 34 ski areas complete the first one and 56 ski areas complete the Spring 18 survey. We are hoping to increase this number in the future.
The survey is in the process of being interpreted and we hope to have a complete report out to those who participated in the new two months. A sample of a piece of information gathered is below:
How old is your ski and snowshoe rental fleet?
1-2 Years Old 24%
3-5 Years Old 52%
5+ Years Old 24%
Are you planning on replacing all or part of your rental fleet in the next 2 years?
Yes 79%
No 21%
More details to come…
New Sponsorship Plan
CCSAA has created a new Sponsorship Deck and will be aggressively searching for new sponsors. We have an integrated plan that we feel will bring more value to a sponsor than we have in the past.
New Media and Outreach Plan supporting the Consumer Website
We are working on a new PR and outreach plan for the consumer website, hoping to make it the go-to resource for the new cross country skier. What you will see in early July will be the early rendition of the website that will be fully scalable as we reach some of the strategic goals.
Updated Resource Center
We will be reformatting the resource center and creating a one-click link from the home page. Our hope is this will make it easier to find and more useful. We are also reaching out to many of our suppliers to get more relevant content.
New Educational Outreach Plan to Members
CCSAA along with the BOD are creating a new video educational series to be introduced in the fall. The goal her is to provide good educational elements all year round and to provide more value for those ski areas that do not attend conferences and meetings.