STUDY: Probability of Lost New England Ski Areas Reopening
Chairlift served areas only have a 45% chance of coming back to life after closing for one season.
Monday, April 24, 2017, NewEnglandSkiIndustry.com
With the 2016-17 season drawing to a close, a 2014 study on the probability of lost ski areas reopening has been revised. While the recent resurgence of Ascutney, Plymouth Notch, and Snow's Mountain has helped to bolster the numbers, the probability of shuttered ski areas reopening remains grim.
The population surveyed was ski areas in New England that featured at least one chairlift or gondola and were closed for ski operations for one or more seasons. Of the sixty-six closures of a season or more, thirty six were (to date) permanent.
According to the study, after one season of closure, ski areas have 45% chance of reopening (up from 41% in 2014). The probability drops to 35% if the closure exceeds one season. Following a half decade of closure, the probability of reopening is only 20%. Following a decade of closure, the probability of reopening plummets to 10%.
Notable areas closed during 2016-17: Woodbury (1 season closure; 45% chance of reopening) Saddleback (2 season closure; 35% chance of reopening) Balsams Wilderness (6 season closure; 18% chance of reopening) Tenney (7 season closure; 14% chance of reopening) Brodie (15 season closure; 8% chance of reopening) Maple Valley (17 season closure; 8% chance of reopening)
