Trends in Outdoor Recreation

There appears to be a lot of good info in this recent report. (It's safe to open.) I haven't had time to look through it all, but I did pick up a couple nuggets: "Technical" outdoor activities seem to have fewer people participating, but those who are, do so more often. Mountain Biking popularity has decreased while Kayaking has increased. Visits to National Parks have been basically level for 20 years. Motorized/FWD useage has increased.

My gut feeling is that there may be more people on the roads or at/near the trailhead, but fewer people deeper in the woods/mountains.

Anyone who has the time to review the report might offer some better analysis.

Interesting. Aging boomers "graduate" from climbing, to hiking, to sitting on a bike, to sitting in a boat, to sitting in something with a motor.

"Climb hard or die."

"We don't stop hiking because we grow old, we grow old because we stop hiking."

I'm going to try to find some ice to climb this weekend.

TCD said:

We don't stop hiking because we grow old, we grow old because we stop hiking.

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Exactly my thoughts.

Information overload for sure.

Interesting that they seem to touch on the ethic/cultural theme but didn’t delve into it.

I would be interested to see statistics indicating the increase in populations across ethic/cultural groups and how that correlates to an increase/decrease in outdoor recreation.

Craig said:

I would be interested to see statistics indicating the increase in populations across ethic/cultural groups and how that correlates to an increase/decrease in outdoor recreation.

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Ethnic ? I'm sure their ethics are fine. There was a blurb somewhere regarding Hispanic families participating in/preferring group/car type camping.

I love how Driving Off Road is a "nature based activity".

The Frost Free Days looks like an Al Gore chart.

And Chart #41 - another great reason to never invest in the ski/snowboard industry. How do you take the next best thing to sex and slowly kill it off? AlQueda can recruit suicide bombers and we can't recruit skiers?

Chugach001 said:

I love how Driving Off Road is a "nature based activity".

The Frost Free Days looks like an Al Gore chart.

And Chart #41 - another great reason to never invest in the ski/snowboard industry. How do you take the next best thing to sex and slowly kill it off? AlQueda can recruit suicide bombers and we can't recruit skiers?

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Let's see: we take a family of 4 charge $75 for the adults and maybe $50 for the kids...ski rentals will be another $25 a person. Now we need lunch at "Maison Snowboot" for $50. Throw in gas and the forgotten hat replacement for $50 and we get a whopping $500 day to stand in line to freeze your butt off on the way up the mountain.

I love to ski, but $500 a day for recreation (and that's cheap...I have 4 kids not 2) is too steep a price for what I get out of it. $3 to park and I can spend 3 days in the woods with the kids climbing rocks and exploring...that's a far better deal in my book.

Chip said:

Mountain Biking popularity has decreased

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I talked to the guy who runs our local bike shop. He told me that mountain bikes comprised 90% of his sales a few years ago. Now they are down to about 50%, with a big increase in road bike purchases.

Marty

I will admit that downhill skiing's cost has exceeded my threshold. I'd rather XC ski or hike for a fraction of the price and with far fewer people to deal with. My wife got passes for herself and the kids to Pat's Peak for this winter so maybe I'll get more passes myself to do just that.

I'll still go once or twice a year, but usually on a deal day. I would be hard-pressed to pay full price for a lift ticket. We already own equipment and always bring our lunches which helps too.

I will also admit I only ride my MTB once or twice per year, if that. It was an occasionally fun fall change-of-pace. I don't have time to maintain my road bike to my pre-fatherhood standards as it is.

Soccer season ended last weekend (with a championship win for the girls, I might add ) so I should have more free time on weekends again

Tim

I've seen alot of people on the trails, day hikers, mostly young family types with kids n babys on their backs. Hikers are abundant.

Snowshoers, the same, mostly young families n fewer older groups, but only out for the day. Backpackers n campers are fewer this year than any I've ever seen in the Catskills. I keep an eye on the busy designated campsites n see less use by individuals or small groups. Now there seem to be more Boy Scout Troops in these sites almost on a regular basis. Perhaps those kids will eventually take over for the dwindeling backpackers?

AS for MTB sales... most people are going over to road bikes for commuting, not pleasure. Mountain biking n kayaking are my summer sports while the tourists n bugs are on the mountains. Once the snow flys, it's time to hit the trails again.

Oh, I must mention... I've met more VFTTers this year on the trails than ever before. That may count for something? I think the rare collectors patch was the giveaway, not the alligator eggs we were carrying.

This is why I ultimately gave up on traditional downhill skiing. Only problem is that I bought tele skis and actually have to go to a lift serviced area until I can handle the turn in the backcountry!!! Luckily, I only need the bunny slopes this year, and I hope Bretton Woods continues their free beginner quad service.
I gave up mountain biking when I tired of being thrown over my handlebars.
In the market for a road bike.

bikehikeskifish said:

I will admit that downhill skiing's cost has exceeded my threshold.

Tim

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oh tim,
its not that bad....look at the Stowe rates...
http://www.stowe.com/tickets/season_passes/
2 adults 2 childer = $4,614

not sure how anyone with a family could afford that.

Trainwreck said:

This is why I ultimately gave up on traditional downhill skiing. Only problem is that I bought tele skis and actually have to go to a lift serviced area until I can handle the turn in the backcountry!!! Luckily, I only need the bunny slopes this year, and I hope Bretton Woods continues their free beginner quad service.
I gave up mountain biking when I tired of being thrown over my handlebars.
In the market for a road bike.

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IF you thought the bike was bad, wait til you see what you can do to yourself on tele skis!

TCD said:

"We don't stop hiking because we grow old, we grow old because we stop hiking."
.

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Amen TCD Here's some goals for you.

I took my mother on the Presidential traverse at age 75, staying in a tent in the Great Gulf an then the two northern huts.

At 80 she climbed Washington with a stay at LOTC and a ride down the cog.

Now at 85 she's still walking the hills around Newport, NH

sweeper said:

Amen TCD Here's some goals for you.

I took my mother on the Presidential traverse at age 75, staying in a tent in the Great Gulf an then the two northern huts.

At 80 she climbed Washington with a stay at LOTC and a ride down the cog.

Now at 85 she's still walking the hills around Newport, NH

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We have a club member who is hiking the Catskills in his 80's. He also showed up for lean-to work and helped carry logs from the road to the site!

Speaking of Mt. Washington, I was up at LOTC one night and there were tons of older folks there. Some had hiked up, some had hiked down, but they all had to hike to get there. Turns out they were part of the 10th Mountain Division back in the day. I was told that they were mostly late 70's and early 80's. They went slowly, but they all hiked back up to the summit for a re-union the next morning!

Excellent! Even when I was a young hiker, I was always happy to see much older folks on the trail; it's great! Thanks for the great inspiration!

When she was in college she met a women who was 65 on a climb of Washington and that became a Life Goal for her.

At 65,66, and 68 she made the climb.

At 81 we hiked into Galehead.