2. OBJECTIVES
To identify the key elements of development process that help
maintain a balance between the physical capacity of a site
and economic needs of the developer.
Define the major factors affecting the attractiveness of a site
Explain the role of general design principles in site planning
and maintaining community identity
3. A resort is a self-contained commercial establishment that tries to
provide most of a vacationer's wants, such as food, drink, lodging,
sports, entertainment, and shopping, on the premises. The term
resort may be used for a hotel property that provides an array of
amenities, typically including entertainment and recreational
activities.
A mountain resort is a place to holiday or vacation located in a
mountainous area. The term includes ski resorts, where winter
sports, including skiing, snowboarding, ice climbing and ice skating
are practiced, as well as places where summer activities such as
mountain biking, mountain boarding, and hiking are pursued. In
hot climates hill and mountain resorts are visited for the cooler
temperatures at higher elevations.
5. THE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
Balance : the conceptual design philosophy involves a balance- a
physical balance, first, between the ski area and the market, and,
second an economic balance between investment and earning power.
1. Physical balance : The size of the ski area must be large enough to
meet the needs of market without being so large that the area is
underutilized. The resort should have an idea about the skiers
accommodated, both from the safety aspect as well as enjoyment. It
also indicate the supporting facilities needed.
2. Economic balance: The quantity and quality of physical plant must be
sufficient enough to generate enough revenue for investors to get a
decent return on their investment. It depends on the number of skiers,
revenue per skier visit, and the length of the season.
6. PLANNING PROCESS
Create concept
Determine objectives
Marketing
feasibility
Site search
and feasibility
Financial
feasibility
Choose most desirable site
Detailed analysis of site
Physical Non physical
Weather, geology ,terrain, soil, marketing, financial
Hydrology, environment, public services,
accessibility, visual, archaeology and history
7. Establish general design guidelines
determine rough ski and base area
capacity
Establish detailed design
guidelines
Layout ski runs
Layout and size ski lift network
Layout base area
Layout access route
8. TYPES OF SKI AREAS
Type I resorts: These are international destinations featuring
excellent mountains and a wide variety of lodging and real
estate. e.g.: Whistler Blackcomb in British Columbia, Canada
Type II resorts: these resorts are not as well known in the
marketplace as type I resorts. They offer fewer activities and
appeal to a more limited market such as ski clubs and groups.
Eg: Powderhorn in Colorado
Type III resorts: These resorts offer high quality skiing but little
real estate development. Many operate only on weekends.
Small, often marginal developments: These resorts operate only
on weekends. E.g.: a typical club hill in Ontario has no snow
making, is less than a 300foot drop, has a T-bar lift and a chalet
without a liquor license
9. DESIRABLE SITES
The development of mountain sites is particularly a
challenging endeavor.
The overall physical feasibility of the site is a function
of four factors
1. Scope and attractiveness of the site
2. Access and proximity to markets
3. Environmental limitations
4. Unusual site-specific costs
10. Attractiveness
First factor : climate, environment
People look for a desirable mix of climate, snow
conditions, exposure, snow retention, and forest cover
No extreme temperatures
Infrequent wind problems
Dry snow with a minimum of 250 inches
Forest cover adds to the aesthetics and provides
protection from the wind
Terrain should provide a variety of grades and views.
11. Developers must be aware of the following
1. Steep and unstable slopes and rockfall zones.
2. Heavy snowfall
3. Avalanches
4. Microclimate conditions such as wind hazards
5. Watersheds and wetlands
6. Flooding and unstable water flows
7. Air quality problems due to inversion (brown cloud effect
caused by cold air trapping warm air close to ground)
8. Sun orientation and shadows
9. Impact of seasonal changes on the resort’s activity patterns
12. Second factor : skier density
The skier carrying capacity is noted in skier density per acre of terrain
and takes into account that just under half of the skiers are on the ski
runs at any one time. Acceptable density depends on the market
being served.
Density also depends on the snow cover, slope and trail design, and
slope maintenance. High densities are accepted when snow fall and
snow retention is higher.
Third factor: lack of space at base
this is especially true for parking areas.
The density of houses lessen the farther away they are from base.
Fourth factor: potential length of season
season vary across different regions
13. Access to market
As the distance from major market increases, the scope and
attractiveness of the resort must increase to attract visitors.
The time they would travel to the destination depends upon
whether they are on a day, a weekend or a vacation trip.
Environmental limitations
Balancing the economics of the visitor number with the
aesthetics of the outdoor experience is important for the long-
term profitability of the resort.
The resort have to be sensitive to
1. Minimising impact during construction
2. Preserving wildlife patterns
3. Using storage ponds or reservoirs to minimise impact of
snow making on streams and rivers
4. Providing employees with public transportation and guest
with shuttle service to help improve air quality
5. Developing recycling and waste management programmes
6. Conserving energy
14. Site costs
The cost of land must be balanced against the revenue an area
can generate.
In West, where over three-quaters of all ski areas are on public
land, an annual lease payment is made
In other regions, land cost is a major item in determining the
economic viability of an area.
Group Delta a major ski resort consultant, has pioneered
a method of combining low snow making cost and maximum
attractiveness to the visitors. One or more trails, 300 to 400 feet
width are made with islands in the middle to enhance the
aesthetics by breaking up the monotony of empty trail.
15. GENERAL DESIGN GUIDELINES
Mountain resort communities must have goals intended to
meet the expectations of guest while emphasising what is
special about the local area.
This link between people and the natural environment should
aim at creating livable year-around communities of people who
have strong emotional bonds to the area.
Physical, aesthetic and social forces help deteermine the
design of a community. The concepts that must be taken into
account include:
1. Subordination of the automobile
2. Human scale
3. Pedestrian amenities
4. Physical and visual links between community and its natural
resourse base
5. Provision of the needs of permanent population
16. Certain design principles provide an umbrella for the specifics of site
planning
To avoid land use conflicts, it is important that the design of the ski area
conform to the existing physical site. This makes for an environmentally
sound project. In addition, by minimising changes to the terrain, costs are
significantly reduced
A given ski area supports fewer and fewer skiers as their ability level
increases. More experienced skiers are more expensive to take care as
they demand more vertical slope, ski faster and demand top of mountain
where development and construction works are expensive
Novices and intermediate skiers bring more money than advanced skiers
Access road design should be based on expected peak traffic where
weather is not a factor.
Newly groomed slopes attract skiers one or two classes below the design
difficulty of the slope. On the other hand, slopes with many moguls or icy
conditions increase the slope difficulty
The ability of skiers approximates a bell curve. The ideal ski area matches
the difficulty of its slopes to this bell curve
23. CONCLUSION
In developing a mountain resort care must be taken to strike balance
between the physical capacity of the site to accommodate visitors and
the economic needs of investor.
Desirable sites have specific characteristics that reduce construction
and maintenance cost.
General design principles, when adhered to, make for a better
mountain resort.
By adding night skiing resort can accommodate more number of
visitors and make it economically viable for the developers.
