The value of snowfall to skiers and boarders

An interesting winter sport phenomenon in recent years has been the growth of snowboarding. Snowboarding has outpaced skiing at many resorts and has become the snow riding activity of choice for many young people. This study develops an empirical demand model for winter sport trips amongst college students from both camps and estimates economic welfare associated with the two different activities. The results show that both trip demand and surplus values are strongly affected by snow conditions. These effects are distinctly different for the two consumer groups.