Skiing Geography (USA)

The previous post demonstrated that 'climate/terrain' and 'economy' were the most influential in determining the popularity of skiing from country to country.  If we focus within the USA the 'economics' can be dropped as a factor since the range of wealth within USA is practically nothing compared to the range of a global scale.. right?  So, perhaps by looking at the dispersion of Ski areas in America we will see 'climate/terrain' emerge as the priciple influence.

This map surprises me.  At first I wonder if the data is correct, but after reviewing different websites it appears to be fairly accurate.  Someone let me know if the data is incorrect for certain states.  I come from the northwest and know that the figures for Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon are correct.  The biggest surprises for me come from the northeast/midwest.  I really would have thought that the West would have had many more ski areas.  New York, Michigan, and Wicounsin lead the nation!!! That is a surprise.  I guess that the number of ski areas is more dependant on demographics and economics than I thought.  Once again, 'climate/terrain' isn't as influential as I would have thought.

Apparently proximity to population centers is crucial.. and since population centers represent the wealth needed to make ski areas available, it can said that even within USA 'climate/terrain' does not play as important role as one would think, though its influence is probably stronger at a national level than at a global one.

Sorry about the map made on "paint."  If I had some GIS program (and knew how to use it well) I could have produced a better map.  I also apologize to alaska for not giving you credit for your 10 Ski areas.

Skiing Geography

Where is Skiing most Popular?  What factors determine where skiing develops?

The map below (found on wikipedia) shows us where the world's ski areas are concentrated.  Japan, North America, and Western Europe appear to boast 90% of the world's ski resorts.  USA is #1 in total ski areas, but the European Alps appear to have the most per capita.  Austria has around 8 million people and several hundred ski areas!!!  The map proves that there are three very important factors in determining where skiing can develop as a form of recreation.  First off, there must be the right climate (and to a lesser degree the right terrain).  Though the UK has a wealthy population base, it cannot compete with the poorer countries of Chile and Argentina as it simply does not have as many snowy slopes as the southern Andes.  Secondly, a region with a wealthy population base will have the demand to create ski areas.  For this reason, places like Tajikistan (which gets plenty of snow and even has several 20,000 foot peaks!) have very few ski areas.  In fact, Tajikistan has fewer ski areas than the UK (I really didn't think anywhere in the UK got enough snow for skiing).

Skiing is an interesting sport to look at, because its distribution has answers that can be instantly seen on a map.  Thats what makes thematic maps so interesting..  Simply by looking at the map above and having basic knowledge of world geography, one can determine not just where ski areas are concentrated, but also why they are there.


*The single ski area in Bolivia no longer exists because the glacier it used to be found on is nearly completed melted.