Global supply chain disruptions are causing problems for Vermont Nordic ski areas

Nick Mahood is still waiting for the skis he ordered in the spring. Mahood, director of the Woodstock Inn’s Nordic Center, said they were due to arrive any day, but he has doubts. And even if they do, Mahood is confident the delivery will not include their entire order.

“I already know I’m going to run out of stuff – it’s just not there, or maybe it will happen at some point, but it will be too late,” he said.

Mahood’s skepticism is justified. This year, serious delays in the supply chain have left many retailers running out of stock. On top of that, last fall a major fire hit the Fischer ski factory in Ukraine; the factory produces around 60% of the skis and snowboards in Europe, as well as many other ski and snowboard equipment. The fire left several major brands unable to manufacture certain products and the plant has not resumed production.

Nordic retailers, in particular, fear they will not be able to keep up with this season. The cross-country ski industry has grown steadily over the past few decades, but the demand – for equipment, for passes, for lessons – surged last winter.

People desperately wanted to get outside during the pandemic winter, and cross-country skiing is cheaper and has a smoother learning curve than downhill skiing. With more flexible working hours and remote options for office jobs, more people were able to put on skis, and many of them chose cross-country skiing.

Parker Riehle, president of Get on Snow, said the Nordic skiing industry grew even more than other winter sports last year in Vermont. His organization promotes efforts to attract new people to skis and snowboards.

“It’s a matter of supply and demand,” Riehle said. “The demand for the use of Nordic ski areas is so high and the normal supply chain – which was generally good – has been completely reversed. It has become such a popular alternative for those who may not be ready to jump on downhill skis, and the supply chain is blocked.

Reese Brown, executive director of the Cross Country Ski Areas Association, said that while some growth was expected last winter, no one was prepared for what really happened.

“We all expect this year to be just as crazy, if not crazier,” said Brown, whose association recently conducted a survey to gauge interest in skiing this coming season.

“Of the 1,500 people we surveyed, 96 or 97% said they plan to come back this year, and we’ll likely have newcomers as well,” Brown said.

Normally ski and snowboard retailers order their inventory for the upcoming season in March, and some sellers take orders through April. But this year things were different. Many major suppliers announced that they had reached their quota of orders in the United States on March 1, which meant that many retailers in Vermont were simply unable to place orders.

“They think ‘I’m going to place my order like I always do because my rep always takes it,’ but not this year,” Brown said.

Typically, ski areas replace around a third of their rental skis each season, ensuring that the equipment they rent out remains relatively new and in good condition. So last spring, at the end of the ski season, retailers sold some of their old rental equipment, expecting new products to arrive this fall.

But now, that product might not arrive, or it might arrive too late to rent.

“This will translate into dissatisfied customers. It’s your weekend out of Manhattan to ski, but oh, there’s no rental, you can’t ski, you’re going to be upset, ”Brown said.

Eli Enman, general manager of the Sleepy Hollow Inn in Huntington, said he started scouring Amazon and Ebay to make sure he had enough skis to rent this year.

“I went to order products from Rossignol a few weeks ago, and I would say about 75 percent of their normal inventory is gone,” Enman said. That’s when he started searching Amazon and Ebay and ordering additional gear just in case.

While Enman believes Sleepy Hollow will be fine this season, the normal safety net is gone. He has no additional equipment in stock and cannot reliably order more of anything, so a busy weekend could wipe out his inventory and reduce his rental business.

Mahood is in the same boat in Woodstock, and he plans to work with other retailers to help skiers get outfitted. “We’re probably going to have to send people elsewhere at some point,” he said. “We’ll have to call and find stores that have inventory. We might have to come up with 10 different options for them because I think everyone is more or less in the same boat. “

It’s not just the ski equipment that’s missing. Some Vermont ski areas expect essential pieces involved in blowing snow, grooming trails, and maintaining a functional recreational space.

Enman, the manager of Sleepy Hollow, said he is still waiting for a major part of his snowmaking system which he ordered 10 weeks ago.

“This is a big deal for us, because it needs to be installed before it gets too cold, and with climate change, snowfall is just not as reliable as we would like,” he said. -he declares.

At the end of the day, ski retailers are thrilled – it’s good to have more customers coming back year after year. But the supply chain could mean problems.

Riehle said the industry will need to work closely together to make the season a success.

“The estates are really going to need to come together, compare their scores and help each other,” he said. “A resort can say it’s good at snowmaking and recommend a supplier in another resort. The same could happen with durable goods. It is a cooperative industry.