Climate change is considered one of the primary threats to the sustainability of ski tourism around the world. Studies in several countries project the ski industry will be impacted by shorter ski seasons, greater snowmaking requirements, and a declining ski demand. Many supply-side studies suffer key limitations, such as the omission of snowmaking, leaving their conclusions highly questionable. This study utilizes the SkiSim 2 model to reassess the implications of projected climate change for two major ski tourism destinations in the Western USA (Vail, Colorado and Lake Tahoe, California) where previous studies projected major impacts when snowmaking was not considered. Historical climate data (1961-1990) and the stochastic weather generator LARS-WG are used to examine the impact of climate change scenarios for ski season length and snowmaking requirements by the 2050s. Comparisons with previous studies and implications for ski tourism development and planning will be discussed.

Climate change is considered one of the primary threats to the sustainability of ski tourism around the world. Studies in several countries project the ski industry will be impacted by shorter ski seasons, greater snowmaking requirements, and a declining ski demand. Many supply-side studies suffer key limitations, such as the omission of snowmaking, leaving their conclusions highly questionable. This study utilizes the SkiSim 2 model to reassess the implications of projected climate change for two major ski tourism destinations in the Western USA (Vail, Colorado and Lake Tahoe, California) where previous studies projected major impacts when snowmaking was not considered. Historical climate data (1961-1990) and the stochastic weather generator LARS-WG are used to examine the impact of climate change scenarios for ski season length and snowmaking requirements by the 2050s. Comparisons with previous studies and implications for ski tourism development and planning will be discussed.

This Master’s thesis explores environmental corporate social responsibility (ECSR) in the alpine sport industry. A mixed methods case with a single alpine sport provider in Quebec was performed. The first study is a qualitative examination of how and why ECSR is employed and communicated. Results indicate ECSR is strategically motivated, and as such, the focal organization runs the risk of using several greenwashing techniques in communications that could jeopardize gaining competitive advantage. The second study quantitatively investigates alpine sport consumers’ environmental expectations, engagement with environmental products, and perceptions of the focal organization’s environmental reputation. The results show the focal organization’s customers do indeed have environmental expectations, but believe the focal organization’s environmental reputation remains neutral. The thesis supports arguments of corporate social responsibility (CSR) being strategically motivated and other findings of skiers having conflicting environmental values. Lastly, the thesis provides insight regarding greenwashing, a phenomenon that remains unexplored in sport management.

This Master’s thesis explores environmental corporate social responsibility (ECSR) in the alpine sport industry. A mixed methods case with a single alpine sport provider in Quebec was performed. The first study is a qualitative examination of how and why ECSR is employed and communicated. Results indicate ECSR is strategically motivated, and as such, the focal organization runs the risk of using several greenwashing techniques in communications that could jeopardize gaining competitive advantage. The second study quantitatively investigates alpine sport consumers’ environmental expectations, engagement with environmental products, and perceptions of the focal organization’s environmental reputation. The results show the focal organization’s customers do indeed have environmental expectations, but believe the focal organization’s environmental reputation remains neutral. The thesis supports arguments of corporate social responsibility (CSR) being strategically motivated and other findings of skiers having conflicting environmental values. Lastly, the thesis provides insight regarding greenwashing, a phenomenon that remains unexplored in sport management.

Abstract This study explores decision making amongst ski area management. In particular, it examined how ski area managers are challenged by the risk and uncertainty as a result of weather and visitor activity patterns. Prospect theory suggests that response to uncertain conditions may not result from the application of rational thought processes (Tversky & Kahneman, 2000). Instead, decision makers may fall victim to any number of seemingly arbitrary rules or processes as they attempt to deal with uncertainty. Ski operations in southern British Columbia were chosen for study because of the importance of ski operations to the economy of this region as well as the challenging and variable weather events they have recently experienced. For example, this area hosts international and regional visitors as well as major events like the Vancouver 2010 Olympics and Paralympic Games events. As a result, there is considerable interest in creating ski conditions that are of international calibre. However, the Vancouver and the Coast Mountains faced a weather anomaly of warm, wet weather in January 2005. Nearby regions experienced equally problematic weather conditions the following December. The task here was to discover how ski area managers were coping with the uncertainty created by variable weather patterns. This study utilized qualitative methods. In total, 16 ski area managers participated in semi-structured interviews between the months of November 2006 and March 2007. Interviews were conducted within three British Columbia tourism regions: Vancouver and Coast Mountains, Thompson Okanagan, and Kootenay Rockies. The most common weather disturbances to selectively or entirely impact ski operations were high winds, cold temperatures, avalanche hazards, and lightning. Managers used both rules and tools to deal with the uncertainty created by weather conditions. In terms of rules, they often relied upon heuristic strategies (cognitive rules of thumb) to help with decision making. They tended to open and close at the same time each year for example. Often these heuristics were based on historical weather data and skier visitation rates. Many managers reported being unaffected by existing biases in their decision making or falling victim to escalation of commitment (often reported in decision making studies). These managers also relied on a variety of tools to reduce uncertainty during decision making. These tools included the use of management teams, reliance on experience and individual expertise, historical weather and skier data, and reliance upon business models. For example, most of those interviewed reported extensive efforts to enhance operational sustainability. They focused on diversification (of winter products and year round activities), slope development (summer grooming), snowmaking, and environmental sustainability initiatives. In each case, the goal seemed one of reducing uncertainty in an inherently uncertain situation. Industry and market trends were impacted by improved ski technology and the increasing popularity of internet and last minute holiday bookings.

Abstract This study explores decision making amongst ski area management. In particular, it examined how ski area managers are challenged by the risk and uncertainty as a result of weather and visitor activity patterns. Prospect theory suggests that response to uncertain conditions may not result from the application of rational thought processes (Tversky & Kahneman, 2000). Instead, decision makers may fall victim to any number of seemingly arbitrary rules or processes as they attempt to deal with uncertainty. Ski operations in southern British Columbia were chosen for study because of the importance of ski operations to the economy of this region as well as the challenging and variable weather events they have recently experienced. For example, this area hosts international and regional visitors as well as major events like the Vancouver 2010 Olympics and Paralympic Games events. As a result, there is considerable interest in creating ski conditions that are of international calibre. However, the Vancouver and the Coast Mountains faced a weather anomaly of warm, wet weather in January 2005. Nearby regions experienced equally problematic weather conditions the following December. The task here was to discover how ski area managers were coping with the uncertainty created by variable weather patterns. This study utilized qualitative methods. In total, 16 ski area managers participated in semi-structured interviews between the months of November 2006 and March 2007. Interviews were conducted within three British Columbia tourism regions: Vancouver and Coast Mountains, Thompson Okanagan, and Kootenay Rockies. The most common weather disturbances to selectively or entirely impact ski operations were high winds, cold temperatures, avalanche hazards, and lightning. Managers used both rules and tools to deal with the uncertainty created by weather conditions. In terms of rules, they often relied upon heuristic strategies (cognitive rules of thumb) to help with decision making. They tended to open and close at the same time each year for example. Often these heuristics were based on historical weather data and skier visitation rates. Many managers reported being unaffected by existing biases in their decision making or falling victim to escalation of commitment (often reported in decision making studies). These managers also relied on a variety of tools to reduce uncertainty during decision making. These tools included the use of management teams, reliance on experience and individual expertise, historical weather and skier data, and reliance upon business models. For example, most of those interviewed reported extensive efforts to enhance operational sustainability. They focused on diversification (of winter products and year round activities), slope development (summer grooming), snowmaking, and environmental sustainability initiatives. In each case, the goal seemed one of reducing uncertainty in an inherently uncertain situation. Industry and market trends were impacted by improved ski technology and the increasing popularity of internet and last minute holiday bookings.

This Master’s thesis explores environmental corporate social responsibility (ECSR) in the alpine sport industry. A mixed methods case with a single alpine sport provider in Quebec was performed. The first study is a qualitative examination of how and why ECSR is employed and communicated. Results indicate ECSR is strategically motivated, and as such, the focal organization runs the risk of using several greenwashing techniques in communications that could jeopardize gaining competitive advantage. The second study quantitatively investigates alpine sport consumers’ environmental expectations, engagement with environmental products, and perceptions of the focal organization’s environmental reputation. The results show the focal organization’s customers do indeed have environmental expectations, but believe the focal organization’s environmental reputation remains neutral. The thesis supports arguments of corporate social responsibility (CSR) being strategically motivated and other findings of skiers having conflicting environmental values. Lastly, the thesis provides insight regarding greenwashing, a phenomenon that remains unexplored in sport management.

This Master’s thesis explores environmental corporate social responsibility (ECSR) in the alpine sport industry. A mixed methods case with a single alpine sport provider in Quebec was performed. The first study is a qualitative examination of how and why ECSR is employed and communicated. Results indicate ECSR is strategically motivated, and as such, the focal organization runs the risk of using several greenwashing techniques in communications that could jeopardize gaining competitive advantage. The second study quantitatively investigates alpine sport consumers’ environmental expectations, engagement with environmental products, and perceptions of the focal organization’s environmental reputation. The results show the focal organization’s customers do indeed have environmental expectations, but believe the focal organization’s environmental reputation remains neutral. The thesis supports arguments of corporate social responsibility (CSR) being strategically motivated and other findings of skiers having conflicting environmental values. Lastly, the thesis provides insight regarding greenwashing, a phenomenon that remains unexplored in sport management.

I studien undersöks relationen mellan svenska skidbranschens klimatberoende samt klimatpåverkan. Huvudfrågan är: Vad är skidbranschens ansvar i klimatfrågan och hur kommer branschen hantera förändringar i framtiden? Intervjuer samt tidigare forskning sattes i relation till teorier av Boserup, Ostrom samt Hess. Skidbranschen är enligt tidigare forskning till stor del beroende av ett kallt klimat samtidigt som branschen bidrar till den globala uppvärmningen, främst genom transporter. Utifrån informanterna samt tidigare forskning styr konsumenterna till stor del branschens utveckling och i enlighet med Boserups teori bekräftar vår studie att de tekniska lösningarna skett som ett svar på en större efterfråga samt konsumenters hårdare krav. Den tekniska utvecklingen ses både av informanterna i branschen samt den tidigare forskningen som en lösning på de konsekvenser som klimatförändringarna kan föra med sig. Klimatförändringarna förväntas, enligt tidigare forskning att påverka skiddestinationer och åtgärder för att minska utsläppen av växthusgaser behöver tas. Utifrån Ostroms och Hess teorier föreslår vi vintern som en common för att på så sätt få mer effektiva styrningssystem gällande skidbranschen. / This study examines the relationship between the Swedish ski industry’s dependence and impact on the climate. The main question was: What is the ski industry’s responsibility in the climate issue and how will the industry handle climate changes in the future? Interviews and previous research were put in relation to theories of Boserup, Ostrom and Hess. According to previous research, the ski industry is largely dependent on a cold climate, while at the same time the industry contributes to global warming, primarily through transports. Based on the informants as well as previous research, the consumers largely control the industry’s development and our study in connection with Boserup’s theory, is that the technical solutions have been made in response to a greater demand and harder consumer requirements. The technological development is seen both by the informants in the industry and the previous research as a solution to the consequences that climate change may bring. According to previous research, climate change is expected to affect ski destinations and measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions need to be taken. Based on Ostrom’s and Hess's theory, we propose winter as a common in order to get more efficient control systems for the ski industry.