Ski touring on pistes: a new trend

Summary of this study

Winter tourism in the Alps remains competitive and challenges vacation regions to develop new tourist offers. Ski touring on pistes is an excellent example of this. This winter sport is experiencing an enormous upswing in the Alps. However, ski touring on pistes has hardly been studied scientifically to date. Our aim was therefore to conduct two studies to gain an in-depth understanding of the phenomenon from both a supply and demand perspective. In the first study, we interviewed 26 experts to assess the importance of ski touring on pistes and to identify different types of piste climbers as potential tourism segments. In the second study, we surveyed 6880 piste climbers and applied the motivation-opportunity-ability model to understand why people engage in this activity and what factors are important to them. This article contributes to existing knowledge by analyzing possible target groups of piste climbers and their needs, and shedding light on the underlying typology and tourism potential of this activity.

Findings from this study

• Ski mountaineering is identified as a growing trend that presents a "new" form of alpine winter tourism.
• The motivation of skiers can be divided into recreational and social motives. Recreational motives include sporting activity and experiencing nature, while social motives emphasize the group experience.
• Infrastructure and convenience as well as safety and guidance, including control systems, are the main drivers of piste ascent.
• The results show that participants with less experience are often less informed about safety regulations, indicating a gap.
• The study showed that the majority of winter sports enthusiasts participate in more than one sport.