Economic Dashboard

Visitor Purchasing Power Perspective — Metrics reoriented to show "what does 100 units of visitor currency buy in USD?" Higher values = more attractive destination. Research shows ski tourism is highly elastic to exchange rates (-1.5 to -2.2).

Thresholds: Green = favorable for your resort | Gray = neutral | Red = headwind. Currency impacts lag 3-6 months for destination travel bookings.

Oil and natural gas prices affect both guest travel costs (gasoline, airfare) and resort operating costs (heating, snowmaking). Gold and copper serve as broader economic sentiment and construction cost indicators for resort capital projects.

Commercial Sector Retail Electricity Rates (cents/kWh) — Monthly average prices paid by commercial customers including ski resorts, lodges, and related businesses. Data from EIA Electric Power Monthly.

Why these states? Selected for major ski markets: Colorado/Utah/Wyoming (Rocky Mountain), California (Tahoe/Mammoth), Vermont/New Hampshire (Northeast), and Washington (Pacific Northwest).

Personal Vehicle Passengers — Monthly counts of passengers crossing US/Canada land border ports. Key indicator for Canadian visitor flows to US ski markets. Data from Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

Ski Market Relevance: Canadian visitors represent a significant segment for Montana (Whitefish/Big Sky), Vermont, and Washington resorts.

Air Travel Demand Signals — Key indicators for understanding air travel patterns affecting ski destination access. Jet fuel prices are a leading indicator for airfare changes; TSA checkpoints provide real-time demand signals.

Market-implied probabilities from Kalshi and Polymarket. These reflect trader expectations for economic outcomes affecting ski resort demand and operating costs.

Market Outlook: Recession risk is elevated, which may weigh on consumer willingness to spend on travel. The Fed is expected to hold rates steady at the next meeting (96% probability). Energy costs are moderate with oil in the $65–80 range. Inflation expectations remain contained.

What is "handle"? Handle is the total amount of money wagered on sports—not the profit kept by sportsbooks. If bettors wager $100 million and win back $93 million, the handle is $100 million. Handle measures consumer spending behavior.

Why track sports betting? A significant market for new skiers and snowboarders is adult males ages 18-35. To the extent that some of these individuals are more focused on sports betting than in the past, it may reduce their discretionary income and therefore reduce their participation frequency—or their likelihood of picking up skiing or snowboarding at all.

Regulatory context: The U.S. Supreme Court struck down PASPA (the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act) in May 2018, allowing states to legalize sports betting. In 2019 (the first full year post-legalization), total U.S. handle was $13.1 billion. By 2024, it reached $149.2 billion—an increase of over 1,000%. 38 states plus D.C. now have legal sports betting markets. In Canada, single-game sports betting became legal nationwide in August 2021, with Ontario launching its regulated iGaming market in April 2022.

Data from Sports Handle (U.S.) and iGaming Ontario.

Since PASPA was struck down in May 2018, U.S. sports betting handle has grown from $13.1B (2019) to $163B trailing twelve months — a 9% year-over-year increase. Growth is continuing but at a more moderate pace than the early post-PASPA expansion years. That works out to roughly $628 per U.S. adult per year — equivalent to about ~3 lift tickets. Ontario, Canada's largest regulated market, has contributed $8.5B USD in trailing twelve-month betting wagers. March Madness typically drives sustained handle volume over three weeks of tournament play.