Where digital meets travel + lifestyle … A collection of can’t-miss news from this week. Sign up to get the TURNER Weekly Download in your inbox every Friday.
The snowsports industry is in great shape – but some experts are worried about its future. “The industry is extremely healthy, we’ve been really consistent for a long time,” Michael Reitzell, president of the California Ski Industry Association, told Skift. “But we’re not like hotels, we’re not building new properties, and millennials, and even gen Xers, are going less often, less days per year than the previous generation.” The solution may be for ski resorts to get creative in their pursuit of millennials with tech-focused amenities, more authentic (and Instagrammable) experiences and more.
One new website is looking to bring a younger, more tech-savvy audience to the slopes to discover the growing heli-skiing trend. What the hell is heli-skiing, you ask? It’s basically the ultimate backcountry powder experience, with skiers getting airlifted to remote mountain peaks, far away from crowded resorts. Heli is a one-stop online shop for booking adventure sports – its goal is to make extreme activities more accessible by bringing operators together in one hub. It’s essentially AirbnB for adventure sports. “[Heli] is aimed at a younger, more spontaneous, and more tech savvy demographic than the typical heli-skiing client,” writes Bloomberg’s Tim Sohn.
Of course, there’s a more tried-and-true way to get snowsports enthusiasts both young and old excited about powder season – the classic ski movie. Full Moon, the latest entry in the genre, is filled with incredible imagery and eye-popping feats. There’s a twist, though: its stars are all female. According to RedBull, “the all-female cast features some of the most influential riders of the past decade it’s pretty much guaranteed to be unmissable.” Check out the trailer — and tell us that it doesn't make you want to ditch work for a ski day now.
The PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics arrive in just a few months – and there will be plenty of ways for social media junkies to enjoy the festivities. According to Variety, Eurosport, which owns the TV and multimedia rights to the 2018-24 Olympics, recently announced an advertising and content agreement with Snapchat. Look for content such as Olympics-related Our Stories (posts curated from snaps submitted by Snapchat users) and Publisher Stories (magazine-like Stories produced by media publishers). Additionally, NBC is partnering with Buzzfeed to co-produce content for Snapchat.
Feast your eyes on these otherworldly pics of Antarctica.