There are few multi-billion dollar industries that have yet to harness the power of the Internet. At First Round, we thought car services was one of them and we were lucky enough to seed Uber. We later saw that the hospitality industry was ready to embrace the mobile web and we were thrilled to invest in HotelTonight. We think the ski industry will be the next massive market to embrace the Internet. We’re thrilled to be investing in Liftopia along with Chris Sacca, Dave Morin, and Erik Blachford,.

Even as a lifelong skier, I’ve taken the business of skiing for granted. It wasn’t until I met with Liftopia’s Founders, Evan Reece and Ron Schneidermann, that I wrapped my head around the scale of the industry. It’s massive. In the US alone, lift ticket sales are $2.6B annually. Lessons and rentals are another $1B. Ancillary on mountain spend is yet another $1.6B. In the US alone, that’s $5.2B before lodging, transportation, soft goods or hard goods. The Japanese market is roughly the same size. Europe is larger still.

And yet, ask a skier about the last time they used the Internet to plan a ski trip and they’ll most likely give you a quizzical stare. They’ll probably tell you that they were able to book their airfare and lodging online but purchased their lift tickets in person. Think about it. You pick a resort you want to visit. You book your flight online. You book your lodging online. But the the core elements of your trip - your lift tickets, lessons and rentals – you wait in line to purchase these after you arrive. Or, maybe if you’re savvy, you buy discounted tickets at a convenience store near the mountain. This is insane.

Step back and wonder what the world would be like if the other aspects of your vacation were handled in the same way. A walk-up airfare? Walk-up lodging? Airlines and hotels provide customers with better rates in exchange for a commitment from consumers that they will spend. This results in better demand forecasting for the service providers and better pricing for consumers. Liftopia lets ski resorts do the same and the results are powerful. Liftopia customers ski more days, spend more money on mountain, and explore more resorts. So if you’re daydreaming of a trip to a place like Mammoth, Sun Valley, Park City, Deer Valley, The Canyons, Kirkwood, Alpine Meadows, Killington, Stowe, Mount Snow, Keystone, Snowbird or just about any mountain in the US, check out Liftopia. You’ll save time, money and have more fun.

Every chairlift should be heard, profitable and generating smiles.

Been back from the ski trip for a long while but I still catch myself day dreaming about it. Enjoy the video above. It was a phenomenal trip. If you are thinking of heading to La Grave or Chamonix and have any questions about how to find a guide or places to stay, feel free to leave a comment and I’ll be in touch.

Heading out this afternoon to begin a week long ski vacation with some friends. It’s hard to believe, but this will be just the second time in eight years that I’ve taken a full week off from work. I’ll be out of the office and on a cornice, in couloir, or riding a tram until March 2nd. Until then, I’m likely to be a bit slow to respond to emails. Thanks in advance for your patience… Next stop, La Mieje.

Posted in skiing Tagged: kent goldman, La Grave, La Mieje, skiing ]]> http://thecornice.com/2009/02/20/gone-skiing/feed/ 0 kent goldman Cornice Warning http://thecornice.com/2008/03/09/the-next-generation-of-rippers/ http://thecornice.com/2008/03/09/the-next-generation-of-rippers/#comments Mon, 10 Mar 2008 03:09:28 +0000 kent http://cornice.wordpress.com/?p=37 ]]> This past week, I skied with my 4 year-old niece for the first time. It was really just her second week on skis and by the end of it, she was ripping up the blue runs. I’ve never been so proud. And with the next generation officially on its way, I have a feeling that as far as my skiing goes, it must be all downhill from here (pun intended).