THE NORTHEAST
With the 1977-78 winter a sure bet to exceed the previous record-breaking season, ski area operators were deep in planning for the future. But the days of the sky-is-the-limit optimism are gone. Any increase in facilities is weighed carefully, balanced against ever-rising costs, the fickle public and the accountant’s sharpest pencil. And many of this winter’s ski dollars will be spent on summer business-builders, as more and more operators strive to keep their key staff members employed year round, and their cash registers jingling in the off-season.
Except for Whiteface, which is getting massive additions to its facilities as part of the 1980 Olympics complex at Lake Placid, N.Y., a survey of Eastern operators showed rather conservative plans.
Big Tupper will be installing a third double chairlift, which will add several hundred more vertical, at the top of the Adirondack peak. Best news is that the lift will be paid for by Economic Development Administration funds, since the expansion will mean more jobs for the popular ski area, which is owned and operated by the town of Tupper Lake.
Hunter Mt. in the Catskills, the Empire State’s premiere privately operated ski resort, will see its main chairlift completely renovated, with increased capacity.
Operators Orville and Izzy Slutsky feel that New York has ski facilities aplenty—if only the skiers can be taught to take advantage of mid-week days.
“With the great snow conditions throughout lower New York, New Jersey and Western Connecticut, we saw smaller and smaller weekend crowds this winter,” said Izzy Slutsky, “but our increased mid-week business enabled us to break previous records.”
At nearby Windham, a private club which accepts guests until the area is comfortably filled, Manager Gene McMasters is eyeing an adjacent bowl for a new lift, as well as increasing snow-making coverage.
McMasters also feels there are enough ski areas, but maintains the key to prosperity is pre-sold tickets, either to individuals or groups, plus the club concept. He must have the right idea, as he collected $16 from non-members.
In Vermont, the ski industry watched Killington and Mount Snow carefully, but President Preston Leete Smith was not ready to talk about plans for his twin giants.
It was assumed that more snow-making and more lifts are being planned for Mt. Snow, but only Smith knows.
Stratton’s plans, not definite, include more snowmaking, perhaps another lift to the summit, and expansion of the baselodge.
At Burke, Gloria Chadwick intends to push further down the mountain, with a new baselodge and a chairlift to serve the lower levels.
Okemo is going to finish its monster snow-making project, while Woodstock Six will build a $400,000 base lodge at the former “Suicide” area.
In Massachusetts, Jiminy Peak’s Brian Fairbank, flushed with his first million-plus year, plans a double-double chair to replace two existing T-bars and give him a second lift to the summit. He also plans a large restaurant and cocktail lounge at the base of the present chairlifts, which would also cater to summer Alpine Slide riders.
Biggest news from Connecticut comes from Walter Schoenknecht at Mohawk Mt. The creator of Mt. Snow is now concentrating on the area he started back some 25 years ago and is talking about $1.5 million in expansion over the next few years. Walter learned enough about the ski business at Mohawk to revolutionize the ski world with Mt. Snow concepts, and the knowledge gained at Mt. Snow should see some kind of a resort in Connecticut.
THE ROCKIES
Return to great
by CHARLIE MEYERS
Steamboat made quite a statement as to the spirit of the Rocky Mountain ski industry (and perhaps raised a few eyebrows) when it installed two new double chairlifts last summer.
Ordinarily, there wouldn’t be anything unusual about this. But Steamboat was one of the areas hardest hit by last season’s drought. The area was forced to close in February and suffered a decline in lift ticket sales of more than 60 per cent.
But management stuck to its previously announced plans to alleviate a bottleneck which had developed on part of the mountain, confident that drought would not become a way of life in the Rockies.
How right they were. This season Steamboat was inundated with 200 per cent of normal snowfall and attendance was running 18 per cent ahead of the record 1975-76 season. The numerical gain here should end up being the leader among all Ski The Rockies members. And, best of all, there’s no more bottleneck on the mountain.
Snowfall and skier attendance continue to be equal success stories, as most ski areas seem assured of records in both categories.
Vail seemed a sure bet to surpass its 1975-76 season when it led the nation with more than a million tickets sold.
Keystone was well ahead of last year, even though it did well last year, thanks to snowmaking. This significant gain has been achieved at a steady pace without any wild crowding on peak periods. Most of the increase has been achieved during midweek, a testament to greater tourism. However, Keystone and other areas popular with skiers from the Denver metro area have reported a resurgence of Coloradans, who generally stayed home during the drought.
Aspen Highlands President, Whipple V. N. Jones, reported a brisk increase in ski school business, including a disproportionate hike in those taking private lessons. “There seems a general inclination among our guests to spend more money. We find more are drinking wine with lunch and buying expensive imported beer at the bar. Things are different this year,” Jones said.
Further north, Jackson Hole experienced by far its best season ever.
PACIFIC NORTHWEST
White snow—black ink
by JOHN HOEFLING
If brown was the snow color and red the ink color in the Pacific Northwest last season, then it must be all white snow and black ink (color the money black) for 1977-78.
There have been few problems this season, with only two areas reporting poor years due to little and/or late snows, plus rainy spells. Unusual weather above the 5,000-foot levels saw the snow pack at or above normal. Below 5,000 feet it was a different story, with the snow depths well below normal.
Percentage-wise, business volume increased this season over the last banner year in the Northwest of 1975-76 were reported ranging from 27% to a huge 75%. This largest increase was quoted by Mt. Hood Meadows GM Clay Simon.
Last year’s drought saw dollar volumes drop from $88 million to $55 million—a 35% decrease. This year, “Areas are setting many new daily attendance records, exceeding two years ago, which was one of the best years ever,” according to Mel Borgerson, executive secretary of the Pacific Northwest Ski Areas Association.
This doesn’t mean that area operators have gained profits enough to offset last year completely. “Most are still trying to recoup from last year’s drought and most operators are still consolidating their gains,” Borgerson adds.
Mt. Bachelor tallied 7,807 skiers on Dec. 28. Bachelor president Bill Healy said the previous record was 6,800. Timberline’s Dick Kohnstamm recorded an estimated 7,000 skiers on the slopes there the day after Christmas.
A roundup of plans for this coming building season reveals that Oregon’s Mt. Ashland, under new owner Richard Hicks, and Willamette Pass, under new owners Mike Neary and Jack Peterson, hope to add lifts to their facilities for next season. Both areas were brought back from the brink of complete insolvency by new ownerships.
The nearly completed (from last summer) Palmer lift at Timberline Lodge was twice damaged by late fall ice storms, but is expected to be in operation by this coming mid-summer. This will enable skiers to take advantage of perpetual snowfields during the summer months at a top elevation of nearly 9,000 feet, with a vertical drop of 1,600 feet.
The most ambitious Northwest expansion program has been announced by the Meadows’ Simon, which includes a 10,000 square foot expansion of their day lodge and a $25 million resort hotel development 17 miles north of the ski area. “First occupancy is being planned for the fall of 1979,” says Simon.
THE MIDWEST
Better and better
by TEDDEE GRACE
Business just seems to keep getting better and better in the Midwest. Last year ski area managers here figured the 1976-77 season, a record breaker for many of them, was a fluke attributable to the no-snow conditions out West. This year, with most areas reporting lift ticket sales up 10% to 50%, spokesmen are giving credit to the consistently fine surface conditions enjoyed by almost all Midwestern ski areas from early December through mid-March with the season’s end not yet in sight at presstime.
Most ski areas in the Midwest received more than average snow. Heavy snowfalls and history-making blizzards occurred with unusual regularity all winter, but it was the consistent temperatures that were responsible for the exceptional conditions. Existing natural and machine-made snow was preserved in pristine condition by temperatures that remained below freezing but rarely dropped below zero for most of January and February. Midwest snow reports were boringly repetitive this season, and the skiers came out in droves. As Karen Ginter, marketing director at Sky Line, Friendship, Wis., pointed out, “The temperatures were not so warm that we lost snow and not so cold that we lost skiers.”
As a result, another season of major expansion is in the making in the Midwest with projects ranging from new chairlifts and new trails to entire lodges.
Devil’s Head, Merrimac, Wis., has announced the planned construction of a 100-unit high rise motel complex and the addition of a new triple chairlift for the 1978-79 season.
The area, which skis 6,000 to 7,000 every weekend, reports lift ticket sales up 30 per cent over last season and a lodge occupancy rate of 99% since Dec. 23, according to General Manager Domenic DiGirolamo.
Sky Line, Friendship, Wis., which doubled night business this season and projects a 33% increase in overall lift ticket sales over the previous season, will also construct a new day lodge, a building to house a rental department, ticket sales and ski repair. The rustic, but modern, bi-level chalet features a glassed-in inner core and will be connected to the existing day lodge by a covered walk-through.
Buena Vista, Bemidji, Minn., just about doubled both dollars and skiers this season over last, says Earl Dickenson, owner/manager. “We had an early snow in November that set us up,” says Dickinson, “and although our snowfall for the season has been about average, we hold the snow here because of our colder temperatures.”
In addition to completing a three-story day lodge that’s been under construction for the past two seasons, Dickenson plans to install a new quad chairlift for 1978-79, possibly two, to serve both sides of his Midwest area located on a continental divide.
The 1977-78 season was the best in the 14-year history of the Clear Fork Ski Area, Butler, Ohio, according to Car White, who co-manages the area with her husband John.
“When there’s snow on the ground in the back yards in Columbus they ski,” says White, whose ski area draws from the Columbus, Cincinnati and Kentucky markets. The average snowfall in the Butler vicinity is about 50 inches. This year approximately 80 inches were recorded at Clear Fork. Part of the profits will go toward a new chairlift for 1978-79, probably a quad.
In mid-March Shanty Creek, Bellaire, Mich., will become the Hilton Shanty Creek and will claim the title of first Hilton ski area in the world, according to John Meeske, executive director. Meeske thinks getting the franchise will be a big help in solving the area’s identity problem. “Before Hilton, Shanty Creek could have been a Moose Lodge as far as most people were concerned,” he quips.
The 300-acre year-round convention resort attributes about one third of its revenues to winter business, including skiing. The resort caters to the more affluent skier and to families.
Lift ticket sales were up 33 per cent for 1977-78 over the previous season, says Meeske, who attributes improved grooming, word-of-mouth and consistent weather conditions for the increase. Total snowfall at 164 inches by February’s end was about 30 inches short of last year’s 193.8 inch total.
Cascade Mountain, Portage, Wis., completing its first year under new ownership, says lift ticket sales have tripled this season over last.
New owners Ken Anderson and Phil Walz plan to plow the profits back into the operation by installing a 2,400-foot quad chairlift, the longest quad in the state of Wisconsin, according to management. More funds will be invested in converting an old barn into a bi-level wine and cheese “shed” accessible by chairlift only.
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
Records galore
by BOB GOLIGOSKI
A series of November-December snowstorms followed by weeks of balmy spring-like skiing in January and February, combined to bring record crowds this season to most northern California ski areas.
Many skiers who stayed home during the two-year California drought caught the fever again and joined record numbers of first-time skiers on the slopes.
Bill Boardman, assistant to the general manager at Squaw Valley, said that “in an average year, we have about 500,000 skier days. This season, I’ll make a ballpark estimate that we get 750,000. We had our best day ever during Washington’s Birthday weekend when we had about 13,500 skiers.” The Lake Tahoe resort has just filed an application to build its 22nd chairlift—one it hopes to have ready by next winter.
Heavenly will install another $500,000 worth of snowmaking equipment this summer.
Ski area operators, interviewed right after Washington’s Birthday, set their closing dates ranging from mid-April to late May based on the present snowpack and skier enthusiasm.
Dodge Ridge, whose record annual skier count was 175,000, expects to set a new record, according to resort president Frank Helm. “This should be our most profitable year by about 25 per cent. We plan a $4 million expansion, probably for the summer after this one, which would give us three more chairlifts, a new day lodge and other facilities.”
Beginner ski lessons at Dodge have increased 56 per cent over the last good snow year in 1975.
Homewood comptroller Bob Martin said, “We’ve had our best year ever. We lost money the last two years, so I don’t think we’ll make it all up this season.” Homewood’s expansion plans call for three new chairlifts this summer.
Northstar, like most Sierra resorts, captured large crowds at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Dianne Sweet in the Northstar public relations office, exclaimed, “We’re having a super season. Our ticket sales, in fact the revenue from the whole operation, doubled in the first two months of this year over 1977.”
Northstar, which limits daily ticket sales to 4,000, had sold out on 22 days prior to Feb. 22, and its 200 rental condominiums were full almost all season. The resort, which had been for sale for several years, hopes to add a triple chairlift this year.
Jay Price, general manager of Boreal Ridge and president of the National Ski Areas Association, observed that “we’re having a good year. Depending on the final eight weeks, it could be the best year.”
Sugar Bowl, Badger Pass and Tahoe Ski Bowl also all reported that if the snow doesn’t go in a sudden spring thaw, they’ll likely host the most skiers of any season.
Some 200,000 skiers are expected at Kirkwood this season, well above the previous season high of 165,000. Expansion plans at the Carson Pass resort include a new chairlift and restaurant in 1978 and 1979.
Colorado publicists warned on hoaxes
At a special news/public relations conference on March 15 in Denver, representatives of Colorado Ski Country USA were told flatly by members of both major wire services that it was “On Notice” and that every news picture or release would be viewed “with a jaundiced eye.”
The background for this extraordinary conference, called by CSCUSA’s Pam Conklin, was that the wire services were embarrassed twice this past winter when false and misleading photos and information was released to them by publicists from two prominent ski areas. The P.R. Director of Vail was caught in November hokeying up a release built around around some previous year’s photos. More recently, Winter Park publicists got national press by creating a story, complete with photos, around a “middle eastern sheik” who turned out to be a shoe salesman from Duluth.
The credibility of the wire services was apparently questioned by the likes of the New York Times after these hoaxes were exposed, and when wire service officials got the opportunity to address a collection of ski resort officials they pulled no punches.
Most vehement was Bill Lyon, VP in charge of news pictures for UPI, the organ twice burned by fictitious Colorado ski area photos. “You may be aware that UPI will survive quite well without news or photos from Colorado Ski Country,” Lyon said, “and that may be precisely the case if we cannot work out some form of guarantees.”
Lyon said he has told his staffers in Denver to refuse offerings from Colorado ski areas until such time as “you convince us you are honest. I hate to tar everyone here with the same brush, but I cannot overemphasize our seriousness in this matter.”
Lyon outlined the basic philosophy in dealing with erroneous information. “These incidents strike at the very heart and soul of the news business, which is its credibility with the public. Our freedom of press exists with the public as our only masters. We must guard against the erosion of public trust.
“If we pass these off as funny pictures, then how can we expect credibility on matters of more importance such as Watergate?” he concluded.
While less adamant, the AP also stressed far greater control over the origin of its information.
“We want good ski photos—we use them and our subscribers use them—but we must be absolutely certain of their authenticity,” said Dick Browne, AP’s photo chief in Denver.
A central thread running through the day long conference was the absolute need for professionalism in the PR departments of ski areas, and a corresponding requisite of common sense and sensitivity by these pros.
Garry Mitchell, President of CSCUSA, called for the upgrading of the PR position in the corporate structure as a means of avoiding recurrences of this problem.
Speakers included these wire services representatives; Denver attorney Thomas Kelley, a libel authority; and the staff representatives of the Denver Post, People and Denver broadcast media.
ASSOCIATIONS
Ontario resorts plan active convention
The Ontario Ski Resorts Association (OSRA) has announced plans for its annual trade show and convention at Deerhurst Inn, Hidden Valley, Huntsville, Ont., May 15-17.
The theme of the convention will be “Preparing for the Future,” according to Tom Hamilton, president of the association. Workshops will include 1) Cross Country Area Operations; 2) Insurance/Proposed Legislation; 3) Resort Image—The Total Picture; and 4) Expansion—Growing with Demand.
Bob Pettigrew, executive director of OSRA, added that association members will also be looking into the possibilities of bulk purchasing of items such as lift tickets and signs.
Attending the convention will be representatives of various national and regional ski industry organizations, as well as representatives of the following ministries: Culture and Recreation, Transportation and Communication, Consumer and Commercial Relations.
At presstime there was still exhibit space available. Address all inquiries to OSRA, 555 Burnhamthorpe Rd., Suite 501, Etobicoke, Ont. M9C 2Y3 (416) 622-3268.
International Symposium on aerial cableways is set
A symposium will be held in Vienna, Austria, May 17-19 on many aspects of aerial cableway systems. Sponsored by International Aerial Tramway Review (ISR), the gathering is expected to attract experts from all over the world as well as numerous industry participants.
Lecture topics include safety, poured cable anchors, methods of cable monitoring and criteria for replacement age of cableway ropes. Simultaneous translation of all lectures and other proceedings will be available in German, English and French.
There is a varied social program planned in connection with the symposium, including concerts, museums and other sightseeing in and near Vienna. The city of Vienna is also sponsoring an evening reception.
For further information, contact Mondial Travel, Bosendorferstrasse 4, A-1010, Vienna, Austria.
Lift Maintenance School scheduled for Vail
Riblet Tramway Co. is staging its eleventh Lift Maintenance School at Vail, CO., the week of May 8-12. Registration cost is $75 per person for the whole five days.
The course covers all lifts, and is in no way limited to Riblet equipment. For more information, contact Carol King at Vail Associates.
Skigroup announces Travel Show plans
SkiGroup 78, the Ski Travel Trade Show sponsored by Ski Magazine for the buyers and sellers of group ski travel, will meet in ten major cities in the U.S. this May. The Show will repeat last year’s format of bringing the purchasers and planners of group ski vacations all under one roof at the same time. Last year tens of thousands of skier days were booked through this show, according to the organizers.
Suppliers represented at the 1977 SkiGroup include airlines, tour operators, ski areas, lodges and lodge associations, condominium managers, and government travel offices.
Group ski planners for their association, organization, ski club, travel club, school groups — fraternities, sororities, ski shops, charities, travel agents, etc. are invited free to any one of the shows at a location most convenient to them:
| New schedule | |
|---|---|
| Washington | Mon., May 1 |
| Philadelphia | Wed., May 3 |
| New York | Thurs., May 4 |
| Boston | Mon., May 8 |
| Toronto | Wed., May 10 |
| Cleveland | Thurs., May 11 |
| Chicago | Mon., May 15 |
| Dallas | Wed., May 17 |
| Los Angeles | Thurs., May 18 Sat., May 20 |
| San Francisco | Mon., May 22. |
For more information, contact: SkiGroup 78, Ruppert Towers, Suite 201, 1619 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10028.
ARTA meeting at Lake Tahoe scheduled
The Association of Recreational Tramway Authorities will meet from 2:30 to 5:30 in the Tamarack Room B at the Hyatt Lake Tahoe Hotel at Incline Village, Nevada, on Monday, May 22, according to Ed Immergluck, President.
All member authority representatives, associate members and interested guests are invited to attend, and a special invitation has been extended to representatives of non-member authorities, as well as to prospective associate members, to attend and thus become acquainted with the objectives and activities of the Association in the field of promoting uniformity in tramway regulation.
LAW
Legal battles Underway in Vail
The first legal battle in the wake of the March 26, 1976 crash of the Vail Lions Head gondola will begin April 10 in Arapahoe County District Court in suburban Denver.
Carol Pasterkamp of Englewood, Colo., a crash survivor, and her parents acting in behalf of her sister Janice, who was killed in the mishap, have filed suit against Vail Associates.
An adjunct to the trial will be a counterclaim by Vail Associates against Bell Manufacturing, the firm which manufactured and installed the gondola. Vail contends that structural and engineering flaws, for which Bell was responsible, caused the accident. Bell will argue that laxity in maintenance by Vail was the cause.
Although 10 suits have been filed in the aftermath of the accident in which four persons were killed and eight injured, this is the first to be tested in court.
Three have been settled out of court by Vail’s insurer, Lloyd’s of London, which has refused to disclose the terms of the settlements. In these three cases, Vail and its insurer have preserved its claims against Bell and these arguments will be heard in a separate trial scheduled late in July.
A Vail spokesman said there remains the possibility of additional suits.
Antitrust suit filed against areas lodges
An $8 million antitrust suit has been filed in U.S. District Court for Utah by a California-based ski tour operator against lodges and hotels at Alta and Park City Resorts and against their lodging associations.
The plaintiff is Global Sports Tours and Expeditions Inc., which does business as Global Sports. It seeks $3 million general and $5 million exemplary expenses. Violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act and restriction of trade are alleged.
In its complaint Global says that it deals with package ski tours which may include an airline ticket, hotel or motel accommodations, a ski lift ticket and auto rental. The suit contends that members of the Alta and Park City Lodging Assn. have agreed to “fix prices, exclude competition and have attempted to monopolize” such ski tours in Utah. The suit notes that Global in 1976 set up a ski tour package and started to do the same in 1977. The action says that in September and October of 1977, Global received letters from members of the Alta Lodging Assn. saying none would deal with Global as a ski tour dealer. The action contends that at a trade show for the airlines and ski industry, Mr. Leavitt allegedly approached airline representatives of American and Western Airlines and asked them to boycott Global.
The suit was filed Dec. 30. No trial date has been set.
Alpine Slide files suit for patent infringement
Alpine Slide Co., which is the exclusive licensee of the German Demag slide system, has charged Mountain Coaster Corp., of Woodmere, N.Y., with patent infringement.
Bill Gilbert, speaking for the defendents, denied any patent infringement. “We have consulted our patent counsel who has answered us that the Mountain Coaster is not infringing any valid patent of Demag or Alpine Slide. This, of course, confirms what we have always known, since the two systems are so very different in concept and structure.”
An Alpine Slide spokesman said it is their intention, and that of Demag too, to “assert its patents ‘vigorously’ against any infringers including ski areas if necessary.”
Mountain Coaster’s Gilbert countered that Alpine Slide was using the courts to frighten their customers. “This will not work,” he said, “since we plan to vigorously defend our position and to idemnify our customers.”
Forest Service cracks down on violators
Forest Service officials and the Vail Ski Patrol initiated a new “get-tough” policy regarding violators of ski area closures on Vail Mountain, according to Patrol Director Paul Testwuide.
The Forest Service is now prepared to prosecute individuals who are in violation of Federal Regulation 16 U.S.C. 36 CFR 261.53(E) which states that entering an area closed for public health and safety by order of the Forest Supervisor of the White River National Forest may result in a fine of up to $500.00, or 6 months in jail, or both.
PEOPLE
Beauvais named to Rockies marketing post
Ski the Rockies, the marketing cooperative encompassing eleven of the nation’s leading ski resorts, announced the election of M. P. “Mix” Beauvais, Director of Sales and Promotion for Steamboat Springs, Colo., as Chairman of its Executive Committee for the 1978-9 season. Beauvais takes over the reins of Ski the Rockies from John Francis, the Snowmass Marketing Director, who has led the organization for several years.
Joining Beauvais on the Executive Committee are Randy Montgomery of Snowbird, Utah; Ron Sanford, of Vail Associates; and J. Chris Stagg, of Taos Ski Valley.
According to Beauvais, “Ski the Rockies plans to launch the most aggressive package of advertising, marketing and promotional efforts in its history, one which spans more than a decade. In addition to increasing our advertising and promotional budgets, we plan to develop many more tie-in promotions with travel-and ski-related marketing organizations, and to become more visible to the travel agent and non-skier communities, as well. In terms of promotional programs aimed at the existing skier marketplace,” Beauvais continues, “we will be developing a new series of efforts aimed at our hard-core, repeat customers and reaching them with better target-marketing and increased frequency in the coming year.”
Ski The Rockies is an association made up of 11 Rocky Mt. ski resorts. They are: Jackson Hole, Wyo.; Taos, New Mexico; Sun Valley, Idaho; Snowbird, Utah; and Breckenridge, Crested Butte, Steamboat, Vail, Aspen, Snowmass, and Winter Park in Colorado.
Paron leaves Bromley for Whiteface post
Bob Paron, vice president of ski operations at Bromley, is leaving to become director of recreational programs at Whiteface Mountain near Lake Placid, N.Y., scene of the 1980 Winter Olympics. He will also direct the second stage of the $12 million renovation and construction program aimed at upgrading Whiteface to Olympic standards.
Paron moved to Vermont in 1970 as general manager of Mount Ascutney. He also served as president of Vermont Ski Areas Association and the New England Ski Areas Council before moving to Bromley in 1973.
“Bob leaves a big spot to be filled,” says Stig Albertsson, president of Bromley. “Bob is not just Bromley’s loss and New York’s gain—he is the Olympics’ gain and we wish him the very best of luck.”
Did seeding help Colorado’s snow
Despite near-record snowfalls throughout much of the state, Colorado’s cloud seeding operation proceeded all winter long.
Officials say they have no way to accurately assess the result of the seeding at this date, but only four of the 116 ground-based generators installed in the mountain region had been suspended as of March 1.
The area around Steamboat Springs in the northern mountains, which achieved up to 170 per cent of normal snowfall, was judged saturated.
The operation began Nov. 17 and the generators acted upon every seedable storm in the interim. While no one involved in the project is taking credit as yet, the net result was a deluge of snow over much of the state — in happy contrast to the crippling drought of previous season.
The snowpack in the central mountains was 120 to 130 per cent above normal in mid March, about the same as the northwestern part of the San Juan Mountains. The Eastern San Juans were only about 80 per cent of normal, however.
According to John LeCompte, technical coordinator for the Colorado Water Conservation Board, no assessment will be attempted until the project is completed. “We’ll analyze the snow for silver content and also sample the nuclear content of the atmosphere,” LeCompte Said. “We also plan to estabish a study model to speculate what might have fallen naturally to get a comparison.”
Two firms were contracted to perform the seeding. Western Weather Consultants of Durango installed generators in the southern part of the state and Colorado International Corporation of Boulder did the same in the north.
Massachusetts areas decide on signs
The Massachusetts Outdoor Advertising Board and the Department of Public Works has launched a pilot roadside sign program in Berkshire County.
With off-premise signs and billboards becoming almost extinct in the Berkshires, the state planners offered the county’s major resorts up to four large directional signs each along Route 7, which runs from Connecticut to Vermont through the center of the county.
President Brian Fairbank of Jiminy Peak in Hancock accepted the offer, as his resort is three miles to the west, but Brodie’s Jim Kelly spurned the signs as not providing enough information.
Kelly, with his mammoth resort located a few hundred feet off Route 7, is taking his battle to the courts. In the meantime, he re-erected his main entrance sign, which was banned three years ago.
During the past three winters, Kelly used the same sign — mounted on a large, registered trailer.
Jiminy keeps its main entrance sign and a sign on Route 43. It is expected that most of the resorts along Route 7 will take up the state sign offer.
Lift operator training services announced
Chris Stoddard, Skilift Operations Supervisor at Sun Valley, has developed a Ski Lift Operator Training Program consisting of a text/workbook, and Instructor’s Guide, and a slide program to accompany each chapter of the text/workbook.
“We feel the program can be used by a variety of ski areas, and is adaptable for almost any situation, from a comprehensive four-day training program to simply giving the manual workbook to a new fill-in employee to read and study before starting work,” says Stoddard.
For more information, write to Chris Stoddard, Mountain Recreation Management Services, P.O. Box 1406, Sun Valley, ID 83353.
Utah resorts get expansion approval
The U.S. Forest Service announced in January it had approved an environmental and land management plan which allows the expansion of three of Utah’s established resorts — Alta, Brighton and Solitude.
The plan is contained in a 296-page booklet which outlines plans for the Wasatch National Forest from Little Cottonwood Canyon, southeast of Salt Lake City, to City Creek Canyon, on the city’s northeast boundary.
Expansion plans for the three ski areas within the planning unit include using 362 acres of national forest land to expand Alta; 555 for Brighton, and 100 acres for Solitude. Alta is in Little Cottonwood Canyon and Brighton and Solitude are in Big Cottonwood Canyon, both 25 miles from downtown Salt Lake City.
The proposal would increase total forest service ski acreage in the plan from 3,580 to 4,597 acres.
According to the report, the increase would mean two additional double chair lifts at Alta with capacity for 2,000 skiers per hour, two additional double chair lifts at Brighton for 1,000 skiers per hour and two new lifts at Solitude for about 515 skiers per hour.
Although the plan calls for expansion of the three major ski resorts and the prohibition of others in the area, it does not allow for any expansion of parking facilities or major road improvements in the two narrow canyons.
Foreigners flock to the Rockies
The following article by Molly Ivins appeared March 12 in the New York Times © 1978 by the New York Times Company) and is reprinted by permission. We found it interesting and significant — The Editors
The gnomes of Zurich are a long way from the slopes of Snowbird, Utah, but their trading in the international money markets is affecting ski resorts there and all over the country. As the dollar’s value declines in relation to the yen, the pound, the franc and the mark, more and more foreigners are finding that a ski holiday in the United States is a bargain.
John Ahearne, vice president for marketing at Steamboat Springs in Colorado, says that foreigners accounted for 8 percent of that resort’s clientele this year, up from 2 percent last year.
Randy Montgomery, public relations director at Snowbird, says, “The interest for next year is simply remarkable. We just got through hosting a group of 10 travel agents from Australia. We’ve had a couple of site selection people from Great Britain who want to package tours for next year. We have had booking agents from Switzerland and France come through.”
George Morton of London, vacationing in Aspen this week, vows to return next year “with at least 20 friends.” He usually goes skiing in the Alps and says this holiday is actually costing him less.
“Why should I pay 150 francs a day for lunch when I can eat a hamburger here?” inquired Mr. Morton. Though he did not come with a group, he got a special rate on British Airways because he planned a long stay.
Mr. Morton chose Aspen both because he has friends in Colorado and because of the skiing, about which he waxed enthusiastic. In general, ski resorts in the Western United States, with their powder snow, offer easier and sunnier skiing than such famous Alpine resorts as Chamonix or Gstaad.
Although the American dollar rallied sharply Friday, it has been falling steadily in relation to some stronger world currencies for several years, and the drop since October has been steep. The dollar has fallen 24 percent in Switzerland since early 1977; in West Germany, the dollar has fallen 15 percent in 14 months.
The largest contingent of foreign skiers at Colorado resorts are Mexicans, according to Gary Mitchell, director of Colorado’s Ski Country, a resort association. Mexicans accounted for exactly half the foreign skiers at Vail in the 1975-76 season; that percentage fell slightly last year, an abysmal season for Western ski resorts because of poor snowfall.
The second largest group of foreign skiers come from South American countries, Mr. Mitchell said, particularly Venezuela. (American skiers who cannot stand a month without a schuss return the South Americans’ compliment by skiing in the Andes in the summer.) The Japanese are the largest group of foreign skiers here, and Europeans are fourth.
For years European ski resorts have offered instruction in several languages, one of which is English. Some American ski resorts are just beginning to offer instructions in Spanish, according to the Rocky Mountain Ski Instructors Association.
Bob Dorf, director of the ski school at Vail, believes the growth in the number of foreigners skiing at American resorts is more a result of word-of-mouth public relations than the decline of the dollar. “We have a definite increase from Mexico and Venezuela as the word gets around,” he said. “And our tour groups from Australia are on the increase. But I honestly think it’s just because our skiing is better. We have foreigners who come here once and say they’re never going back to Europe.”
Robert Straubhaar, head of the ski school at Crested Butte in Colorado, who is Swiss, said, “Oh there is quite an increase in the number of Europeans coming here with the stabilization of the standard of living here and the dollar going plumb to hell. It is only natural that the Europens turn around and travel in this country.”
He added, “I know that Americans who normally travel to Europe and put up with the language barrier there can no longer afford to do so because of the erosion of the dollar. I myself cannot afford to go home any more. I was in Switzerland last May and the expense was just incredible.”
