The extended Waterville Valley family gathered on the evening of April 6 for an evening of fond and funny reminiscences of the 36 years since Tom Corcoran—one-time racing great and past president of NSAA—founded the resort. That extended family included past GMs and marketing gurus, local businessmen and town council politicos, each with a story to tell of the roller-coaster ride that Tom, their leader, had taken them on.
Deftly emceed by Bob Fries, a senior staffer for the resort over 26 years, the speakers recalled some colorful highlights. Fries told how, in the early 1970s, the eastern ski industry was suffering from an acute gasoline shortage and a lousy snow year. At a regional meeting called by Gov. Sherm Adams (Loon Mt.), a woman had asked to speak, describing herself as a “snow witch” and capable of producing a snowstorm on demand.
Corcoran invited her to Waterville Valley and signed a contract worth $10,000 for her to produce snow for Crotched Mt., which they ran at that time. Not just any snow, but calling for the first six inches to be wet, followed by six inches of dry. Riders were written to the company’s insurance policies to indemnify for road accidents caused by the snow. The result? In snow, some flurries; in publicity, oodles; in laughs, priceless.
That and so many other stories until people were too tired to laugh any more. Our crazy business can be fun!
