How Much Medical Expertise Is Enough?
Smaller resorts, in particular the members of the Midwest Ski Areas Assn. (MSAA), have a ski patrol problem. Which is: the National Ski Patrol’s (NSP) latest version of Outdoor Emergency Care (OEC), introduced five or six years ago, has become too comprehensive to be practical. It’s making it increasingly difficult to recruit and retain patrollers. So resorts are asking NSP for a solution.

The current version of OEC is designed to meet current federal and EMS standards for medical care in a variety of outdoor environments. Ed McNamara, NSP board chairman and one of OEC’s architects, acknowledges that OEC training has become more involved. It is applicable to mountain biking operations, for example, and that’s intentional. Resorts are increasingly involved in a variety of winter and summer operations, and OEC is designed so that those who gain certification are qualified to provide medical care in all their operations.

And that has made OEC a sore subject for many smaller resorts, who say it has become more complicated than necessary. They don’t need personnel to treat snakebite or deliver babies (expertise currently covered in OEC); they are simply looking for ski patrollers. So NSP and MSAA have held several conversations regarding changes to OEC. An MSAA OEC task committee, led by Fred Seymour of Hyland Hills, is preparing a list of specific items and changes the areas seek. One option: creating different levels of certification, not unlike, say, ski and snowboard instructors receive. The task committee plans to deliver its ideas to NSP in November. Once NSP understands what resorts want, McNamara says, it will consider options. And then the real work begins.


Do or Die (Hard) for Soldier Mountain
The Oct. 14 announcement that Idaho’s non-profit Soldier Mountain Ski Area was on the market for $149,000 blew up the Internet (in certain circles, anyway). By Oct. 17, the 501c3 had received 2,000 emails from interested buyers and had cut off inquiries, at least temporarily. Volunteers began conducting tours of the area the next day, and Soldier Mountain’s board of directors started the arduous task of evaluating potential buyers, searching for those who would keep the area intact and aligned with its community roots. “The plan is to do all we can to help a new buyer open this year,” resort officials posted to Facebook.

The low-key, family-oriented area, located 53 miles southwest of glitzier Sun Valley, was once owned by actor Bruce Willis. His company, Soldier Mountain Development, operated the hill from the mid-1990s until 2012, when he “gifted” it to the newly formed Soldier Mountain Ski Area, Inc. It re-opened as a non-profit on Dec. 26 of that year. (Willis put his $15 million Hailey home and his local bar, The Mint, on the market around the same time.)

The ski area saw little improvement under absentee owner Willis, and operated at a loss for several years at the end of his tenure. Soldier Mountain’s new owners tried to remedy that with improvements, including a revamped cat skiing operation. But perhaps it’s been more of an uphill battle than anticipated, especially with iffy snow conditions. Can a new owner make a go of it? A couple thousand folks seem to think so.


Bringing the Mountain to the People
The National Winter Activity Center (NWAC) has accomplished a small miracle: completing a total upgrade of the former Hidden Valley, N.J., for its Winter4Kids learn-to programs. The $11 million project includes two new lifts, a homologated FIS racing trail (more on that apparent anomaly in a moment), new base area buildings, and snowmaking expansion. All of that will support Ted Ligety Learn to Ski and the Nordic Rocks learn-to programs for 1,500 ski, snowboard and X-C participants this winter, and up to 6,000 in future years. “We’re totally focused on creating new skiers,” said NWAC CEO Schone Malliet.

The new quad and triple lifts, along with two conveyor lifts, provide all the uphill capacity the programs will need. New pumps provide nearly 6,500 gpm for snowmaking, and 12,000 feet of new pipe feed the expanded snowmaking arsenal. Malliet credits assistance from HKD, Torrent, Partek, and Royal Trailworks, plus Tom Wells (for much of the trail and snowmaking design) and several engineering companies for making all this possible for the coming winter.

All this will create opportunities for New York-area youth in YMCA, Boys and Girls Clubs, local schools and other organizations to gain life and fitness skills. NWAC will run two six-week semesters, beginning Jan. 2. Participants will have five days on snow and two off. The Grand Opening of the new facility will be Jan. 16-17, in conjunction with World Snow Day Jan. 17.

Now, about that racing trail. The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Assn. has been a longtime NWAC supporter. Designed by Tim Sutton, who designed the new training run at Mittersill, N.H., the 70-meter-wide trail allows NWAC to offer a racing program in addition to its learn-to programs, and to stage a range of local and regional races.

USSA also hopes to bring World Cup racing to the hill within a few years, too. The new race trail is a suitable site for a night slalom, such as a head-to-head team race. If that happens, NWAC will be Hidden no more.


Janie’s Got a Bun
Joey Kramer, drummer for the iconic rock band Aerosmith, has a passion for coffee. So much so that he scoured the globe in search of perfect organic coffee beans and has sold them online under his Rockin’ and Roastin’ brand since 2012 (rockinandroastin.com).

Turns out he has a passion for snow (the precipitation kind), too. In partnership with former Sunday River owner Les Otten, he is set to open the brand’s first café at Sunday River, Maine, in December. Their Rockin’ and Roastin’ Café and Restaurant will offer a full-service dining room with floor-to-ceiling views of Sunday River. A lower-level café will serve Rockin’ and Roastin’ coffee and baked goods. Of course, several bars and live music will also be in the mix.

Rock and roll memorabilia will be on display at the eatery, including Kramer’s drum kit from Aerosmith’s 2012-14 Global Warming Tour. Menu items will feature twists on Aerosmith songs, like Livin’ on a Wedge and Janie’s Got a Bun. (Kings and Greens? Don’t Want to Miss a Wing? Sweet Potions? Feel free to submit any pun ideas directly to the proprietors.)

We’re really hoping for an Aerosmith ski resort tour. We can “Dream On,” can’t we?


Remembering Leonard
Nearly 300 people gathered at Deer Valley, Utah, on Wednesday, Oct. 14, to remember lift engineer giant Jan Leonard. The celebration was hosted by Salt Lake City-based Skytrac, where Leonard was one of the founding principals.

All sides of the industry showed up to honor Jan, including past and present customers, competitors, friends, and family. Speakers shared stories of Jan’s playful—and sometimes mischievous—side, and of his deep commitment to lifts and passion for skiing. Rick Spear of Leitner-Poma evoked a loud cheer from the crowd when he noted that everyone in the room, and the industry as a whole, had their game bettered by Jan during his 40+-year career. NSAA’s Sid Roslund acknowledged one of these contributions: Jan’s ability to breathe new life into aging lifts. He spoke of Jan’s mastery of his craft and the important responsibility he undertook in addressing such lifts. “Jan even wrote an article for SAM on aging lifts back in 1978 that could still stand on its own today,” said Roslund. (Read this article at SAM’s online archives by searching “Aging Lifts”). “Dad is probably already engineering a lift to the pearly gates,” added Jan’s daughters, Allison and Stephanie.


STOP THE DRONES!
Resorts across the country are racing to ban the use of drones ahead of the season, as NSAA has been urging for months. With 750,000 drones expected under the tree at Christmas, they’ll be just ahead of the swarm. Drones are also a large blip on the government radar; after taking a laissez-faire approach to recreational use, the feds now want to require licenses for all users. Question is, does this decision come too late? And what will it accomplish? NSAA’s quick action on drones looks very smart.