Disabled Athletes Meet with USSA
The athletes had earlier hired a lawyer and retained a PR firm to help them in the quest to be reinstated after the USSA’s decision in September that the disabled team should form a “separate but parallel” organization by May 1, 2000. While USSA board members have said the decision was a matter of focus and funding and was in the best interest of the team, its athletes disagree.
The disabled team would likely have to move its offices, hire a marketing staff and pay for its own coaches were it to be released from USSA’s governance. USSA has stated the disabled team needs to set up its own ski-specific governing association to take full advantage of grants and funding opportunities it currently only gets pieces of as a member of the USSA.
USSA Executive Vice President Bill Gorton says the USSA is committed to funding the disabled team throughout this season and will make sure it is supported through the next season as well.
NASTAR Partners with U.S. Ski Team
The 31-year-old NASTAR recreational racing program is teaming up with the U.S. Ski Team (USST) program effective this season to become the U.S. Ski Team Nastar Gold. Title sponsor will be Chevy Trucks.
The NASTAR program, which was developed and launched by Ski magazine, has always been a Ski magazine program and remains one now. Bob Beattie’s World Wide Ski Corp. ran NASTAR for many years, but turned it back to Ski magazine earlier this year in the face of declining revenues and participation.
Negotiations between The Skiing Company’s Andy Clurman and the Ski Team started almost immediately and have resulted in a close involvement that, in marketing terms, now makes NASTAR a Ski Team brand.
Among the ways this will be manifested will be NASTAR medals embossed with the USST logo as well as the area’s name. Each time a medal is won a contribution is made to the Team.
Management of the program has been turned over to Kaleidoscope, a New York-based marketing and PR firm.
Labor Trouble for Goodwill Games
The first-ever Winter Goodwill Games scheduled to take place from February 17-20 in Lake Placid, N.Y., could be affected by an ongoing labor dispute between the Olympic Redevelopment Authority (ORDA) and its unionized workers.
According to Civil Service Employees Association Local 59 President Robert Smolka, the union has been working without a contract since March and might picket the upcoming games if the labor dispute is not settled by then.
The dispute centers around salaries. While Smolka has said ORDA has no interest in increasing pay, ORDA spokesman Sandy Caligiore says pay increases that have been offered were not acceptable to the rank and file. He also noted that ORDA feels it is necessary to pass recent increases in health insurance premiums on to its workers.
The talks are ongoing with a fact-finder assigned to the case.
Copper Cleared in Sled Accident
Copper Mountain, Colo., was cleared in a 1993 collision between a groomer and a sled that caused brain damage and other injuries in two children. A jury ruled that the ski resort had taken all precautions laid out in the state’s Ski Safety Act and no damages were awarded.
While the plaintiffs’ attorney argued Copper was in control of all aspects of the mountain—including the sled—and that the groomer had started his climb up the mountain a half-hour earlier than normal, Copper’s attorney pointed out that it was common knowledge among guests that groomers operate at all hours of the day.
Jury Awards Record Amount to Skier
A California jury awarded a record $9.8 million to a skier who sustained severe injuries in 1996 at Bear Mountain in Southern California. The plaintiff claimed that in order to avoid an unmarked snow gun, he lost control and skied into the trees. Bear Mountain, currently owned by Booth Creek Ski Holdings, was, at the time of the accident, owned by Fibreboard. According to a spokesperson, Booth Creek “has nothing to do with the case.” Fibreboard was not available for comment and is no longer involved in the ski industry.
Olympic Combined Events Are. . .Combined
In order to have the downhill and slalom events of the combined races at the same venue on the same day, Salt Lake organizers have moved the slalom race from Deer Valley to Snowbasin. Traditionally, the two events have been held at separate venues on different days, but after a successful experiment at Vail’s Alpine World Championships last year, officials believe the new format will boost spectator attendance and television ratings.
Anchorage Ski Club Keeps Alpenglow
Anchorage (Alaska) Ski Club members voted in December to retain ownership of Alpenglow Ski Area, which had reportedly run into financial trouble due to required ANSI safety modifications on its lifts. There was a move among some club members to sell the area for $500,000, but nostalgia won out as a large number of proxy votes defeated the proposition to sell.
“The area is run by a couple of really dedicated volunteers,” says former club board member Kelly Vrem, “and if they leave, the hill’s going to be on shaky ground.” Vrem, who supported selling the ski area, says the lifts are perfectly safe and serviceable, but need refurbishing to comply with updated safety standards.
The 320-acre ski area is served by two chairlifts a T-bar and a pony lift. It is about 30 minutes from downtown Anchorage.
Jiminy Owners Buy Brodie
Jiminy Peak principals Brian H. Fairbank and Joseph J. O’Donnell formed a new corporation, Brodie Mountain Resort, Inc., to buy the Massachusetts resort of the same name.
While future plans have not been finalized, programs for interchangeable lift tickets and season passes are already in place.
The Canyons Expands
On November 15, 1999 the Summit County Board of Commissioners granted The Canyons approval for its 15-year master plan. The approval is a Specially Planned Area established among the resort, the county and more than 30 landowners at the ski area.
The approval allows the American Skiing Company, owner of The Canyons, to develop resort villages in the base village, at mid-mountain and along the access road. Additional lifts and trails were also approved.
Kirkwood Partners with Purgatory
The principal shareholders of Kirkwood Resort, Calif, announced that they have formed a partnership deal with Purgatory Resort, Colo. The principals at Kirkwood formed Durango Resort Company, which will take over operations of Purgatory and invest $6 million in the resort. Final closing is not expected until this spring.
California Areas Sold
Two historic southern Californian ski areas were bought this week by a group of investors called Mount Waterman Acquisition Holdings Inc. The areas, Mount Waterman and Snowcrest, have been in operation since the 1940s in the Angeles National Forest.
The investors plan to link the two areas resulting in a total of 300 skiable acres, which would put them in the same league as nearby Big Bear, Snow Summit and Snow Valley.
Laurel Mountain Reopens
Warm temperatures and rain pushed back the opening day for historic Laurel Mountain Ski Area in Ligonier, Pa. Originally slated to open December 17 after being closed for 10 years, the ski area, built by General Richard K. Mellon in the 1930’s, was scheduled to open on December 22.
The ski area—owned by the state of Pennsylvania—has been leased to George Mowl, who hired former Seven Springs manager Don Stumpf to act as GM.
New Title from TMM
Transworld Media, a division of Times Mirror Magazines, announced the launch of a new bi-monthly magazine called Trans World’s Stance. The new title will target young males ages 14 to 21 and will cover the extreme sports culture and lifestyle.
Supplier News
In Austria, the founder of Doppelmayr Lifts, Artur Doppelmayr received the prestigious title of Professor. . .Volant appointed Mark Soderberg CEO and Hank Kashiwa as chairman. Shortly after, Volant announced its absence from the SIA Vegas 2000 show saying that the company would rather spend the money on demos and one-to-one selling.
Burton Snowboards hired Brian Silverio as snowboard product manager in the hardgoods division. . .Chris Walsh joins Wintersteiger/Toko team as salesman for Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Wyoming. . .Gary Kiedaisch was appointed president and CEO of Bauer Nike Hockey, Inc.
goSKInewengland.com Website launched October 1, 1999 and covers all aspects of New England downhilling. . .Destinations.com announced agreements with Cox Interactive, Expedia.com and Yahoo! that will provide travel package content to their online consumers. . .Resort Sports Network (RSN) will host SIA’s consumer Website, SnowLink.com. RSN also announced that it has taken full ownership of Go Group, LLC, publisher of GoSki.com, and acquired Moguls Ski and Snowboard Tours, Inc. Moguls founder Bruce Rosard will be president of Moguls and VP of travel for RSN. Moguls co-owner Lynne Fetterman will retain her job as general manager and Sarah Pitcher has become the company’s director of marketing.
Discover Resorts Inc. has acquired three property management companies located at Colorado ski areas: Executive Resorts, Inc., Summit Resorts, Inc. and Blue River Management, Inc.
Lost Valley Ski Area, Maine, has introduced a dedicated sled run using Cresta Sleds which feature four pivoting axles and two flexible skis.
People
Ned Stock was named president and GM of Angel Fire Resort, N.M.
Red Mountain Resort, B.C., promoted Jim Greene to GM from his spot as director of marketing and named Laird Carmichael, formerly of Blackcomb and Sun Peaks, operations manager.
Wildcat, N.H., appointed Thomas Caughey as its GM.
Booth Creek Ski Holdings named Patricia Beaudoux national director of sales for its eight resorts.
Intrawest appointed Seth Masia as director of Internet Strategy.
Longtime ski industry executive Randy Montgomery died November 12 from injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident. See obituary page 21.
LaVerne Bauman of Andes Tower Hills died this past fall.
Mount Abram, Maine, hired Brian Dunham as on-mountain operations manager and Gregg Tabbutt as marketing specialist, and promoted Brian Maloney to VP of finance and Jeffrey VanDecker to mountain manager.
Booth Creek announced that Stacy (Senger) Lopes will handle public relations and Steve Ash will be terrain park designer for Waterville Valley, Loon Mountain and Cranmore Mountain, N.H.
Tom Richardson resigned as managing director of Sugarbush. Richardson plans to take some time off this winter and go skiing.
Also in Vermont, Ascutney Mountain Resort appointed Scott Van Pelt as director of marketing. . .Foster Chandler was appointed part-time marketing consultant at Killington. . .Stowe Mountain Resort named Kurt Zimmer public relations manager and Christopher Kilmurry the resort’s special events coordinator.
James Van Dyke, former director of mountain operations at Jiminy Peak, Mass., was named director of resort operations at Brodie Mountain, Mass., and Karen Fairs was named its administrative manager. Matt and Doug Kelly, sons of Brodie founder Jim Kelly, have remained at Brodie—purchased by owners of nearby Jiminy Peak in November—as part of the new management team.
In New York, Carl Swanback, recently appointed director of the U.S.A. Snowboard Association Tri-State series, appointed Mark Richardson, of Ski Windham, as co-director. . .A.J. Savasta was promoted to manager of retail operations at Ski Windham.
Camelback, Pa., appointed Dave Kulis as director of sales and marketing. . .Jeff Williams was promoted to mountain manager at Shawnee Mountain, Pa.
SIA announced the appointment of Ryan Romano to consumer marketing coordinator.
In Colorado, Lura Padrutt was hired as Aspen Skiing Company’s online marketing manager. . .Beaver Creek announced a number of appointments: Bill Kennedy moved from project manager to manager of mountain operations, Jim Roberts arrived from Vail to become director of mountain operations, Mike Gibbs was named mountain safety foreman, Mike Kloser was named director of activities, Beth Sloan became director of mountain dining and clubs. . .Berthoud Pass hired Mitzi Bestall as operations director. . .NSAA hired Laura Menozzi as controller.
Jackson Hole, Wyo., announced it promoted Scott Horn to VP of administrative services.
Deer Valley, Utah, merged its fleet, building and lifts maintenance departments and named Chris Anderson the new resort maintenance manager. Jeff Miller became lift maintenance manager and Mike Renz and Troy Matthews were appointed lift maintenance supervisors. Brian Yates was named fleet maintenance manager, Bill Reed was promoted to resort maintenance purchasing manager, Dave Stevens was appointed building maintenance manager and John Herrmann became assistant building maintenance manager.
Industry Calendar
More details at www.saminfo.com/events
- Jan. 10-12: NSAA Eastern Conference/Trade Show — Mount Snow, Vt.
- Jan. 24-26: NSAA Western Conference/Trade Show — Snowbird, Utah
- Mar. 3-7: SIA Vegas 2000 — Las Vegas, Nev.
- April 11-13: CSCUSA Snowmakers/Groomers Annual Conference/Trade Show — Grand Junction, Colo.
- April 16-18: Cross Country Ski Area Association Annual Conference — Granlibakken Resort, Calif.
- April 16-19: Canadian Ski Council Symposium — Whistler, B.C.
- April 25-27: LMS 2000 — Butternut, Mass.
- April 26-28: SAM 2000 — Grenoble, France
- May 4-7: NSAA National Convention and Trade Show — Orlando, Fla.
- May 7-11: Canada West Ski Areas Association Spring Conference/Trade Show — Kelowna, B.C.
- May 9-11: California Ski Industry Association Maintenance Seminar — Mammoth, Calif.
- May 15-18: RMLA Spring Conference/Trade Show — Grand Junction, Colo.
