Crested Butte Sale Final; Steamboat Issue Unresolved
As of March 1, Tim and Diane Mueller are the new owners of Crested Butte Ski Resort in Colorado. The Muellers, who own Okemo, Vt., and run Mount Sunapee, N.H., purchased the resort from the Callaway and Walton families for an undisclosed amount, though speculation puts the figure at about $50 million.
The new owners are in the process of drawing up a new Master Plan, which will likely call for expanded terrain, as well as development around the base area.
In the meantime, the courtroom battle between the Muellers and American Skiing Company (ASC) over the sale of Steamboat Springs continues. ASC asked a Colorado court of Appeals to reconsider its decision not to allow the company to petition an earlier judgment that would effectively send the case back to court for a retrial.
At issue was whether ASC’s last-minute backing out of a deal to sell Steamboat to the Muellers and Triple Peaks LLC in 2002 was legal.
SolVista Changes Name
Marise Cipriani is repositioning her SolVista ski area again, changing the name to The Granby Ranch and marketing the ski area and its related real estate as an affordable mountain resort community. Cipriani purchased the SilverCreek ski area in 1995, and renamed it SolVista in 2000.
The name change coincides with a decision to move away from a destination resort model to an older concept in which the ski hill is a community-based enterprise serving the local community, much like Howelsen Hill in Steamboat.
Gore To Expand
The state comptroller has endorsed a proposal to link Gore Mountain, N.Y., and the North Creek Ski Bowl, create 2,500 new lodging beds and extend passenger train service from Saratoga Springs to North Creek, providing New Yorkers direct train service to the resort.
Comptroller Alan Hevesi predicted the developments could more than double visits to Gore, to 360,000 annually, and generate $45 million in tourism (current ski and ride customers spend about $21.7 million a year).
Big Tupper Bought
A group of investors from Philadelphia has agreed to buy 6,400 acres, including the defunct Big Tupper ski area and thousands of acres around it, with the goal of creating a year-round resort. The Big Tupper ski area has been closed for the last four winters.
Development will likely begin in earnest in 2006, with an eye toward reopening for the 2006-07 ski season.
Retail Audit Shows Overall Increase
Overall sales for the winter sport market (including specialty and chain stores) increased 1.8 percent in dollars to $1.72 billion for August 2003 through January 2004, according to the SnowSports Industries America (SIA) Retail Audit. Unit sales were ahead 5.8 percent. Growing interest in Nordic and telemark skiing as well as healthy gains in the junior, apparel and snowboard equipment led the way.
Total Nordic and tele sales reached $41.5 million for the year to date (compared to approximately $260 million for Alpine). At specialty stores, Nordic ski equipment sales jumped 46 percent to $29.5 million through January 2004. Similarly, sales increased 36 percent at chain stores.
Telemark gear performed even better, culminating in a 61 percent increase over last season, reaching $4.8 million through January 2004. Chain-store sales were equally dramatic.
In a similar vein, specialty-store sales of snowshoes jumped a healthy 30 percent over last season, up to $14.2 million through January 2004.
Junior sales continue strong. Specialty-store junior ski sales shot up 21 percent in units, as average prices declined $20 to $107. Chains saw similar trends.
Big drops occurred in specialty-store sales of snowdecks/skates and helmets, down 52 percent and 28 percent, respectively. Chain store declines were 39 percent and 14 percent, respectively.
Mount Washington Opens
The Mount Washington Cog Railway has been ratcheting people up to the top of New Hampshire’s Mt. Washington since 1869. And now, what was built as the world’s first Cog Railway is going to operate in the winter and offer a groomed mile-long downhill run for skiers and riders from a 3,800 foot elevation.
Located near Bretton Woods, the run was opened for limited testing this winter. It is expected that the Cog Railway will be in full operation next winter with 1,100 feet of intermediate level skiing and riding on runs that parallel both sides of the track. Each ascent consumes one-quarter ton of coal and 300 gallons of water and the trip takes about 15 minutes.
—Roger Lohr
Next X Event a Success
Jack Turner’s crusade to bring more kids into winter sports took an important step this season in creating a hot shot team of ambassadors. Twenty-seven skiers and snowboarders, including two adaptive athletes, from 22 different resorts were named to the Next Snow Team at Keystone in April. The team was chosen after three days of competition that drew 200 tweener athletes ages 9 to 13 from 51 North American resorts.
The event itself brought plenty of publicity because the finals were aired on NBC on Easter Sunday and brought in a 1.4 Nielsen rating, the highest rating for any sport on NBC that day. Event sponsor Sports Illustrated For Kids, with 8.2 million readers, will cover the story in its June issue, as well.
Killington Votes to Secede
In their continuing protest against high taxes on second homes, Killington voters approved a proposal to secede from Vermont and join the state of New Hampshire at the town’s annual meeting Mar. 2.
Vermont sets higher tax rates for second-home properties than for primary residences and then the state sends that extra revenue from towns that are rich in second homes, such as Killington, to the state’s poorer school districts.
Of the $10 million in school district property tax collected in Killington, all but $1 million is being sent to schools elsewhere. The situation is similar in other Vermont resort towns; Ludlow raises $14 million in school property tax revenue, and keeps just $3 million.
The town of Killington has previously fought the property tax system by challenging the state’s appraisal process all the way to the Vermont Supreme Court, which ruled in favor of the state.
Awards
The 2004 SAMMY award winners are: Jeff Boliba, Global Resort Manager, Burton Snowboards; Russ Coloton, president, Hunter Mountain, N.Y.; Lucy Kay, VP of marketing at Breckenridge and Keystone Resorts, Colo.; and Doug Perry, president, W1 and Telus World Ski & Snowboard Festival.
Transworld Snowboarding awarded ZJ Boarding House the retailer of the year award. And this year’s Tranny award winners were photographer Bud Fawcett and professional athlete/owner of Palmer USA, Shawn Palmer.
Obituary
Robert Morris Ash, original designer of Snowshoe Resort, W.V., and master planner of Winter Place Resort, W.V., died suddenly at the age of 64. Ash was also the former owner of Snow Storms Inc.
People
Steve Wright was named marketing director at Jay Peak Ski and Summer Resort, Vt.
Jim Spenst, former VP of mountain ops at Copper Mountain, accepted the same position at Tamarack Resort in Idaho. Amy Reino was promoted to VP of marketing at Tamarack.
POWDR Corporation named Peter Curtis president and general manager of Park City Mountain Resort, Utah.
At Alpine Meadows Ski Resort in California, ski patrol manager Ray Belli retired after 35 years and Jeff Goldstone was promoted to the position.
At Harbor Properties, VP Denny Onslow became the new president of the company, replacing Robert Holmes who resigned to transfer to Harbor Resorts. Doug Daley was promoted to COO of Harbor Properties.
Supplier People
At Mountain Sports Media, Perkins Miller was promoted to vice president, managing director. Miller will also leave his position as editor-in-chief of Skiing magazine and assume responsibility for Warren Miller Entertainment (WME) Mountain Sports Interactive and business development. Also at Mountain Sports Media, Amanda McNally was hired as publicist for Ski, Skiing and WME.
Thomas and Marilyn Jacobs, founders of Reliable Racing Supply and Inside Edge Ski & Bike Shop, have announced their retirement after more than 35 years in the business. Son John Jacobs will take over as president. In addition, Kathy Spears was promoted to VP operations while Nancy Salazar becomes the financial manager and Tim Mullin steps into the merchandising manager position.
At Lenko Quality Snow, Bill Wolvin is the new salesman for the West after working at Winter Park, Colo., for 33 years. Chris Corrigan will continue as service technician while also working toward a business management degree. Corrigan will work full time from September through December and part time from January through May.
The National Ski & Snowboard Retailers Association announced the appointment of Roger Kahn as director of development for the association.
Supplier News
DaimlerChrysler Buses of North America is targeting the North American mountain resort market with a range of coaches and buses from the small shuttles (12-passenger and 20- to 37-passenger models) to transit models carrying up to 44 passengers. For more information, contact Robert Jones at 1-800-882-8054 or Don Jensen at (775) 829-7656.
Erbschloe signed an agreement with Park City Mountain Resort to create the largest alpine slide complex in the world. Two track will be installed by this July giving the area a total of four tracks with a total track length of 3.7 kilometers.
Burton Snowboards has created a new Events and Entertainment group that will work with TV networks, the entertainment industry and film to promote snowboarding-related programming that stays true to the sport.
