This is a belated comment on your spring issue stories about Slim Davis and Bill Norton.
Slim Davis is noted as living “ . . . in New London, quite close to the Mt. Sunapee Ski Area.” I have no wish to detract from the fine qualities of our good neighbor, Mt. Sunapee, but I do think it should be pointed out that King Ridge is the closest ski area to Mr. Davis’ residence and that he has had season tickets with us the last two winters.
As regards Bill Norton, I have been acquainted with Bill for fifteen years or so in his capacity as an area operator and as perennial secretary also of the New Hampshire Ski Area Operators Association, and I only can say “Amen” to all the good things that Dave Judson’s piece said about him.
William A. Bardsley
King Ridge, N.Y.
Sir:
After reading Speak-out’s “3 Ways to Skier Growth” I wish to congratulate SAM on a fine piece of editorial.
Particularly the third program of the 3 ways: dealing with creating new skiers, “Let’s not wait for people to discover skiing and find us; let’s take the sport to where the people are.”
I would like to point out that in our midlands area of Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota, Kansas (where there are no Vails or Killingtons) taking the sport of skiing to the people has succeeded in increasing skier visits to Rocky Mountain areas, for example, by as much as 30 per cent.
Instrumental in this approach, to create new skiers and promote the viability of snow sports for this Great Plains market, have been two factors.
One, Frontier Airlines and “Ski The Rockies” Snow Show efforts (visiting five major midlands cities) has created an outstanding amount of enthusiasm among potential skiers. Secondly, the mushrooming of skiing in existing parks and public lands. In Omaha, over the past three years, a strong educational program has been zeroing in on the obvious benefits of cross-country skiing which in turn has produced hundreds more new skiers. Skiers who eventually find their way to the mountain resorts. We in the flatlands are “showing promotional hustle!”
Pat Pugh
Omaha World-Herald
