Occurring only once every six years, this International Congress will be the first ever held outside Europe. Taking place in conjunction with NSAA’s national convention, the 1999 gathering will give North American ski area personnel a unique opportunity to share ideas with wire rope’s foremost manufacturers, designers and academics from Europe and Asia, as well as North America. In addition, international visitors will have a first-hand glimpse into the workings of the North American ski industry. Another first: the 8th Congress will have a special emphasis on the Far East—Japan, China, Korea—which has recently emerged as an important market for tramways and ropeways.
The heart of the Congress is the oral presentation of papers dealing with cutting-edge issues relating to wire rope. Papers are presented in English, with simultaneous translation into French, Italian, German and Spanish.
Papers may address new techniques or solutions in engineering, research, fabrication, construction, operation or maintenance, or they may analyze various economic, political and environmental developments. Lively question-and-answer sessions in a mélange of accents and languages follow each presentation, as authors clarify, expand and defend their papers to members of the audience. (Those interested in presenting papers at the Congress have until May 30 to submit papers to the Reading Committee for consideration.)
OITAF (Organizzazione Internationale Trasporti a Fune) was founded in Rome in 1959 to bring together different facets of the wire rope industry to exchange ideas and address problems ranging from ropeway research to regulation. OITAF-NACS, the North American Continental Section, was formed in Great Gorge, N.J., in 1973 to provide a forum that would be less Eurocentric than the parent organization, but would still meet the same need to share technological insights.
For additional information, contact Sid Roslund at NSAA, 133 South Van Gordon Street, Suite 300, Lakewood, Colo., 80228. Phone: (303) 987-1111. Fax: (303) 986-2345. Submit papers via e-mail for consideration to [email protected].
