The annual meeting was convened at the Sheraton Hyannis on Cape Cod and attendance hit a record of 650 ski area and supplier personnel. The trade show was held on the Sheraton’s indoor tennis courts and again another record was set — 72 exhibitors, compared with 48 at last year’s annual meeting in Vail. They bought 84 indoor and 20 outdoor booths to display their products.
In the course of the convention, it was announced that the winter meeting would be held in mid-January at Waterville Valley, in New Hampshire. The slope grooming conference, introduced last winter with great success, will be part of this mid-winter meeting. And there are plans afoot to feature a comparative head-to-head demonstration of the various brands of snowmaking equipment currently on the market.
Frank Snyder, of Stratton Mt. in Vermont, was elected president of NSAA, succeeding Steve Bradley, of Colorado’s Winter Park. Peter Seibert, of Vail, was voted first vice president, Harvey Clifford, of Stratton Mt., second vice president, William Norton, of Cannon Mt. in New Hampshire, treasurer, and Jay Price, of Boreal Ridge, was named to the newly-created post of secretary.
The board of directors consists of Snyder, Hugh Killebrew, of Heavenly Valley, Bob Loughrey, of Bogus Basin in Idaho, Cal Coniff, of Mt. Tom in Massachusetts, and Roland Palmedo, of Vermont’s Mad River Glen.
The facilities at the Sheraton Hyannis were ideal for a convention of this size. There were adequate meeting rooms and the public address system outdid itself. The oft-boring committee reports were presented in written form instead of orally, with chairmen available to answer questions. And the trade show area was bright, attractive and easy to travel through.
During a new business session, the convention defeated a motion to make all past presidents of the association members of the board for as long as they continued to fulfill the by-law requirements for board members. The by-laws remain unchanged — the president and three immediate past presidents only will be ex-officio board members.
The session also passed unanimously a resolution urging the U.S. Forest Service to allow ski areas to construct condominiums on forest service land. The resolution was recommended by NSAA’s federal relations committee on the basis that properly-planned condominiums are a valuable use of forest service land, especially where they are available for renting to the public.
The question of whether NSAA should develop an operations manual for ski areas was discussed. Most speakers were in favor on the grounds that if the ski industry didn’t do it, some government agency would. “The industry will be best served if we who are the most knowledgeable on the subject create reasonable rules for our own purposes that can be a guideline to other agencies,” argued Perry Williams, of Snow Ridge in Turin, N.Y. There was discussion on how specific such a manual should be and Don Christianson, of Crystal Mt. in Washington, recommended a general operational guideline that would allow each area to make up its own manual within the framework of the guideline.
Following, in summary form, are reports on the committee presentations and the panel discussions on weather modification, the graduated length method of ski instruction, summer resort and hotel operations, and meeting the recreational demands of the ’70s.
Committees report on ’70-’71 work
INSURANCE
Chairman Frank Snyder, of Stratton Mt. in Vermont, said the NSAA insurance program now offered coverage for workmen’s compensation and life, accident and health.
American Home Insurance Co., underwriters of the existing NSAA insurance plan, are writing the workmen’s compensation program, “often difficult to place at other than surcharged rates.” Snyder explained the program has been limited to certain eastern states but, if successful, would be expanded.
The employee benefits program offers group life, accidental death and dismemberment, group hospitalization, major medical and disability income to NSAA areas. The program is provided by United Employers Trust and underwritten by the Hartford Insurance Group.
Snyder reported that the number of areas participating in the NSAA insurance program increased in 1971 to 248 from 199 the previous year.
In 1969-70, the most recent season for which statistics are available, 33,000 accidents of all types were reported under the NSAA insurance plan. Of these, 4,437, or 13.4 per cent, involved lifts and tows—about half involving T-bars and surface lifts, the remainder chairlifts and rope tows. Rental skis produced 4,675 accident reports, about 14.2 per cent of the total. The 2,173 T-bar accidents produced 64 actual claims, while the 1,833 chairlift accidents resulted in 127 claims. “It would seem that while a T-bar is statistically more dangerous, a chairlift is more likely to produce a claim,” noted Snyder.
He said that over the last two seasons, 21 fatalities were reported. “Over half of these were skiers who were skiing out of control, or at least too fast for the existing conditions, which is perhaps another way of saying the same thing. Most of the others evidently suffered heart attacks or strokes as a result of, or in conjunction with, lesser accidents. With the number of skiers involved, this is perhaps inevitable, but the industry should be constantly aware of the potential hazard and take all possible steps to eliminate it.”
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Richard Garis, NSAA executive director, outlined in his annual report a trend toward more leisure time which should result in more business for ski areas.
“The four-day 40-hour week has thus far been adopted by at least 90 companies around the country, with convincing success. The four-day week provides either a Friday-Saturday-Sunday or Saturday-Sunday-Monday weekend. This prospect would result in a Friday-through-Monday period during which the ski area would stand to operate in the black, as opposed to the present Saturday-Sunday period — a 100 per cent increase in potential.”
Garis said one expert is predicting that 80 per cent of the nation will adopt some version of the abbreviated work week within five years.
In his report, Garis urged the industry to concentrate on selling skiing as a total recreational experience. “Let’s make the public aware that, far from paying for snow on a mountain, they’re paying for the creation and upkeep of all the first-rate equipment and recreational facilities which they apparently demand. Lift tickets, all things considered, then become not just a reasonable expense but a really good deal.”
FEDERAL TAXATION
Chairman Hugh Killebrew, of Heavenly Valley, Calif., reported that a plea to the Internal Revenue Service for a guideline tax ruling on depreciation of ski lifts that could be used by the whole industry had been successful.
In a technical advice memo to Squaw Valley ski area, the IRS ruled that moveable parts can be written off over 10 years. These parts include chairs and chair grips, tower sheaves, bullwheels, receivers, shafts and couplings, motors, controls, cables, engines and counterweight assemblies.
Killebrew said the IRS has yet to set a guideline for depreciation of towers, ramp structures and terminal buildings, but there are indications IRS will agree to a 20-year schedule.
While the advice memo applies specifically to Squaw Valley, it can be used by any area until the official guideline is issued for the whole industry.
Killebrew said Heavenly Valley has been allowed 75 per cent of the costs of its ski lifts in computing investment credit, on the basis that the actual costs of the moveable parts amount to 75 per cent of total cost. The lift construction labor cost was allocated on the same basis. The cost of fixtures, etc., the remaining 25 per cent of total construction cost, was disallowed, but Heavenly Valley is appealing this ruling and is continuing to claim 100 per cent.
Killebrew feels that a recent IRS ruling that allowed a 100-per-cent investment credit for a 14-story cement kiln supports his basic theory that “a ski lift is one integrated unit” and should be depreciated as such. This kiln case is being used as precedent in Heavenly Valley’s current negotiations for a 100-per-cent investment credit.
Killebrew urged all ski areas to contact him before settling any questions on depreciation lives or investment credit with the IRS.
B.77 STANDARD & REVISION
William Norton, of Cannon Mt. in New Hampshire, said 51 revisions are planned for the B.77 standard—Safety Requirements for Aerial Passenger Tramways.
Norton said the revisions were approved by the NSAA board of directors at the mid-winter meeting last January. The changes were then mailed to all Standards Committee members for approval. To date 20 of 24 ballots have been returned, with all but five signifying acceptance. The 24-man group represents various engineering societies, state governments, area organizations and federal government departments.
GLM impact on areas and ski schools
The growing impact of GLM on ski schools and rental operations was discussed in a seminar chaired by Skiing editor Doug Pfeiffer. The panelists concluded that the teaching technique would open new avenues of profit as well as involve people in skiing who might not have otherwise started.
The differences between various GLM techniques were outlined by SKI Magazine general editor and author of the book GLM, Morten Lund. According to Lund, there is no standardized technique and probably should not be, because conditions and terrain vary across the country.
Karl Pfeiffer, who developed the Head-Way program, said that most ski schools would have to make organizational changes to institute GLM. “You will also probably have to use your best instructors,” he said, “because the total motion concept is not easy to teach.” Pfeiffer added that GLM is an ideal teaching tool for helping an intermediate break a stem habit and that special classes for this purpose would stimulate midweek business.
After one year with GLM at Greek Peak, ski school director Gordon Richardson called the public reaction “fantastic. People came specifically because we had this program.” The area offered a special GLM weekend rate of $27, including lifts, lessons and rentals. A five-day midweek package cost $42.80.
Similar success was reported by Jerry Muth, director of Vail’s ski school, where revenue increased to $725,000 from $400,000 last year. Muth worked with K2 to develop a ski for the program with a flexible side and bottom camber and a narrower width. K2 representative Ron Krenzel, also on the panel, said the cost of instituting GLM varied, but that the skis generally ranged between $44-$60. He added that the best return on investment is made by encouraging groups to take the course of instruction.
Mountain managers talk snow
While the panel session for mountain managers featured panelists on lift maintenance, lift records and running a mountain crew, most of the question/answer session centered on snowmaking.
Bruce Belden, of Pico Peak in Vermont, explained his area’s system of record keeping. Pico has a daily report sheet for each lift, filled out by the lift operator and deposited nightly in the operations office. This gives Belden a complete and accurate record for each lift. “I have always felt we could have too much paperwork,” said Belden, “but this system is easy to administer.”
John Layman, of Stratton Mt., said the best way to handle lift maintenance is to do everything possible to avoid it. The first step is to purchase lifts that will stand up and not take too much maintenance to keep them in shape. He suggested things such as galvanized metal parts instead of painted, low-speed motors that are usually more reliable than high-speed ones, using plastic or fiberglass components to avoid deterioration. Layman recommended running lifts periodically during the summer to prevent rusting of bearings and sheave deformation caused by the cable being in one place on the sheave for a long period of time.
Layman also suggested that proper scheduling of maintenance increases efficiency. For instance, he said, cables are easier to inspect before they are lubricated, towers are easier to paint later in the day when the dew has dried, and cable lubricants are easier to apply on warm days when they flow smoothly.
Cal Coniff, of Mt. Tom in Massachusetts, discussed snowmaking problems. He said his snowmaking operation—the system itself, the budget and the manpower supply—are designed on the basis that there will never be any natural snow. He said Mt. Tom has a six-man night crew and a four-man day crew and “they’re on our payroll whether we’re making snow or not. You can’t tell them to go home in the middle of a January thaw and then call them when it gets cold.” In answer to a question, Coniff said these men are used on maintenance work when not making snow — painting, clearing dead wood from the surrounding forest and generally sprucing up the area.
Coniff said the more compressed air a system has, the more snow it can make. “Don’t expect to run 35 or 40 snow guns on 2,500 c.f.m. of air. If you want to make lots of good snow, you need lots of compressed air.”
By show of hands, it was determined that the average hourly rate for snowmaking workers was $2.50, with a range of $2 to $4 an hour.
In a comment from the floor, Phil Gravink, of Peek ‘n’ Peak ski area in New York, suggested that next winter’s slope maintenance conference feature snowmaking demonstrations by all the suppliers in the field, to give area managers an opportunity to compare equipment.
Jay Price, of Boreal Ridge, who spoke on managing mountain crews, was asked whether he rotated his men from job to job or trained a man for a specific job and left him there. Price replied that he followed the Peter Principle, allowing each man to rise to his own level of incompetence. “If he is a reliable individual, give him the maximum exposure you can and hope you have a man who’s seriously after your job. But you have to watch that you don’t move him into a job that’s over his head or that he doesn’t like.”
Meeting the demands of the ’70s
Lead-off speaker on this panel was Rolland Handley, a regional director for the Bureau of Outdoor Recreation, who outlined trends in summer outdoor recreation.
He said the number of people in the 20-34 age group will grow from the present 43,000,000 to 58,000,000 by 1980, placing increasing demands on recreational facilities. At the same time, pocket dollars are growing—from $1,909 in 1961 to $2,535 in the first quarter of 1970 to a projected $3,000-$4,000 in 1980.
Leisure time is also on the rise. There are now six national holidays that have created three-day weekends. And over 100 companies have adopted the four-day work week.
Handley gave figures on how some sports would grow between now and 1980—water skiing 120 per cent, camping 78 per cent, hiking 78 per cent, swimming 72 per cent, playing outdoor sports 72 per cent, concerts and plays 70 per cent, walking 49 per cent and attending outdoor events 43 per cent. By ’80, swimming will be the most popular sport, followed by outdoor sports, walking, driving, bicycling, picnicking and fishing.
Handley urged ski area operators to consider these family-type activities when planning summer programs for their areas.
Vaughn Hofeldt, of the U.S. Forest Service, said today’s ski areas have high-powered, cold-blooded executive types who speak for a grown-up industry. “By contrast, the public representatives of the forest service have not changed a great deal.” The turnover of these people is quite rapid and “he’s generally glad to move after being expected to hold his own with resort management, utility right-of-way engineers, state engineers and you name it. It’s been an uneven match in the last 10 years.”
Tom Corcoran, of Waterville Valley, asked during the question period whether the Forest Service was planning some decentralization to take this heavy load off the shoulders of the district ranger. Hofeldt said for the last six months the forest service has been working with a multi-discipline team approach on projects. “Each national forest probably will have its own multi-discipline team with experts plugged in from a larger central organization. But I don’t look for a change in the district ranger set-up. I do look for more efficiency in the use of the many disciplines we have to assist him in every way we can.”
Steve Bradley, of Winter Park, panel chairman, asked if eight months was an accurate estimate of how long it would take a project plan to be approved by all the various commissions and public hearings. “I think that’s optimistic,” replied Hofeldt. Handley added that “the little old lady in white tennis shoes is also reviewing that plan and if she thinks you haven’t considered the environment, she can take some type of citizen action and tie you up in court for heaven knows how many years. This is part of the ball game we are now in.” He said the problems will get worse before they get better, but “we should look upon this as a challenge.”
Lynn Thompson, of the U.S. National Parks Service, described his experiences in Yosemite National Park, where burgeoning demand for recreational facilities has been deeply felt.
Report on cloud seeding research
The panel on weather modification began with a discussion of the mechanics and background of cloud seeding by Warren Kocmond, Cornell Aeronautical Lab. Kocmond explained that when clouds lift, the air mass cools, the water in the clouds condenses and the cloud becomes supersaturated with water. When ice crystals form at the top of the cloud, where the temperature is lowest, and fall through the cloud, water collects around them and snow is formed.
In instances where there are very few ice nuclei, there will be fewer snowflakes and those that do form will be larger or rimed, because more water will collect around the nuclei as it falls through the cloud. When cloud temperatures are near freezing, very few ice nuclei are ac-
