On Sunday, May 27, 1962, representatives of 22 ski areas from all parts of the country met at the Broadmoor, Colorado Springs, and by the end of their meeting, National Ski Areas Association had been birthed. The minutes give a vivid picture: “Where differences of method and procedure were brought out, they were quickly resolved. Indeed, the National Ski Areas Association came into being so fast, and on such a tide of enthusiasm, that the principal problem was in creating the necessary organizational structure to keep pace with the birth of the new association.”
The tone NSAA would adopt can be sensed from two sentences in those minutes. At a time when organizational buzzwords like “mission statement” and “goals and objectives” had yet to be invented, these thoughts are impressive in their simplicity: “The aims of NSAA, stated simply, are to serve the skiing public better and to protect the legitimate interests of the ski area operator. The membership sought by NSAA will not find these two objectives mutually exclusive.”
This year, NSAA returns to the Broadmoor to celebrate its 35th anniversary. Congratulations to us all!
A SAM Editorial
