Business From
Mid-winter Meeting
At Bogus Basin
The National Ski Areas Assn. held its eighth annual mid-winter meeting January 6-7 in Boise, Id. Reports from committee chairmen covered a wide range — increase in total membership to 440, possible conflict with the U.S. Ski Assn. over hosting of Category I races, proposed bill offering an alternative to the graduated fee system of assessing U.S. Forest Service permit holders, employee benefit and workmen’s compensation programs available to ski areas, possible changes in depreciation schedules for ski area capital equipment.
It was announced that the annual NSAA meeting would be at the Sheraton Hyannis Inn on Cape Cod in Massachusetts May 11-13. The convention will highlight two themes—weather modification and mountain management. The convention site has space for 140 indoor exhibits and features extensive recreational facilities.
Dick Garis, NSAA executive director, told the meeting 82 new members had been enrolled over the past year, bringing the total to 440, comprised of 329 ski areas, 103 sponsor members and eight associates (areas under construction and areas outside North America). “We believe that this represents about 90 per cent of the dollar volume of the ski area industry,” said Garis.
Bill Norton, of Cannon Mt., chairman of the B77 lift code committee, told area managers a series of code changes had been approved by the NSAA board and would be presented to a meeting of the full B77 committee and the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). Anyone with ideas for code changes can submit them to a committee member—Dave Fleming, a Denver consultant, Stan Judge of Wildcat in New Hampshire, consultant Robert Kinney, Chuck Dwyer of the U.S. Forest Service, John Fetcher of Steamboat in Colorado or chairman Norton.
Peter Seibert, of Vail, was named to succeed Stowe’s Sepp Ruschp as competition committee chairman. His main duties will be to negotiate a contract between NSAA and USSA for hosting Category I ski races. Currently there is a one-year agreement, but there are many aspects of this contract that NSAA would like to see altered. “We are starting to negotiate now,” said Seibert, “and we could end up with no races for a year or two if we don’t get an agreement.” The membership endorsed a motion by the NSAA board that no area negotiate for race dates with the USSA until an agreement between NSAA and USSA has been reached.
Alternative Presented
To USFS’s
Graduated Fee System
D. R. C. Brown, Aspen Skiing Corp., chairman of the federal relations committee, outlined for members a draft bill that is an alternative to the USFS’s proposed graduated fee system, which most area operators feel is unfair. The bill provides better security and tenure for areas operating on public land and provides compensation for lessees if their lease is terminated for reasons beyond their control. Brown urged members to contact their local congressional representatives when the bill is introduced and ask them to vote for it.
NSAA Now Offers
Workmen’s Comp. and
Benefits Program
Frank Snyder, of Stratton Mt., chairman of the insurance committee, told members NSAA was now offering workmen’s compensation and employee benefits programs through insurance agent Barringer & Williams. “Ski area management has a duty to provide this coverage for employees both from a humanitarian point of view and to be competitive for manpower with other industries,” said Snyder. He said the need for workmen’s compensation had arisen when many ski areas were relegated to an assigned risk pool and this resulted in expensive insurance premiums. Now a workmen’s compensation safety engineer has been retained who will tour the areas to spot trouble and hopefully better accident records will result in lower premiums. Snyder said the employee benefits programs are available in different forms and can be tailored to an area’s individual requirements.
Hugh Killebrew, of Heavenly Valley, chairman of the tax committee, said as a result of a case Heavenly was fighting with the Internal Revenue Service, a guideline depreciation schedule might be established by IRS. Areas would be free to adopt the guideline, however if they could justify a shorter period, they would be free to go with that. If Heavenly’s viewpoint is upheld, the depreciation schedule would be 10 years for all movable parts—gear boxes, sheaves, etc.—and 20 years for fixed structures such as lift towers and buildings. This would result in an overall average schedule of 12½ years. Giving an example of how one area’s capital equipment broke down between movable and fixed, Killebrew said at Heavenly the split was 75 per cent movable and 25 per cent fixed. He emphasized that even with the guideline, areas can still depreciate at their own rate. “The guideline would be there to use if you want it, but you’re under no compulsion,” he said. He estimated that if Heavenly was successful in convincing IRS to adopt the guideline, it would come into force hopefully this summer.
Manual Proposed
To Outline Duties
Of Area Employees
Perry Williams, of Snow Ridge in Turin, N.Y., chairman of the legal committee, told area managers attending the mid-winter meeting that there was a definite need for a manual of standard operating procedures that would govern the duties of area employees. His motion to form a committee to examine the possibilities of preparing such a manual was adopted.
On the second day of the meeting, in a session devoted to new business, it was decided that NSAA members who had not yet paid their 1969-70 dues would be dropped from the association, as of February 15, if their dues were not paid. After this date, to be reinstated these areas would have to pay arrears and current dues, too.
There was some discussion on ski reports initiated by Harvey Clifford, who told the meeting an eastern radio reporter had formed an organization of spotters who reported to him on snow conditions at the various areas. Clifford’s objection was that this reporter was asking for complimentary lift tickets for the spotters and he said Stratton Mt. had refused to comply. Ray Johnson, recently named manager of Alpine Meadows in California, said he had adopted the policy of making no quality reports with respect to snow and limiting reports to the amount of snow and the temperature.
A resolution that NSAA make every effort to host the international aerial tramway congress somewhere in the United States in 1975 was moved by Chuck Dwyer, of the U.S. Forest Service, and passed.
B77 Code
For Night Lighting
To Be Revamped
Robert Kinney, area consultant and technical editor of SKI AREA MANAGEMENT, said as a result of tests at Bogus Basin just prior to the meeting that the B77 committee would revamp the code requirements for night lighting. The code requires one foot-candle illumination but Kinney said at Bogus the intensity ranged from 7/100-foot-candle to 11 foot-candles and the lighting was certainly adequate for skiing. Kinney felt the code should delete all references to slopes and downhill skiing in the lighting specifications.
