Action on the anti-rollback device
At the NSAA Directors’ Meeting in Hyannis, Mass., it was resolved that the stand taken by American Home Assurance in making the anti-rollback lift device mandatory at all areas insured under the NSAA Insurance Program be endorsed. It was further decided that a letter be sent to all the lift manufacturers advising them of the Board’s action. We cannot emphasize too strongly the importance of this safety feature. The NSAA urges all member areas to adopt it as quickly as possible.
Protecting our interests
At this point in history—perhaps more than at any other time—it is essential that NSAA keep a watchful eye on the burgeoning proliferation of consumer and environmentalist organizations. We are all concerned with preserving our environment and promoting consumer welfare, but we must be certain that our interests are protected from well-intentioned people who, through ignorance of the demands placed on our industry or through mere shortsightedness, might inadvertently bring severe operating pressures upon us. To safeguard ourselves against such eventualities, NSAA is seeking a liaison with other trade associations and industrial groups with parallel objectives in the hopes of building a strong federal lobby for our protection.
Lesiure time and the ski industry
The move toward increased leisure and recreational time appears to be upon us, bringing with it tremendous growth potential for the ski industry. Already in this century the average worker has experienced a two-thirds increase in productivity while gaining one-third more leisure time. The four-day, 40-hour work week has thus far been adopted by at least 90 companies around the country (including The Lange Co. in our own industry) with convincing success. They have found that this schedule allows them easier recruiting, lower absenteeism, less turnover and usually higher worker efficiency than the regular work week. Riva Poor, author of Four Days, Forty Hours, predicts that within five years 80 percent of the nation will adopt some version of the abreviated work week.
The four-day week provides either a Friday-Saturday-Sunday or a Saturday-Sunday-Monday weekend. This prospect would result in a Friday through Monday period during which ski areas would stand to operate in the black. The other benefits are obvious: even crowd distribution, less congested slopes and highways and a more leisurely, less hurried pace for both customers and area employees.
The idea of more leisure time is not restricted to the nation’s business. A re-evaluation of school schedules on the elementary, secondary and collegiate levels is also currently in progress.
One idea that has been proposed would realign school terms. The school year could be divided into three three-month or two four-month periods with an allowance for a three- or four-month vacation period. The free time, to be chosen by the student, would result in 25 to 33 percent of the student population being free at any given period of the year.
In New York, a bill (S.3027) providing for a continuous school year was recently presented before the state legislature. Under its provisions, local boards of education would arrange the school year according to their individual needs as long as the student received 180 days of class time. The thinking was that by allowing for a more thorough utilization of the schools, classroom congestion and the need for more building would be largely alleviated. Unfortunately, S.3027, opposed by summer resorts that feared a decrease in student vacation business, has been tabled until the next session.
Harvard and Princeton Universities, meanwhile, have appointed commissions to weigh the merits of a three-year college program. Aside from the straight three-year program, the Harvard study is also considering a “free year” as part of a four-year curriculum or a one-year delay between high school and the beginning of a three-year curriculum.
It is too early to determine what the outcome of any of these proposals will be—however, all of us should be aware of what is happening within our own states. It is the business of the ski industry to make ourselves a commodious, attractive recreation which can take its place in this emerging world of increased leisure time.
