Off and Running
With close to 1,100 ski areas in 38 states off and running for the season, each and every area operator can now take pride in providing the public with good, clean, healthy, outdoor recreation. It makes no difference what the size of your mountain might be or where it is located, the name of our game is fun, and you, the area operators, provide it in abundance.
NSAA extends best wishes for a successful season to every area operator in the nation.
Safety Is Everybody’s Business
Safety is not something that just happens. It requires a well-planned program that is developed and enforced by top management from the start of the season to the last day of operation in the soggy spring. Safety requires vigilance and alertness on the part of every employee, and the importance of this must be instilled in them from above.
You all know the importance of good equipment maintenance and well-trained, alert lift operators and attendants. How about your Ski Patrol? Is their only responsibility to take care of the injured and distressed skiers, or do they consider looking for and correcting troublespots on the mountain, also an important part of their job? It is as equally important for a good patrol to be trained in “accident prevention” as it is in caring for the injured.
How much time do your ski instructors spend explaining safe skiing practices to beginning students as part of the first lesson? Learning the “dos and don’ts” of how to conduct oneself on the lifts and on the mountain is just as important to the beginner as being taught the fundamentals of skiing. If we don’t teach them this, they will not learn it elsewhere except possibly by trial and error. A very complete lecture on safe skiing practices for every beginner in ski school might be something for PSIA to give serious thought to as part of their national program.
More can be done in all of the consumer ski publications to educate the public on safe skiing practices. Much is already written about the care of equipment and statistical research on the causes of injuries, and we think this is good and should be continued. There would never be any lack of good material for the ski publications to carry a section on Ski Safety in every issue — particularly on how skiers should conduct themselves at our areas.
As I said, Safety is a never-ending responsibility of everyone in the ski industry as well as the skiers who use our facilities.
Regional Meetings and Trade Shows
Don’t miss the Regional Meeting and NSAA equipment trade show in your part of the country. It’s your opportunity to break away for a couple of days after the hectic holidays to meet and exchange notes with other area operators, take a few runs, learn and pick up ideas from seminars and workshop sessions, and see the latest equipment being demonstrated. The schedule is as follows:
- Stratton Mountain, Vermont
January 17-18, 1977
Reservations: tel. 802-297-2500 - Park City, Utah
January 24-26, 1977
Reservations: Tel. 801-649-8266
Plan to attend.
If you have not yet done so, call the numbers above and make your room reservations now. Call NSAA for details (203-521-0206)
Energy Emergency Plan
Three years ago, the ski industry and the entire nation were suddenly shocked when the OPEC nations imposed their oil embargo. At that time, U.S. imports were 29% and today our imports are about 40%.
Not since World War II had an emergency situation of such magnitude existed. Chaos reigned supreme and all of us in the ski industry scrambled to set up plans to get the skiers to and from our mountains. It was a tough winter which none of us will forget, nor do we ever want to see it repeated.
In the three years since the “Energy Crisis,” the Federal Energy Administration (FEA) and the Congress have not come up with a national energy conservation program. According to comments that have been made, it is a near certainty that the Carter Administration will adopt a program out of necessity. On this subject, President Carter has said, “With respect to any future possible ‘Energy Crisis’ and the distribution of energy supplies during such a situation, I can assure the travel industry that, in the unlikely event of another embargo, travel will receive fair consideration in allocation of fuel.”
Over the past year, the lackluster FEA has been working on a proposed Energy Emergency Contingency Plan. This plan would only be enacted in an extreme national emergency. The present FEA plan is still, after three years, in the development stage and any plan they ultimately arrive at will have to be approved by Congress. Section III of the Emergency Plan, on which FEA is now working, again calls for the closing of gas stations on weekends. NSAA, along with other segments of the tourist industry, has submitted testimony to FEA for the removal of Section III. We do not think that this highly damaging section will appear in their final plan, but instead we will probably see rationing enacted if we do have another crisis situation.
With storage facilities presently filled to capacity with no apparent shortage of fuel, it is only natural to become complacent about a future energy shortage. NSAA recommends that every ski area operator have his own “Emergency Plan” on file just in case. We all learned a great deal the last time around and the experience we gained on how to cope with the situation is valuable. Are you prepared to act fast if you wake up tomorrow and find another energy crisis? If not, you should be. We hope your plan gathers a lot of dust.
Insurance Study Under Way
Work is progressing under a NSAA study awarded to Risk Planning Associates to determine the feasibility of setting up a ski industry-owned or sponsored Captive Insurance Company, operating either as a direct insurer or as a reinsurer of some existing market, to provide additional underwriting capacity, increased stability, and reduce net costs for the required insurance coverages. An interim report on the study will be presented to the NSAA Executive Committee at Park City, Utah on January 24, 1977, with the final study report and recommendations presented at the NSAA National Convention in May. NSAA considers this study vitally important.
B.77 Lift Safety Standard
A meeting of the full NSAA B.77 Committee will be held in Chicago, January 27-28, 1977, to review and vote on recommended revisions submitted by the design, wire rope, rope tow, and task force subcommittees. In total, there are 71 proposed revisions, 21 of which are considered urgent. Approved revisions will be submitted to the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) for their approval as addendums to the present B.77 Standard.
The work conducted by the NSAA B.77 Committee is highly technical in nature, and the ski industry is fortunate to have such capable engineers and ski industry executives giving so freely of their time. As you know, it is the B.77 ANSI Standard that is the basis for practically every state tramway code in the nation. In addition to area operators being required to abide by their respective state codes, manufacturers of lift equipment and wire rope design their equipment in compliance with the B.77 Standard.
Marketing
Our film, “Invitation To Skiing,” is in wide circulation selling our sport to the general public. The services of a T.V. barter agent have again been retained and the film is now being screened on many T.V. stations throughout the country. Schools and clubs have kept the film in heavy demand on a free loan basis through our arrangement with Modern Talking Pictures film libraries. 425 prints are in circulation which must rank “Invitation To Skiing” as one of the most widely circulated ski films ever produced.
We again contracted with a firm for the redistribution of the Buddy Hackett PSA to T.V. stations from coast to coast. Last year, this T.V. spot had a confirmed audience in excess of 170 million viewers. NSAA and SIA are sharing distribution expenses for “Invitation To Skiing” and the Buddy Hackett PSA.
Participation by ski areas in the Coca-Cola sweepstakes program is excellent. The promotion, now running on key radio stations in 14 major metropolitan markets, is promoting the sport of skiing. Prizes donated by ski areas range from all-expense-paid vacations at destination resorts to weekend learn-to-ski packages.
NSAA Federal Relations
Things have been fairly quiet for us the past few weeks on S.2125, the Lease Bill introduced by Senator Haskell (D-Colorado). We fully expect the Senator to re-introduce this Bill in the 95th Congress at which time we will continue to work toward necessary further revisions. The Bill, in its present form, would be detrimental to permittees and the future development of new skiing facilities on government land. There will be several important changes in the Chairmanships of the Committees with which we will be working in the new Congress. Hopefully, these committees will be chaired by individuals who understand our problems and are willing to assist us in resolving them.
It appears that the Consumer Products Safety Commission, CPSC, has been showing some interest on the subject of Ski Safety. They recently produced brochures and T.V. Public Service Announcements promoting safety in skiing. NSAA is not against anything to further this cause — as long as it is done properly. The CPSC material is very poorly done and will do more to tarnish the image of skiing than further the cause of Ski Safety. NSAA will be meeting with CPSC officials in Washington to offer them assistance in the hope that any future material they may produce is done properly and in good taste.
NSAA National Convention
One of the very finest convention resort facilities in the nation has been selected for the 1977 National Convention and Trade Show to be held at the Homestead, Hot Springs, Virginia, May 15-18, 1977.
Mark the dates down on your calendar and plan to attend.
We Get Calls
NSAA is a clearing house for ski industry information of every description. We get hundreds of calls and letters from ad agencies, foreign trade missions, universities, students, manufacturers — you name it. Some of the requests are really wild. We had a recent call from an ad agency that handles the government account for “Keep America Beautiful.” They had heard that some ski areas were made from garbage and wanted to know where “Mt. Trashmore” was located. Enough said.
Study Reports
The Annual NSAA ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF NORTH AMERICAN SKI AREAS, based on the 1975-1976 season, is now complete. This study, conducted for us by the graduate school Business Research Division of the University of Colorado, is the most complete financial/statistical data available on our industry. The study allows any ski area operator to readily compare his business with the norms of the industry.
Input from ski areas this year was the best ever with an excellent sample of the entire industry. We thank those area operators who returned the questionnaires to make this important study a success. Participating areas will receive a complimentary copy. All others interested in receiving a copy of this report should contact Professor Charles Goeldner, Business Research Division, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80303.
The NSAA NATIONAL WAGE AND SALARY SURVEY of all ski area job categories is now being conducted by Mountain States Employers Council out of Denver. Please return your questionnaire to them at your earliest convenience. The final report will be distributed to all NSAA members in May.
