Coca-Cola and NSAA Develop Sweepstakes
Running during the months of January and February of 1977 in fourteen of the largest markets in the country, this radio station on-air promotion, based on trade-out promotional advertising, aims to develop free radio advertising for the ski resorts involved but more importantly for skiing in general. The success of the program is based on the combined efforts of Coca-Cola and Communication Counselors Network, McCann-Erickson, Inc. advertising agency for Coca-Cola and the ski resorts. Through trade-out arrangements, free advertising is created with the radio stations. Day passes and vacation packages at participating ski areas are used in on-air promotions by the radio stations. The ability to run such a promotion is most attractive to the radio stations particularly at this time of year, and especially in view of the fact that it will be offered to the station to run as an exclusive in their market. The added attraction of having these programs presented to the stations by the agency representing Coca-Cola who buys a great deal of radio time during the entire year, increases the capacity to request the best trade-out arrangements from the best radio station in each of the fourteen markets: Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Denver, Detroit, Hartford, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, Minneapolis-St. Paul, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Seattle. The success of the programs in these markets will enable us to expand to many more markets for next season.
Recently a mailing left NSAA to enlist the participation of the ski areas across the country. Any ski area can participate in any or all of the fourteen markets. The type of prizes provided by the area would be determined by their distance from that market. The important point is that the participation in each market is returned to the ski area multifold in radio advertising and, of course, it provides on-air advertising for skiing in those markets for up to six weeks, depending on how the sweepstakes is programmed by the individual radio stations. The deadline for replies from the ski areas is October 15.
Requests for additional information should be directed to Tom Murray at National Ski Areas Association, Post Office Box 83, 61 South Main Street, West Hartford, Connecticut 06107. Telephone: (203) 521-0206.
Coca-Cola/USA is also providing support for a learn-to-ski brochure which is currently being produced by SKIING MAGAZINE to run as an insert in the magazine with distribution to the non-skiing public through various other outlets such as the Consumer Ski Shows and bookings of the Warren Miller Film, “Invitation To Skiing.”
U.S. Ski Team Days, a pin-sale fund raising campaign for the U.S. Ski Team, directed by NSAA, will receive the support of Coca-Cola/USA. Attractive posters, to be displayed at the participating ski areas, and identification bibs are being provided by Coke.
Probably, the most important development in working with Coca-Cola has been the increase in local/regional sponsorship and promotional programs which have been produced through the co-operative efforts of the Coca-Cola Bottler and one or more of the ski resorts serviced by that bottler. Sponsorships of events at the ski areas and development of youth learn-to-ski programs are examples of what has been accomplished and can be produced for other ski areas. Coca-Cola/USA is forwarding to the Coca-Cola Bottlers a package of information on the national involvement of Coca-Cola with skiing and encouraging each bottler to work with the ski areas in developing mutually beneficial promotional programs. Any ski area wishing to work with a Coca-Cola Bottler and wanting assistance in approaching the bottler or developing a program should contact Tom Murray at National Ski Areas Association, Post Office Box 83, 61 South Main Street, West Hartford, Conecticut 06107. Telephone: (203) 521-0206.
Insurance Key Factor In Freestyle
Chuck Lewis, Chairman of the NSAA Insurance Committee, has learned from three of the underwriters presently providing Liability coverage on ski areas in the United States that their concern over the possible claims from injuries associated with the inverted aerial maneuver portion of freestyle skiing has caused them to consider restricting the Liability coverage afforded to ski areas as respects this activity.
One insurance company has recently started attaching an exclusion to all of its insurance policies which “excludes claims arising from freestyle skiing;” however, at this point, the underwriters for both the NSAA Insurance Plan and the Far-West Insurance Plan have indicated that their underwriters may require that inverted aerial maneuvers be prohibited from participating ski areas and that there is a possibility that the insurance policies will be limited to that effect.
The NSAA and its Insurance Committee will be discussing the matter in considerable detail at the September Board Meeting, and we will, following that meeting, report back to the membership. However, upon learning of the concern and thinking of the various underwriters presently providing Liability coverage for the ski industry, we wanted to call your attention to this fact and would suggest that any of you considering freestyle programs or activities, which would include inverted aerial maneuvers, should contact your insurance agent immediately prior to making any definitive plans in this regard.
Ski Team Days
All NSAA Member Areas recently received our mailing requesting their participation and support of NSAA U.S. Ski Team Days on January 1, and January 2, 1977.
Ski areas across the country will be asking their customers to make a $2.00 contribution to support our U.S. Ski Team. In return, skiers will receive a very attractive pin with the U. S. Ski Team emblem superimposed over an outline of the U.S. This is an easy program for ski areas to administer and one for the ski area industry in the nation to make a substantial financial contribution to our team. This will be our way to show appreciation for everything the U.S. Ski Team does for our business.
The program is being administered and controlled directly from the NSAA office in West Hartford, Connecticut, with NSAA Marketing Director, Tom Corcoran, from Waterville Valley, New Hampshire, Program Chairman. Support material, such as attractive posters and bibs are being furnished by Coca-Cola/ USA. We’re convinced that this program can be highly successful if the majority of ski areas in the nation get behind this effort. If your area has not yet done so, please return your reply card to NSAA now indicating your participation.
Ski Brakes–Yes or No?
By Philip T. Gravink
NSAA 2nd VP and Chairman, NSAA Ski Safety Committee
Area operators who either attended the SIA Las Vegas Show or who have talked to their local ski shops or sales reps, are no doubt aware that one of the hottest new items retailing this year is the SKI BRAKE. At least fifteen manufacturers at the Las Vegas trade show had a ski brake in their line and reports are that most ski shops have included them in their inventories this year.
The ski brake is a spring-loaded mechanism; either a separate or integral component to the binding which is in a retracted position when the boot is in the binding. The device extends some type of a braking mechanism below the running surface of the ski as soon as the boot releases, thus preventing a run-away ski without the use of the conventional run-away strap.
NSAA was represented by the author at the March meeting in Las Vegas of the F8-14 Subcommittee on Ski Safety of the American Society of Testing Materials. At this meeting it was reported that considerable testing of the ski brake has occurred over the past two years both by manufacturers and independent groups. It was also reported by the best estimates from NSPS statistics and others available that as much as 16 per cent of the reported ski injuries are a result of windmilling skis or released skis fallen on while attached by a conventional run away strap.
While we the ski area operators are certainly sympathetic to the reduction of ski injuries and to the advancement of ski technology, immediately several questions are raised by the wide use of the ski brake rather than the conventional run away strap. Many have expressed the concern over the efficiency of the ski brake mechanism. I am convinced from the results of the testing done to date, that most models are indeed effective on most types of snow surfaces for the recreational skiers as well as the racers. The state of the art is developing to where most of these new devices will effectively stop the ski above the falling skier thus preventing not only the above described injuries, but may reduce the incidents of run-away skis to even a higher degree than we presently have with the failure or non-use of run-away straps.
Most of the concern by area operators revolves around the use of this apparatus in connection with uphill transportation on chair lifts. As I see it, there are four major areas of concern:
First, with no run-away strap, a ski released while riding uphill could theoretically fall on a downhill skier skiing below the chair lift causing at least an indication of a liability situation for the operator for not preventing this problem.
Secondly, associated with this is the presence of the unattended released ski that could be skied over by another skier after it has fallen and thus create the traditional foreign-object-in-the-snow problem for the area operator.
Thirdly, and perhaps the most serious problem, is the comparative difficulty for the top chair lift watchmen in ascertaining the absence of a ski versus the presence of a dangling ski to stop the lift to avoid such a skier from descending a ski ramp thus injuring himself.
Finally, while perhaps not serious from a liability standpoint is the simple operational problem of getting the skier and the lost ski back together. This duty might fall to the operator or a volunteer ski patrolman.
I am sure that the immediate reaction of some of us would be to ban the use of ski brakes on our chair lift facilities and perhaps with justifiable cause as the manufacturers seem to have moved another potential problem over to the area operators by the introduction of the ski brake. After considerable discussion of this matter at the ASTM Forum, it was in the spirit of co-operation and advancement of safety that the preliminary draft of standards for what an acceptable ski brake would provide, not only addressed itself to the ability to stop the ski but such a system in future years would not be considered complete without some form of uphill retention device. It was suggested that manufacturers develop a cord that will release under a certain amount of tension, and would retain the weight of the ski safely if the ski was knocked off while going uphill on a chairlift while, at the same time, provide break away capacity sensitive enough to prevent the windmilling ski from causing injury — in some cases as serious as a completely severed ear or punctured eye or lacerated wrist tendons.
What then should we the lift operator do for the upcoming season as the ski brakes without the ultimate design are being sold to skiers? We certainly have a public relations obligation to the retailer and skiers. The use of a conventional run-away strap along with ski brakes renders the brake ineffective and only amounts to additional cost and paraphernalia for the skier. I think we have a certain obligation to the further development of the state of the art, for we too benefit from ultimate injury reduction. The Ski Safety Committee of NSAA has discussed this matter and reported to the Board of Directors at the NSAA Broadmoor meeting. We encouraged the area operators to take a wait-and-see attitude rather than a flat prohibition of the ski brakes for the upcoming season.
It would seem that the predominance of the problem of lost skis would be among the beginner and novice skier rather than the intermediate or advanced skier who tends to ski with a tighter binding and has more control over inadvertent bumps and knocks that would release his ski on the chair lift. Therefore, it might be unwise to convert a large rental department to the use of ski brakes until the mechanism is further developed, since the degree of ability in most situations is toward the beginner skiers in the use of rentals. It might be wise to require a run-away strap on a novice chair lift that goes over a beginners area which tends to have a higher density of skiers with less ability to stop for foreign objects in the snow and less ability by the skier to safely descend an unloading ramp without the second ski.
I have to feel that it would be equally unwise for us to completely oppose this effort to improve the safety and convenience of the skiing public by a total prohibition of ski brakes at our areas this season. Our experience with Ski Brakes this coming season will allow us to make a more intelligent assessment of the pros and cons of these devices.
