AREA ROUNDUP
Proposed new area
The proposed site is about six miles north of Crater Lake National Park, and is wholly on federal lands. It is approximately 87 miles northeast of Medford, 91 miles north of Klamath Falls and 92 miles east of Roseburg.
The population within two hours driving time is estimated at 287,000.
NASTAR Finals at Sun Valley
The NASTAR programs for this winter will culminate with the Schlitz/NASTAR finals at Sun Valley, Idaho, and finalists will be awarded expense-paid trips for the March 30-31 events.
Other NASTAR innovations include Schlitz/NASTAR moustache competitions, in which a national search will be made for the longest moustache worn by a NASTAR racer during the period of January 12-30. Local winners will receive a Schlitz moustache cup, and the national winner a special trophy.
Bonne Bell, Pepsi-Colo and Doral, the other NASTAR sponsors, also have extensive promotions at the NASTAR areas.
Limits for Utah canyon
A recent $29,000 study by Eckbo, Dean, Austin and William recommends putting the lid on Utah’s Little Cottonwood Canyon development by limiting further construction to 1,000 more units, bringing the total to 2,154.
Snowbird claims it cannot operate economically with such restrictions on development. Further, more expensive studies have been recommended to determine exactly what pollutants are involved and how they can be removed.
International meeting for ski operators
The first International Symposium of Winter Sports was divided between the French ski resorts of Courchevel and Megeve, November 28-December 1. Attending were representatives of 19 countries with winter operations.
Morning and afternoon sessions featured speakers and discussions on economics, marketing, employee housing, publicity and other such aspects of winter resort operations. Bob Parker of Vail chaired a session on how a ski resort develops its fame or image.
The symposium was initiated by the host areas, and had the official and financial support of the French government. The international gathering will be held every other year, with the next one scheduled for Sion, Switzerland, in April ’75.
Clifford launches new Canadian area
John Clifford, long-time ski area operator in eastern Canada, has opened a new area called Mont Cascades 14 miles from the center of Ottawa.
The new area features a chairlift and two T-bars to service the six new slopes. Snow-making is provided by RAB Engineering’s Sno Fury system.
Bob Gratton, previously director of Mount Snow’s ski school, will operate both the ski school and ski shop at the new area, and also direct ski activities.
… changes hands
Bill and Sandy Gilbert and Don Edwards, who have owned and operated Silvermine, Fahnstock and Sterling Forest ski areas for 20 years, have purchased Catamount, one of the oldest and best known of the Berkshire areas.
“We bought Catamount,” Bill Gilbert says, “Because we sincerely believe that Jack Fisher, Catamount’s founder, has built a great ski area over the last 34 years, and we want to help keep it that way.”
Brought in to manage Catamount is John King, formerly of Sugarbush and Whiteface. The new owners have installed extensive new snowmaking, including a system of airless guns supplied by a company the Gilberts also own. In addition they represent Tucker Sno-Cat, so it is no surprise that there will be some of these vehicles available at Catamount.
Japanese purchase Ski Incline
Japan has acquired its first ski area in the Sierra. Ski Incline was purchased by Japan Golf Promotions from … pert who created Ski Incline, was rehired as general manager by the new firm, which owns 23 golf courses in Japan, Okinawa and southern California. Foeger will also assist the Osaka-based corporation in construction of ski areas in Hokkaido, the northernmost island of Japan.
It is expected that Japanese tour groups will come to Incline, and ski other nearby Lake Tahoe areas as well, during the current season. The mid-week business figures to be most welcome, since the bulk of activity at Incline comes from Incline Village homeowners and condominium-renters plus one-day skiers on weekends.
The purchase price included two adjoining golf courses and a bowling alley at Incline.
Another Japanese firm, Mitsubishi Corp., is also reportedly negotiating for the purchase of another California ski area, and an announcement on this deal is expected at any time.
ENVIRONMENT
Environmental symposium defends ski areas
Ski area development was defended by other than developers for perhaps the first time at an environmental symposium on stream quality held recently in Franconia, N.H.. “Ski areas were put at the bottom of the list of invironmental dangers, and most speakers didn’t consider them much of a threat at all,” said Jim Branch, President of Sno-engineering, the recreation land-planning firm that sponsored the event.
Titled “Environmental Symposium On Stream Quality,” it was one of the first attempts of New England’s business, conservation, scientific, legislative and public interest groups to gather to openly share knowledge and differences.
Paper products, mill discharges, sand and gravel operations, municipal sewage, power plants, logging, highway and dam construction and road salting were all mentioned as the most serious threats to our environment. They are considered dangerous because they either cause sedimentation and turbidity which cover food sources and trout breeding grounds or are poisonous and change the chemical balance of water.
There were seventeen speakers in all. One speaker, Gordon Stuart from the US Department of Agriculture presented evidence from studies conducted around Waterville Valley showing that the ski area and development there produced only very minor and unharmful changes in the water quality.
In the only harsh criticism leveled at ski area operators during the symposium, Schuyler Jackson, chairman of Vermont’s Environmental Conservation Board, accused recreational developers such as ski area operators of being “brutally negligent . . . in not assuming community leadership to assure that secondary development is according to some reasonable plan and reasonable environmental standards.” Jackson was later rebutted by John Christie, owner and general manager of Saddleback Ski Area in Rangeley, Maine.
Aspen gets a pedestrian mall
Cars are no longer allowed in the business core of Aspen, and the area has been turned into a pedestrian mall.
Tied in with this system is a new community shuttle bus service which will remove larger buses from the business section. These will rendezvous with others which will take skiers to the skiing of their choice: Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands, Buttermild/Tiehack and Snowmass. All ski area buses run at no cost to skiers.
“Action Central” formed for ski industry
The American Ski Federation, a loose-knit organization comprised of the heads of various ski industry organizations like NSAA, SIA, USSA etc. has established an emergency fund to finance arrangements which will be made to keep the ski industry informed of any developments in energy legislation which would affect skiing.
Address and phone number for reporting and receiving information is American Ski Federation, 432 Park Avenue South, Suite 909, New York, N.Y. 10016-(212) 889-1266. Doc Des Roches of SIA in in charge.
The Tale of a Feud
Dr. Tell Ertl, owner of Colorado’s Lake Eldora ski area, has a dandy of a feud going with the Public Service Company.
Briefly, it is based on the utility having put a gas pipeline through his area in 1969 without compensation. Once, the pipe sprung a leak, and Ertl and his wife spent the night in the woods because of a danger of explosions from the escaping gas.
Because Ertl believed he should have been paid, he refused to pay the areas electric bill. PSC countered by threatening to turn off the power unless the bill, which totaled $7,400, was paid. It was the busiest day of the year.
Next move was Ertl’s, and he handed the two collectors sacks containing exactly the right amount in $1 bills. The men refused to count and collect the money because of the crowds, but came back on the following Monday and took it.
Ertl latter received a court judgment of $15,000 or damages and land. The company is appealing. Recently Ertl refused to let PSC personnel use the Lake Eldora road system to maintain the pipe.
Ertl says the pipe interferes with his operation. He says PSC didn’t bury the pipe deep enough. As a result he cannot make slope modifications for fear of puncturing the pipe.
“I know I’m being a s.o.b.,” he said, and I’m as bad as they are. We need to come to a truce.”
Touring instructor group formed
Add EPSTI to the list of alphabet soup organizations in the ski world. It stands for Eastern Professional Ski Touring Instructors, and it recently evolved from a meeting of two splinter groups.
The new organization will function as the certifying body for professional ski touring instruction in the east.
Tom Jacobs, a former Olympic team member and now head of Reliable Racing Supply Co., was elected president of EPSTI.
Loveland punster
The Loveland ski area, which sits on the Denver side of the Eisenhower Tunnel, has a billboard and bumper sticker message for skiers using the tunnel on their way to Vail, Copper, Keystone and other competitors. It says: “The tunnel is a big bore. Ski Loveland!”
Courtesy patrol wins friends
Geneva Basin, a Colorado area which pegs itself as a family resort, has a unique courtesy patrol to serve the needs of area skiers.
The patrol, called the Golden Hostesses, consists of three young mothers. The hostesses ski the mountain carrying packs which contain most of the necessities of life. The mothers offer skiers such things as needle and thread, Band-aids, bootlaces and Kleenex. They also carry extra mitten liners for cold hands. The mothers are particularly attentive to small children and sometimes will take a cold youngster in for a cup of hot chocolate.
Last year Geneva Basin’s ski patrol was named outstanding ski patrol in the country. Robert Burke, area manager, said that was because “we try harder at Geneva Basin.”
Freestyle skiing association formed
The nation’s professional hot dog and freestyle skiers have joined together under the banner of the Internation Freestyle Skiers Association. The new organization will set safety rules, negotiate television rights, schedule events, sanction meets and administer the five professional competitions slated for this season.
IFSA’s executive director is Bernard Weichsel, previously with the Harry Leonard organization. Offices have been set up at Box TJ, South Lake Tahoe, Calif., 95731.
Principal fixtures on the IFSA competitive schedule are the 4-part Chevrolet Skiing Magazine series culminating in the “world championships” at Vail, March 27-29, and the Hot Dog Open for the Beconta Cup at Park City, March 6-9.
PEOPLE
Three executive promotions were announced at a recent meeting of the Big Sky of Montana board: Gloria Chadwick to v.p./operations; L.G. Lancaster to v.p. construction; and R.G. Lindsey, Jr. to v.p. real estate … Don McEndaffer has been appointed project manager of the Beaver Creek area being developed by Vail Associates … Dave Rose goes to Mt. Snow, Vt. as marketing director. He was previously at Snowbird where his replacement is Randy Montgomery, a 27-year old Utah native … His boss is Bud Siemon, formerly of Sun Valley, who takes over as general manager from Ted Johnson, who assumes the title of president of the Utah resort.
Mix Beauvais has been named marketing director for Big Sky, Mont. He was formerly p.r. and ad director for Steamboat … Al Saier is the director at Big Sky’s new ski school … Hannes Lamprecht, a 30-year-old Austrian, is alpine ski school director for California’s Kirkwood area … Bjorn Dahl is Kirkwood’s operations manager … Jim Davidson, former publicist for Steamboat, has been named director of marketing for Winter Park. He replaces “Andy” Anderberg who resigned to pursue other interests.
Fred Jones has been appointed to the newly-created position of operations manager at Colorado’s Copper Mountain. He was formerly v.p. and general manager at Waterville Valley, N.H. … the legendary Walt Schoenknecht is back at his Mt. Snow desk after extensive and effective acupuncture treatment for multiple sclerosis … Peek ’n Peak Ski Center in Clymer, N.Y. announced the death of Myrl Babcock, sec-treas of the corporation of which he was one of the founders. Joe Edwards Jr. was named as replacement.
Gene McMasters, formerly in charge of p.r. and marketing at Mt. Snow, Vt., has assumed similar duties at Loon Mt., N.H. … Hans Forlie is the new ski school director at Okemo, Vt … Dan O’Connell Jr. takes over Cal Conniff’s general manager duties at Mt.,Tom in Holyoke, Mass … Kenneth Klapp has been named president of the LTV Recreation Development Corp. at Steamboat, Colo., replacing John McGurt who resigned more than a year ago, but had not been replaced — Clay Simon, formerly of Keystone, president at Grand Targhee Resort in Wyoming … Les Outys is Targhee’s new director of marketing.
SUPPLIER NEWS
Regional trade shows cancelled
The regional trade shows planned by NSAA for various parts of the country have been cancelled because of “uncertainties” brought on by the energy situation and market conditions. The announcement was made jointly by Cal Conniff, NSAA executive director and Phillip Savage, president of Ski Area Suppliers Association.
“We are sorry to see it happen,” said Savage, “but we support Cal’s decision in this.” Savage went on to say, “I am still enthusiastic about the marketing concept of the regional shows, especially after the success of the Mont Gabriel one. I think the industry will be ready for them a year from now.”
Savage resigns Hall presidency
Phillip Savage resigned this fall as president of Hall Ski-Lift Co., a position he had held for the past three years.
“I decided this summer to do this,” Savage said. “We have been expanding into new products and also expanding geographically, and I really wanted more time for product development and marketing management in the ski lift division.”
Savage will continue as a director of the company as well as vice president. Victor E. Hall, founder of the company, will combine the duties of the president with those of board chairman.
Carlevaro lift now represented
The Gryphon Corporation of North America has been formed to give North American representation to Agudio and Carlevaro ski lifts. Heading up this Killington-based firm is Enrico Monti.
Available through Gryphon are all forms of uphill transportation from surface lifts to tramways. Headquarters are at the junction of Routes 4 and 100 in Killington, Vt.
Sno-engineering adds Bridges, Standley
Sno-engineering, Inc., the New Hampshire and Colorado based mountain recreation planning firm, has announced the addition to its firm of Alan Bridges as vice president and treasurer, and Stacey Standley as an associate.
Bridges was most recently general manager of Telluride. Previously he was comptroller of Vail and financial vp of Aspen Skiing Corp.
Standley, the present Mayor of Aspen, was president of a private consulting firm.
Colorado expansion for Alford
A Colorado office has been opened up by the engineering consultant firm of P. B. Alford and Associates.
Located at this time in Dillon, the new office for the Ontario-based firm is designed “to provide better service for our Rocky Mountain clients,” according to president Peter Alford. “We are especially heavily involved in the total planning of phases 2 and 3 of the Golden Peak area of Vail, and we need this new office.”
Bombardier celebrates
Bombardier Ltd. recently celebrated as the 20,000th vehicle manufactured by its Industrial Division, came off the line and posed in this aerial photo of the various Bombardier ski slope groomers, logging tractors and other industrial vehicles. The vehicle turned out to be a diesel-powered 301D Skidozer.
Deere safety film
A Hollywood stunt man dramatically illustrates various unsafe practices that should be avoided when operating construction and utility equipment in a 21-minute film produced by John Deere.
Titled “It always happens to the other guy,” the film is narrated by, and stars, James Whetmore.
Prints are available for free loan from all regional offices of Modern Talking Picture Service, 2323 New Hyde Park Road, New Hyde Park, N.Y. 11040.
