Sierra expansion is minimal
As of the start of summer, only Squaw Valley, Mammoth Mountain and Homewood were even thinking of adding chairlifts. Heavenly Valley was busy enlarging restaurant and kitchen facilities at the top of the tram, with a new chairlift or two still under consideration. Northstar and Kirkwood were constructing additional condominiums. Otherwise, it was a case of slope-clearing, parking-lot improvements and the like.
Aspen research studies available
Two research studies on the Aspen skier will be available in July. Prepared by the Graduate School of Business Administration of the University of Colorado, the two volumes are based on skiers who skied Aspen between February 18 and March 29, 1974.
Volume I, the Lift Survey, contains survey data gathered by personal interviews on the lifts at the four Aspen ski areas. Information on transportation, lodging, opinions, and attitudes and demographics is included.
Volume II contains similar information gathered by the mail questionnaire method from lodging guests. This study provides more definitive expenditure data because the trip was complete when the survey was conducted.
The price of each volume is $10. Orders should be sent to the Business Research Division, Graduate School of Business Administration, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colo. 80302. Ski Area Management will carry a review of these volumes in the Fall issue.
Disney eyes ski resort possibilities
The recreational-leisure arm of Walt Disney Productions was reaching out in various directions while its Mineral King project remains stalled. The company is checking out the possibility of building an all-year resort at Independence Lake, north of Truckee, and has also expressed an interest in both Slide/Mt. Rose, a ski resort on the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe, and Hope Valley, an undeveloped area south of Tahoe.
Start of construction at any of these locations would be at least two years away, even assuming an immediate Disney decision, which is unlikely. Required environmental studies and reports would consume most of the time.
Landmark legislation in New York
What can accurately be described as “landmark legislation” was recently passed and signed into law in New York State, which, in effect, gives official recognition to the role the ski industry plays in that state’s economy.
Technically, the new law provides for the Industrial Development Authority to expand its financing concepts to include the financing of new winter recreational facilities, or expansion of existing ones.
Working within the provisions of IRS regulations, the state is making it possible to issue tax exempt bonds (not government guaranteed or secured) for this type of investment. The practical effect is that money for the financing of new construction may become available for some of the traditionally stronger ski areas at rates of between six and nine per cent, depending on the area’s credit, and with a 20-year payback.
Colorado resorts set new record
The 1973-74 ski season set a record of 4,304,787 skier visits to Colorado ski areas — an 8.3 per cent increase over the 1972-73 season which was itself a record breaker.
By way of comparison, ten years ago, during the 1964-65 season, there were 1,102,690 skier visits in Colorado, and five years ago the total was 2,329,546.
These figures were released by Colorado Ski Country USA, the state’s ski industry association.
The record season was logged despite the energy crunch, and despite a dearth of snow at season’s start, followed by mid-December snow that severely hampered driving to the mountains.
U.S. Ski Team moves to Park City
The staff offices of the U.S. Ski Team are being moved from Denver to Park City, Utah, site of the permanent ski team training center.
The announcement by USSEF president, Bradford Briggs, also noted that 1973-74 fund-raising had set a record of $780,000, which does not include all of the matching funds that are forthcoming from an anonymous benefactor.
Lake Placid Olympic bid supported
Governor Wilson recently signed into law a bill creating a Temporary State Commission for the 1980 Winter Olympic Games. The federal government had earlier made Lake Placid the official U.S. bid city for the games.
The Lake Placid Organizing Committee is presently preparing its proposals for presentation at the Vienna IOC meeting in October.
Park City building boom
Last summer the Utah State Board of Health imposed a moratorium on construction at Park City pending the filing and approval of plans and specifications for increased water supply and facilities. On May 30 the town and the ski resort signed an agreement which included terms calling for the resort (Greater Park City Company) to build a new 500,000-gal reservoir, pump station and pipeline tieing resort water into the city water supply.
This agreement has set in motion a lot of projects including a 200-room Sheraton Inn hotel, a Holiday Inn franchise called the Comstock Hotel, and two separate condominium projects, one a 75-unit by Destination Resorts of Los Angeles, the other a 35-unit by Clock Tower Associates of Salt Lake City.
Misspelled name for condo unit
Snowbird, Utah, recently opened a model of its new condominium, Orange Blosam. Yes, that is the way it is spelled. It was spelled wrong in the original mining claim it was named after, and will be perpetuated — to the dismay of proof-readers who will no doubt want to correct it.
Alyeska issues chairlift trail guide
Summer riders of Alyeska’s mile-long chairlift will get a short course in geology, anthropology, history and botany thanks to a printed guide that identifies the scenery, using the lift tower numbers as locators.
As you pass Tower No. 3, for instance, you learn that “the exposed rock you see on the mountainside is slate and graywacke (a metamorphosed sandstone). These rocks were uplifted 40 million years ago . . . etc.”
The Chairlift Trail Guide is the brainchild of Art Kennedy, currently Chief of Public Affairs for the Anchorage office of the Bureau of Land Management.
New lifts, new areas for Colorado
Following a record season, much of the nation’s ski expansion is taking place in Colorado.
A new ski area/resort development called Val Moritz is slated to open by Christmas with two triple chairs and one double. Located two miles south of Granby on U.S. 40, Val Moritz is being developed by Sno-engineering Corp.
An Austrian-style village, 8,000 condominium units, 100-room hotel and an 18-hole golf course are part of the 12-year development plan called for in the master plan.
Another new area is actually an adjunct to the City of Denver’s Winter Park. Called the Mary Jane Area, it will open by Christmas with its own base area and four double chairlifts. The 350-acre tract will increase Winter Park’s skiing terrain by 65 per cent.
Among the new lifts planned for Colorado is a 5,150-ft. double at Vail, a 4,800-ft double at Keystone, a double at Steamboat and a pony lift at Buttermilk. Aspen is also adding a “snow bridge” at Snowmass which will allow skiers to travel from Big Burn over a cirque and on to the Alpine Springs area.
Eastern group Sets charters
In an attempt to stimulate new membership to fill dwindling rolls, the Eastern Ski Association announced at the spring convention in Quebec City, an increase in charter flights to Western resorts and to Europe. Next season ESA will run seven flights to the West including three to Vail, and 10 flights to Europe. According to Al Pires, charter flight chairman, this five-flight increase is feasible because many clubs and regional chartering groups are not getting their planned flights airborne.
Although ESA still lists 26,246 members, this figure does not reflect the loss of the huge Washington, D.C., ski club. This 4,000-member club voted not to renew association with ESA next season. Frank Magnotta, treasurer of ESA, did say that he aniticipated many Washington members to renew as “unattached” at $10 per year, which is double the fee for “attached” club members.
Another program to encourage membership in ESA, discount lift tickets sold to club members, is also to be increased, says Ben Bucko, chairman of the ticket committee. Last year the discount lift tickets were obtained by trading advertising space in Skier magazine for tickets, by buying the tickets directly from ski areas and by buying them from Robert Gold of New York City who in turn trades the tickets for time and space in other media. The tickets are good for two or three years and last season, ESA made 1,866 tickets for 18 ski areas available to its members. The savings on the 5,037 sold is reported to have been $17,147.30.
The Alpine Race Committee also announced cancellation of the program to automatically send Ski Racing magazine to the 6,000 competitor members of ESA. Instead, the ESA will communicate with racers through supplements in Skier magazine and through special editions published between the eight monthly magazine issues. These supplements will carry race schedules and changes, race results, news and general features as well as advertising.
