Court Decides for Jiminy Peak
The boy, who was eight at the time, was taking part in an after-school learn-to-ski program and slipped off a beginner chair on his second day in the program. Two children were riding the lift when the boy lifted the safety bar, apparently at the appropriate time, and then fell about 11 feet onto snow 30 to 35 feet from the top terminal. He suffered a compound fracture to his femur, according to Jiminy Peak attorney David Mongue of the Donovan and O’Connor law firm. Mongue said the ski patrol responded immediately and that resort personnel “did everything right.”
During testimony in the four-day trial, Mongue said the boy seemed to indicate he could have slipped off the chair because of sleet falling at the time.
Mammoth Power Fines End, for Now
Though far from over, the California power shortage is at least not costing Mammoth Mountain Ski Area any more fines, at least not for the time being. Governor Gray Davis negotiated for and won a temporary stay (expected to last through March) in penalties for companies choosing to continue to receive power during rolling blackouts.
Mammoth, and other companies, were facing fines from the state’s utility commission in the form of electric rates that would jump from seven cents per kilowatt hour to $9 per kilowatt hour every time the affected company wanted to continue receiving juice when Southern California Edison (SCE) decided it needed to cut service. Because of a special contract Mammoth has had with SCE for the last 10 years, which gave the ski area reduced rates, when the utility decides to cut power to users it calls certain customers to tell them power will be interrupted in 30 minutes unless the company chooses to keep getting supplied. In Mammoth’s case, keeping the lifts running was always more important than being hit with a one-day electricity bill approaching $200,000, and it agreed to swallow the fines.
Though Mammoth was still being called almost daily with power alerts, at presstime it had not been asked to cut power usage since the stay was granted.
NSAA Introduces New Symbol
The National Ski Areas Association has introduced a new symbol for terrain parks as well as a resource guide for managing and promoting the parks. The “orange blob,” as the new symbol is referred to, will represent freestyle terrain, much as the green circle, blue square and black diamond denote varying degrees of trail difficulties. The new symbol comes with a warning/instructional sign.
The guide is designed to assist ski areas in deciding whether a terrain park is appropriate for them, where to put it, design considerations, risk management concerns and operating tips.
Snowboard Life Folds
Snowboard Life, which launched in 1995, closed its doors at the end of January, citing a lack of advertising revenue. The magazine’s parent, TransWorld Media, said it intended Snowboard Life to be “an alternative to the heavily freestyle oriented snowboard magazines available on the newsstand.” The magazine couldn’t secure the advertising to justify publishing into a seventh season.
Okemo Mountain Gets Act 250 Approval
Vermont’s District 2 Environmental Commission granted Okemo Mountain Resort a permit at the beginning of the new year to start construction of the first phase of the Jackson Gore expansion.
The Act 250 permit means the project meets Vermont environmental and land-use law. Phase I includes plans to build a 117-unit condominium hotel, village area, 13 new trails and three lifts. It is the first part of a multi-phase expansion that is expected to see a second base area with retail shops and restaurants and up to 450 homes.
Plans also call for five acres of glades on the mountain and a total of five lifts when the project is complete. Okemo hopes to begin construction this spring or summer.
Loon and Lookout Hope to Expand
Loon Mountain, N.H., and Lookout Pass, Idaho, have submitted proposals for expansions and are waiting for 45-day public comment periods.
In the case of Lookout, at presstime, the 45-day comment period was on hold because of a moratorium on Forest Service paperwork by the Bush administration. The ski area hopes to add two chairlifts, 10 runs, a guest services building, a parking lot, a bigger lodge and a rental shop. The expansion will give the area a total of 455 acres.
At Loon, a proposal for new trails, three new high-speed lifts, another base lodge and the use of a pond for snowmaking is in the hands of the public. Loon’s highly-publicized 15-year battle to expand has forced the resort to downsize its original proposal from 930 acres and 38 trails to 380 acres and 12 trails.
The most contentious aspect of Loon’s proposal has been water for snowmaking. By using a pond located in an old sand pit a few miles away, area management hopes to win approval.
Boyd Purchases Mad River Mountain
At the close of December, North Peak, Inc., a new company with Tim Boyd, president of Peak Resorts, as a principal, closed a deal to buy Mad River Mountain, Ohio. Boyd said it was the new company’s “first of many acquisitions.”
North Peak, of which Peak Resorts is part owner, has been operating Mad River for the past year for former owner Nationwide Insurance Company and has already spent $2 million on the mountain, primarily in replacing its snowmaking system and building a detachable quad that opened last winter. The area’s total land is on the order of 400-plus acres and skiing currently exists on about 100 of them.
Cuchara Sale Still Pending
Cuchara Mountain Resort, Colo., tied up in a pending sale that wasn’t complete at presstime, remained shut down for the season. Dallas businessman John Lau, who held the operating permit for Cuchara, closed the resort July 4 and put it up for sale, explaining it was difficult to manage from Dallas. In November, Lau was planning to finalize the sale to a prospective buyer he said hoped to open it by the holiday week, but the lifts and slopes remained dormant because negotiations apparently stalled.
Wisp Resort to be Sold
A Maryland investment and development group called DC Development announced in December it expected to purchase Wisp Four Seasons Resort from founder Helmuth Heise either this month or next.
The group has an option to buy the resort in a development deal that involves plans for a new lodge, tubing lanes and additional intermediate terrain at the 46-year-old resort’s summit, effectively moving the base of operations to the top. But that development is actually the smaller part of a project expected to encompass at least 550 acres adjacent to the 80-acre resort that will create an adventure sports center expected to accommodate 25 different sports from climbing to kayaking on a quarter-mile-long recirculating whitewater course. It is aimed at both attracting adventure tourism and giving the Washington-Baltimore area a chance at winning its 2012 Summer Olympics bid.
Mission Ridge for Sale
Harbor Mountain Company, which also owns Stevens Pass and Schweitzer Mountain, is auctioning off Mission Ridge Ski Resort, Wash. The 2,000-acre resort was designated “surplus and non-strategic to the seller’s resort operation due to corporate plans.” The published reserve price is $1,950,000. Any bid at or above that amount is to be considered and decided upon by March 7. If no bids reach that amount, Harbor Properties can accept, counter or reject the highest bid.
Skier Sentenced
Nathan Hall, who was convicted of criminally negligent homicide in a collision on the slopes of Vail that took the life of a Denver man, was sentenced in February to 90 days in a county jail.
Prosecutors requested a three-year sentence for the former Vail lift attendant, but had to settle for the three months, plus community service and financial restitution to the victim’s family.
Hall is planning to appeal his conviction. This case marks the first time someone has been found criminally negligent by a jury trial in a skier collision death.
Obituaries
Sigge Bergman—Longtime chairman of the International Ski Federation (1946 to 1961), Sigge Berman died at the age of 95.
Craig Buchler—GM of Spring Mountain Ski Area, Pa., Buchler was killed in an accident involving one of the area’s grooming vehicles.
David Marsh—Former president and CEO of Mount Bachelor, Wash., David Marsh, died January 16. Marsh, who headed Mount Bachelor from 1988 to 1998, died at the age of 56 after a bout with colon cancer.
Jo Marillac—Legendary ski school director from the early days of Squaw Valley, Calif., died January 4 at the age of 80.
People
Matt Christensen was named U.S. aerials head coach in late December, replacing Wayne Hilterbrand, who resigned in November.
The Skiing Company promoted Lindsey Diforio to advertising manager of Skiing magazine from her position as managing editor. To take on the managing editor duties, the company promoted Bevin Wallace from her position as associate editor. The Skiing Company also hired Scott Decker as southeastern account manager for the companies magazine group.
Wendy Dunaway has been hired to become director of Ski USA, the international marketing program for U.S. resorts managed by the NSAA.
Northstar-at-Tahoe, Calif., named Daniel Graves its new CFO.
Mammoth Mountain Ski Area, Calif., promoted CFO Mark Clausen to executive vice president.
Doug Bristol has become hospitality director at Kirkwood Mountain Resort, Calif. The resort also named Samantha Donaldson manager of the Cornice Cantina and the resort’s food and beverage trainer, Johnny Neri its food production manager/chef, and Bob Peacon the new food and beverage director. . .Sugar Bowl, Calif., named Daron Rahlves, new Super G World Champion, official skiing ambassador
Bogus Basin Ski Resort, Idaho, named Michael Sellers to director of the ski and snowboard school.
Crested Butte Mountain Resort, Colo., hired Jim Ruthven to become its chief financial officer and promoted Ralph Walton to become executive vice president in charge of resort real estate development. Several other promotions to vice president were announced by Crested Butte: Randy Barrett for resort operations, Debbie Fox for sales and lodging, Jason Schnaitter for sales and Kim Gailey for human resources. The resort also appointed Peter Estep to VP of real estate development, Stewart Johnson to VP of mountain operations and project management and hired Janel Price to become communications assistant and social events coordinator.
Also in Colorado, Durango Mountain Resort promoted Bob Mattice to director of guest activities, added ski rentals and sales to the job load of Karleen Moore and named Judy Wachob director of ticket operations and guest services. . .Vail Resorts has rehired Kelly Ladyga, this time to become director of corporate communications.
In Utah, The Canyons appointed Peter Tomai to senior vice president in charge of real estate development. . .Larry Callahan was named executive director of Sundance Village.
Seven Springs Mountain Resort, Pa., promoted John Mates to director of resort operations and Christopher Marson to director of outside operations.
The Olympic Regional Development Authority has hired Michael Fudzinski to become director of snowboarding at Whiteface Mountain, N.Y.
Kim Armstrong Jackson moved back to Killington Resort, Vt., from Ascutney Mountain to become Killington’s news bureau director. . .Also in Vermont, Mount Snow named a new public relations team: Kerry Connor is the resort’s director of public relations, Suzan Glaze is the department manager and her husband Don Glaze is the new snow reporter.
The owners of Bretton Woods, N.H., have appointed George Garcia to become director of hospitality and general manager of the Mount Washington Hotel and Resort.
The Maine Winter Sports Center hired Will Sweetser as the nordic center’s community program director.
Supplier News
Snow Economics founders. Charles Santry and Herman Dupré engineered the Backyard Blizzard to make snow in customer’s backyards. The machine uses HKD technology, 115 volts of home power and a standard garden hose to make snow when the mercury is at 25 degrees or below. It is capable of covering 1,000 square feet in three hours.
Intrawest Corporation signed a contract with both Salomon North America and Burton Corporation in February awarding the two suppliers the entire rental equipment contract for all 10 Intrawest resorts. The deal represents more than 100,000 pairs of skis, boots, snowboards, bindings and demo products through 2003.
A new law firm, Rietz and Smith, L.L.C., has been formed to specialize in ski area defense litigation. Peter Rietz and Jere Smith have formed the firm, which is based in Dillon, Colo.
Hertz has been named the official car-rental company for Ski Utah.
United Parcel Service (UPS) withdrew its sponsorship (worth a reported $50 million) from the 2002 Salt Lake City games and the 2004 Athens games apparently—at least partly—because the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) use of a rival Australian carrier during the Sydney games, which according to UPS, violated its marketing agreement with the IOC. There are now 10 top-level sponsors left: Coca-Cola, Eastman Kodak, Sports Illustrated, Panasonic, IBM, Samsung, John Hancock, Xerox, McDonald’s and Visa.
Supplier Personnel
RSN promoted Tom Gale, one of the company’s four original partners, to become VP of interactive media. The multi-media resort sports company also promoted Steve Smith to VP of sales and marketing.
Rossignol’s director of racing, Jan Larsson, will retire at the end of this season after 15 years in the position. Francoise Sedan, former French alpine coach, will take over.
Industry Calendar
More details at www.saminfo.com/events
- Mar. 9-13: SIA Snowsports Show — Las Vegas, Nev.
- April 7-10: Cross Country Ski Areas Assoc. Annual Conference — Holmstead Resort, Utah
- April 10-12: Colorado Ski Country USA Snowmakers/Groomers Conf. — Grand Junction, Colo.
- April 24-26: Lift Maintenance Seminar/Snowmakers Conference — Butternut, Mass.
- April 29-May 4: Canada West Ski Areas Assoc. Conf. and Trade Show — Harrison Hot Springs, B.C.
- May 7-10: NSAA National Trade Show and Conference — Palm Springs, Calif.
- May 14-17: Rocky Mountain Lift Association Meeting — Grand Junction, Colo.
- May 15-17: California Ski Industry Association Maint. and Ops. Conf. — Heavenly Ski Resort, Calif.
- May 21-24: Ski Area Vehicle Maintenance Institute Meeting — Grand Junction, Colo.
- May 28-30: Ontario Snow Resorts Assoc. Spring Conf. and Trade Show — TBA
- August 5-8: Midwest Ski Areas Association Conference and Trade Show — Spirit Mountain, Minn.
