From: TSIL Editor [mailto:tsileditor@madriver.com]
Sent: Tuesday, June 08, 2010 8:04 PM
To: tsil
Subject: THE SNOW INDUSTRY LETTER June 8, 2010
THE SNOW INDUSTRY LETTER
June 8, 2010
Vol. 32, No. 22
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SNOWBIRD LOOKING TO EXPAND TERRAIN
Snowbird Ski & Summer Resort, UT, is seeking U.S. Forest Service approval to expand into Mary Ellen
Gulch, a canyon off its back side adjacent to Mineral Basin, according to The Salt Lake Tribune. A new tram
running from Hidden Peak to the West Twin of American Fork Twin Peaks would provide access to the new
terrain.
The envisioned expansion would add 780 acres of Mary Ellen Gulch into the resort's boundary. Snowbird
President Bob Bonar said Snowbird owns about half of the land already through the acquisition of mining
claims; the Forest Service manages the rest.
Bonar submitted a proposed master plan amendment last month to the Forest Service's Salt Lake Ranger
District, which is evaluating the proposal and will decide by late summer or early fall whether to accept it. If
accepted, expansion portions will require a full-blown environmental impact statement and changes to the
Wasatch-Cache-Uinta National Forest plan.
That process seems certain to spark considerable interest, from the protectors of Salt Lake City's watershed to
the conservationists who support Save Our Canyons, which is generally opposed to resort expansion in the
Wasatch.
Other proposals include extending the Mineral Basin Express chairlift by about 50%, adding a beginner lift on
the north side of Little Cottonwood Creek, adding night skiing along Gadzoom lift, adding on to the Mid-Gad
and Gad Valley day lodges and developing new bike trails and service roads.
FREESKIING CHAMPION BACKSTROM DIES IN PERU
Freeskiing professional and Squaw Valley USA regular Arne Backstrom, 29, died last week after a bigmountain fall, according to published reports. "He hit a bad patch of ice, lost his edge and fell in a no-fall
zone," said his father, Steve Backstrom.
The accident happened just as Backstrom began to ski down from the 18,000-foot summit at Pisco Mountain in
Peru. Police estimated he fell more than 1,300 feet and likely died immediately.
Backstrom, a Patagonia ambassador, was the first-place winner at this year's Canadian Freeskiing
Championship in Revelstoke, B.C. A video of his winning run is available at http://twurl.nl/searmw. He also
starred in ski film segments from Matchstick Productions and Warren Miller Entertainment.
Backstrom's parents, Steve and Betsy, are volunteer ski patrollers at Washington's Crystal Mountain, where
Arne raced growing up. He eventually moved to Squaw Valley to join older sister Ingrid - also a well-known
professional freeskier - and Ralph, his brother, who is a professional snowboarder.
The Squaw community has seen an unlucky share of deaths recently. In February, freeskier C.R. Johnson was
killed after a fall at Squaw Valley USA. In March 2009, skiing legend and Olympic Valley resident Shane
McConkey, 39, died after a botched BASE jump in Italy.
TSIL extends its condolences to Backstrom's family and friends.
UTAH RESORT WANTS TO UPDATE MASTER PLAN
Over the next 10 years, Beaver Mountain Ski Resort in northern Utah is looking to make several improvements
to its facilities, according to published reports. The process kicked off last week with the Cache County
Planning Commission beginning to review a request for conditional use permit expansion, as well as hear from
the applicant.
Leslie Mascaro, a planner with the county's development services office, told commissioners that Beaver
Mountain is seeking to update its master plan to include some additional buildings, a ski lift, utility upgrades
and parking expansions.
Planning commissioners on Thursday approved a continuance of up to 90 days so that county staff could get
feedback from state agencies and the U.S. Forest Service, as well as work through fire protection and utility
issues.
RESTRICTIVE HELMET LAW ADVANCES IN CALIFORNIA
Two bills that would require minors to wear helmets while they ski or snowboard were approved recently by
California lawmakers, but both will face further votes before they can become law, according to published
reports.
AB1652, which would require ski resorts to enforce the helmet requirement and also publish reports on how
many people are injured or killed on the slopes each year, was approved 42-29 in the state Assembly. The
measure by Assemblyman Dave Jones, D-Sacramento, was opposed by ski industry representatives, who said
that they should not have to police the slopes and that the reporting requirement would open them up to legal
liability.
San Francisco Democratic Sen. Leland Yee's SB880, meanwhile, was modeled on existing laws requiring
minors to wear helmets while riding a bicycle. The measure would impose a $25 fine on violators, and was
passed 21-13 with bipartisan support.
The bills still need to be passed by the other portion of the state congress before they go to Governor
Schwarzenegger's desk for final approval, but the heavy aye votes, as well as the backing of a number of
medical and other groups, are making passage appear at least somewhat likely.
BASE VILLAGE, OTHER PROJECTS DELAYED BY ECONOMY
A stalled economy means stalled projects in Aspen, CO, according to The Aspen Daily News. The biggest
local project to face construction delays, Snowmass Base Village, was approved in 2005. The 1-millionsquare-foot project was planned to include more than 300 condos, 250 hotel rooms and 64,000 square feet of
new retail space. While no one knows how long it will take to complete, Base Village's approvals are good
until 2014 for a portion of the project and 2024 for another. (The original article said: "Most of it was supposed
to be finished by the coming ski season.") A number of other projects are also on hold. Read the whole article
at http://tinyurl.com/2emxclt.
RESORT WILL REMAIN CLOSED, AT LEAST FOR NOW
Pennsylvania' Laurel Mountain Ski Resort will remain closed for the 2010-11 ski season, according to
published reports. But there is some good news on the horizon for the ski area, which has been closed since
2004.
Chris Novak, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources spokeswoman, said the department had
pledged $6.5 million to the project and construction could begin this year. Improvements will include
additional water storage for snowmaking, improvements to the snowmaking infrastructure, slope grading work
and electrical upgrades. If funding allows, the department may also consider a new tubing park.
Seven Springs purchased the assets of the resort from Somerset Trust Co. in 2008. The property is owned by
the DCNR and leased to Seven Springs, resort spokeswoman Anna Weltz said.
ALPINE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS TO RETURN TO U.S.
American ski racing got a boost when Vail-Beaver Creek, CO was awarded the 2015 world alpine ski
championships. Vail previously hosted the biennial event in 1989 and 1999. The event was held in the U.S.
only one other time, at Aspen in 1950. While somewhat expected, the Vail delegation was surprised to win by
an overwhelming first-ballot vote. Vail Resorts will build a new women's downhill at Beaver Creek's Birds of
Prey, pending Forest Service approval.
WOMEN'S JUMPING, OTHER EVENTS ADVANCED BY FIS
The International Ski Federation plans to create a women's ski jumping World Cup series starting with the
2011-12 season, according to published reports. The FIS said that its ruling council approved the new top-tier
event following the success of the Continental Cup circuit staged since 2005. The FIS is asking the
International Olympic Committee to add women's ski jumping to the 2014 Sochi Winter Games program.
Delegates also decided to advance ski halfpipe (see next story), snowboarding slopestyle and team
snowboardcross toward possible inclusion in the 2014 Olympics. In order to be included, the sport must first
be contested in two world championships overseen by the FIS. The IOC is scheduled to deicide to whether to
include these two events in the Olympics sometime in 2011.
FIS RECOMMENDS HALFPIPE SKIING TO OLYMPIC COMMITTEE
After years of discussion and debate, the potential for halfpipe skiing in the Olympics took a significant step
forward at the meeting of the International Ski Federation in Turkey. A recommendation has been made by the
FIS to the IOC to add halfpipe skiing to the list of Olympic events in Sochi, Russia in 2014. Perennial XGames medalists in halfpipe skiing welcomed the news.
The decision now rests with the IOC, which is anticipated to announce a stance in November. Based on recent
X Games results, countries that would likely contest for podium spots in Olympic halfpipe skiing include New
Zealand, USA, Canada, Sweden, Norway and France. - A.K.
MOTLEY FOOL LOOKS AT VAIL'S SWOT PROFILE
In advance of Vail Resort's third quarter earnings report to be made public on Wednesday, the Motley Fool had
a short item offering a picture of the company's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats - or SWOT.
To read it, go to http://tinyurl.com/2dsf8nb.
SPYDER ANNOUNCES NEW ALLIANCES
Spyder Active Sports Inc. has teamed up with The Public Works, a full service project management and sports
marketing agency, to "visually and creatively promote the iconic brand and the Spyder team," according to a
press release posted by Snowsports Industries America.
Mike Arzt, co-owner and principal at The Public Works, and associate, Ian Fohrman, will collaborate with
Spyder on many levels throughout their multi-year partnership, including managing and supporting the Spyder
team; serving as the primary photographers and directors for on-location athlete shoots and in-house photo
sessions; facilitating industry events and promotions; and designing and building Spyder's new Denver
showroom, set to open in September 2010.
In related news, Spyder entered into an agreement with Lindsey Vonn to promote consumer sales of Vonninspired custom graphic alpine downhill race suits. For the 2009/2010 season, Spyder worked with Vonn to
develop a unique suit design for each stop on the World Cup circuit to honor her 2008 and 2009 World Cup
overall titles.
SKI BUSINESS: TWITTER MARKETING CHAT
Editor's note: This is the first in a series of occasional glimpses into what is happening in the Twitterverse on
the marketing front (#mrktchat). TSIL contributor Alex Kaufman will summarize the thoughts, concerns and
ideas of participating marketing specialists.
The June 3 weekly ski industry marketing Twitter chat began with a focus on use of location-based social
networks (Foursquare, Gowalla) that allow guests to "check in" from a resort location and let their networks
know where they are. This technology may also give resorts a way to feed relevant info based on the location
of a given guest.
Conversation then shifted to the impact of the same technology on airlines. The group then looked forward to
challenges for next season. Vacation Rentals by Owner (VRBO) was identified as a challenge in the lodging
sector, healthcare policies were identified as a challenge for resorts with large seasonal staff, and integration of
expanding social channels was also agreed upon as daunting. Toward the end of the hour, conversation shifted
to the purchase of Mountain News/Onthesnow.com by Vail Resorts and the return on investment (ROI) on disc
golf operations. There were 20 participants in the June 3 #mrktchat, which occur weekly at 2 p.m. PST on
Thursdays. - A.K.
GEORGIA GOVERNOR NIXES INDOOR SKI RESORT
Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue used the line item veto on Tuesday to ax HB 1251, according to The Atlanta
Journal-Constitution. "Serious people said the measure was aimed at a $1 billion indoor ski resort in Bartow
County."
Perdue's reason for the veto: "I cannot support legislation that funds up to 25% of the cost of a tourism project
by allowing the developers to receive refunds on state sales taxes that are collected."
THE CANYONS SUED BY SKIER'S WIDOW
The Canyons, UT is fighting a lawsuit filed against the resort by the wife of a man who died when he skied
into a tree, according to the Park Record. Jason Coles, 36, died while skiing at The Canyons on Dec. 17, 2007.
Coles' widow, Laurie Seal-Coles of New York, filed an eight-page complaint in U.S. District Court in Salt
Lake City claiming The Canyons was grossly negligent in not using signs, roping and fencing to protect her
late husband from hazards on the slopes.
Coles' body was found near a tree, close to a sharp turn where two trails merge, and with "a sharp drop-off at
the intersection," according to the lawsuit."[The Canyons] should have known that failing to warn, rope, and
fence off the hazardous situations could result in injury to its skiers," the complaint states. Seal-Coles claims
resort officials were notified of the hazards by "prior statements made by other skiers to ski patrol
management."
The Canyons denies that claim. Kevin Simon, a Park City attorney representing The Canyons in the case, said
the Utah Inherent Risk of Skiing Act bars Seal-Coles from making her claims. The Canyons "owed no duty to
protect" Coles from the obstacles, according to a 14-page response Simon filed with the court on April 23.
PEOPLE, PEOPLE
Bode Miller made a quick exit from a U.S. Open (tennis) qualifier last week, falling 6-4, 6-2 to Erik NelsonKortland in an opening match at sectional playoffs in Honolulu. Miller, who was a state high school champion
tennis player in Maine, said he "had no time to prepare." ...Norwich, VT, threw a big welcome home party on
Saturday for snowboarder Kevin Pearce. Pearce was seriously injured last winter while training for the
Olympics. ... After eight years of working together, Shaun White recently dropped his agent, Mark Ervin and
IMG for CAA. He now is represented by a team of CAA agents who will work to develop marketing
partnerships, appearances and television, music and motion picture opportunities for the 23-year-old. (Check
out White's rock star image at http://tinyurl.com/2aar7ko.) ...Industry veteran Blaise Carrig shares his
thoughts on the ski industry's future with the Tahoe Daily Tribune at http://tinyurl.com/22ngnld. ...U.S. Ski
Team nordic star Kikkan Randall beat two of Norway's star sprinters in the Norwegian roller ski cup opener
Saturday. The event consisted of a 200-meter sprint qualifier and city criterium finals heat in the morning,
followed by an 1130-meter uphill time trial qualifier and final heats in the afternoon. ...Gretchen Bleiler was
named number 3 on the list of Planet Green's Top 5 Eco Athletes; to see the full list, go
to http://tinyurl.com/25lmykt. ...Windham Mountain, NY announced the appointment of George Driscoll to
the position of director of marketing and sales. Driscoll most recently was vice president of marketing and
sales for THE CAT - a high-speed state of the art catamaran ferry serving Maine and Nova Scotia. He was
previously vice president of marketing and sales for Maine's Sunday River ski area, among other ski area
positions. ...Congratulations to Silver Star Mountain Resort, B.C., which raised more than C$10,000 for this
year's edition of the cancer-fighting Relay For Life.
TSIL welcomes feedback from its readers. Letters may be edited for length.
Contributors include Alex Kaufman. For subscription information contact TSIL's business office at The
Snow Industry Letter, LLC, PO Box 1032, Waitsfield, VT 05673; ph. 802-496-7757, email, TSILeditor@snowindustryletter.com or go to TSIL's website at snowindustryletter.com. Produced by
The Snow Industry Letter LLC. Any reproduction - by photocopy, fax, any other form or electronically violates federal law and is prohibited without the consent of TSIL. June 8, 2010.