National Ski Council Federation Newsbeat
June 2021
Indoor Snowsports Facilities Finally Catching on in U.S.; Developer Alpine-X Plans to Open 20-Plus Destinations. Alpine-X’s first venue—Fairfax Peak—will open in Northern Virginia, with 20-plus additional metro markets to follow. The ski dome will be the anchor, but the complex will also include an upscale hotel, a gravity-powered mountain coaster, zip lines and multiple restaurants. More. Forbes via Google Alerts
Top Snowiest Ski Resorts in the USA. It’s no secret that the West gets the most snow. Cold fronts come down from the Gulf of Alaska, hit our north-south oriented mountain ranges, and orographic lifting does the rest. There are 10 ski resorts in the west that average over 500” of snow. See the list here. SnowBrains
Major Resort Ownership Groups Band Together to Fight Climate Change. Alterra Mountain Company, Boyne Resorts, POWDR, and Vail Resorts have joined forces to develop the Climate Collaborative Charter, a unified effort to combat climate change through shared sustainability and advocacy commitments. More. SAM
NSAA Releases Skier Visit Numbers & Other Metrics for 2020-21 Season. The National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) announced that skier visit numbers to U.S. areas totaled 59 million for the 2020-21 ski season, the 5th best season on record and a strong recovery from the pandemic-shortened 2019-20 season. More. NSAA
NSAA Issues Annual Report. In spring 2020, NSAA released its first-ever Annual Report. President and CEO Kelly Pawlak said, “Our goal with this document was to inform our members of the health of the association, and of the outcomes of our year of work. Now, we’re releasing the 2020-21 Annual Report, taking a look back at what NSAA has achieved this past season.” Read the report here. NSAA
NSAA Honors Best in Ski Industry. The National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) presented awards in sustainability, safety, growth and marketing to members with the most innovative and successful programs in each category. They also give Sustainable Slopes grants to winning resorts, as well as safety awards. See all the award winner here. NSAA
Jared Smith Named Alterra President. Jared Smith will serve as president of Alterra Mountain Company, effective June 7, 2021. Smith, who will report to CEO Rusty Gregory, will be responsible for overseeing and developing Alterra’s 15 mountain destinations. Smith comes to Alterra from Live Nation Entertainment. There, he most recently served as president and global chairman of Ticketmaster. More. SAM
Cohen Named Mammoth, June President and COO. Alterra Mountain Company named Ron Cohen president and COO of Mammoth Mountain and June Mountain, Calif., effective immediately. He will oversee all operations at both resorts, and will lead significant developments planned for Mammoth, Alterra’s largest and most visited destination. Cohen has served as president and COO of Alterra-owned Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows, Calif., since August 2018. More. SAM
National Ski Patrol Names New CEO Amid Continued Staff Turnover. National Ski Patrol (NSP) named Chris Castilian as its new chief executive officer. Castilian succeeds former executive director Meegan Moszynski as the head of the non-profit organization. More. SAM
