National Ski Council Federation Newsbeat
July 2023
New Upgrades Coming to Belleayre (NY), ORDA Releases Final Plan. A number of new capital upgrades including two new lifts and a 4,000-square-foot addition to the Longhouse Lodge are in the planning stages at Belleayre Mountain Ski Center after the New York Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) released its 2023 Unit Management Plan Amendment (UMPA). More. SAM
Anonymous Offer Made on Burke Mountain (VT). An unnamed bidder has made an offer of an undisclosed amount to buy Burke Mountain Resort, according to a filing by Michael Goldberg, the court-appointed receiver in charge of overseeing the ski area. Goldberg will continue to seek other qualified buyers, according to VT Digger. If a matching or higher priced bid is made, the resort will go to auction. More. SAM
New Hampshire Approves $18 Million for Cannon Tramway Project. State-owned Cannon Mountain, which is part of Franconia Notch State Park, can move forward with major improvements to its iconic aerial tramway after the state legislature approved an $18 million appropriation to the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR) to fund “maintenance and operation” of the tramway. More. SAM
Jury Clears Mt. Bachelor in Wrongful Death Suit. A Deschutes County jury ruled in favor of POWDR-owned Mt. Bachelor in a $15 million wrongful death lawsuit on Friday. The suit was brought against the resort by the father of a 24-year-old Bend snowboarder, Alfonso Braun, who suffocated and died after falling into a tree well within the resort’s boundary on March 2, 2018. More. SAM
Studies Show Gains in Snowsports, Outdoor Participation. Two individual studies released by Snowsports Industries America (SIA) and Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) show positive gains in snowsports participation, and outdoor sports as a whole. The SIA study notes that a greater share of respondents participated in resort skiing in 2022-23 compared to the 2021-22 season, but respondents skied fewer days this season compared to last. The survey also found that snowboarding participation increased 10 percent, while downhill skiing participation increased 2.2 percent year-over-year. Cross-country skiing continued its upward trend with participation increasing 9.6 percent from the previous year; snowshoeing was up 17 percent, and snow tubing was up 4.5 percent over 2021-22. More. SAM
The Science Behind Problematic Pink Snow. An annual summertime sight in alpine environments, pink snow, also known as watermelon snow, often lingers on late-season snowpack and glaciers worldwide. Though it may be appealing to try and take a bite of the brightly colored snow, it may forecast a more sinister warning about our warming environment. The unique color of the snow is actually caused by a species of green algae, Chlamydomonas nivalis, that thrives in the cold and wet environment of glaciers. After lying dormant during the winter, these algae release pink pigment as a protective barrier against the sun throughout the summer snowmelt the same way that humans use sunscreen. More. SnowBrains
NSAA Presents 2023 Awards for Sustainability, Safety, Marketing and Beginner Conversion. The National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) named the winners of its annual awards in sustainability, safety, marketing and beginner conversion (growth). The awards were presented to ski area members with the most innovative and successful programs in each category at the association’s National Convention and Tradeshow in Savannah, GA. More. NSAA
