National Ski Council Federation Newsbeat
April 2018
NSAA urges support for federal ski fee retention bill. The National Ski Areas Association is encouraging resorts on public land to help line up co-sponsors for the Ski Area Fee Retention Act of 2018, which was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate earlier this month. According to the NSAA, the bill would earmark a major portion of U.S. Forest Service permit fees, roughly $22 million to $24 million of the roughly $37 million resorts on public lands pay in permit fees, for improving ski area permit administration, processing of ski area proposals, and addressing any backlogs in permit administration or processing. The fees can also be used for interpretation, visitor services and support of USFS Avalanche Information/Education. More. SAM
Smaller, independent ski areas join forces in the shadow of Epic-v-Ikon season pass battle. Independent ski resorts are laboring in the shadow of dueling giants to find their niche in an industry swiftly dividing into two distinct camps. High-profile independent resorts such as Jackson Hole, Crested Butte, Telluride, Alta and Snowbird have aligned with the brawling behemoths behind the Epic and Ikon season passes, which, at $899 each, offer access to more than 50 of North America’s 600-plus ski areas and host about a quarter of the continent’s skier visits. More. The Denver Post via Inntopia/Destimetrics
Killington delivers new 365-day pass. After several years of building out its summer activities, Killington is offering a new year-round “season pass” for $99 a month. The Beast 365 Year-Round Pass provides access to all of Killington’s year-round activities, from golf, mountain biking, and the Adventure Center to the lifts at Killington and Pico. More. SAM
Alterra Mountain Co. has $555 million in ski-area improvements on the books, starting with a gondola at Winter Park and a bigger base restaurant at Steamboat. Alterra Mountain Co. plans to spend more than half a billion dollars on its 12 ski resorts in its first five years as a resort operator, including $130 million in a spending spree this year that includes a new gondola for Winter Park and a restaurant expansion at Steamboat. More. Summit Daily via Inntopia/Destimetrics
Tahoe ski resort develops plan to adapt to low-snow seasons. Heavenly Mountain Resort’s plan calls for widening a dozen trails and removing potentially hundreds or even thousands of trees. The hope is to reduce skier and snowboard traffic bottlenecks on busy days at the South Lake Tahoe resort straddling the California-Nevada line. Low-snow seasons are expected to become more common due to climate change. More. WTOP Radio, Washington, DC
Learn to ski and snowboard month draws 90,000 newcomers. Resort partners in the 10th annual Learn to Ski and Snowboard (Month)/Bring a Friend initiative provided nearly 90,000 beginner lessons during January. Since its inception in 2009, participating resorts in the program have taught roughly 960,000 beginner lessons. More. SAM
Vail ski resorts keep making money even with pitiful snowfall in Utah and across the West. Vail resorts reported Thursday that its revenue for the quarter ending Jan. 31 rose 58 percent to $235.7 million, compared to $149.2 million for the same period a year earlier. Revenue from season-pass sales, the addition of Vermont’s venerable Stowe Mountain Resort to its financial ledger and federal corporate tax cuts boosted Vail’s bottom line, even though “historically low snowfall” across the West resulted in a 3.1 percent decline in visitation heading into February. More. The Salt Lake Tribune via Inntopia/Destimetrics
