National Ski Council Federation Newsbeat
April 2022
Bipartisan Caucus Aims to Support Ski Industry Threatened by Climate Change. Reestablished in 2014, the Ski and Snowboard Caucus brings awareness and creates bipartisan solutions to the social, economic and political issues of the ski and snowboarding industry, which is increasingly at risk of warming winters and fewer snow days. More. Columbia Climate School @ Columbia University via Google Alerts
National Brotherhood of Skiers Founders Enter Ski Hall of Fame. After a two-year delay, Ben Finley and Art Clay were officially inducted into the Hall of Fame last week at Sun Valley – the first African Americans to enter its ranks. More. Boise State Public Radio via Google Alerts
Is This the End of the Trail Map? At ski resorts around the country, the familiar paper map is disappearing, as mountains push skiers to use apps and other digital resources. But some skiers are pushing back. More. The New York Times
Lift Business Bounces Back. The 2021 Lift Construction Survey shows a resurgence of new installations after a down year in 2020, with a mix of gondolas, big detachables, fixed-grips, a boom in conveyor lifts—and a promising outlook for 2022 and beyond. More.
Sierra-at-Tahoe to Open for Weekend Celebration. To celebrate its 75th anniversary as it rises from the ashes of disaster, Sierra-at-Tahoe will reopen for one weekend, April 9–10, 2022. The celebration follows months of work recovering from the impacts of the Caldor Fire, which burned upwards of 80 percent of the trees on property, damaged several lifts, and destroyed millions of dollars in equipment in late-August 2021. More. SAM
Crystal (WA) Redevelopment to Address Capacity Concerns. A recently unveiled $100 million capital investment by parent company Alterra will address key capacity concerns at Crystal Mountain, Wash., according to resort president Frank DeBerry, through expanded parking, skier services, lift, and terrain. More. SAM
New England Pass 2022-23 Adds Multi-Day Products. Boyne Resorts has unveiled pricing for the 2022-23 New England Pass products, which provide access to Sunday River and Sugarloaf, Maine, and Loon Mountain, N.H., and also introduced the new N.E. Day ticket pack products, available for two to five days of access to the three resorts. More. SAM
Vail Resorts Extends Season at Seven Properties. Vail Resorts is extending the 2021-22 ski and ride season at seven of its resorts, weather and snow conditions permitting. The seven are Stevens Pass, Wash., Heavenly and Kirkwood, Calif., Vail Mountain, Colo., Boston Mills, Ohio, Hunter Mountain, N.Y., and Mount Snow, Vt. More. SAM
Vail to Invest $175 Million in Pay Increases, Housing, HR. Ahead of its second-quarter earnings call, Vail Resorts rolled out a new incremental annual $175 million investment in its employees that includes a $20 per hour starting wage, a commitment to “aggressively” expand affordable employee housing, and the hiring of more centralized HR staff, among other things. More. SAM
Epic Pass Adds Options for 2022-23, Nominal Price Increase. Vail Resorts (VR) has unveiled its 2022-23 Epic Pass lineup, increasing prices slightly over its significantly reduced 2021-22 New this year, the company also introduced a monthly payment plan and a cheaper tier of the Epic Day pass, with location-restricted access. More. SAM
Vail Resorts to Acquire Majority Stake in Switzerland’s Andermatt-Sedrun Resort. It will be the first European ski resort that VR will own and operate. The transaction is expected to close prior to the 2022-23 winter season, subject to certain third-party consents. More. SAM
Timberline (OR) Pursues Plans to Further Integrate Summit Pass. A new master development plan from Timberline operators R.L.K. and Company outlines major capital investments to further integrate Summit Pass (formerly Summit Ski Area) with Timberline Ski Area. More. SAM
Big Moose Mountain (ME) Owner Ordered to Pay $3.8 Million to Fix Ski Area. A Superior Court Justice ordered James Confalone and his company Moosehead Mountain Resort Inc., owner of Big Moose Mountain ski area, a.k.a. Big Squaw Mountain, in Greenville, to deposit $3,831,000 into an escrow account because he failed to maintain the ski area that he purchased in 1995. More. SAM
Homewood (CA) Switches Gears. Struggling to remain a viable ski resort, Homewood will become semi-private. With passholders and skier visits in decline during the past 10 years, JMA Ventures, which bought Homewood in 2006, has had to pivot to a new financial and development model that is sustainable. More. Moonshine Ink
Ski Utah Launches Discover Winter Program. Ski Utah and six partner resorts teamed up this season to launch the “Discover Winter” program aimed at increasing BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) community participation in winter sports. The program eliminates common barriers to entry by providing participants with four lessons, transportation to the resorts, rental equipment, and proper clothing, as well as a Ski Utah Yeti Pass, valid for one ticket at each of Utah’s 15 ski resorts. More. SAM Ed. There are additional short articles at the link highlighting charitable giving by various resort organizations.
Ski Resorts Donating to Ukraine. The war in Ukraine is displacing and killing innocent civilians, forcing millions of Ukrainian’s to find shelter in neighboring countries and leaving towns and cities in shambles. Ski resorts—and skiers—across North America are responding to the worldwide call for aid by hosting fundraisers and collecting needed goods to support Ukrainians amid the ongoing Russian invasion. More. SAM Ed. This is the same link as above.
States With the Most Ski Resorts. Looking at the number of resorts currently open for business, Curated used data compiled by the National Ski Areas Association, to rank states based on their number of alpine ski areas. Each state also includes the oldest and newest ski resort. If more than one state is tied for the number of ski areas, the states are ranked the same and the numbering continues. More. Albany Herald via Google Alerts
