Browse Our Archives

• Lifts

A look at the re-engineered and reconstructed rope tow at Alta, Utah. Jan Kunczynski was enlisted to solve the problem of transporting people across a flat surface in two directions. His innovative lift has surpassed all expectations. Feature includes photos, charts and graphs on the physics of the forces involved in this new lift. Add a com...

• Conferences / Trade Shows
• Environment
• Politics
• USFS

An extraordinary December encounter at Ski Industry Week saw top ski industry executives and Forest Service officials taking new and potentially productive steps. President Clinton's appointee for Secretary of Agriculture, Jim Lyons, addresses a new pay rate for areas on forest land, as well as outlining his stand on the ski industry and optimistic...

• Snowmaking

A fire in the compressor building at Sunday River, Maine, last season meant a new start and added a lot of snowmaking muscle in the process. Sunday River has revamped their snowmaking system, upping capacity to 54,000 cfm and 6,500 gpm, with air pressure up to 150 psi by using CTEC compressors and other cutting-edge technology. Add a commen...

• Architecture
• Resort Development

Intrawest, the new owner of Mont Tremblant, Quebec, is making a massive investment in modernization while assuring the preservation of the area's history. Joe Houssian of Intrawest has engineered the renovation, which includes new lifts, lodges, trails and a base village. A total of $413 million has been allocated to the five-year project. ...

• Lifts
• Research

No surprises: the doldrums are still evident in year-end totals of new lifts and Vertical Transport Feet per Hour (VTFH), although circumstances have made for misleading numbers. Feature includes tables, charts, graphs, and specifications of new lifts. ...

• Lift Maintenance

Article outlines some practical, inexpensive steps that can make new lifts more user-friendly and safer, too. Topics covered include: lift completion, improved safety, facilitated maintenance, increased longevity and improved operations. ...

• Ski Area Profiles

The story of how the father-and-son team of Clyde and Chip Perfect got into the ski business. The Perfects, learning the ski business as they went along, successfully created Perfect North Slopes, a most improbable ski area in Indiana. ...

Snow definitely makes a difference; a fact confirmed by the records of last season, but there were a few soft spots. Skier visits hit 54 million, average snowfall was 196 inches and ski area operators reported an average gain of 40 percent in profit before taxes. Feature includes 1992-93 highlights and tables of profitability by region. Add ...

After the first year in its revitalized form, NSAA's new president, Michael Berry, reveals plans and visions for the future of the organization in an interview with SAM covering future policies, programs and the direction for the organization. Includes officer lists of NSAA. ...

• Marketing
• Politics

Colorado governor Roy Romer called the Colorado Tourism Summit to explore alternatives in the face of the demise of the Colorado Tourism Board. Article explores issues addressed at the Summit, including recent voter rejection of the "tourism tax." ...

• Consumer Equipment
• Marketing
• Ski School

Jeannie Thoren is taking her women's equipment clinics to midwestern areas to make the sport user-friendly for women. This piece explores the merit of using specialized equipment for women to make the sport more accessible and enjoyable for them. ...

• Resort Development

At Alyeska, Alaska, landscaping got as much attention as the routine additions, with more than $1 million spent on outdoor beauty in addition to the $70 million expansion program. ...

• Safety
• Ski School

Surveys taken at Mount Snow, Vermont, revealed that skiers with knowledge of ski-related fatalities rated skiing as more dangerous on a scale from one to ten. The theory is that awareness of inherent risks makes for safer skiers. ...

The cost-saving aspects of doing in-house surveys of skiers and guests against the cost ($2,500-$3,000) of hiring a survey operator. ...

Products include: software catalog (World Class Software), composite hose( Heatway), interlocking floor system (Dri-Deck), galvanizing repair compound (Brite Products). ...

• Marketing
• Ticketing

An in-depth look at the pros and cons of discounted tickets. Covers strategies of ski areas that offer many types of tickets and those that offer no discounts at all. ...

• Environment
• Politics
• USFS

Deals with the changing structure of the USFS and how ski areas and industry players can use this opportunity to effect positive changes. ...

• Environment

A reprint of a letter written by Joe Parkinson to the Vermont Ski Areas Association (VSAA) newsletter calling for unity and urging the cessation of environmental battles in favor of a more concerted effort towards progress. ...

• Finance
• Marketing

A look at the rising costs of ski vacations and some of the current trends in lodging that make skiing more accessible to the young. Includes an assessment of the current situation and the parameters within which a hotel must work to be successful. ...