Savannah, GA (Wednesday, May 19, 2004) - As members of the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) meet for their national convention in this southeastern U.S. seaside resort city, a number of awards have been presented to honored members, including a Lifetime Achievement Award, the Sherman Adams Award, Sales and Marketing Awards, Annual Ski Area Safety Awards, and winners of the organization's Kid's Safety Poster Contest.


NSAA honors Irv Naylor with Lifetime Achievement Award

Irv Naylor, founder and president of Snow Time, Inc., was awarded the NSAA Lifetime Achievement Award today. Each year, the award recognizes an individual who has demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to the ski industry.

A Baltimore native, Naylor's career began in 1964 when, after speaking with a surveyor, he set his sights on developing Roundtop Mountain, the highest point in York County, Pa. In 1964, Naylor's newly formed Ski Roundtop, Inc., purchased 384 acres for $30,000, cut the first tree, and opened Ski Roundtop by Dec. 10 of that same year.

Hans Geier was hired in 1964 as ski school director at Roundtop and was promoted to general manager within a year. "Irv has worked very hard to further the ski industry, to make his investment better but also to bring a lot of new skiers into the sport," said Geier. "He's well deserving of this award."

A decade after Ski Roundtop opened the company purchased Ski Liberty, a bankrupt ski area located in Fairfield County, Pa. In 1981, Naylor bought the 1,600-vertical-foot Windham Mountain, in New York's Catskill Mountains, and in 1999, he bought Pennsylvania's Whitetail Mountain. All four of Naylor's areas, under the Snow Time, Inc., umbrella, now enjoy positive cash flow and very little debt.

"Irv was always particularly interested in customer service; he wanted to treat every customer the way he wanted to be treated. This entailed short tickets lines, snowmaking, grooming, safety, risk management-all that stuff he was involved in," said Geier. "He was also interested in doing what was best for the industry. His areas have developed many, many skiers over the years that have gone on to ski other places."

Naylor's many awards and accomplishments include the 1992 United Ski Industries Outstanding Leadership in Commitment Award and the 1995 Sherman Adams Award from NSAA. He served on the NSAA board of directors from 1985-1993, holding positions as secretary/treasurer and National Convention chair. He served as director of USIA during the same four-year period, and was honored by the Environmental Protection Agency Partners-in-Industry Award for extraordinary and outstanding service to the ski industry in 2000.

In 1999, a horseback riding accident left Naylor partially paralyzed, an event that has changed his life dramatically. He continues to successfully oversee his ski areas, while advocating stem cell research.


Henry "Hank" Lunde receives Sherman Adams Award

Henry Lunde, president of Vermont's Stowe Mountain Resort, was awarded the Sherman Adams Award today. The award is presented annually to an individual from an Eastern ski area that has significantly influenced the industry. It's named after the former governor of New Hampshire who was also the founder of Loon Mountain, N.H.

Lunde has been a leader in the ski industry during most of his adult life. For 28 years, as general manager, and president of Killington and president of SKI, Ltd., he worked to build the largest ski resort in the East. During that time, Killington's development of advanced snowmaking systems, high capacity lifts, steep terrain grooming, ski week packaging and international marketing set the standard that other resorts would follow.

Vermont Ski Areas Association President David Dillon said that Lunde's efforts were significant in catapulting the state to the third largest ski state in the country. "He's made significant contributions, both at Killington and Stowe. At Killington, he brought Vermont to the forefront of skiing. He was among the pioneers in developing snowmaking and creating the Vermont (dependable snow) brand of skiing, which he continued at Stowe. He understands not only the sport, but the state, and can work well within the structure to make things happen."

As President of Stowe for the past six years, Lunde successfully directed the company through the planning and permitting process of a $250 million expansion. Mountain Sports Media and SKI magazine recognized the community collaborative focus of that process and awarded Stowe the Golden Eagle Award for overall environmental excellence. The collaborative process was also widely acknowledged by prominent environmental, business and government leaders as a model for others.

Dillon said that Lunde's work on Stowe's renovation was revolutionary. "When he was developing Stowe's Master Plan, (Lunde) put together an extensive collaborative between environmentalists, the community, the industry and stake holders to put together a project that reflects resort needs in keeping with the local environment. It was a very strong piece of work that took a lot of time, energy and resources."

The revitalization project, which is expected to span a decade, began in July 2003, and includes construction of new lifts, trails, snowmaking, lodges, a hotel, performing arts center, golf course, retail and dining establishments, and a wide range of real estate. The development, called Spruce Peak at Stowe, is designed to increase skier visits, broaden four-season recreational options and diversify the company's revenue sources.

A cultural shift is also evident at Stowe. Under Lunde's leadership, employees created a company philosophy called the "Triple A's" that defines and guides resort operations. The principles--Attitude, Awareness and Accountability--were adopted as core company values and are actively promoted to help guests and employees fully understand the resort-wide culture of respect, safety, goodwill and excellence.

Lunde has served many years on the ANSI B77.1 Executive Committee, the Vermont Tramway Board and the Vermont Ski Area Association Board. He is also a board member of the Stowe Area Association and a member of the Vermont Business Roundtable. He is especially proud of the many years he has served on various healthcare boards, including the Rutland Regional Medical Center, Fletcher Allen Health Care and the Vermont Health Plan. In his community, Lunde has served as planning commissioner, justice of the peace, little league coach and Boy Scout troop leader, earning him the distinction of Rutland County Citizen of the Year. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his family, skiing, golf, fishing and travel.

Stowe is one of America's first ski destinations, dating back to the '30s. In 1935, the Mt. Mansfield Ski Patrol was founded, the first of its kind in the nation. In 1940, Stowe's single chair became the longest and highest lift in North America. For many years, under the ownership of American International Group (AIG), Stowe has helped develop some of the world's best ski racers, including Olympians Billy Kidd, Doug Lewis, Bodie Miller, Barbara Ann Cochran, Lindy Cochran and numerous NCAA champions at the University of Vermont.


NSAA Announces Winners of its 2003/04 Sales and Marketing Awards

The NSAA announced twelve winners of its 2003/04 Sales and Marketing Awards today at a luncheon at NSAA's National Convention and Trade Show. The awards are presented annually to ski resorts across the country for their successful marketing programs that help grow the sports of skiing and snowboarding.

This year's awards were presented in three categories: Best program to grow the sport to new participants; Best program to increase frequency of core participants; and Best program to convert new participants to core participants. The 2004 winning programs are:

Best Program To Grow The Sport To New Participants:

Mountain High Resort, Calif. (500,000 or more visits) The Winter Education Skier/Snowboarder Training (WEST) program prepares guests for an actual trip to the resort with presentations covering safety etiquette, proper clothing and accessories and navigational tips for the area itself. The WEST program reached 45,000 students from over 60 organizations. By mid-season the resort reported an 18-percent increase in school group bookings.

Hunter Mountain, N.Y. (250,000 - 500,000 visits) After a careful look at its first timer experience, the resort invested $7 million in a new learning facility and an additional $3 million on other physical assets including terrain re-grades, lift re-design and improved efficiency in processing guests. Internally the resort's core culture and organizational structure was refocused toward the beginner from a Ski and Snowboard School perspective. Results showed that over 95-percent of new riders and skiers had their expectations met and 99.4-percent said that they would return to Hunter Mountain.

Perfect North Slopes, Ind. (100,000 - 250,000 visits) After hearing the catchy phrase 'Learn to Turn' in a panel discussion at last year's NSAA Convention, Perfect North Slopes developed a program for new skiers and riders to purchase a Learn to Turn ticket for $5 with the purchase of a lift ticket and rental. The Learn To Turn tickets awarded guests with a lesson and a ski area debit card worth $10. The program showed an increase of 47-percent in new skiers and riders and 64-percent of the debit cards were redeemed.

Apple Mountain, Mich. (0 - 100,000 visits) The School Days at Apple Mountain program is targeted toward elementary, junior and senior high school students who may not otherwise have the opportunity to take part in outdoor winter sports. With 40 schools participating, students pay $12 for a lift ticket, ski rentals and an introductory lesson. The program has brought an estimated 3,780 students to the slopes.

Best Program To Increase Frequency of Core Participants:

Aspen/Snowmass Colo. (500,000 - or more visits) The Power of Four, a multimedia marketing project in book and DVD format, was designed to communicate to guests the feeling that they will get when visiting Aspen/Snowmass and it also explores the spirit and character that make the area unique. The Power of Four was distributed by several facets and viewed by millions of viewers on local television stations, United Airlines and US Airways in-flight services, and the Resorts Sports Network.

Wachusett Mountain Ski Area, Mass. (250,000 - 500,000 visits) Wachusett developed a simple economical alternative to the Century Season Pass to allow for additional frequency of the core participants that did not purchase a season pass for the 2003-04 season. The Three-Peat Card provides three days of skiing for less than the retail price of two weekend days. Wachusett sold a total of 570 Three-Peat Cards and generated approximately $50,000 in sales.

Bridger Bowl Ski Area, Mont. (100,000 - 250,000 visits) The dominant role of websites in the industry led Bridger Bowl to purchase daily video movies on its website, www.bridgerbowl.com. The Daily Snow Video has become one of the top visited pages on the website with more than 64,000 visits during the months of December and January alone. With the use of digital cameras Bridger Bowl is able to capture dynamic action photos depicting daily conditions for consumers to view via the website.

Tenney Mountain Ski Area, N.H. (0 - 100,000 visits) Tenney Mountain attracted avid skiers and snowboarders in early October with "a little patch of winter paradise." The Tenney Mountain Glacier, made possible by Infinite Crystals Snowmaking (ICS) from SnowMagic Entertainment, was approximately 400 feet long and 35 feet wide and featured jumps, rails and room for traditional turns on the snow. Word-of-mouth marketing reached all ability and interest levels expanding Tenney's advertising capabilities beyond its resources.

Best Program To Convert New Participants to Core Participants:

Liberty Mountain Resort, Ski Roundtop and Whitetail Mountain, Pa. (500,000 - or more visits) Three resorts, regional retailers, snow sports equipment manufacturers and the local snow sports community partnered for the Night Club Card. The card is a night season pass offered at an attractive price and made available to groups of 15 or more. Valid at Liberty Mountain Resort, Ski Roundtop and Whitetail Mountain Resort, the card must be purchased in a group but can be used individually. For an additional $20, participants may add the Advantage Card option to their Night Club Card, offering a 40-percent savings on all lift, lesson and rental products for any daytime visit. Last season, the three resorts saw a combined cardholder increase of 95-percent and total night visits increased by 108-percent.

Eldora Mountain Resort, Colo. (250,000 - 500,000 visits) To remain competitive in the Colorado market, Eldora is always developing new products that appeal to its primary target audience of "families with children of skiing/riding age." This year, Eldora partnered with Christy Sports for the Gear and Grow Pass, an Eldora's child's season pass and a season-long rental package. The Gear and Grow Pass sold for $159 and increased children's season pass sales by 75-percent, resulting in an increase of adult season passes and family season passes.

Schweitzer Mountain Resort, Idaho. (100,000 - 250,000 visits) For the 2003-04 season Schweitzer Mountain Resort introduced the Schweitzer Freeride Team and the Development Team, both targeted to offer teens a sense of belonging in their experience at the resort. The Freeride Team is comprised of eight members who serve as ambassadors to the mountain and excellent role models to other teens, teaching kids safety and etiquette. The members of the team attended freeride events regionally and assisted in preparation and execution of on-mountain events. As the new team grew and the other teens showed interest, The Development Team was established to coach kids that would like to be future Freeride Team members. The new program has recruited 30 members and hopes to reach 100 members next season.

SolVista, Colo. (0 - 100,000 visits) SolVista's "Get on the Snow" program offered first-time skiers and snowboarders an opportunity to learn at an affordable price. The program included two days of lift tickets, two full-day (5 hour) lessons and two days of rentals. Participants who completed both days of lessons received a season pass valid for the remainder of the season - all for only $99. Get on the Snow was available to both children and adults. SolVista saw and 85-percent growth in this program and out of 650 participants, 500 completed both lessons and collected their season pass and many guests expressed their intention to continue the sport.


Eight Ski Areas Win Annual Ski Area Safety Awards

The NSAA also handed out awards to resort winners for its 2003/04 National Ski Area Safety Contest. The winners are NSAA member resorts of all sizes and from across the U.S.

This season NSAA presented a total of eight awards to ski areas that use innovative programs to promote slope safety during National Safety Awareness Week which was held, Jan.17 - 23. This year's event was sponsored by OVO Helmets and Mountain Dew.

The 2004 winners are:

• Best Small Ski Area Entry - Powderhorn Resort, Colo.
  
  
• Most Creative Safety Idea - The Superhero Coloring book, Schweitzer Mountain Resort, Idaho
  
  
• Best Backcountry Safety Education Program - Squaw Valley USA, Calif.
  
  
• Best Terrain Park Safety Program - Safety Education Session Program, Stratton Mountain, Vt.
  
  
• 'Sauciest' Safety Idea - Safety is Hot and You're the Sauce, Aspen Skiing Co., Colo.
  
  
• Best Use of Community Volunteers - Safety Posse, Safety Alliance, Think First, Beaver Creek Resort, Colo.
  
  
• Best Overall Safety Program - Vail Resorts Inc., Colo.
  
  
• Best Overall Originality - Sierra-At-Tahoe Ski Resort, Calif.