PSIA-AASI

9.24.2010

SnowPro Update: Okemo Mountain School + 2 New Chairs

Ludlow, Vermont (PSIA-AASI) - The Okemo Mountain School (OMS) Board of Directors announced that Mariel Meringolo has been hired to fill the interim head of school position for the upcoming winter term. She has been a member of the OMS staff since 2004 and she has served in a number of different capacities: mathematics department head, development coordinator, special programs coordinator and admissions assistant.

“I am pleased to accept the position as interim head of school at Okemo Mountain School,” said Meringolo. “I have worked at the school for the last six years under the leadership of Wendy Neal, who during this time was a valuable mentor to me. Wendy’s hard work and dedication has built the school from a small experiment to a thriving sports academy. Her enthusiasm for athletics, academics, and the children with whom she has worked has left a lasting impression on the community.”

The OMS board plans to advertise the head of school position during the winter of 2011 after completing a visioning process to determine the future direction of the school.

New High Noon Lift at Vail

Vail, Colorado (PSIA-AASI) - An early-fall dusting of snow Wednesday night and cool temperatures Thursday morning, combined with installation of the the new High Noon Express Lift (#5) towers by helicopter are clear signs that Vail Mountain is coming to life for the 2010-2011 ski and snowboard season, which is slated to begin Friday, Nov. 19.
 
The Kaman K-Max helicopter, operated by Timberline Helicopters, Inc., flew and set all 20 towers Thursday, marking a major feat in the construction of the Leitner-Poma high-speed quad lift, which is replacing a fixed-grip triple that was installed in 1979. The lift will continue to serve Vail’s legendary Sun Up and Sun Down Bowls, carrying 70% more guests per hour in nearly half the ride time. 
 
“Construction has been going smoothly all summer and we’re still on track to deliver the finished product in early November and to open the High Noon Express Lift to the public with traditional openings of Vail’s Back Bowls in early December,” said Chris Jarnot, senior vice president and chief operating officer of Vail Mountain.

Bridger Bowl’s New Triple in Play

Bridger Bowl, Montana (PSIA-AASI) - This news came in from Bridger Bowl Marketing Director Doug Wales, discussing the new triple chair currently being installed to replace the Deer Park and Bridger Chairs: “What a difference 4 hours and a helicopter can make when building a new chairlift. After many months of hard work planning, surveying, moving dirt, building forms, and pouring concrete . . . the fun part happened.”

This past Sunday morning at 7:30 a.m. the helicopter crew arrived under clear skies and made short work of 19 towers that were stacked at the base of the mountain. Alternating between trips to the parking lot to grab the cross arms and sheave assemblies, the K-Max chopper had erected the Doppelmayr-CTEC triple chair by 11:30 a.m. . . . at a rate of about $1 per second, their fast and efficient work was much appreciated. Along with the extensive dirt work removing the Deer Park road and returning the slope to its original grade, this 2.8 million dollar project is nearing completion. We plan on load-testing the lift early this fall with plans for daily operation at the beginning of the 2010-11 ski season.”