PSIA-AASI

8.27.2010

SnowPro Update: Learn a Snowsport Month, Helmet Laws & More

With August coming quickly to a close (anybody turn on the heat yet?), and the first ski and snowboard magazines of the season hitting the streets with their annual gear reviews, it is starting to feel like winter is just around the corner. This season, one of the things we’re most excited about here at PSIA-AASI is the building momentum around January’s Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month.

A golden opportunity to drive lessons to the SnowPros on the frontlines of snowsports, we will be publishing regular updates right here on the blog with announcements and initiatives leading up to the event.

Here are just a few of the latest scoops from the ever upbeat Jen Butson at Ski Vermont:

Vermont will celebrate “learn to ski and snowboard month” with unique programs/promotions throughout the entire month of January.
 
FREE WEEK PROMOTION-January 3-9, 2011-Learn to Ski and Snowboard for Free Adult and children 8 years and older. Free beginner/first timer package includes beginner lift ticket or trail pass, group lesson and rental equipment at participating Ski Vermont alpine and Nordic resorts. Pre-registration required via skivermont.com.
 
BRING A FRIEND PROMOTION-Month long excluding MLK weekend blackout dates-Participating Ski Vermont resorts are encouraging skiers and snowboarders who love their time on the slopes to bring a friend and introduce them to alpine skiing and/or snowboarding for free. Skiers or snowboarders who purchase a full day, full price adult lift ticket will receive a free beginner package for their buddy or family member pre-registration for the beginner package is required via skivermont.com.
 
TWO FOR ONE “Share the Love of Winter” Program- Also month long at participating Ski Vermont resorts, this program is a learn-with-a-pal package. Two first timers connect to share their first day on the slopes learning to alpine ski or snowboard together for the price of one beginner package. Includes beginner lift ticket, group lesson and rental equipment for the full day. MLK holiday weekend blackout dates in effect.

WINTER TRAILS-January 8, 2011-A free day devoted to Nordic skiing and snowshoeing at Ski Vermont participating resorts and ski areas with tips on getting started, free Nordic skiing lessons, rental equipment discounts and free trail pass enabling adults and children to explore winter in Vermont.

Helmets Required?

According to First Tracks Online (www.firsttracksonline.com), the potential for mandatory helmet use for kids under the age of 18 is heating up from coast to coast. As First Tracks reports, “As a bill requiring helmet use while skiing and snowboarding is currently pending in the California legislature, a similar bill passed the New Jersey Senate this week and is heading for a vote in the Assembly.

Senate bill 130, co-sponsored by State Senators Anthony Bucco and Joe Pennacchio, would require skiers under the age of 18 to wear helmets on the slopes. It passed a vote in the New Jersey Senate on Monday by an overwhelming 33-2 vote.

“Skiing is an inherently dangerous sport,” Bucco states. “It is necessary to mandate the use of helmets on the slopes by young people because of their relative lack of experience and the high speeds involved.””

California Heli Operation to Launch

Lake Tahoe, Calif.-And here’s a little fun news for all of us who are already dreaming of the deepest, softest snow this season: Pacific Crest Heli-Guides in partnership with HeliTahoe has announced plans to offer helicopter skiing and snowboarding in Lake Tahoe for the upcoming 2010-11 winter season. The operation will be based out of the Truckee Airport and access more than 100,000 acres of privately owned lands located along the spine of the Pacific Crest. By comparison, the combined total skiable acreage at all 14 ski resorts surrounding Lake Tahoe is less than 25,000 acres.
 
Besides a few small heliskiing enterprises in the early 1970’s, this will be the first full-fledged helicopter skiing operation launched in the Lake Tahoe region or in the entirety of the Sierra Nevada for that matter. The ambitious undertaking will include a number of year-round recreational options accessed by helicopter such as sight-seeing, mountain biking, fishing and hiking.
 
“To say this is a dream come true is an understatement. More accurately it is a culmination of my lifelong passion for skiing powder, my extensive experience within the ski industry and good timing,” said Dave Rintala, owner/operator of Pacific Crest Heli-Guides. “I can’t wait for the season to start given the prospect of skiing first descents on a daily basis, naming new runs and exploring fresh terrain with clients.”