This looks like a pretty good blog about skiing Utah, worth looking at. In particular, this post seems relevant: Some advice on buying skis
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Some advice on buying skis
This looks like a pretty good blog about skiing Utah, worth looking at. In particular, this post seems relevant: Some advice on buying skis
Monday, August 28, 2006
Unrelated to skiing, well almost totally
Jim sent me this picture of (circa 1993 or 1994?) from when we used to work at Kidder, Peabody down in Hanover Square. It was a bulge bracket white-shoe (and white shirt!) American investment bank, brought down by heavy losses on the Treasury bond desk. Maybe this is rose colored backwards-looking sunglasses, but it was particularly festive working there. The guy to my left (Ed Lardner) came on a couple of our ski trips, notably to Lake Tahoe and Vermont, but I have not heard from him in some years. I'm guessing this picture must have been from a now defunct Mexican margarita shack on the South Street Seaport. Rather amazingly I think everyone in this picture -- other than Ed -- is still working in the finance/trading business still.I'm seeing the orthopoaedist this afternoon again; my Achilles tendon has not responded all that well to ArthoTek. Moving this weekend may have inflamed it mildly again too.
Sunday, August 27, 2006
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Founder of Squaw Valley Dies
Alexander Cushing, 92, Resolute Founder of Squaw Valley
BY STEPHEN MILLER - Staff Reporter of the SunAugust 22, 2006
URL: NY Sun's Obituary
Alexander Cushing, who died Sunday at 92, was a tetchy and brilliant entrepreneur who created a primitive ski resort at Squaw Valley, Calif., and then brought the 1960 Winter Olympics there.
In 1955, Cushing convinced the International Olympic Committee to site the games there, thanks in part to a giant plaster model of the valley that he shipped to Paris at great expense. The bid — which may have had its genesis as a publicity stunt — was audacious, given that the competition was luxury Old World resorts like St. Moritz, Switzerland, and Innsbruck, Austria. Cushing's resort had but a single chairlift and two tow ropes, and minimal amenities. But it also had snow — an estimated 445 inches annually — and slopes up to 3 1/2 miles long with a 2,700-foot vertical drop. The single ski lift was, at 8,200 feet, said to be the largest in the world.
Initially funded by a $1-million California state pledge, preparations ended up costing many times that amount, and the recriminations echoed for years. Cushing bruised sensibilities in every corner as he coordinated construction of dormitories, ice rinks, stadiums, and other facilities. Irritated IOC officials declined to offer Cushing tickets even to the opening ceremony.
Yet the games came off in spectacular style, including a storybook victory by the underdog American hockey team over its reputedly invincible Cold War opponent, the Soviet Union. Americans Carol Heiss and David Jenkins won gold medals in figure skating.
"We should do pretty well here from now on," Cushing told Time magazine in 1959, observing the rapid growth of his resort. "Unless we hack things up, and we probably will."
With a bump from the televised Olympics, and blessed by proximity to Reno, Nev., and San Francisco, Squaw Valley flourished, although for decades it maintained a reputation for Spartan accommodations and rickety lifts that occasionally dumped passengers. In 1976, four passengers were killed in a cable car accident.
Beginning in the mid-1980s, Cushing, then over 70, returned to developing with renewed vigor and upgraded every facet of Squaw Valley. "He ruthlessly spurned environmentalists, regulators, and shareholders," to whom he never paid dividends, his daughter, Alexandra Cushing Howard, said. Cushing spent "his life pursuing his vision to make Squaw Valley the best ski resort in the world," she said.
Cushing was born into high society and lived at first on East 70th Street, in a house designed by his godfather, William Delano. His grandfather had been a prosperous Boston tea merchant. His father, the artist Howard Gardiner Cushing, died when Alexander was just 4 years old, and much of the family's money disappeared in the crash of 1929. Yet Cushing grew up amid extravagance in Manhattan and Newport and learned, his daughter said, "a lifelong disregard for money."
He prepped at Groton, where he excelled at tennis, was a good-hit, no-field first baseman, and lousy at skiing — a sport he never excelled at. While attending Harvard, Cushing traveled the world during the summers, and when he managed to graduate a year early in 1936, he took off for a nine-month tour of the Far East. He then attended law school ("the alternative was going to work," he told Time) and briefly worked at the Justice Department in Washington, D.C.
During World War II, he worked as a troubleshooter for the Naval Air Transport Service. At one point Cushing worked himself so hard that he ended up in a mental ward suffering from partial facial paralysis, a condition that continued to give him a frozen slight-scowl for decades.
In 1946, having moved reluctantly to practicing law on Wall Street, he became interested in investing in a ski resort. While on his way to Squaw Valley with friends, he stopped off at Vail to test the slopes and was buried up to his neck in an avalanche. His brother and best friend, Alexander McFadden, was killed. Shaken but not deterred, Cushing hiked in to Squaw Valley — there were no roads at the time — with Wayne Poulson, a Pan Am pilot who had already bought land there. The two would become partners in developing Squaw Valley, a partnership that quickly became acrimonious.
Cushing raised about $400,000 from Laurance Rockefeller and other friends, plus his savings and money from his wife, Justine, an heir to Fulton steamboat and Bayard fortunes. He trucked in old Air Force barracks to use as housing, had the big lift and rope tows installed, and prepared the area for skiing. Using his position as majority stockholder, he fired Poulson as president of Squaw Valley Development shortly before opening the resort, on Thanksgiving Day 1949.
Opening day was a minor disaster as workers went on strike, plumbing malfunctioned, and dinners were delayed. One of his daughters broke a leg, and somebody ran over his dog. Later in the season, as was to happen in each of the resort's first three years, an avalanche wiped out much of the skiing and destroyed the chairlift. In the fourth year, there was a flood, and in the fifth year, the lodge was destroyed by fire. Yet Cushing persevered.
Over the next few years, Cushing added more runs and improved the accommodations a bit, but according to a 1955 article in the Hartford Courant, by the time Squaw Valley won its Olympic bid, one of its chief selling points was that it was "a private, secluded community in a natural amphitheater completely separated from commercial influence and public interference." Whether or not the bid was initially planned as a publicity stunt, it certainly had the effect of raising Squaw Valley's profile, and well in advance of the 1960 games, it became a favorite of celebrities like Joan Fontaine and Bing Crosby.
"We had literally thousands of skiers up here last winter," Cushing told the Los Angeles Times in 1958. "Why, Doc Nelson down in Tahoe City must have set at least 250 broken legs."
Gangly and blessed with a distinctive shock of red hair, Cushing made an impression when he strode into rooms. He seldom worried what people thought, an odd characteristic for someone devoted to making people comfortable. "I'm terrible with the public," he told Time. "I don't like that professional, oily quality, but I guess I'm wrong. People at resorts like to say the owner talked to them. Here they say, ‘That sonofabitch Cushing didn't speak to me for the 13th consecutive day.'"
In the early 1970s, Squaw Valley began to drift as Cushing spent more time in Newport and elsewhere, returning perhaps once a month to make sure everything was working. Following the death of his second wife, Libby, in the mid-1980s, he found himself rededicated to building up Squaw Valley.
"And it occurred to me, ‘This is basically what you do with your life — it's this place here,'" Cushing told the Los Angeles Times in 1990. "But it comes to you, ‘Well this is what you do,' and the next question is, ‘Well is this the best you can do?' And you say, ‘Well, no. I'd never thought about it that way.It's not the best I could do. Well then, why don't you do the best you could do? I mean, what are you saving yourself for? Why don't you get at it?
"I really went back to work, is what it comes down to."
And he kept at it until shortly before his death, when there were no fewer than 31 lifts at Squaw Valley.
Alexander Cushing
Born November 28, 1913, in New York City; died August 20 at his home in Newport, R.I.; survived by his third wife, Nancy, his three daughters, Justine Cushing, Lily Kunczynski, and Alexandra Howard; six grandchildren, and three great grandchildren.
BY STEPHEN MILLER - Staff Reporter of the SunAugust 22, 2006
URL: NY Sun's Obituary
Alexander Cushing, who died Sunday at 92, was a tetchy and brilliant entrepreneur who created a primitive ski resort at Squaw Valley, Calif., and then brought the 1960 Winter Olympics there.
In 1955, Cushing convinced the International Olympic Committee to site the games there, thanks in part to a giant plaster model of the valley that he shipped to Paris at great expense. The bid — which may have had its genesis as a publicity stunt — was audacious, given that the competition was luxury Old World resorts like St. Moritz, Switzerland, and Innsbruck, Austria. Cushing's resort had but a single chairlift and two tow ropes, and minimal amenities. But it also had snow — an estimated 445 inches annually — and slopes up to 3 1/2 miles long with a 2,700-foot vertical drop. The single ski lift was, at 8,200 feet, said to be the largest in the world.
Initially funded by a $1-million California state pledge, preparations ended up costing many times that amount, and the recriminations echoed for years. Cushing bruised sensibilities in every corner as he coordinated construction of dormitories, ice rinks, stadiums, and other facilities. Irritated IOC officials declined to offer Cushing tickets even to the opening ceremony.
Yet the games came off in spectacular style, including a storybook victory by the underdog American hockey team over its reputedly invincible Cold War opponent, the Soviet Union. Americans Carol Heiss and David Jenkins won gold medals in figure skating.
"We should do pretty well here from now on," Cushing told Time magazine in 1959, observing the rapid growth of his resort. "Unless we hack things up, and we probably will."
With a bump from the televised Olympics, and blessed by proximity to Reno, Nev., and San Francisco, Squaw Valley flourished, although for decades it maintained a reputation for Spartan accommodations and rickety lifts that occasionally dumped passengers. In 1976, four passengers were killed in a cable car accident.
Beginning in the mid-1980s, Cushing, then over 70, returned to developing with renewed vigor and upgraded every facet of Squaw Valley. "He ruthlessly spurned environmentalists, regulators, and shareholders," to whom he never paid dividends, his daughter, Alexandra Cushing Howard, said. Cushing spent "his life pursuing his vision to make Squaw Valley the best ski resort in the world," she said.
Cushing was born into high society and lived at first on East 70th Street, in a house designed by his godfather, William Delano. His grandfather had been a prosperous Boston tea merchant. His father, the artist Howard Gardiner Cushing, died when Alexander was just 4 years old, and much of the family's money disappeared in the crash of 1929. Yet Cushing grew up amid extravagance in Manhattan and Newport and learned, his daughter said, "a lifelong disregard for money."He prepped at Groton, where he excelled at tennis, was a good-hit, no-field first baseman, and lousy at skiing — a sport he never excelled at. While attending Harvard, Cushing traveled the world during the summers, and when he managed to graduate a year early in 1936, he took off for a nine-month tour of the Far East. He then attended law school ("the alternative was going to work," he told Time) and briefly worked at the Justice Department in Washington, D.C.
During World War II, he worked as a troubleshooter for the Naval Air Transport Service. At one point Cushing worked himself so hard that he ended up in a mental ward suffering from partial facial paralysis, a condition that continued to give him a frozen slight-scowl for decades.
In 1946, having moved reluctantly to practicing law on Wall Street, he became interested in investing in a ski resort. While on his way to Squaw Valley with friends, he stopped off at Vail to test the slopes and was buried up to his neck in an avalanche. His brother and best friend, Alexander McFadden, was killed. Shaken but not deterred, Cushing hiked in to Squaw Valley — there were no roads at the time — with Wayne Poulson, a Pan Am pilot who had already bought land there. The two would become partners in developing Squaw Valley, a partnership that quickly became acrimonious.
Cushing raised about $400,000 from Laurance Rockefeller and other friends, plus his savings and money from his wife, Justine, an heir to Fulton steamboat and Bayard fortunes. He trucked in old Air Force barracks to use as housing, had the big lift and rope tows installed, and prepared the area for skiing. Using his position as majority stockholder, he fired Poulson as president of Squaw Valley Development shortly before opening the resort, on Thanksgiving Day 1949.
Opening day was a minor disaster as workers went on strike, plumbing malfunctioned, and dinners were delayed. One of his daughters broke a leg, and somebody ran over his dog. Later in the season, as was to happen in each of the resort's first three years, an avalanche wiped out much of the skiing and destroyed the chairlift. In the fourth year, there was a flood, and in the fifth year, the lodge was destroyed by fire. Yet Cushing persevered.
Over the next few years, Cushing added more runs and improved the accommodations a bit, but according to a 1955 article in the Hartford Courant, by the time Squaw Valley won its Olympic bid, one of its chief selling points was that it was "a private, secluded community in a natural amphitheater completely separated from commercial influence and public interference." Whether or not the bid was initially planned as a publicity stunt, it certainly had the effect of raising Squaw Valley's profile, and well in advance of the 1960 games, it became a favorite of celebrities like Joan Fontaine and Bing Crosby.
"We had literally thousands of skiers up here last winter," Cushing told the Los Angeles Times in 1958. "Why, Doc Nelson down in Tahoe City must have set at least 250 broken legs."
Gangly and blessed with a distinctive shock of red hair, Cushing made an impression when he strode into rooms. He seldom worried what people thought, an odd characteristic for someone devoted to making people comfortable. "I'm terrible with the public," he told Time. "I don't like that professional, oily quality, but I guess I'm wrong. People at resorts like to say the owner talked to them. Here they say, ‘That sonofabitch Cushing didn't speak to me for the 13th consecutive day.'"
In the early 1970s, Squaw Valley began to drift as Cushing spent more time in Newport and elsewhere, returning perhaps once a month to make sure everything was working. Following the death of his second wife, Libby, in the mid-1980s, he found himself rededicated to building up Squaw Valley.
"And it occurred to me, ‘This is basically what you do with your life — it's this place here,'" Cushing told the Los Angeles Times in 1990. "But it comes to you, ‘Well this is what you do,' and the next question is, ‘Well is this the best you can do?' And you say, ‘Well, no. I'd never thought about it that way.It's not the best I could do. Well then, why don't you do the best you could do? I mean, what are you saving yourself for? Why don't you get at it?
"I really went back to work, is what it comes down to."
And he kept at it until shortly before his death, when there were no fewer than 31 lifts at Squaw Valley.
Alexander Cushing
Born November 28, 1913, in New York City; died August 20 at his home in Newport, R.I.; survived by his third wife, Nancy, his three daughters, Justine Cushing, Lily Kunczynski, and Alexandra Howard; six grandchildren, and three great grandchildren.
Saturday, August 19, 2006
Ski Carefully & Stop Suing Each Other
Skiers meet in court over alleged Vail collision
Associated Press
August 16, 2006
DENVER — An alleged collision between two skiers on Vail Mountain two years ago caused one to smash into a 6-foot-tall pole, leaving him with injuries that have resulted in 10 surgeries, he said in a civil lawsuit that went to trial in Denver federal court this week.Jason White, 24, a former competitive skier working at a Vail ski shop, sued the other skier, Michael Kaiden, alleging that their skis became entangled when Kaiden came up behind him and made a sharp right turn in April 2004.Kaiden, also a former competitive skier who lives in New York, disputed the claim, testifying Tuesday that the two never collided.White is suing Kaiden for $1.3 million in damages, arguing Kaiden was out of control and violating state law by failing to keep a proper lookout or failing to avoid a collision with a person skiing below him.Kaiden testified that he saw nobody in front of him just before the crash. 
He said he was turning to his right when he saw “at my 5 o’clock, someone coming right at me.”Kaiden said he turned sharply to the left and avoided hitting White, who then hit the post. Kaiden said he stayed nearby until ski patrol members arrived to take White to the hospital, and then filled out an incident report.Responding to a question from White’s attorney, Beth Klein, he testified he never called to check on White.“I didn’t know the guy, and I didn’t do anything wrong,” he said. “It wasn’t a major concern of mine.”Before the trial, which is expected to continue through Friday, U.S. District Judge Phillip S. Figa dismissed Kaiden’s claim that the Vail ski area should share some of the blame for erecting the post that White hit. Kaiden also is arguing that White was “comparatively negligent” and assumed a known risk when he went skiing.A friend of White’s who was skiing with him that day, Janel Ippolito, testified the two men were even with each other when Kaiden made a sharp right turn. In an incident report she filed the day of the crash, she wrote the men’s skis and poles may have hit each other, but that their bodies did not touch.She also testified that White has been able to return to skiing and working in Vail.
Vail, Colorado
Thursday, August 17, 2006
Another good deal on a helmet
This is a pretty good deal for $28, although it's only in green and small sizes.
Back Country Outlet deal on helmet
As always the best time to buy ski gear is at the tail end of summer, before the new season's stuff is shipped to stores in the fall. I've used this vendor before, sometimes they have free shipping and no sales tax too, so they are great value.
Another good deal is on this ski bag for $20. These things get beat up so much you might consider replacing the one you have.
Back Country Outlet deal on Bag
Lastly if you are looking for a pair of the hard to find, and typically sold out and expensive Volkl 5*'s, you can get two year old ones for a half decent price ($500) here. I've never used this vendor before.
Volkl 5 Stars
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Aspen season passes = $1700 (OUCH!!!!!)
Aspen Daily News
Printed From: Aspen Daily
Preparing pocketbooks for ski season
Christine Benedetti - Aspen Daily News Staff Writer
Tue 08/15/2006 11:01AM
It may be mid-August, but ski season is creeping back into the conversations and minds of locals and visitors. The early purchasing session for season passes to Aspen Skiing Co.'s four areas started Monday and runs through Sept. 8, which makes it decision time for those determining how to fund their fixes. Early season prices for unlimited skiing and snowboarding are $1,649 and one-day-a-week and two-day-a-week prices hover around $800. An Aspen Chamber Resort Association discount, for employees of chamber members, can knock off several hundred dollars; a premier chamber pass, purchased super early season, is $1,179. For those willing to put in the effort, there are other, cheaper alternatives. Volunteering for SkiCo, in a variety of forms, is a popular way to pay for a pass. Boot-packing Highland Bowl, as in hiking up it repeatedly to make tracks for the onslaught of hikers to follow this season, is one way of working toward a season ticket. "As soon as the snow starts flying, they're out," said SkiCo spokesman Jeff Hanle. While a pass isn't handed to bowl volunteers on their first ascent, accruing time over weeks is the intent, and it is possible to earn an entire pass with enough hours. Mountain ambassadors can earn a pass by performing tasks such as greeting riders at the mountain's base, posting up in information booths and doling out cookies to hungry visitors. Monitoring the Town Race Series by checking gates and helping with course assembly for the winter's weekly event are other options. Likewise, working for the Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club offers opportunities for volunteers to earn a season pass. Season pass-holder numbers are not released by SkiCo, but Hanle said the average premier pass holder hits the mountain 34 times each season. However, he added that there is a large number of pass holders on the slopes more than 100 days each year. An early season premier pass holder skiing 120 days will average to slightly less than $10 per day. A premier pass holder (purchasing regular-season prices) skiing 30 days averages to $66 daily. SkiCo offers 15 different types of season. And because SkiCo's mountains are in the White River National Forest, earning your turns -- hiking up on one's own accord -- is allowed. Vail Resorts has not released its 2006-2007 season pass prices, but last season's unlimited pass for its ski areas (Vail, Beaver Creek, Keystone and Breckenridge) was $1,699 and its unlimited merchant pass -- similar to Aspen's chamber discount -- was $769. All Vail Resorts' employees receive a pass, and those participating in the Community Guest Service program (like Aspen's ambassador program) also earn a season pass, according to Vail spokeswoman Jen Brown.
christine@aspendailynews.com
PS: Now is the time to buy gear
Printed From: Aspen Daily
Preparing pocketbooks for ski season
Christine Benedetti - Aspen Daily News Staff Writer
Tue 08/15/2006 11:01AM
It may be mid-August, but ski season is creeping back into the conversations and minds of locals and visitors. The early purchasing session for season passes to Aspen Skiing Co.'s four areas started Monday and runs through Sept. 8, which makes it decision time for those determining how to fund their fixes. Early season prices for unlimited skiing and snowboarding are $1,649 and one-day-a-week and two-day-a-week prices hover around $800. An Aspen Chamber Resort Association discount, for employees of chamber members, can knock off several hundred dollars; a premier chamber pass, purchased super early season, is $1,179. For those willing to put in the effort, there are other, cheaper alternatives. Volunteering for SkiCo, in a variety of forms, is a popular way to pay for a pass. Boot-packing Highland Bowl, as in hiking up it repeatedly to make tracks for the onslaught of hikers to follow this season, is one way of working toward a season ticket. "As soon as the snow starts flying, they're out," said SkiCo spokesman Jeff Hanle. While a pass isn't handed to bowl volunteers on their first ascent, accruing time over weeks is the intent, and it is possible to earn an entire pass with enough hours. Mountain ambassadors can earn a pass by performing tasks such as greeting riders at the mountain's base, posting up in information booths and doling out cookies to hungry visitors. Monitoring the Town Race Series by checking gates and helping with course assembly for the winter's weekly event are other options. Likewise, working for the Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club offers opportunities for volunteers to earn a season pass. Season pass-holder numbers are not released by SkiCo, but Hanle said the average premier pass holder hits the mountain 34 times each season. However, he added that there is a large number of pass holders on the slopes more than 100 days each year. An early season premier pass holder skiing 120 days will average to slightly less than $10 per day. A premier pass holder (purchasing regular-season prices) skiing 30 days averages to $66 daily. SkiCo offers 15 different types of season. And because SkiCo's mountains are in the White River National Forest, earning your turns -- hiking up on one's own accord -- is allowed. Vail Resorts has not released its 2006-2007 season pass prices, but last season's unlimited pass for its ski areas (Vail, Beaver Creek, Keystone and Breckenridge) was $1,699 and its unlimited merchant pass -- similar to Aspen's chamber discount -- was $769. All Vail Resorts' employees receive a pass, and those participating in the Community Guest Service program (like Aspen's ambassador program) also earn a season pass, according to Vail spokeswoman Jen Brown.
christine@aspendailynews.com
PS: Now is the time to buy gear
Saturday, August 12, 2006
Whistler sold to Private Investors
Canadian Ski Resort Giant Sold for $2.8B
August 11, 2006
By Adam Perrotta, News Writer
Ski resort owner and real estate developer Intrawest Corp. has agreed to be purchased by Fortress Investment Group L.L.C. for $2.8 billion. Pending approval by a two-thirds majority of Intrawest stockholders, the deal is expected to close in October.
Canada-based Intrawest owns 10 ski resorts in North America,
including Whistler-Blackcomb (pictured), which will host the downhill skiing events at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. The company decided to take on partners to fund future development plans, CEO Joseph Houssian said in a release. To that end, Intrawest hired Goldman Sachs Group Inc. in late February to examine possible mergers and sales.
The company, which was unavailable for comment, ultimately decided to sell to Fortress Investment, which will pay $35 per share for the owner/developer. That price represents a 20 percent premium over Intrawest's closing price on the Toronto Stock Exchange on Feb. 27, the last day before the announcement of the offer. Overall, Fortress manages about $23 billion in equity capital.
In addition to Whistler-Blackcomb, Intrawest's ski resorts also include Colorado's Winter Park, Vermont's Stratton Mountain and Quebec's Mont-Tremblant.
Shares of Intrawest fell by 10 cents on the New York Stock Exchange yesterday, to $26.51.
Goldman Sachs acted as financial advisor and McCarthy Tetrault as legal advisor to Intrawest in the sale. Lehman Brothers Inc. served as financial advisor and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom L.L.P. and Goodmans L.L.P. as legal advisors to Fortress.
Commercial Property News
August 11, 2006
By Adam Perrotta, News Writer
Ski resort owner and real estate developer Intrawest Corp. has agreed to be purchased by Fortress Investment Group L.L.C. for $2.8 billion. Pending approval by a two-thirds majority of Intrawest stockholders, the deal is expected to close in October.
Canada-based Intrawest owns 10 ski resorts in North America,
including Whistler-Blackcomb (pictured), which will host the downhill skiing events at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. The company decided to take on partners to fund future development plans, CEO Joseph Houssian said in a release. To that end, Intrawest hired Goldman Sachs Group Inc. in late February to examine possible mergers and sales.The company, which was unavailable for comment, ultimately decided to sell to Fortress Investment, which will pay $35 per share for the owner/developer. That price represents a 20 percent premium over Intrawest's closing price on the Toronto Stock Exchange on Feb. 27, the last day before the announcement of the offer. Overall, Fortress manages about $23 billion in equity capital.
In addition to Whistler-Blackcomb, Intrawest's ski resorts also include Colorado's Winter Park, Vermont's Stratton Mountain and Quebec's Mont-Tremblant.
Shares of Intrawest fell by 10 cents on the New York Stock Exchange yesterday, to $26.51.
Goldman Sachs acted as financial advisor and McCarthy Tetrault as legal advisor to Intrawest in the sale. Lehman Brothers Inc. served as financial advisor and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom L.L.P. and Goodmans L.L.P. as legal advisors to Fortress.
Commercial Property News
Friday, August 11, 2006
Monday, August 07, 2006
Jane Carlson's Beautiful Watercolors
Most ski posters, or prints, vintage or otherwise, are unlikely to be watercolors. Jane Carlson was an unusual artist for ski prints in that she tended to work in this medium, which I normally associate with land/sea scapes.These prints remind me of the way the mountain looks when you have a little mist in your goggles, adding the slight euphoric blurriness as you zoom down the hill. This one is called "New Snow".
I don't know where she did her painting, but there is something quintessentially Vermont about these. They always remind me of the loping gullies at Stowe when I see these. I have a litho of "Last Run" framed in the bedroom; it is a bit more haunting than this exuberant one.
PS: Added in 2019, Carlson is indeed a Vermont artist! But I don't think she has made ski watercolors in a very long time.
Friday, August 04, 2006
New steep and deep at Keystone
pNew steep and deep at Keystone
Forest Service gives go-ahead for snowcat expansion
By BOB BERWYN
summit daily newsAugust 3, 2006
Powder seekers will get a chance to sample some fresh goods this coming winter, as Keystone last week won final approval for an expanded snowcat skiing operation, pending a 45-day appeal period.White River National Forest Supervisor Maribeth Gustafson issued a July 28 Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for Keystone's proposal to add both guided and unguided bowl skiing in 278 acres of terrain in the upper Jones Gulch area, off Independence and Bear mountains. The terrain, which is already part of Keystone's permit area, is north and east of the existing 'cat-served terrain in Bergman and Erickson bowls. Access to the new area would be via snowcat or hiking. Nearly all the skiing would be in open bowls above 11,400 feet, with some of the pitches approaching a 50 percent grade, just a bit steeper than much of the terrain in nearby North Bowl. Total snowcat skiing at Keystone would reach 858 acres with addition of the new stashes.'Cat skiing is planned for about three to five days per week, with the option to run more frequently when conditions are prime. At the lower boundary of the terrain, hiking skiers would need to climb back about 800 vertical feet along a distance of 3,100 feet to back to the Upper Independence snowcat route. Hiking skiers may also be able to ride uphill in the snowcats on a space-available basis for a nominal fee. According to Forest Service documents, hiking skiers would be discouraged from skiing out through the Jones Gulch drainage and Cadillac Road by a number of means, including information provided by the snowcat services/guide personnel, the convenience of a compacted hike-back track, as well as signs, ropes and boundaries.Keystone originally proposed the new service nearly one year ago, in November, 2005 with the intent of approving the operation under a streamlined review process. But based on public comments, the Forest Service decided to complete a more in-depth study to evaluate and disclose potential impacts.Under the Environmental Assessment (EA), Gustafson determined that the expanded snowcat service would not result in any significant impacts to the environment. "The proposed action meets the purpose and need of diversifying recreational opportunities at Keystone by providing a greater variety of terrain and potentially increasing the number of operational days for guided snowcat and hike-to skiing available … " Gustafson said.Some of the concerns raised earlier in the process included potential impacts to lynx habitat. Jones Gulch has been identified as a potentially important movement corridor for the rare cats. The new terrain accessed under the plan is in the highest reaches of the drainage, generally removed from the densely timbered areas in the heart of the gulch considered important for lynx.
The new snowcat-served terrain in the head of Jones Gulch is generally planned to straddle the centerline of the visible bowl, extending from the ridge down into the upper fringes of the forest.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service determined that the proposal could have a slight effect on lynx, but that it's not likely to adversely impact the species. According to the FONSI, new boundary management measures in the vicinity of the new snowcat terrain and around Jones Gulch should "dramatically reduce skiers leaving the ski area boundary from undesignated locations."The Forest Service also concluded that additional snow fencing required for the operation might have some localized impacts to vegetation, but won't result in any significant landscape-level impacts. The project design criteria "restricts access into the mid- to lower-areas of Jones Gulch, this protecting the forest landscape linkage," Gustafson wrote in her approval for the plan.Keystone chief Chuck Tolton said previously that high demand for the resort's existing snowcat service prompted the expansion plan. The new terrain includes more north- and west-facing terrain, promising better conditions and coverage than the more south-facing terrain in the existing bowls.Pickup points for skiers and 'boarders are designated at the Summit House on Dercum Mountain or at the Outpost on North Peak, and the snowcats would use the existing track along the ridgeline above Bergman Bowl to access the new area. The Finding of No Significant Impact is available in writing at the Dillon District Forest Service visitor center on Blue River Parkway (Highway 9) in Silverthorne. It includes detailed responses to public comments made during the review process. Appeals are due by mid-September and must be filed with the Appeal Deciding Officer at the regional Forest Service headquarters.
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Vail using wind power for electricity
This is interesting. I hope it doesn't cause lift ticket prices to go higher.
-------------------
Vail follows Aspen, switches to wind power
By Joel Stonington
August 2, 2006
Vail Resorts said Tuesday it would purchase enough wind energy to replace all power for the company's five ski areas, dozen lodges and 125 retail stores.
The total purchase is 152,000 megawatt-hours of wind-generated electricity, making Vail Resorts the second-largest corporate user of renewable energy in America.
"It's an exciting day," Robert Katz, chief executive officer of Vail Resorts, said Tuesday. "Our business is about vacation experiences. It's critical to protect those mountain settings."
Vail's announcement follows in the footsteps of a decision by the Aspen Skiing Co. in March to offset 100 percent of its energy needs with wind power.
"It's a monumental move," said Auden Schendler, Skico's director of environmental affairs. "It represents a sea change that's happening in the industry. It's sending a huge message to the public. If Vail cares, you should care."
Vail chose not to highlight or even mention global climate change in its press release. Rather, the company framed the decision more broadly as something that makes environmental and economic sense.
"We're doing this because it's the right thing to do," Katz said.
Katz said he doesn't feel global warming is a ski issue in a direct way. "I don't think ski areas are huge emitters of greenhouse gases. Wildlife, water, energy, recycling, education - all of these efforts are critical for the industry. It's not just global warming."
The Associated Press reported that Vail's purchase will remove 211 million pounds of carbon dioxide pollution annually, according to Quayle Hodek, founder and chief executive of Renewable Choice Energy, the company through which Vail is buying the energy credits. That's equivalent to taking 18,000 vehicles off the road or planting 27,000 acres of trees.
Wind energy credits, or renewable energy certificates, have been gaining popularity nationwide with consumers and corporations. In most parts of the country, it is not possible to buy 100 percent renewable energy directly, but a market for purchasing green-energy credits has been created. All spending on such credits directly supports renewable energy.
The recreation industry has led the way, with companies such as Patagonia, Prana, REI and the Skico making major purchases. Other companies with a socially conscious clientele, such as Whole Foods, are also out in the lead.
According to wind energy experts, the purchase likely cost Vail Resorts around $1.5 million, though Katz would neither confirm nor deny the amount. While renewables are more expensive now, many believe the purchase is also an excellent investment.
"Sooner or later carbon is money," Kevin Hagen, corporate social responsibility program manager for REI, said in March when that company decided to purchase 20 percent of its energy as renewable. "By having long-term wind contracts we were able to predict future costs for wind. The cost of wind energy is very solid. We're willing to pay for price stability in the long term."
All Vail's executives have switched their houses over to using wind energy, and Vail has further offered a promotion whereby anyone who switches a house to wind can get a free lift ticket to a Vail resort.
"We were looking for a way to magnify the impact of our decision," Katz said. "For Vail Resorts, 152,000 megawatt-hours is big, but we wanted to get our guests to participate in this effort. That's a win-win."
Vail is the second-largest ski operator in North America, behind Intrawest. Vail Resorts owns and operates Vail, Beaver Creek, Keystone and Breckenridge in Colorado, Heavenly Lake Tahoe, Rock-Resorts and the Grand Teton Lodge Co. in Wyoming.
Shares of Vail Resorts were down 6 cents at $34.51 in afternoon trading on the New York Stock Exchange.
Joel Stonington's e-mail address is jstonington@aspentimes.com
-------------------
Vail follows Aspen, switches to wind power
By Joel Stonington
August 2, 2006
Vail Resorts said Tuesday it would purchase enough wind energy to replace all power for the company's five ski areas, dozen lodges and 125 retail stores.
The total purchase is 152,000 megawatt-hours of wind-generated electricity, making Vail Resorts the second-largest corporate user of renewable energy in America.
"It's an exciting day," Robert Katz, chief executive officer of Vail Resorts, said Tuesday. "Our business is about vacation experiences. It's critical to protect those mountain settings."
Vail's announcement follows in the footsteps of a decision by the Aspen Skiing Co. in March to offset 100 percent of its energy needs with wind power.
"It's a monumental move," said Auden Schendler, Skico's director of environmental affairs. "It represents a sea change that's happening in the industry. It's sending a huge message to the public. If Vail cares, you should care."
Vail chose not to highlight or even mention global climate change in its press release. Rather, the company framed the decision more broadly as something that makes environmental and economic sense.
"We're doing this because it's the right thing to do," Katz said.
Katz said he doesn't feel global warming is a ski issue in a direct way. "I don't think ski areas are huge emitters of greenhouse gases. Wildlife, water, energy, recycling, education - all of these efforts are critical for the industry. It's not just global warming."
The Associated Press reported that Vail's purchase will remove 211 million pounds of carbon dioxide pollution annually, according to Quayle Hodek, founder and chief executive of Renewable Choice Energy, the company through which Vail is buying the energy credits. That's equivalent to taking 18,000 vehicles off the road or planting 27,000 acres of trees.
Wind energy credits, or renewable energy certificates, have been gaining popularity nationwide with consumers and corporations. In most parts of the country, it is not possible to buy 100 percent renewable energy directly, but a market for purchasing green-energy credits has been created. All spending on such credits directly supports renewable energy.
The recreation industry has led the way, with companies such as Patagonia, Prana, REI and the Skico making major purchases. Other companies with a socially conscious clientele, such as Whole Foods, are also out in the lead.
According to wind energy experts, the purchase likely cost Vail Resorts around $1.5 million, though Katz would neither confirm nor deny the amount. While renewables are more expensive now, many believe the purchase is also an excellent investment.
"Sooner or later carbon is money," Kevin Hagen, corporate social responsibility program manager for REI, said in March when that company decided to purchase 20 percent of its energy as renewable. "By having long-term wind contracts we were able to predict future costs for wind. The cost of wind energy is very solid. We're willing to pay for price stability in the long term."
All Vail's executives have switched their houses over to using wind energy, and Vail has further offered a promotion whereby anyone who switches a house to wind can get a free lift ticket to a Vail resort.
"We were looking for a way to magnify the impact of our decision," Katz said. "For Vail Resorts, 152,000 megawatt-hours is big, but we wanted to get our guests to participate in this effort. That's a win-win."
Vail is the second-largest ski operator in North America, behind Intrawest. Vail Resorts owns and operates Vail, Beaver Creek, Keystone and Breckenridge in Colorado, Heavenly Lake Tahoe, Rock-Resorts and the Grand Teton Lodge Co. in Wyoming.
Shares of Vail Resorts were down 6 cents at $34.51 in afternoon trading on the New York Stock Exchange.
Joel Stonington's e-mail address is jstonington@aspentimes.com
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