ESWA Has an Intern for the 2012 Season

By Pat Turner Kavanaugh
Newark Star Ledger

Mike Ranellone, 19, has been skiing since he was 5.

A member of the racing team at Saratoga High School, he skied 60 days his senior year there. As a freshman at St. Lawrence University last year, he restricted his slope-time to about 40 days.

Two happy coincidences lead to ESWA choosing Ranellone as this year’s intern: in his capacity as a writer for a snowsports blog, Ranellone talked to Eric Friedman at Mad River Glen who suggested he contact Iseult Devlin, ESWA first vice-president, and the ESWA December meeting took place at Gore Mountain, Ranellone’s home base.

ESWA Intern, Mike Ranellone

(Mad River Glen, by the way, is Ranellone’s favorite ski resort in the East.)

Ranellone is pursuing a double major in English and environmental studies, because, he said, “I’d very much like to be involved in the ski industry. Ski journalism is exactly what I want to do.”

Ranellone’s father is a skier, who introduced him to what’s become a passion at Maple Ski Ridge, not far from Albany or Saratoga Springs. “It’s a really small place,” Ranellone explained. “They do a very good job with children’s lessons.”

In addition to hitting almost all the ski hills in Vermont, Ranellone has tried Copper and Vail in Colorado, as well as “most places in Utah.”

When at St. Lawrence, he heads for Big Tupper about an hour away, which he covers for “Harvey Road: The NY State Ski Blog.”    

Also accessible in about an hour and a half is Whiteface. Ranellone tried cross-country skiing once, and has never attempted snowboarding.

As ESWA intern, Ranellone will attend some meetings and will fill assignments from the Devlin, who will edit Ranellone’s copy and provide journalistic supervision.

The intent is to use his work in the ESWA newsletter, ESWA’s Facebook page and the history project, but, perhaps more importantly, place his writing in professional outlets. Anyone who might have a job for Ranellone should contact Devlin at iseult.devlin@aol.com.