WEST REGION

NEWS HEADLINES

OFFICERS


President: Jerry Hoffman
Programs & Activities VP: Lynn Rosen & Steve Giordano
Membership VP: Randy Boverman
Communcations VP: Harriet Wallis
Corporate Liaison: Erin Grady/Deer Valley
Immediate Past President: John Naye
Executive Secretary: Vicki Andersen

Volume 7, 2010      August edition / NASJA-WestNews keeps us
 in touch as we’re spread across two time zones, 13 states and half of Canada.


FROM  the  PRES  / By Jerry Hoffman, NASJA-West President
Dear fellow NASJA-West members,

Having a Snowsports consciousness in summer is a tough task indeed, but we must prepare for winter now, or suffer the consequences when the season begins.  There have been very few contributions on our established NASJA-West Facebook page which was set up to be a conduit  communication vehicle...provide a space for journalists and corporates to share production, plans and news...be an area where membership and program/meeting plans can be shared by our officers in those positions...and allow for comments on everything posted so our entire membership can participate.  Of our 90 or so journalist members, barely a quarter of us actively attend meetings and contribute anything to the organization.  That sorry stat is a telling tale indeed.  As we face criticism for being a glorified ski club, interested more in free lift tickets than actually being a factor in our industry...NASJA-West becomes less and less relevant.  We will die like disco unless a new constructive pro-active mindset is established.  I respectfully urge  all journalists to post links of all recent Snowsports production (from past season) so our corporate partners can see we are contributing.  Perhaps our corporate members can share their opinions as well.  An effective West website to be a forum for improvement does not exist, so the Facebook page was established to set the stage for better professional interaction in the meantime. Unfortunately, it seems that concept has not been embraced.  Our future is dubious.  Let's all make an effort to turn the tide.

FROM  the  CORPORATE  LIASON  / By Erin Grady, Deer Valley Resort, Utah
I can't believe that it is almost September and the snow is just around the corner. For the corporate side I know we are all busy pitching this coming season and traveling from coast to coast. I think that most of us were pleased to see an increase in skier numbers last year as an industry whole and we are eagerly waiting this coming season. As you know, much of our industry is snow based and it's too hard to predict what this upcoming season may bring when the wildflowers are still booming. I know the calls have already started at Deer Valley Resort and holiday dates are starting to book in. All we can do now is sit back and wait for the snow to fly!

CHECK  THIS  LINK / By  John Naye, Past NASJA-West President
Maybe we should send this link to all our West members as part of the next newsletter:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFZ0z5Fm-Ng


KUDOS  /  MEMBER  NEWS
Walter Roessing performed double duty on Saturday, June 12, in Palm Springs by  serving on two different 90-minute media panels at the 80th anniversary convention of the Far West Ski Association (FWSA). The Association has some 60,000 members in nine Western states. Crystal Mountain, Stevens Pass, the Summit at Snoqualmie… they're all featured in the just-released Seattle *Essential* Guide iPhone app created by Risa Wyatt. The app covers Seattle's most popular sightseeing highlights and best-kept local secrets… AND spotlights top destinations for winter recreation near the city.

The app was produced in conjunction with Sutro Media. NASJA members can check out the app at http://sutromedia.com/apps/Seattle_Essential_Guide and contact Risa at words@risawyatt.com for a free download for review.


Claire Walter’s blog, Travel Babel http://www.travel-babel.com/ has just been honored with a Bronze Award in the Travel Blog category from the Society of American Travel Writers http://www.satw.org/Western Chapter’s July 2010 meeting in Boise, Idaho. Writing awards have been presented for many years, but blogging honors were just added. Claire is pleased that Travel Babel was at the top of the freshman class. During the meeting’s professional development day, Claire was also a panelist speaking about blogging and social media.

In addition, Claire Walter’s blog, Travel Babel (http://www.travel-babel.com/ ), has been named one of the top 50 travel blogs of 2010 by Awarding the Web (www.awardingtheweb.com ), which scouted the travel blogosphere and submitted a long list of nominees to a 5-judge panel for the final selection. This was Travel Babel’s second award this month (July). Earlier, it received third-place honors in the new Travel Blog category in the Society of American Travel Writers Western Chapter’s annual writing awards.

RESORT  NEWS Powdr Corp, a leading mountain resort owner and operator in North America, appointed Jenni Smith president and general manager of Park City Mountain Resort. which was ranked a top-five resort in North America by the readers of SKI magazine. Most recently, Smith served as vice president of resort administration and development at Park City Mountain Resort.

"Jenni has been instrumental in the success of Park City Mountain Resort,” said John Cumming, chief executive officer of Powdr Corp. "Given her tenure with our company, there is no one better suited to lead the Park City Mountain Resort team into the future and continue the significant growth it enjoyed under Peter Curtis’s leadership. We are incredibly grateful for Peter’s long-standing commitment and devotion to Park City Mountain Resort and wish him well in his retirement."

OBITS
Mary Naylor (longtime PR honcho at Brundage Mountain) died of cancer back on December 27. Her passing was kept pretty quiet, but there was a memorial service just this past weekend. Not long ago, she was a kidney donor for one of her daughters. Quite a lady! I don’t remember seeing anything in the NASJA newsletter. Better late than never, perhaps.  

Jerold Stanton Simon, 79, a trailblazer in the promotion and development of snow skiing for fifty years, and \ recognized as one of sixteen “Founders of Skiing USA,” passed away at his Las Vegas home on July 24, \ 2010.  He was born May 14, 1931 in New York City. \ In 1964, Simon began co-producing consumer Ski Shows in major US cities, featuring  such superstars as Olympic medalists Stein Eriksen, Jean-Claude Killy, and Billy Kidd.  Ski Shows were the kick-off to the ski season and introduced tens of thousands of new skiers to the sport. For this, Simon and partner Harry Leonard were together acknowledged as “Founders of Skiing USA,” alongside originators of ski lifts, equipment, and area development.
 
Donations in his memory may be made to the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame, PO Box 191, Ishpeming
MI 49849.


NASJA-WEST  CALENDAR
March 2011 -- NASJA Annual Meeting, Alyeska, Alaska


GOT  NEWS?
Keep it short - real short - and send it to NASJA_WestNews@hotmail.com


WHO  DUN  IT
Harriet Wallis
Communications VP for NASJA-West
NASJA_WestNews@hotmail.com
801-576-0140

Chick out the NASJA-West News Archive. Click Here!