ASPEN AVALANCHE DOG Stars in Commercials
Most working dogs view their job as a game—a chance to play and interact with their handlers while being rewarded. For some dogs, the reward includes saving a person’s life. Take Tenzing, a three-year-old German Shepherd from Aspen, Colorado, who is advanced mountain avalanche certified, as well as certified for search-and- rescue (SAR) work. Tenzing, along with Deputy Sheriff Michael Ferrara, keeps the slopes and streets of Aspen safe. He and Ferrara are members of several local organizations, including the Aspen Skiing Company Avalanche Dogs, Mountain Rescue Aspen, Aspen Mountain Ski Patrol and the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Department.

Ferrara says Tenzing views the 16 to 20 hours each week they patrol during the winter months as play time. "Work is a game to him," Ferrara said. "Tenzing has a very strong play-and-prey drive. When we go out there in two or three feet of snow with explosives, he is part of a team, and he is always ready to go to work."

Eukanuba Dog Food sponsors Tenzing and the other canine members of the Aspen Skiing Company Avalanche Dogs. Team members must be re-certified at the start of each ski season (early November). Re-certification requires a dog to find two people and a personal item (such as a backpack) in six feet of snow in a 50 by 50 meter area; next, the section of snow is run over by skiers to "mix up" scents. Then, the dog has 15 minutes to find the "missing" persons and item. "With only 30 minutes before an avalanche victim runs out of air, Tenzing and other SAR dogs race through deep snow and up steep inclines to dig until they make a find," Ferrara explained. "The dog’s heart is pumping full speed, and his stamina is maintained by the food he eats and the care he receives."

Natural Resources Defense Council
Reports Ski Resorts Backing
Global Warming Legislation
Global warming is a threat to the ski industry, threatening shorter seasons for skiers and snowboarders—for whom winter is short enough already. There’s a bi-partisan move in Washington to fix the problem and the ski industry is getting into the fight.

The Senate is considering bi-partisan legislation by Republican John McCain and Democrat Joe Lieberman to curb U.S. global warming emissions. Backed by a market-based trading system that minimizes costs and rewards companies for technological innovation, the Climate Stewardship Act (S. 139) marks the first time ever that congress has voted on domestic global warming pollution controls.

Ski resorts across the country have backed this legislation because they are concerned about the impacts of global warming on their bottom line, and on the skiers and snowboarders who cherish snowy slopes.

2004 National Cross Country
Ski Education Foundation Calendars Available
The National Cross Country Ski Education Foundation (NCCSEF) has announced that its 2004 fundraising calendars are now available. Sales of last year’s NCCSEF calendar raised over $60,000 for ski clubs, teams and the NCCSEF Future Fund. Funds from calendar sales have supported eight U.S. World Junior Ski Teams, five J1 Scandinavian Trips and last year’s U-23 Championship Team. U-23 World Champion Kris Freeman was one of the first skiers to receive a grant from the NCCSEF in1998. Freeman is featured the cover of this year’s calendar.

Teams and clubs can participate in this important skiing fundraiser. The Club Partnership fundraiser is a program that provides the calendar to participating organizations for $7.50. Groups can then sell the calendar for the fundraising price of $15.00.

The 2004 Calendar features the nation’s top juniors, nominated by their peers and selected by the NCCSEF. For more information, contact Reid Lutter at 651/698-1908 or Reid@nccsef.org.

Cross Country Ski Areas Association Releases 2002/2003 Visits Study
In 2002/03, the Cross Country Ski Areas Association (CCSAA) conducted its seventh annual Cross Country Ski Area Visits Study. CCSAA surveyed 149 member ski areas (130 U.S. and 19 Canada).

Actual skier visits reported were 1,867,871. In the U.S. the skier visits tally was 1,299,542 (up 20 percent) and in Canada it was 568,329 (down approximately 10 percent). Regional increases for 2002/03 were reflected in four of the seven regions including the Mountains, Mid Atlantic, Midwest and New England regions. It is important to note that the survey applied to CCSAA members only and that the direct comparisons of actual skier visits can be unreliable as discrepancies in reporting occur from year to year.

To address the inconsistency CCSAA has created the Rolo Index that uses a select group of members that have annually provided skier visitation statistics. Forty cross country ski areas have been selected for the index including a representative number of areas from each region and from different skier visit range categories. By tracking the same ski areas each year it will be possible to observe seasonal changes in skier visitations nationally and regionally.

Snow Boarding Accident is the Catalyst for New Rescue Toboggan
A snow boarding accident that left student Ryan Flynn with a broken pelvis was the catalyst that led him to design and develop a lightweight rescue toboggan—with suspension. Flynn developed the ASL—Altitude Safety Link while studying Industrial Design at Swansea Institute of Higher Education. He recalled that his rescue from the snow covered mountains of the French Alps was as painful as his injuries.

"I was taken down on a sledge which was really basic and pretty uncomfortable which is why I incorporated an element of suspension in my design," he explained.

According to Flynn, rescue toboggans commonly used on ski slopes are less than affectionately known as ‘blood wagons’ and have not been updated or redesigned in years despite the huge increase in the number of people skiing and snowboarding. They are large, heavy and difficult to maneuver which can also result in delays when rescue teams are trying to reach a casualty.

Flynn’s design incorporates the latest ski technology to provide an integrated flex suspension system. The toboggan is collapsible which makes it easier to carry and store, enabling rescuers to move faster. It is also lighter and has greater maneuverability.

"This suspension will make the ride down the mountains many times more comfortable and less harmful to the casualty than the existing designs," said Ryan.

His prototype earned him the Innovative Use of Materials Award in the WDA Technology Prizes 2003 competition and $1,000 prize money. The category was sponsored by The Materials Technology Forum in Wales and Ryan was presented with his award on November 24 at the Eureka Student Awards presentation dinner and exhibition held at Swansea’s Brangwyn Hall.

YELLOWSTONE SNOWMOBILE LAWSUIT IN COURT
Winter Wildlands Alliance, with several other conservation organizations, is suing the Department of the Interior over the National Park Service’s decision to allow snowmobiles back into Yellowstone National Park. According to an Associated Press story by Jack Sullivan in a hearing on November 21 a federal judge questioned what prompted the Bush administration's decision to let snowmobilers keep riding in Yellowstone National Park. The current plan will allow a limited number of snowmobiles to enter the park and require them to be built with cleaner, quieter engines.

Abigail Dillen, a lawyer for the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, said haze and health risks would continue in the park in spite of the new machines. The Bozeman, Montana-based group argued a ban is the only way to protect the park's natural resources and wildlife and said there was no justification for reversing it.

The Interior Department, which oversees the Park Service, said its decision was appropriate and wants the challenge thrown out.

The Fund for Animals conservation group also opposes the snowmobile rules. It alleges that the Park Service failed to thoroughly evaluate whether its practice of grooming snow-covered roads for snowmobiles and snowcoaches harms wildlife by creating unnatural corridors for them to move out of the park.

EVEN NAMED TO U.S. NATIONAL SKI HALL OF FAME
The U.S. National Ski Hall of Fame has selected seven new members, including Olympic ski champions Tommy Moe and Diann Roffe, World Championships medalist A.J. Kitt and Alex Cushing, who brought the 1960 Winter Games to Squaw Valley, Calif. The seven will be inducted January 24 in Ishpeming, where organized ski competition in America was founded in 1905. In addition to those four, Hall of Fame President Dick Goetzman said the Hall had elected Clare Bousquet, founder of Bousquet’s Ski Area in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts who helped popularize skiing with the "ski trains" of the 1930s; Jerry Nunn, a pioneer National Ski Patrol member and the first woman avalanche ranger in the U.S. Forest Service; and ski lift pioneer Ernst Constam. Bousquet and Constam will be honored posthumously.

EAST
Viking Nordic Expands Family Entertainment with New Cookie Cards and Terrain Park
Viking Nordic in southern Vermont recently expanded its entertainment menu for families. New this year at Viking is the Kids’ Terrain Park, complete with miniature hills and valleys and cutouts of creatures that youngsters can ski around and through. The whole play-maze is in a meadow just a few yards from a sun deck outside the café. Another innovation is the Cookie Card. Kids 12 and under get a punch card, then ski to five locations along the trails. At each one they mark their cards with special punches hanging from easily reached trees, then glide back to the café for a fresh—and free—homemade cookie.

Bolton Valley Resort in Bolton Valley, NH, recently sold 3,000 acres of land adjoining the resort to Redstone Commercial Group from Burlington, VT. According to Bob Fries, Owner and President of Bolton Valley Resort, the new owners of the property are advid supporters of cross country skiing and are about to take delivery on a Bombardier snowcat groomer to groom the trails on their property. He feels that XC operations at the resort will actually be enhanced by this changed and the resort will try continue to emphasize XC as major component of its business. Bolton Valley Nordic has 100 km of groomed and ungroomed trails and this winter will host the Banknorth Eastern Cup and other NENSA races. The center opened for skiing in mid November. Fries stated, "We’re excited about these developments and think there will actually be some growth in our cross country operation."

MIDWEST
2002/2003 Northeastern Minnesota Winter Trails Survey
The University of Minnesota Duluth School of Business and Economics and Sea Grant Minnesota has conducted a winter trails survey. The technical report on the Cook County, Minnesota resident survey was developed as a part of the larger research project "Tourism and Winter Trail-based Recreation: An economic and environmental comparison of motor and quiet sports."

The project was designed to document and compare the impacts of snowmobiling and cross country skiing in a destination county. It will measure the economic impacts and assess the perceived social and environmental impacts of these activities. This study employed questionnaires with snowmobilers and cross country skiers and surveyed local residents in Cook County, Minnesota. An understanding of the differences between motor sports (snowmobiling) and a quiet sport (cross country skiing) is useful in planning future development, minimizing negative impacts and improving marketing decisions.

Cook County, Minnesota has approximately 3,100 registered voters while hosting thousands of visitors that flock to the Arrowhead region of Minnesota for cross country skiing and snowmobiling. There are over 300km of groomed cross country ski trails in Cook County. Complete results of the Cook County Survey can be downloaded at www.mnnordicski.org.

Minnesota’s Cascade Lodge Proposed for State Park Inclusion
Excerpted from Cook County News-Herald
In an address to the Cook County Board of Commissioners Jim Willford, DNR regional state parks manager, discussed plans to incorporate historic Cascade Lodge into the adjacent state park boundaries. "We believe the cultural heritage value here is high and we’d really like to maintain the integrity," Willford said.

Cascade Lodge, which dates to the 1920s, is one of only a few such structures that has remained intact on the North Shore. Gene Glader, owner of the lodge, contacted Willford last summer seeking inclusion of the property in the Cascade River State Park.

Willford said the subject was first discussed about a year and a half ago, when a final management plan was adopted for the 2,865-acre park. At that time, the DNR spoke with Glader, who said he did not wish to be included within the park’s boundary lines. But since then, Glader has reconsidered.

"I thought about it, and came to the conclusion that being inside the state park boundary is the best way to preserve it in a proper way," Glader said. "I’d probably be more apt to sell the lodge to a private party, but I’m more concerned with what might happen 50 years from now."

Inclusion of the lodge in the park’s boundaries would have to be accomplished through a management plan amendment and consideration of public comment. If the move were successful, the DNR would have the authority to purchase the lodge if it’s ever put up for sale. However, the owner of the lodge would not be required to sell the parcel to the state. Should the state acquire the property, Willford said it would be leased out and maintained as a lodge.

Midwest Openings
Several Midwest Nordic trails capitalized on snow making and early natural snow to jump start the season. Troll Hollow in Dresser, Wisconsin opened its 2.5 km manmade snow course in early November. Over the summer Troll Hollow installed additional snowmaking and rerouted several trails to provide additional early season Nordic skiing at Trollhaugen Ski Area. ABR Trails in Ironwood, Michigan opened for skiing on November 15 with "good ski" conditions. Telemark Resort in Cable, Wisconsin opened on November 23 on a limited basis due to Wisconsin deer hunting season and began making snow on its 3 km, XC Fever Trail.

Northwest Wisconsin Trail Info
Skiers looking for information about regional trails in northwest Wisconsin can visit ww.norwiski.com for real time updates of trail conditions at over 60 Nordic ski trails. A new, free 24-page trail guide, Cross Country Ski Northwest Wisconsin has recently been released including trail descriptions, an area map, and important local information. The guide also includes information on many area snowshoe trails. To receive a copy of the guide call 800/234-6635 or visit the website http://www.norwiski.com.

WEST

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS
NORDIC SKI AREAS ANNOUNCE
JOINT PASS PROGRAM
For the first time, Nordic skiers will be able to purchase one pass good for up to five Steamboat Springs area Nordic centers. Three different season passes and two multi-day visitor’s passes will be available. The sale of the Steamboat Valley Nordic Ski Passes will also help to preserve Steamboat Springs’ long standing Nordic skiing heritage. "Our objective in developing this multi-area Nordic ski pass was to bring the Nordic community together with a common goal and to provide both the opportunity and incentive for more people to enjoy our beautiful and diverse ski touring centers," said Dan Smilkstein, president of the Steamboat Springs Nordic Council. "With over 120 kilometers of groomed trails and over 100 miles of groomed public and national forest roads, there may not be a better place to cross country ski in America."

Passes will be available for purchase at the Steamboat Springs Visitor Center, the Steamboat Touring Center, the Steamboat Lake Touring Center, Vista Verde Ranch and the Howelsen Ski Area. For more information about the season passes, Nordic areas, or events, log on to www.steamboatxcski.org or call 970/879-0880.

Galena Lodge Benefit
More than $120,000 was raised for Galena Lodge and the North Valley Trails at the eighth annual benefit dinner and auction. The sold-out dinner in the Sun Valley Lodge Limelight Room attracted more than 450 attendees who bid on more than 100 auction items.

"Galena Lodge is a timeless treasure, one of those precious places that we hope we can count on to be there year after year," said Jenny Busdon, benefit chair.

Mary Austin Crofts, executive director of the Blaine County Recreation District, noted that the annual operating cost of Galena Lodge is from $100,000 to $150,000, more than 80 percent of which is raised from private donations. "We treasure the fact that we have been able to preserve a 100-year-old, historic lodge, but it also takes a lot of money to maintain and operate it," Crofts pointed out. "We thank all of those who have donated to help us."

In addition to the operating costs, a major project this year is extension of an electrical power line to the lodge, which now operates on generators. Approximately $140,000 of the $500,000 cost is still needed.

EARLY SEASON OPENINGS—SILVER STAR & CALLAGHAN COUNTRY
Silver Star Mountain Resort
Silver Star Mountain Resort in Vernon, B.C. perennially among the first Nordic centers to open in North America, opened 20 km of its upper-level Nordic trails on November 13, 2003. "The Nordic Trails are in excellent condition," said Glenn Bond, Nordic Manager, "with trails groomed for both skate and classic techniques."

Callaghan Lodge
Callaghan Backcountry Lodge opened for the winter season on Thursday, November 27 with the best early season conditions the area has seen in years. At the time Callaghan Country had received over a meter of new snow with more expected. According to Brad Sills, President of Callaghan Country Wilderness Adventures, the company that operates Callaghan Backcountry Lodge, "With the colder temperatures, the snow is dry and light and perfect for cross country skiing."

New this year, the company will be using a snow coach to transport guests to the lodge from its staging facility at the bottom of the Callaghan Lake Forest Service Road, 13 km south of Whistler Resort. The snowcoach, capable of transporting up to 15 guests at a time, will make accessing the lodge much easier and more comfortable than in past years, when snowmobiles were used as the primary means of transportation. The 22 km trip to the lodge is expected to take between 45 minutes to one hour in the snowcoach, approximately the same time that it would take using snowmobiles and more than twice as fast as a typical snowcat.

For more information call 604/938.0616 or visit www.callaghancountry.com.

SuperTour Sprints to Newell, Wagner
Olympian Wendy Wagner collected her second victory on the $100,000 cross country SuperTour on November 29 in a freestyle technique 1 K sprint race on the Rendezvous Ski Trails in West Yellowstone, MT, while Andy Newell out skied Torin Koos in the men’s race.

Wagner led a foursome that also included Sandra Gredig Olympic teammate (and 2003 Nor Am runner-up) Aelin Peterson and Rebecca Dussault.

Newell, the world’s No. 1 junior sprinter, and Koos were part of a final foursome that included SuperTour leader Dave Chamberlain and Chris Cook.

Chamberlain, Wagner
Win in "West"
Dave Chamberlain out sprinted Chris Cook over the final stretch to win the 15K classic technique SuperTour race in West Yellowstone while Wendy Wagner won the women’s 10K CL by more than a minute and a half.

With temperatures in the upper 20s, Chamberlain, a member of the last two world championship teams, was timed in 41:06.8 for the three-lap race with Cook second in 41:10.2. Justin Freeman took third in 41:17.7. Wagner won the women’s two-loop race in 30:13.4 with Rebecca Dussault second in 31:56.9.

The U.S. Ski Team left Alaska when poor conditions forced cancellation of SuperTour races earlier in the month in Fairbanks and trained in Park City before coming to West Yellowstone. "We had snow from the time we got back to Park City and we've skied on it every day; it's been very good," Vordenberg said. "We're experimenting with a few things up here, not as concerned with who's where in each race as we look at improving our pacing and some other things. These races are learning experiences for everyone."

SUPERTOUR MASTERS
In 2004, three SuperTour hosts, Soldier Hollow, Presque Isle and Telemark Resort will introduce "SuperTour Masters" as a way to recognize the valuable participation in those events by Master and recreational competitors. Innovative, tournament-style formats will welcome Master and recreational competitors to participate in the competitions and surrounding festivities, including a season-opening party at Soldier Hollow, a New Year's festivities in Presque Isle and the Seeley Hills Classic on the American Birkebeiner trail near Telemark.

Competitors of all abilities compete in the Nor/Am SuperTour. Junior skiers compete to qualify for the Junior Olympics and Junior World Championships. Top racers compete to qualify for the World Cup, U23 World Championship, the World Championships, the Olympics and the U.S. Ski Team. Recreational and master racers compete for the experience of racing against the nation's top skiers, and also to provide valuable support for the top competitors. In fact, large participation at several events by junior and recreational/master skiers has fueled the growth of the SuperTour, resulting in record levels of support for the top athletes, and a continuation of the tour's efforts to make the sport more and more professional.

Freeman Finishes in 20th at Kuusamo 15K CL World Cup Opener
Kris Freeman was 20th in a 15K classic technique World Cup race behind Norwegians Anders Aukland and Jens Arne Svartedal on the opening day of the self-styled "Nordic Opening" weekend in light rain and mid-30s weather. "It was quite a good race for Kris. I had him on my splits at 16th with 2.5 Ks to go," said Head Coach Trond Nystad.

"Conditions were tough with the rain and about 35 F weather but we had good skis and he skied into the race, moving up as it went along. Kuusamo has some tough hills."

"It was a good classic race for Carl [Swenson]. Things are so tight on the World Cup now—10 seconds faster and Kris could’ve been in the top 15 and if he’d been 20 seconds faster, he’d have been in the top 10."

Aukland won the three-lap race in 37:35.4, finishing 8.5 seconds ahead of his teammate with Freeman timed in 38:19.1. Carl Swenson, the only other U.S. skier in the field of 90-plus, finished 74th.

Ukraine's Valentina Shevchenko, the sensation of the young season, took the women's 10-km CL in 27:14.8 - the first World Cup win by a Ukrainian skier - with Norway's Vibeke Skofterud runner-up (27:28.7).

Kris Freeman, scoring World Cup points for his third consecutive World Cup race, overcame two falls in the 15K classic race to finish 29th overall on November 30 in a World Cup skiathlon (15K CL + 15K FR) while Carl Swenson was 34th behind Germany’s Axel Teichmann. Swede Anders Soedergren was second, just six-tenths of a second back.

Estonian Andrus Veerpalu led after the 15K classic leg, but he lost the lead early in the skating portion of the two-race event. Soedergren took a lead going into the final couple of kilometers, but couldn’t hold off Teichmann and teammates Rene Sommerfeldt and Jens Filbrich.

Teichmann, the reigning world 15K champion, finished in 1:15.52.8 with Soedergren second at 1:15.53.4 as the top seven skiers were within 5.5 seconds of the winner. Freeman, despite the two spills, finished in 1:18.22.6 with Swenson 34th in 1:19.33.9.

"I’m not sure what it was but Kris went down at the bottom of two hills during the first race, but he got up and back into it," Head Coach Trond Nystad said. "Without that, obviously he’d have been a lot farther up. Carl had just an average classic race and then turned it up in the skate race, so he’s starting to ski faster." No U.S. women competed in the women’s skiathlon.

U.S. World Cup Biathlon Team Readies for Season
In preparation for the season opening Biathlon World Cup in Kontialahti, Finland, the US Biathlon Team enjoyed ideal conditions at the Vuokatti Sports Institute in central Finland.

According to Coach Algis Shalna, the snow conditions were excellent during the first 10 days of the camp, spent at the northern Finland resort of Levi. "We skied three times a day in Levi and had great training. There is some artificial snow and some natural snow on the trails, which are very well groomed. There are many teams here so it is a bit crowded at the shooting range at times, but we are doing the necessary work." Shalna added, "We had the opportunity to test our rifles this week at the Lapua factory and have selected our competition ammunition, so we should be well prepared for the season."

For the first time in recent seasons, the U.S. fielded a team at the December World Cup competitions. The season opened at Kontialahti on December 4, and then moved to Hochfilzen, Austria, December 11 – 14, and finished the month in Osrblie, Slovakia, December 18 – 21. The second leg of the season starts on January 7 in Pokljuka, Slovenia and concludes with the Biathlon World Championships in Oberhof, Germany, the second week of February. Rounding out the year will be two World Cups in the U.S., at Lake Placid, NY and Fort Kent, Maine the last week of February and the first week of March. The season ending World Cup Finals are in Oslo, Norway March 11 – 14.

Four of the top US biathletes will comprise the World Cup team for the competitions prior to Christmas. Heading the group is Jeremy Teela of Anchorage, AK. Teela placed 10th in the 2003 Biathlon World Championships Sprint and has goals for a podium (top 6) finish during the upcoming season. Joining him will be the top U.S. female, Jill Krause Beste of St. Cloud, MN. She recorded a personal best 20th place in the Sprint at Lahti, Finland last February and was 25th in the same event at the World Championships. Completing the World Cup roster are Jay Hakkinen of Kasilof, AK and Sarah Riley of Proctor, MN. Hakkinen holds the best ever US finish in the Olympic Winter Games with a 13th place at Salt Lake. Riley is in her first season of World Cup competition, but was a member of the 2003 World Championship Team.

ROTTEFELLA LICENSES ERIK SPORTS TO MANUFACTURE NNN XC BOOTS
Effective November 13, 2003 Erik Sports is licensed by Rottefella to manufacture NNN cross country boots under a new brand, Whitewoods. Erik Sports will begin to distribute Whitewoods and Rottefella bindings effective January 2004, while continuing to provide Salomon boots and bindings through the end of the 2003/04 season.

"As Erik Sports has grown as a company we have seen the need to control all aspects of product design, manufacture, distribution and pricing," says Michael Messler, president of Erik Sports. "This step will help Erik Sports provide retailers with the right product at the right price with seamless delivery and customer service." The Whitewoods line will offer packages of cross country boots, skis, poles and bindings. The initial focus of Whitewoods will be in providing a touring and back country boot line that will be comfortable, fashionable and breathable across all price points.

Karhu to Distribute Exel’s Nordic Walking Poles
Both Karhu and Exel are banking that Nordic walking participation levels will grow in the United States as they have in Europe. In Finland, for example, approximately 10 percent of the population is estimated to participate in Nordic walking on a regular basis—less than seven years after its 1997 launch. In the German-speaking countries, approximately 1 million people are Nordic walking for exercise, a significant increase since its launch in 2000. For Karhu, assuming distribution of Exel Nordic walking poles gives the company an opportunity to enter into the year-round market and reach into distribution channels that exist beyond snow and ski.

SNOW INDUSTRY SUMMIT LAUNCHED
SnowSports Industries America (SIA), TransWorld Snowboarding and Mountain Sports Media are joining forces to produce The Snow Industry Summit, a high level business conference that will address global issues affecting all aspects of the snow sports industry. The Summit is scheduled for April 1 – 4, 2004, at the Copper Mountain Resort in Colorado.

The Snow Industry Summit will present state-of-the-art information on marketing and sales topics, marketplace trends, practical applications for effectively managing a business and provide a networking environment for industry leaders involved in alpine skiing, snowboarding, cross country skiing, telemark skiing, backcountry skiing/snowboarding and snowshoeing. The Summit will include keynote speakers, seminars and workshops addressing topics relevant to the supplier and retailer communities of the snow sports industry. The Summit agenda is now being finalized and will be available shortly at www.transworldsnowboarding.com.

SIA LAUNCHES INNOVATIVE SUITE OF CONSUMER WEBSITES
SnowSports Industries America (SIA) announced the launch of a new consumer oriented suite of websites designed to educate and entertain current and potential snow sports consumers. The snowlab.com suite consists of four sites: snowlinkjr.com, winterfeelsgood.com, wintertrails.org and snowlink.com. Each site has specific content targeted to existing winter sports enthusiasts, potential consumers, kids, parents and adults.

Snowlinkjr.com was created solely for the 14-under age group—Generation Y. The site contains games, educational tools, contests, newsletters, participation drivers, athlete interviews, videos, coloring books, wallpaper and other downloadable files. Additionally, the site will serve as a major link between consumers, manufacturers and retailers. Developed by Factory Design Labs in Denver, Colorado, this new site is the result of extensive research and focus group testing to offer highly effective content and entertainment.

SIA will drive traffic to snowlinkjr.com via a massive horizontal online media buy and sophisticated search engine placement techniques. The media buy will include a cross pollination of kid’s websites which yield high traffic such as kaboose.com, bonus.com, MSN Kids and other properties such as AOL Kids, Weather.com and more. SIA has also developed content syndication agreements with numerous media partners to leverage snowlinkjr.com content across more sites for additional impressions. "The goal of snowlinkjr.com is to provide an entertaining and educational presentation of snow sports to kids across North America who would not normally have any contact with our industry" said Scott Mellin, SIA director of sales and marketing.

Snowlinkjr.com is a major component of SIA’s consumer initiative, Project Kids, a multi-year, industry wide program created to increase awareness and participation in winter sports among children and their parents.

Winterfeelsgood.com, another key element of the Project Kids initiative, serves as the online resource for the SIA public awareness campaign. This site provides useful information that can help adults and children achieve health and fitness through the winter months. Wintertrails.org, a subset of the Winter Feels Good program, highlights the sport of snowshoeing and the products, brands, retailers and resorts involved.

Snowlink.com content is tailored for the adult/parent audience and provides content on gear, how to, where to go, health tips and more.

The final component of the consumer suite is www.snowsportspanel.com, an online consumer research survey system devoted to understanding the consumer of winter sports products. The SnowSports Consumer Panel is a unique tool, which will enable SIA to examine, through market research, changing consumer behaviors, attitudes and perceptions. SIA will offer its members access to the data in the coming months.