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Photo: Devin Logan reacts to winning a Silver medal in the Womens Ski Slopestyle; Kelly Clark goes big in Sochi; Shiffrin brings home the gold in slalom; Hannah Kearney brings home bronze in moguls; Nick Goepper goes big at Sochi, taking home Bronze in the Mens Ski Slopestyle; Alex Deibold reacts to scores at Sochi.
WINNERS CIRCLE
Mikaela Shiffrin, a graduate of Burke Mountain Academy, won Gold in the Womens Slalom. Devin Logan, a Mount Snow Academy graduate, won Silver in the first ever Olympic Womens Ski Slopestyle competition. Kelly Clark, another Mount Snow Academy graduate, won the Bronze in the Womens Snowboard Halfpipe. Hannah Kearney, a Norwich, VT native, former Gold Medalist and 2-time World Cup champion, brought home the Bronze in Womens Moguls. Alex Deibold, a Stratton Mountain School graduate, won Bronze in the Mens Snowboard Cross. Nick Goepper, yet another Mount Snow prodigy, competed in his first Olympics bringing home a Bronze in Mens Ski Slopestyle.
accumulations is found in the rooms and meals tax revenues, with the influx of winter visitors booking lodging reservations in Vermont and excitedly seeking out a taste of our great local foods and brews. These tax revenues top $120 million annually, with the winter season generating a significant portion of that critical revenue stream. Vermont ski and snowboard resorts also spend over $200 million with nearly 3,000 Vermont companies to stay operational. They employ over 12,000 people seasonally and are responsible for 22,000 indirect jobs off-mountain. In addition, the seven ski areas on state land generate over $2.5 million in lease payments to the state, which pays for about half of the annual state parks operating budget. So whether a winter enthusiast or not, when you see those white flakes falling from the sky, know that there are dollar signs hidden in their complex structure and that all Vermonters benefit from the white gold of winter.
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OKEMO IS FIRST SKI RESORT TO BE NAMED AMONG BEST PLACES TO WORK IN VERMONT
On March 27, Vermont Business Magazine and the Vermont Chamber of Commerce announced the top 27 Best Places to Work in Vermont for 2014. Okemo Mountain Resort was ranked seventh in the largebusiness category and it is the first ski resort to ever make the prestigious list. The awards program was created in 2006 and is presented in partnership with the Society for Human Resource Management, Vermont State Council, the Vermont Department of Labor and the Vermont Department of Economic Development and Best Companies Group. Diane and I are very proud of Okemo being included in the list of Vermonts Best Places to Work, said Okemo Mountain Resort Co-Owner Tim Mueller. However, our employees deserve the credit. It is very easy to manage when you have hard-working, dedicated and loyal people working with you. From our Division Managers through to our line employees, we have a great team and it is because of their work ethic and cooperative attitudes that Okemo is a great place to work. This statewide survey and awards program is designed to identify, recognize and honor the best places of employment in Vermont, benefiting the states economy, its workforce and businesses. To be considered for participation, companies had to fulfill several eligibility requirements. They also entered a two-part survey process. The first part consisted of evaluating each nominated companys workplace policies, practices, philosophy, systems and demographics. The second part consisted of an employee survey to
measure the employee experience. The combined scores determined the top companies and the final rankings. Best Companies Group managed the overall registration and survey process in Vermont and also analyzed the data and used their expertise to determine the final rankings. To learn more about Okemo Mountain Resort and employment opportunities, visit okemo.com. For more information about the Best Places to Work in Vermont program, visit BestPlacesToWorkInVT.com.
Back when the Bear Mountain Mogul Challenge (BMMC) started, skis were long, straight and stiffthe kind of boards that would eat up most of todays competitors in the sprawling mogul field that covers Outer Limits in a strip of frozen bubble wrap. The first BMMC took place on Bear Mountain's Outer Limits in March, 1981. While the tools and competitors may have changed since the first BMMC, the primary objective has not: ski a flawless bumpto-bump run down Outer Limits as fast as possible without blowing up and yardsaling your gear all over the course. Its all about nailing your line. Seconds get swallowed up by the deep ravines between each mogul, like canyons cut by an ancient
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the sled to the large wood-fired evaporator. But new innovations have helped Vermont stay on the forefront of production. Among those: Smaller taps that are better for tree health without sacrificing production; Reverse osmosis, which allows water to be extracted from sap, resulting in higher sugar concentrations and less boiling time. It also saves fuel; Check valve spouts, which were developed by Dr. Tim Perkins of the UVM Proctor Maple Research Center, allowing less contamination of the taphole and increased production of sap. Shumlin said these innovations and more than are coming -- will ensure Vermonts maple industry remains a leader in production techniques and quality, and will help provide resilience to an industry which is particularly susceptible to weather patterns and climate change. Vermont leads the US in maple production, making about 35 percent of the US maple syrup annually 20 years ago and now averaging more than 40 percent. The average annual production has increased from 422,000 gallons (5-year average, 1999-2003) to 1 million gallons (5-year average, 2009-2013). And the average yield per tap is up approximately 33 percent due to investments in new equipment and technologies. Vermonts sugar makers are continuing to expand the possibilities for Vermont maple syrup, growing their businesses in new ways, said Matthew Gordon, Executive Director of the Vermont Maple Sugar Makers Association Producers are making more syrup, developing new equipment for the industry, expanding into new markets, and finding novel uses for one of Vermonts signature products. The Maple industry is an integral part of Vermonts economy, and is an essential element of our thriving Working Landscape, said Chuck Ross, Secretary of Agriculture. Sugarmakers are not only helping promote and preserve Vermonts heritage, they are helping ensure our states Working Landscape endures for future generations of Vermonters to enjoy. We could not be more proud to lead the nation in syrup production! Ross added. Photo: Ski Vermonts Parker Riehle, Johannes von Trapp, Kristina von Trapp, Governor Shumlin, Lynne von Trapp, Agriculture Secretary Chuck Ross & Vermont Maple Sugar Makers Associations Matt Gordon celebrate sugar on snow at the Trapp Family Lodge Sugar House.
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GOVERNOR KICKS OFF 2014 MAPLE SUGAR SEASON AT TRAPP FAMILY LODGE
Governor Peter Shumlin, with Johannes von Trapp, kicked off Vermonts 2014 maple sugar season on April 4th, officially tapping a maple tree at the Trapp Family Lodge sugarhouse. The governor predicted a strong maple season despite the late start, and highlighted the maple industrys important impact on Vermonts economy and tourism business. Were getting a late start this year, but by all accounts Vermont is expecting a great maple season, the governor said. He said the Trapp Family Lodge, where sugaring has been taking place since the late 1800s and the roughly 300 gallons produced each year are sold in the gift shop or online, is illustrative of the link between Vermonts maple industry and its strong tourism focus. Trapps draws visitors to ski, swim, hike, mountain bike, sample our locally brewed beers, go bird-watching, and take home a few containers of Vermont maple syrup, Shumlin said. He noted that the Lodge sugars the old-fashioned way, with sap collected in buckets, and a team of draft horses pulling
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Vermont Ski Areas Association P.O. Box 368, 26 State Street, Montpelier, VT 05602 Ph 802.223.2439 Fax 802.229.6917 www.skivermont.com
Parker Riehle.............................................................President Kyle Lewis................................................Director of Marketing Sarah Wojcik.......................................Director of Public Affairs Hilary DelRoss...........................................Marketing Manager Jessica Hannon.............................................. Office Manager OFFICERS Sky Foulkes......................... Stratton Mountain Resort Chair Kelly Pawlak..........................Mount Snow Resort Vice Chair Peter Mackey.......Middlebury College Snow Bowl Secretary Mike Solimano............................ Killington Resort Treasurer DIRECTORS Robert McEleney................................Stowe Mountain Resort Peter Oliver................................... Oles Cross Country Center Bruce Schmidt...................................Okemo Mountain Resort Win Smith.....................................................Sugarbush Resort Bill Stenger......................................................Jay Peak Resort Chuck Vanderstreet.................................Suicide Six Ski Area
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Return service requested. If you receive duplicate copies or have an address change, please e-mail sarah@skivermont.com.
Informing the media members of NASJA about Vermont resorts, Ski Vermont President Parker Riehle hosted a Q&A panel presentation featuring Mike Solimano, President & General Manager of Killington Resort & Pico Mountain, Sky Foulkes, President & COO of Stratton Mountain Resort, Kelly Pawlak, General Manager of Mount Snow and Bill Stenger, Owner of Jay Peak. The Q&A was followed by a cocktail hour where journalists could mingle and chat with the industry leaders. Overall, the Vermont-hosted conference was a big success and coverage of the event has already been printed in the local Mountain Times, and several posts on Killington and Vermont have appeared on southern California travel site, InsideSoCal.com/TravelBuddy.