Far West Ski Association
Far West NewsFlash
August 2012
Who & What's New For 2012
Summer Program at Vail Resorts
Vail Resorts, Inc. has submitted a proposal to the U.S. Forest Service for a comprehensive summer activities plan at Vail Mountain. Vail's summer activity effort, named Epic Discovery, a Summer Mountain Adventure, will encourage "learn through play" by featuring environmental educational elements interspersed between numerous new activities located in already developed areas of the mountain.
They will work with The Nature Conservancy to bring scientific content to the eco-discovery experiences and will be contributing 1 percent of all summer lift ticket and activity revenue toward forest restoration projects. Proposals for Heavenly, Northstar-at-Tahoe, Kirkwood, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, and Keystone are pending.
Aspen to offset electricity use
Aspen Skiing Company is taking a leading role in developing an innovative form of clean energy from coalmine methane. Aspen is the capital investor in a new project at Elk Creek Mine that uses waste methane to generate electricity, downgrading the methane to CO2. The project is a first of its scale in the United States, and helped net the resort a National Ski Area Association Golden Eagle Award for Environmental Excellence this year.
Big White Ski Resort named "Family Ski Area of 2012"
Australia's leading ski publication, "Snow Action Magazine", recently bestowed this accolade on Big White. Snow Action lists a complete A to Z of reasons why Big White is the top resort for families… ranging from "awesome accommodation options across the mountain", to the "Mini Z's" snowmobiles which provide fun for the kids.
"We are all thrilled that Big White has been given the distinction of top family resort," says Senior Vice President, Michael J. Ballingall. "Our mission has always been to ensure that we do everything we can to make the family ski resort experience a great one. From our Ski School Kids Centre to the nightly games and events that we host, including Carnival Night, Family Après, and our fabulous fireworks show each week, we have something for everyone and all ages."
Australia is a key market for Big White, where each year, hundreds of Aussies put away their swimsuits and pack up their snow boots for this favorite winter destination. Easy to access for Australian guests, Kelowna International Airport has daily non-stop flights from Vancouver B.C., Seattle, and starting this December, Los Angeles.
Far West Travel
FWSA Dive Trip 2012 will be to Cayman Brac September 1 to September 8, 2012. Contact Randy Lew @
Cruising the Panama Canalfrom September 28 through October 12, 2012. Be sure to check the newly revised flyer on the website. Cabins in categories, other than what FWSA has reserved, can be booked on request (based on availability) once a total deposit of $400 in deposit has been paid. If you have any questions, contact Gloria Raminhaat 661-800-8229 or at .
Aspen/Snowmassis the selection for the 2013 FWSA Ski Week. The dates are February 2 to 9, 2013. Check the flyer on the or contact Gloria Raminha, VP of North American Travel at .
Far West Mini Ski Week will be to Mt. Bachelor with lodging at The Riverhouse in Bend, OR. Dates are March 25-30, 2013. This trip is limited to the first 100 people who sign-up and pay their initial deposit. Details are available on the FWSA website at fwsa.org.
Far West International Ski Week to Innsbruck, Austria March 2-10, 2013, with an extension to Garmisch & Munich from March 10-17, 2013. Contact Debbie Stewart, VP of International Travel for more info: .
Far West Ski Week 2014 will be in Beaver Creek, Colorado. Beaver Creek was chosen for the 2014 Ski Week from the many bidders at this year's convention. The dates will be January 25 to February 1, 2014. Trip details will be available at a later time. Thanks to Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Copper Mountain, Steamboat, Telluride, Banff, Lake Louise, Sunshine, Skigroup.net, Sports America Tours and Ski.com for presenting their bids at our recent convention.
Communication News
Far West Skier's Guide:
The 2012-2013 Far West Skier's Guide will be our 25th Annual. How time flies! We invite you to be a part of it as an advertiser. Contact Leigh Gieringer for more information - 480.600.6099. The 2011-2012 digital issue link is:
Summer Vacation Choices
Americans Prefer Beach Over Mountain Vacations: Sea and sand beat out mountains when it comes to Americans' preferred vacation venue, but it was a close contest, according to an ABC News/Washington Post poll. While 72% expressed a favorable opinion about a beach vacation, 66% did likewise for a mountain vacation. The swing vote is women, 11 % of whom said they "like" the idea of a beach vacation, but 19% were "strongly" in favor of the beach over the mountains. Equal numbers of men would be happy either way.
2012 Summer Olympics
Female Canoeist Says LOGOC in Breach of Equality Act: What a great Olympic summer it's been! We've all been glued to our televisions watching the event. From the beach volleyball to gymnastics to the swimming, a number of new records were set! However, one canoeist, who has represented Great Britain a number of times in the past in the canoeing World Championships, has filed a complaint stating inequality in competition. She wants the organizers of these Olympics in the UK bound by equalities rules, to conduct an in-depth examination of the gender bias in the canoeing program, and in the Olympic sports program in general. The Canadian courts have already decided that a national organizing committee of the Olympic Games is carrying out a governmental function when it stages the Olympics. Ms. Rippington just wants LOCOG to get on with conducting the equality impact assessment, as it is obliged to do, so that London's Olympic legacy includes a positive contribution to the ongoing efforts to achieve equality of opportunity in the Olympic movement and in sport generally."
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Far West News Flash – August 2012page