Page 59 - Winter 2018 Journal

the year. Then they would go back to their home resorts as NASTAR clones sprouted in Canada, Scandinavia,
where their times would be adjusted, reflecting how much Switzerland, Italy, and Australia.
slower they were in the national pacesetting trials. The Beatties’ World-Wide Ski Corp. operated NASTAR
It would work as follows, I imagined. If pacesetter Klaus to the end of the 20th Century. Aspen native Bill Madsen,
at Mount Snow was originally three percent slower than who joined the company in 1989, has been NASTAR’s
the nation’s fastest racer, and a Mount Snow guest was 20 director of operations for 30 years, successfully ushering
percent slower than Klaus, then he or she would be about 23 it into the computer age. He now works for the US Ski &
percent slower than America’s fastest skier would have been Snowboard Association, which acquired NASTAR from SKI
if he’d skied the Mount Snow course that day. Presto! The Magazine in 2015.
skier would have a 23 handicap. A skier would know that on NASTAR was conceived in the 1960s, when alpine
any slope anywhere, through a couple of dozen gates, on a racing filled the pages of magazines and hours of TV
surface that could be sticky or icy, it didn’t matter, the rating broadcast time. It arose in the age of Jean-Claude Killy,
would be valid. Nancy Greene, Billy Kidd, and NASTAR’s first national
What I had in mind was a national standard race. I gave pacesetter Jimmie Heuga. Tens of thousands of recreational
it the acronym NASTAR. skiers, for the first time in the gates, gained the sensation of
In the first NASTAR season of 1968-69, with Tom what it was like for those great racers.
Corcoran’s indispensable help, the pacesetting trials took
place at his new Waterville Valley resort in New Hampshire’s John Fry is the author of The Story of Modern Skiing, a
White Mountains. For the first time an idea that had existed history of the revolution in technique, teaching, competition,
on paper was transformed into physical reality. Jimmie equipment, and resorts that took place after World War II. In
Heuga clocked the fastest times, earning the title of national 1969 through most of the 1970s, he was editorial director of
pacesetter. GOLF Magazine as well as SKI. Fry is the chairman of the
In the first winter, 2,500 recreational skiers competed International Skiing History Association.
at eight areas across the country: Alpental, WA; Boyne,
MI; Heavenly Valley, CA; Mount Snow; Mt. Telemark,
WI; Song Mountain, NY; Vail, CO; and Waterville
Valley, NH.
Response was upbeat. The New York Times ski columnist New name,
Mike Strauss called NASTAR “the best thing to happen to
skiing since the introduction of the rope tow.” new look,
In 1969 Bob Beattie quit as director of the US National
Ski Team. Beattie’s search for new work coincided with SKI’s same trusted
search for a way to keep track of thousands of entries at a
rapidly rising number of ski areas wanting to join in hosting advisors.
the popular new races. Under license from SKI, Beattie
took over the operation of the program. He was the ideal SRR is now STOUT.
guy to run it. In NASTAR’s second season, the number of
The adventure of owning and operating a company
participating ski areas grew to 39. is one that calls for a partner you can count on for
strong guidance and deep expertise. For more than 25
Led by Schlitz Beer, sponsorships (Hertz, Bonne years, companies have turned to Stout for innovative
Belle, TWA) proliferated. Resorts took in money from financial advisory, capital markets, financial planning,
and valuation solutions.
guests willing to pay to race. In the 1970s I filled the
For more information, contact:
pages of SKI with no fewer than 30 of articles about Joshua J. Fox, Managing Director
NASTAR racers and their results. By 1983, NASTAR— +1.646.807.4232
jfox@srr.com
prodded and promoted by the former Ski Team coach,
who was now also a pro racing impresario and TV Investment Banking
commentator—grew to 135 areas, attracting a quarter Valuation Advisory
of a million recreational racers each winter. We created Dispute Consulting formerly
Hi-Star, an offshoot of NASTAR to promote ski racing Management Consulting
as a high school sport. Beattie and I looked on in wonder SRR is a trade name for Stout Risius Ross, Inc. and Stout Risius Ross stoutadvisory.com
Advisors, LLC, a FINRA registered broker-dealer and SIPC member firm.

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