Page 58 - NSAA 2017 Fall Journal

Marketing

INTERNATIONAL SKIING HISTORY ASSOCIATION

HELPS RESORTS EMBRACE THEIR STORY

The Sport’s Heritage is Relevant to Millennials & Boomers Alike

BY JEFF BLUMENFELD, BOARD MEMBER, INTERNATIONAL SKIING HISTORY ASSOCIATION

RIDE NORTH AMERICA’S last continuously operating single Vermont’s Bromley Mountain Resort displays a plaque in its
chairlift at Vermont’s Mad River Glen, close your eyes, and base lodge honoring founder Fred Pabst and his commitment
you get a sense of the early rough and tumble days of the to family skiing; New York’s Whiteface Mountain has
sport. It’s here, at New England’s iconic symbol of pure extensive tributes to the 10th Mountain Division; and
skiing, that skiing history comes alive. Mad River’s owners, Waterville Valley Resort in New Hampshire brands itself as
stubbornly respectful of the past, wouldn’t have it any the “birthplace of freestyle skiing.”
other way. One resort that revels in its history is Sun Valley in
Considering the development of high-speed detachable Idaho, opened in 1936. Hundreds of black and white photos
eight-person heated bubble chairlifts, seven-figure ski-in/ displayed in the Sun Valley Lodge depict visiting celebrities,
ski-out condos, and valet parking at today’s modern ski politicians, world-famous ski racers, movie stars, and
resorts, recognition of the sport’s strong heritage often goes filmmakers (among others).
unnoticed, if it’s evident at all. “Snowsports enthusiasts are generally a perceptive
Does skiing history even matter anymore? group, and as such, they tend to value authenticity and
An informal survey of resort executives indicates
that yes, skiing history does matter as both resorts and
the International Skiing History Association (ISHA)
work to maintain the relevance of early skiing pioneers,
advancements in gear and apparel, in fact the entire culture
of the sport.
ISHA chairman John Fry, author of the award-winning
The Story of Modern Skiing, believes that too many ski areas
fail to exploit their heritage.
“They name a trail after a pioneer of the resort, and
seem to assume that people know who the person is and
what he did. Some resorts fail to seize the opportunity to
enrich the experience of the customer through history,” Fry
says. “Awareness of the history of the sport and of the resort
deepens a person’s vacation experience. Knowing colorful
stories about the area enriches the quality of every turn
downhill and every ride up.”
Resorts Celebrate History

Take a tour of American ski resorts and you’ll find numerous
examples of how resorts celebrate their history. Montana’s Kathleen James
Whitefish Mountain Resort holds races in vintage ski
apparel to support its Ski Heritage Center; the Pennsylvania
Snowsports Museum and Hall of Fame hosts displays at ISHA Director John McMurtry during Skiing History Week 2015 in
Camelback Mountain, Liberty Mountain Resort, and Bear Steamboat Springs, Colo., with an on-mountain bronze bust of local
legend, three-time Olympian, and Hahnenkamm downhill champion
Creek Mountain Resort; Ski Museum of Maine schedules Buddy Werner.
heritage days every winter at Sugarloaf and Sunday River;

56 | NSAA JOURNAL | FALL 2017