May 10, 2007

Stratton Presented Third National Ski Areas Association Safety Award

Author: Jeremiah Greco

Stratton Presented Third National Ski Areas Association Safety Award

 

STRATTON MOUNTAIN, Vt – May 10, 2007 - The National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) honored Stratton Mountain Resort’s Safety Education Session (SES) program with the 2007 Best Terrain Park Safety Program award at its National Convention and Tradeshow held at the La Quinta Resort & Club, Palm Springs, Calif.

 

This is the second time that the SES program has been presented this award and the third time Stratton Mountain has received recognition in the annual NSAA Heads Up National Ski Area Safety Awards.

 

“We are honored to receive this award and extremely proud of all those involved with our SES program; it really is a treat to have this program honored two times in the same category,” said Seth Boyd, Safety and Risk Manager at Stratton. “It doesn’t come easy,” he added, “it takes a tremendous amount of effort and collaboration across the resort to make SES what it is”.

 

Stratton’s SES program began in 2003 as an awareness and education program to inform skiers and snowboarders about terrain park safety and etiquette. The session granted riders access to Stratton’s most difficult terrain park. “In the second year we realized that SES should be targeted towards beginners who are just learning to use the parks and not just the riders in our most advanced parks,” said Boyd, “that way, the message of SES is already engrained in those riders when they are ready for more advanced terrain”.

 

SES now sees nearly 14,000 skiers and riders pass through its doors annually, offering access to all four of Stratton’s terrain parks, which are rated #1 by SKi Magazine and are regularly listed in the top 10 parks in the country by Transworld Snowboarding Magazine and Freeskier Magazine.

 

“There are a ton of quality terrain park safety programs out there, in our view, Stratton’s Safety Education Session is a model of consistency and a leader in the field,” said Tim White, the Director of Education for NSAA.

 

The strength of SES lies in the diverse involvement of Stratton employees. “The key to the success of SES is the participation of the Stratton Park Staff, Ski Patrol, Safety Patrol and Snowboard School, and core message based around the Smart Style program,” said Boyd. “All three crews offer important resources and information regarding Smart Style’s ‘Look Before You Leap’, ‘Easy Style It’ and ‘Respect Gets Respect’ messages, in conjunction with the Stratton specific messages,” he added.

 

Skiers and snowboarders at Stratton can attend a Safety Education Session throughout the day at the SES Igloo, above the Suntanner terrain park. There, they are greeted with an overview of the rules and guidelines before watching a short video, in a classroom like setting, and given their SES pass which gains skiers and riders access to all of Stratton’s parks and pipes.

 

For more information on Stratton, the Safety Education Session or Stratton’s terrain parks visit Stratton.com. To learn more about NSAA and Smart Style, visit NSAA.org.

 

About Stratton:

Stratton Mountain is a year-round resort located on the shoulders of Southern Vermont’s highest mountain. Just minutes from Manchester, Stratton is a world all its own. With renown skiing and snowboarding, golf, tennis and hiking all centered around Stratton Village’s mix of family and fine dining, and world class shopping, Stratton offers fun for every age and style. For more information on Stratton Mountain Resort and all of Stratton’s winter events, visit www.stratton.com or call 1-800-STRATTON.

 

About Intrawest:

Intrawest is a world leader in experiential destination resorts. The company has interests in eleven resorts at North America’s most popular mountain destinations including Whistler Blackcomb, a host venue for the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. The Intrawest network also includes Canadian Mountain Holidays, the largest heli-skiing operation in the world, Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort in Florida and Club Intrawest—a private resort club with nine locations throughout North America. In addition, Intrawest develops real estate at its resorts and at other locations across North America and in Europe. Intrawest is headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia. For more information, visit www.intrawest.com.

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