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Mountain News: Vail not interested in downhill biking

VAIL, Colo. - Vail was among the first ski resorts to see opportunity in mountain biking as a way to boost summer business. That was in the late 1980s, and the gondola to the top of the mountain was outfitted so that bikes could be transported.

VAIL, Colo. - Vail was among the first ski resorts to see opportunity in mountain biking as a way to boost summer business. That was in the late 1980s, and the gondola to the top of the mountain was outfitted so that bikes could be transported.

In 1994 and again in 2001, the ski area and town hosted the World Championships.

But while Whistler Blackcomb, Keystone Winter Park and other resorts have made bold efforts to cater to hard-core mountain bikers with rigorous downhill trails, Vail has chosen not to add substantially to its array of trails.

"The quality of Vail's trails are good - the two that they do have," said Jared Saul, a downhill rider. But the problem with just two, he told the Vail Daily , is that they become boring after not too many rides.

"We're the biggest single mountain," said Brian Peters, a downhill racer. "It's perfect for downhilling - it's not crazy steep, but not super flat. And it is huge. One run all the way down is pretty long."

Liz Biebl, a representative of Vail Resorts, the ski area operator, said that the expense of building difficult mountain bike trails is not justified by the income. "We will continue to improve and develop Vail's mountain bike experience, but we do not have plans to develop a park or constructed experience like Whistler or Keystone," she said.

Pirate trails targetted

LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The U.S. Forest Service has told mountain bikers that they must quit building trails and terrain features in the Lake Tahoe Basin. Those trails, built in remote areas, endanger riders in case of accidents, but also threaten water quality and wildlife habitat, and in some cases disturb archaeological sites.

"Public lands belong to all of us, and the decision to build new trails needs to be made with participation from all," the Forest Service said in a press release.

The issue is not new in either Lake Tahoe or other locations. But observers, such as bike shop owner Kent Wattanachinda, argue that government agencies need to team up with serious mountain bikers, such as was done on Oregon's Black Rock Trail System.

"If you don't have anything for them, guess what, they're going to start building," he told the Sierra Sun .

But it's questionable whether such features will be possible on the national forest outside of ski areas, said Garrett Villanueva, assistant forester engineer for the U.S. Forest Service. Villanueva, an avid mountain biker himself, said mountain bike access is needed, but it comes with conditions.

"It's a valued and good thing to be doing in the forest, but we need to do it right," he said.

No big changes expected

ASPEN, Colo. - The Aspen Skiing Co. expects no major changes from last winter, when it recorded 1.36 million skier visits at its four ski areas in Pitkin County.

"Frankly, if we had flat business levels this coming winter to last winter, it would be OK," David Perry, senior vice president, told the Aspen Times . "We wouldn't be surprised by that. It would be a reasonable outcome."

Perry said plenty of experts have been trying to divine the future, but with no clear indications. While there have been signs of economic recovery this summer, he said, that hasn't caused any bullish predictions.

Still, the ski area sees a number of positives. Airline service will improve, and two new lodging properties will open in Aspen and Snowmass Village.

Also, labour shortages are happily absent. Even though some ski area operators cut staff positions last winter, Aspen Skiing remained fully staffed, with 3,500 peak-season employees. It intends to stay that course this winter, reports the Times .

The company plans to spend "significantly more" for marketing. "During difficult economic times, people will tend to go to brands that they trust," Perry said. "There is an opportunity to reinforce our brand, its authenticity, the appeal and great value of the Aspen-Snowmass experience."

Sunshine fined in death of worker

BANFF, Alberta - The Sunshine Village Corp. has been ordered to pay $250,000 in fines and penalties as a consequence of the 2004 death of a lift maintenance worker.

Karl Stunt died after a handrail got stuck on a terminal, twisting the chair violently and causing the handrail to strike him in the back of the head.

The judge, Manfred Delong, ruled that the ski area operator had been negligent, but had committed an offense that fell only halfway to the total possibility. The money is to be used for an endowment in the victim's memory at Selkirk College in British Columbia. It is the only Canadian college that offers programming directly related to the ski industry.

But the man's father, Bill Stunt, told the Rocky Mountain Outlook that he found the proceedings "ridiculous." That the proceedings took five years sent the message that workplace safety is not a high priority.

The ski area has been advised of a number of ways to post signs to remind employees of safety.

To honor Lance, or not

ASPEN, Colo. - Earlier this year, before the Tour de France, Lance Armstrong was camped out in Aspen, training by riding up to 12,000-foot Independence Pass. In tagging along for one of these rides, the Denver Post said that Armstrong had moved to Aspen.

But not everybody in Aspen sees him as 100 per cent local. When Mayor Mick Ireland tried to get a Lance Armstrong Day designated, at least one other council member disagreed, reports the Aspen Times .

"He has lived here all of five minutes," said Councilman Steve Skadron. He said local athletes should get the attention. He also said designating a Lance Armstrong Day "feels like a cheap attempt to capitalize on his celebrity."

Ireland, an avid bicycle rider, said Armstrong has done much to publicize the fight against cancer and the sport of bicycling. And as a celebrity, he noted, Armstrong has been gracious when people in Aspen approach him.

Florida shells among bison bones

BANFF, Alberta - Archaeologist have been picking through the detritus of ancient campsites along the Bow River as it runs through Banff National Park. The camps were created 7,000 years ago, and the accumulated evidence describes a people who ate lots of bison meat and traded for shells that originated in Florida.

"They were probably the best bison hunters of all times," declared Dave Ebert, who manages cultural services for the Calgary region of Parks Canada, the administrator of national parks. "They took bison hunting to almost industrial scale."

Tools made from obsidian and chert, rocks that can be traced to specific locations in North America, also testify to long-distance trading relationships.

"We know there were long-distance trade networks before the Europeans arrived," Ebert told the Rocky Mountain Outlook . "It's not unusual in Canada to find shells from Florida."

The research also dispels the idea that the Bow River Valley and the Rocky Mountains were an untouched wilderness when Europeans arrived in the 19 th century. "It wasn't a total wilderness here," said Gwyn Langemann, an archaeologist with Parks Canada. "It is a landscape that has evolved with people in it."

Colorado airports studied

KETCHUM, Idaho - Proponents of a new airport for the Ketchum/Sun Valley resort area have produced a new study that takes a look at the airports serving the Vail and Steamboat Springs markets. The evidence is that a good airport can substantially improve Sun Valley's economy.

One of the contentions of those who want to expand the existing airport, instead of building a new airport farther down valley, is that the greater distance will discourage use. But the airport would be only 35 miles from Ketchum, at the base of the Sun Valley ski area, which compares with the 36 miles between Vail and its airport, Eagle County Regional. The airport serving the Steamboat market is 25 miles away.

Mammoth gets new links

MAMMOTH LAKES, Calif. - Mammoth Lakes likely will get increased commercial air service from West Coast cities this coming winter.

Ski area officials expect to get two daily flights from Los Angeles and another one from San Jose, Calif. Horizon Airlines also has been evaluating flights from San Francisco and Seattle.

The ski area will post revenue guarantees.

CB real estate sales strong

CRESTED BUTTE, Colo. - Here and there come some glimmers that real estate sales have picked up this summer. That's the story being noted in Whistler, Vail and Crested Butte.

In July, $17 million in sales were recorded in the Crested Butte area. The year has totaled $30 million, reports the Crested Butte News .

"I wouldn't say we are back to the super-busy times of a few years ago, but after the worst six months in the last five years, we are seeing some good activity," said Channing Boucher of Benson Sotheby's International Realty.

"We were probably off 50 per cent the first part of the year, so it is good to see positive movement," he added.

As was predicted in Jackson Hole by veteran real-estate agents, the top and bottom ends of the market have done well. Of course, everything is relative. Crested Butte had its first $2 million sale. That, in Jackson Hole, is considered the middle market.

As elsewhere, condos have been moving sluggishly, because banks have been unwilling to extend credit.

Defensible space abandoned

BRECKENRIDGE, Colo. - Faced with a revolt from homeowners, the Breckenridge Town Council has abandoned its requirement that trees and other vegetation that could help spread wildfires be removed from around houses.

Opponents argued that the law infringed upon their property rights and that there was insufficient evidence that defensible space requirements will prevent forest fires from spreading, reports the Summit Daily News .

Fire department officials inspected more than 200 homes earlier this year, finding that on average 10 trees needed to be removed. Some residents, however, complained of costs running at $1,200 or more.

Fire and town officials told The Denver Post that they remain worried about the potential for wildfire. "We're very uncomfortable. We think we've been living on borrowed time," said Tim Gagen, the town manager. Without a legal mandate, the town now will ask for voluntary compliance.

The issue pivoted to an extent on costs of insuring homes in forested areas subject to potential forest fires, reports the Summit Daily . But the Denver Post suggests that insurance companies may ultimately force homeowners in forested areas to take steps to mitigate risks.

"The public policy direction of the insurance industry is that, increasingly, we are requiring homeowners to see it as a shared risk and take certain mitigation steps in order to get and keep affordable insurance when they live in a high-risk wildfire area," said Carole Walker, executive director of the Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association.

Jackson Hole cuts energy use

JACKSON, Wyo. - In February 2008, city officials in Jackson and leaders of Teton County called a combined meeting of all city and county employees to explain their energy program, called 10 X 10. Their goal, they said, was to reduce energy use 10 per cent in government operations by the year 2010.

The leaders laid out two layers of justification. Energy was money, said Bob McLaurin, the town manager of Jackson, and hence saving energy saved taxpayers money. Also, Jackson Mayor Mark Barron had committed the town to trying to achieve reductions in greenhouse gases in accordance with the Mayors' Agreement on Climate Change.

It's now getting close to 2010. How are Jackson and Teton County doing?

The two governments have reduced fuel used for transportation, heating and cooling by 7 per cent, while electrical use has dropped nearly 4 per cent. Wendy Koelfgen, energy affairs coordinator for the two governments, says the goal looks attainable.

"I think we're looking really good," she says.

Plans already laid could result in much bigger savings yet. For example, the wastewater treatment plant is one of the biggest consumers of electricity in Jackson Hole, rivaling use even of the ski lifts at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. Replacement of aerators will save one million kilowatt hours, she says.

While the city and county try to clean house, the broader community has been given what is labeled the Wolfensohn Challenge, named after former World Bank President James Wolfensohn, a part-time resident. That challenge aims for broader community-wide energy reduction in the private sector.

"It's so much bigger than 10 X 10," says Koelfgen. "It's about taking an entire community and maximizing efficiency - going for deep efficiencies. We're not just talking about replacing lightbulbs here."

As part of that challenge, a non-profit organization called Climate Solutions has prepared a three-year plan that would provide the framework for improving efficiency of energy use and instituting more renewable energy.

Vail seeks federal aid

VAIL, Colo. - Working with Vail town officials, a Connecticut company has put together a plan for a biomass plant that would create heat and electricity by burning dead trees from the surrounding forests.

An application for a $30 million grant has been filed with the U.S. Department of Energy, reports the Vail Daily .

Colorado Biz Magazine, in a story published in June, noted that federal aid will be critical if the plans are to move forward.

Stan Zemler, the Vail town manager, told the Daily much the same thing. Many details must be figured out before the project can become viable, he said.

The town government proposes to invest no money of its own in the project, but instead would provide three acres of land for the burner and then purchase hot water for its street snowmelt system.

Durango ideal for making algae fuel

DURANGO, Colo. - Will algae eventually replace oil as our transportation fuel? Early results look promising, and some airlines have even been experimenting with algae as a replacement for petroleum, because of its carbon emissions.

But much more research is needed. Some of that research, reports the Durango Telegraph, is now occurring nearby on property owned by the Southern Ute Indian Tribe.

A firm called Solix Biofuels, created as the result of work at Colorado State University, is conducting the test. Company officials expect the demonstration facility to produce the equivalent of 3,000 gallons of algal oil per acre by late this year. The Durango area was chosen for the testing because of its climate, which is optimal for production of algae.

The ultimate in recycling

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, Colo. - A speaker in Steamboat Springs called the preservation of historic buildings the "ultimate form of recycling."

Donovan D. Rypkema, a principal with PlaceEconomics, a consulting firm, said that preserving old buildings ultimately saves money. Older buildings tended to use brick, plaster, concrete and timber. When those buildings are razed and replaced, the new buildings typically have much more plastic, steel, and vinyl, all of which require more energy to manufacture.

As well, said Rypkema in a lecture covered by the Steamboat Pilot & Today , buildings constructed today are designed to last 25 to 40 years, while the buildings they replace sometimes are more than a century old. Rypkema said the return on investment of new energy-efficient buildings do not start showing positive cash flows until 35 to 50 years after construction.

He also said that property in local historic districts appreciates more rapidly in value and, in economic downturns, decline less.

Estate on the market for $55 million

PARK CITY, Utah - A property at Park City's upper-crust Deer Valley resort has been put on the market with an asking price of $55 million. The property covers more than 63 acres and includes a 20,000-square-foot house plus the potential to build 22 other houses. The house, reports the Park Record, belongs to Jon Huntsman Sr., an industrialist and father of Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. The elder Huntsman is now spending more of his time in Driggs, Idaho, on the west side of the Teton Range.