Snowmass tourism effort promotes ties to Aspen

Snowmass Village is adopting an ad campaign that capitalizes on its proximity to the more recognized Aspen, the Aspen Daily News reports.
Snowmass Village Councilman John Wilkinson often draws blank stares at other ski resorts, even in Colorado, when he tells fellow skiers where he resides. But mention Aspen and it’s instant recognition, he said.
Snowmass tourism officials know the feeling. Last week, Susan Hamley, director of the town’s Snowmass Tourism office, unveiled a new advertising campaign that will tout the variety of activities not just in the village but also in Aspen and elsewhere in the valley. One potential ad Hamley displayed to Town Council on May 21 features a photo of the Belly Up, the popular concert venue in Aspen. The advert "plays up what we have here in Snowmass, what we have with our partners in Aspen and what you can get in the valley", Hamley said. "We mention Aspen in the copy as well, saying that the combination of these two neighbors is powerful". But Hamley said in an email that the effort should not be construed as the town "abandoning our own identity".
The town’s advisory board on marketing, events and group sales voted unanimously to establish a closer tie-in with its better-known neighbor, the board’s chairman, Robert Sinko, told Town Council. Sinko is general manager of the Crestwood Condominiums.
Hugh Templeman, general manager of the Viceroy Snowmass hotel, said positioning the resort with Aspen will be a strong step forward. "The board made a big decision in recent meetings to align ourselves much more tightly with Aspen, location-wise", said Templeman, who spoke before Town Council as a representative of the lodging industry on the marketing advisory board. "So you see that [result] in the advertising ... because we felt that was the smartest way to grow our process going forward".
The goal of the new campaign "is to give guests all the options they can enjoy while staying in Snowmass, which can even include a stop at the Hot Springs pool" in Glenwood Springs, Hamley said. "So when they weigh Snowmass against other Colorado resorts in their decision-making process, we have a far bigger offering".
Councilman Jason Haber said using the synergy between the two resorts is sensible. "In a way, Snowmass exists because of that relationship to Aspen", he said. "From a branding and marketing standpoint, it makes sense to tap into that recognition".
"What we were told is that it’s a no-brainer to partner with Aspen, but Snowmass is a unique place",  Wilkinson said. "It’s a family resort, easy to get to, has ski-in, ski-out [accommodation]. Aspen has the reputation, we have the skiing". Wilkinson said he understands tying Snowmass to Aspen (the ski area’s original name, in 1964, was Snowmass-at-Aspen) to alleviate those blank stares he usually gets around the state and elsewhere. "I get that part of it", he said. "I think it could work well with both resorts. There’s a synergistic effect there that, with the resort as a whole with Buttermilk and Highlands, once people realized that they’re all connected by one lift ticket, they’d say, ‘OK, I get it’".

I think tis is a valuable lesson to be learned by many ski resorts worlwide who live in the shadow of big ones.

Spain, Brazil, Germany To Host X Games Events

ESPN, the leading action sports content provider, and creator of the X Games, will bring the X Games to Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil; Munich, Germany and Barcelona, Spain beginning in 2013. Those cities will join Aspen, Colo.; Los Angeles and Tignes, France to host the X Games in an effort to expand globally. With relevance to contemporary youth around the world, this expansion is a transformation from an action sports competition brand into an action sports lifestyle brand that will highlight new locations and enhanced cultural and digital elements around the world.
ESPN conducted a formal bid process starting last May which resulted in significant interest from locations around the world that bid to host one of three new events (which join Los Angeles, Aspen and Tignes). Beginning today, local organizing committees for Foz do Iguaçu (pronounced Fawz Day Ig wah soo), Munich and Barcelona will collaborate with ESPN for the next three years to bring the premier action sports event to their cities, launching an annual, six-event X Games calendar four of which will be summer events and two winter.
"ESPN has been committed to the X Games franchise for nearly two decades and is incredibly excited for the future and this new endeavor", said John Skipper, president, ESPN and Co-Chair, Disney Media Networks. "We are bringing significant focus to this expansion because we believe in the universal appeal of these sports and competitors and want to share the X Games experience with fans around the world".
Motorsports icon Travis Pastrana, who has 17 X Games medals to his name, supports ESPN's decision to expand the X Games globally. "ESPN is giving athletes the opportunity to really chase their dreams, and the X Games are the most important and biggest events ever created for our sports", motorsports icon Travis Pastrana said in a statement. "The concept of bringing them to different places around the world is awesome, and I'm excited to see what it will do for action sports".

The New Venues:

Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil
Action sports is an integral part to the lifestyle in Foz do Iguaçu, especially those linked to nature and water, and action sports participation is growing every year. As one of the seven natural wonders of the world, the city of Foz do Iguaçu, a UNESCO world heritage site since 1986 and center for environmental thought and dialogue, uniquely offers the integration of the event with nature and the concept of environmental sustainability as a true pillar. Located on the borders of Argentina and Paraguay, X Games events will be held at the Iguaçu Falls, the Itaipu Dam and the Foz Do Iguacu Convention Center.

Munich, Germany
The cosmopolitan city of Munich offers a perfect backdrop as numerous sports festivals and top-quality, major international competitions in both professional and recreational sports have been staged within and around the Bavarian capital. The sporting infrastructure already exists and will be used sustainably: The Munich Olympic Park will provide a unique area in the middle of the city with all sports venues for the X Games contained within the park.

Barcelona, Spain

The resounding success of organizing the 1992 Olympic Games contributed decisively to projecting Barcelona's sports image abroad. The organization of the Olympics improved and endowed the city with a whole series of first-class infrastructures that have since been used to host major sporting events. All X Games activities will be consolidated in Montjuïc Park's Olympic Ring area, a unique space that combines different top-level sporting facilities with spectacular views over the city.

X Games Global Expansion
The X Games events will spotlight the world's best action sports athletes in BMX, Skateboard, Moto X, and Rally Car Racing at the X Games; and Skiing, Snowboard and Snowmobile at the winter version of the X Games against the backdrop of the host city and country. Each X Games event will take on its own distinguishing character that will set it apart from the others, including the introduction of new sports and cultural elements that are drawn from the host cities themselves. In the past the X Games has successfully organized smaller action sports events, qualifiers and demonstrations in Brazil, Canada, China, France, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan, Philippines and UAE.

5 Amazing Eco Ski Wonderlands

As published in ZME Science (May, 2012)
Skiing is about connecting with Mother Nature, unfortunately however ski resorts can have a negative effect on the environment because of the energy consumption of the chairlifts, grooming and snow-making machines. In recent years more ski resorts have begun to understand the importance of being eco friendly and protecting the environment where they can.
The Ski Club of Great Britain has a green resort guide outlining how environmentally friendly each ski resort is, from this we have chosen our top five eco friendly ski resorts which will help you to feel less guilty about the environmental impact your holiday will have. All the resorts we have picked have been ISO14001 approved which is a worldwide standard of environmental management.

Saas Fee (picture attached), Switzerland

Consistently ranked as one of the top eco friendly ski resorts in the world, Saas Fee is a typical picturesque resort with plenty of alpine charm. Like most Swiss resorts Saas Fee is car-free and it recently was awarded second place, Zermatt came first, by Transport and Environment Association for its excellent environmentally friendly transport system. There are bio chalets which have been renovated to environmental standards using sustainable materials. All of the chalets have a commitment to reducing energy use, recycling and waste management.

Kaprun, Austria
This family friendly resort prides itself on its attention to preserving the environment and has ongoing efforts to minimise the environmental impact of the resort. Kaprun uses renewable energy sources, such as solar, to power its lifts and carries out environmental works annually, including tree and grass planting by using eco friendly techniques. The resort also promotes car free days and has electro bicycles, scooters and Segways which guests can hire in addition to the re-charge stations for electro vehicles.

Jackson Hole, Wyoming (USA)Jackson Hole strives to keep its resort as eco-friendly as possible and was recently given an ‘A’ on its environmental report card. Officials of the resort have signed a cap-and-trade approach for reducing carbon emissions and its recycles around a third of its waste, additionally it recycles all of its cooking oil and uses it as fuel for one of its vehicles, something it is hoping to expand. The resort has pushed for energy efficiency and environmental stewardship and has recently purchased four-stroke skidoos which are said to be less polluting than the two-stroke machines. The resort also boasts eco-friendly accommodation, the most well-known being Hotel Terra with luxury ski chalets and catered ski chalets which combines environmentally sustainable building with a luxury ski experience.

Avoriaz, FranceCommitted to being an environmentally friendly resort since it was first built, Avoriaz is a car-free resort with the majority of its accommodation boasting ski in ski out access. However if you want transport around the resort there is the option of horse and sleigh. The roofs of the buildings are designed to retain snow which is turns acts as a heat insulator. In addition all of the trees that had to be removed for the resort to be built have subsequently been replaced. Avoriaz is also home to Europe’s first eco friendly snow park ‘The Stash’. This completely natural park uses wood, trees, dirt and rock to create its jibs and features rather than environmentally harmful metals and plastics. It was also one of the first resorts to begin using the quieter and less polluting electric skidoos.

Aspen, Colorado (USA)
Aspen has built a solar array which produces enough electricity to power 20 homes as well as also developing a small hydroelectric plant on Snowmass Mountain. Over the next eight years Aspen has committed to reducing its carbon emissions by 25 percent across 2000 levels. Aspen has also put new green building regulations in place which will apply to new buildings and has donated over a million dollars to local environment causes through its environmental foundation.