Webmaster
10-21-2011, 06:07 AM
By Jonathan Martin
Seattle Times staff reporter
Washington's ski resorts could become greater summertime recreation destinations under a proposal that has passed the U.S. House and Senate and is headed to President Obama's desk.
The pending federal legislation could aid eight Washington ski areas on federal land — Crystal Mountain, Snoqualmie Pass, Stevens Pass, Mount Baker, White Pass, Mission Ridge, Ski Bluewood and 49 Degrees North — by allowing the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) to permit summertime activities.
Theoretically, the legislation, if signed by Obama, could lead to zip lines, mountain-bike parks, more hiking trails and weddings amid the summertime wildflowers blooms of ski slopes.
Sen. Maria Cantwell, who co-sponsored the bill, praised the legislation in a statement as a bipartisan effort to "bolster Washington State's recreation and tourism jobs."
The bill amends the 1986 Ski Permit Act, which authorized only "alpine and nordic skiing" at resorts on federal forest land. The USFS already has allowed offseason recreation at some resorts, including a new mountain-biking park at Stevens Pass.
Crystal Mountain opened a gondola to the summit in January with summertime recreation partly in mind. Now, the resort is eager to add a zip line near the summit within a year or two, and already has had developers look at options, said Justus Hyatt, a spokeswoman for Crystal Mountain.
"We're thrilled," Hyatt said. "It's great for us, great for tourism, great for jobs."
Other resorts, including Mission Ridge and Stevens Pass, hailed the bill. But it won't likely turn any local resorts into Whistler — the summertime resort mecca in British Columbia — overnight.
"The act takes away the business-related hoops, but not the environmental hoops," Chris Rudolph, marketing director for Stevens Pass, told The Wenatchee World.
Scott Kaden, spokesman for the Pacific Northwest Ski Areas Association, said resorts would have to apply for federal permits on a "proposal-by-proposal basis," and the legislation does not waive environmental-impact reviews.
Kaden said his group, which represents ski areas in Washington and Oregon, had pushed for the bill for two years. The new permit process could also funnel recreation toward resorts and away from sensitive undeveloped lands, and to "relieve congestion at trailheads and visitor centers" across the recreation-loving Pacific Northwest, he said.
from: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2016565137_skiareas21m.html
Seattle Times staff reporter
Washington's ski resorts could become greater summertime recreation destinations under a proposal that has passed the U.S. House and Senate and is headed to President Obama's desk.
The pending federal legislation could aid eight Washington ski areas on federal land — Crystal Mountain, Snoqualmie Pass, Stevens Pass, Mount Baker, White Pass, Mission Ridge, Ski Bluewood and 49 Degrees North — by allowing the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) to permit summertime activities.
Theoretically, the legislation, if signed by Obama, could lead to zip lines, mountain-bike parks, more hiking trails and weddings amid the summertime wildflowers blooms of ski slopes.
Sen. Maria Cantwell, who co-sponsored the bill, praised the legislation in a statement as a bipartisan effort to "bolster Washington State's recreation and tourism jobs."
The bill amends the 1986 Ski Permit Act, which authorized only "alpine and nordic skiing" at resorts on federal forest land. The USFS already has allowed offseason recreation at some resorts, including a new mountain-biking park at Stevens Pass.
Crystal Mountain opened a gondola to the summit in January with summertime recreation partly in mind. Now, the resort is eager to add a zip line near the summit within a year or two, and already has had developers look at options, said Justus Hyatt, a spokeswoman for Crystal Mountain.
"We're thrilled," Hyatt said. "It's great for us, great for tourism, great for jobs."
Other resorts, including Mission Ridge and Stevens Pass, hailed the bill. But it won't likely turn any local resorts into Whistler — the summertime resort mecca in British Columbia — overnight.
"The act takes away the business-related hoops, but not the environmental hoops," Chris Rudolph, marketing director for Stevens Pass, told The Wenatchee World.
Scott Kaden, spokesman for the Pacific Northwest Ski Areas Association, said resorts would have to apply for federal permits on a "proposal-by-proposal basis," and the legislation does not waive environmental-impact reviews.
Kaden said his group, which represents ski areas in Washington and Oregon, had pushed for the bill for two years. The new permit process could also funnel recreation toward resorts and away from sensitive undeveloped lands, and to "relieve congestion at trailheads and visitor centers" across the recreation-loving Pacific Northwest, he said.
from: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2016565137_skiareas21m.html