﻿Better 
  lift 
  designs 
  and 
  construction 
  have 
  helped 
  to 
  reassure 
  the 
  public. 
  So 
  have 
  

   improved 
  avalanche 
  detection 
  and 
  control 
  techniques. 
  Even 
  more 
  directly 
  reassuring 
  

   has 
  been 
  the 
  development 
  of 
  the 
  safety 
  binding, 
  which 
  releases 
  the 
  ski 
  from 
  the 
  foot 
  

   when 
  a 
  fall 
  occurs. 
  

  

  Continued 
  efforts 
  are 
  being 
  made 
  to 
  improve 
  safety 
  features 
  of 
  lift 
  and 
  tow 
  facili- 
  

   ties 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  personal 
  equipment. 
  Perhaps 
  more 
  important 
  is 
  the 
  need 
  for 
  better 
  

   training 
  and 
  education 
  of 
  skiers 
  . 
  The 
  most 
  perfectly 
  designed 
  safety 
  binding 
  has 
  little 
  

   value 
  if 
  the 
  skier 
  doesn't 
  know 
  how 
  (or 
  won't 
  take 
  the 
  time) 
  to 
  adjust 
  it. 
  

  

  Whatever 
  the 
  industry 
  can 
  do 
  to 
  make 
  skiing 
  less 
  hazardous 
  and 
  to 
  dispel 
  any 
  

   misconceptions 
  the 
  public 
  may 
  have 
  of 
  the 
  hazards 
  will 
  help 
  increase 
  participation. 
  The 
  

   study 
  financed 
  by 
  the 
  U.S. 
  Public 
  Health 
  Service 
  and 
  conducted 
  by 
  National 
  Ski 
  Safety 
  

   Research 
  to 
  determine 
  the 
  cause 
  of 
  skier 
  injuries 
  is 
  a 
  step 
  in 
  the 
  right 
  direction. 
  

  

  Wherever 
  possible, 
  ski 
  areas 
  should 
  be 
  developed 
  closer 
  to 
  where 
  

   people 
  live 
  . 
  The 
  advantage 
  and 
  importance 
  of 
  minimizing 
  travel 
  

   time 
  is 
  pointed 
  up 
  by 
  the 
  following 
  tabulation: 
  

  

  Capacity 
  Distance 
  to 
  

  

  class 
  

  

  Attendance 
  

  

  metropolitan 
  . 
  

  

  (VTF/hr.) 
  

  

  (No. 
  of 
  visits) 
  

  

  (Miles) 
  

  

  Rope 
  only 
  

  

  146,402 
  

  

  157 
  

  

  Less 
  than 
  300,000 
  

  

  187,021 
  

  

  132 
  

  

  300,000 
  to 
  699,999 
  

  

  401,317 
  

  

  141 
  

  

  700,000 
  to 
  1,499,999 
  

  

  1,000,598 
  

  

  119 
  

  

  1,500,000 
  and 
  up 
  

  

  2,529,845 
  

  

  96 
  

  

  Rope 
  areas 
  not 
  rated 
  in 
  VTF/hr. 
  

  

  The 
  obvious 
  advantages 
  of 
  proximity 
  to 
  markets 
  need 
  not 
  be 
  belabored 
  and 
  are 
  

   in 
  some 
  respects 
  academic. 
  The 
  point 
  is 
  that 
  ski 
  area 
  developers 
  must 
  carefully 
  weigh 
  

   the 
  advantages 
  of 
  constructing 
  new 
  areas 
  closer 
  to 
  population 
  centers 
  even 
  though 
  initial 
  

   costs 
  may 
  be 
  considerably 
  greater 
  than 
  for 
  more 
  distant 
  sites. 
  

  

  Artificial 
  snowmaking 
  is 
  a 
  technique 
  that 
  some 
  ski 
  areas 
  have 
  adopted 
  to 
  offset 
  

   inadequate 
  snowfall 
  and 
  has 
  permitted 
  the 
  development 
  of 
  ski 
  areas 
  near 
  larger 
  cities 
  

   on 
  sites 
  otherwise 
  suitable 
  for 
  skiing. 
  It 
  also 
  has 
  helped 
  to 
  insure 
  continuous 
  opera- 
  

   tion 
  during 
  the 
  traditional 
  peak 
  holiday 
  periods 
  even 
  during 
  years 
  of 
  low 
  snowfall. 
  

  

  Snowmaking 
  is 
  fairly 
  expensive. 
  Some 
  large 
  eastern 
  ski 
  areas 
  spend 
  $50,000 
  or 
  

   more 
  to 
  produce 
  snow 
  during 
  a 
  season. 
  They 
  have 
  found 
  it 
  profitable, 
  however, 
  because 
  

   of 
  the 
  increased 
  attendance. 
  Snowmaking 
  is 
  feasible 
  only 
  in 
  locations 
  where 
  the 
  ni^t 
  

   temperature 
  range 
  is 
  from 
  20 
  to 
  25 
  degrees. 
  In 
  1964-65, 
  only 
  11 
  western 
  ski 
  areas 
  had 
  

  

  Areas 
  needed 
  

   closer 
  to 
  

   markets 
  

  

  19 
  

  

  