Snowshoe Mountain Resort Spotlight of ESPN’s SportsCenter

Brandi Garrett being interviewed recently by John Barr, ESPN Reporter. Photo provided by Snowshoe Mountain Resort.

On August 18, 2005, the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network (ESPN) will broadcast SportsCenter live from West Virginia’s Snowshoe Mountain Resort. ESPN’s SportsCenter Across America is a series that is traveling across 50 states in 50 days, highlighting recreational activities in each state. Video segments and live shots will focus on events, historical notes, factoids, and vignettes about each state’s contributions to the national sports scene.

ESPN will be covering the National Off Road Biking Association (NORBA) National Mountain Bike Series race at Snowshoe. In preparation for the live coverage, a camera crew from ESPN recently visited Snowshoe, producing a story on the Challenged Athletes of West Virginia’s mountain biking program. On August 18, ESPN will broadcast the NORBA race live from a mobile SportsCenter set.

“It would be tough to figure out a better way to highlight and promote our largest mountain biking event,” said Bill Rock, Snowshoe’s General Manager. “We’re very proud to be chosen by ESPN as its West Virginia site for the 50/50 promotion. The mountains are going to be a great backdrop for their Sports Center.

For more information, visit http://sports.espn.go.com/chat/sportsnation/fiftyfifty/.

- Reported by M. Scott Smith.

Wisp’s Thiess Moves to Durango Mountain Resort

Hank Thiess, who recently served as General Manager and Chief Operating Officer at Maryland’s Wisp Resort, has headed west to the Rockies. Thiess was recently named General Manager and Chief Operating Officer of Colorado’s Durango Mountain Resort.

Prior to working at Wisp, Thiess spent the bulk of his career working in Colorado, working at both Keystone Resort and Steamboat Springs. Thiess received his Masters in Business Administration from the University of Denver.

“We are thrilled to have Hank join our team,” said Durango CEO Gary Derck. “We know that his experience, innovative ideas and passion for the industry will help lead Durango Mountain Resort to a new level of success.”

For more information, visit www.durangomountainresort.com.

- Reported by M. Scott Smith.

Alpine Adventures and SkiEurope Merge Operations

Two major tour operators specializing in winter vacations, Alpine Adventures and SkiEurope, announced the merger of their operations. The new company will offer ski trip packages to destinations in Europe, Canada, and the U.S. In addition, the company will offer a high-end product line called Alpine Luxury Collection.

Rick Reichsfeld, President of Alpine Adventures, stated, “When you add SkiEurope and Alpine Adventures together, we will be the largest ski tour operator to Europe and we are determined to translate that into better offerings, service and savings for our customers. Of course, our knowledgeable staff members are the key to our superior customer satisfaction.”

Similarly, Richard Davidson, President of SkiEurope, observed, “Our companies’ customers will receive the main benefit from merging operations. When we examined our two companies’ activities, it was apparent that our businesses were more complementary than competitive. The logical step is to work together and build on each others’ strengths.”

SkiEurope is a Houston, Texas, based tour operator specializing in European winter vacations since 1985. SkiEurope’s client base includes ski clubs, private groups, corporate departments, travel agents, and individual skiers. Alpine Adventures, based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, has provided customers with winter and summer adventure and luxury ski vacations to Europe, North and South America since 1995. Its clients include ski clubs, groups, travel agents and individual skiers.

For more information, visit www.ski-europe.com and www.alpineadventures.net.

- Reported by John Sherwood.