Federal legislation could help Tahoe ski resorts expand summer recreation portfolio

Federal legislation could help Tahoe ski resorts expand summer recreation portfolio

LAKE TAHOE — Zip lines, ropes courses, mountain bike parks, disc golf courses and concerts could be easier to permit at ski resorts under a bill introduced by U.S. Congress members last month.Adding jobs to ski towns during the offseason is also a major goal of the legislation, sponsored by Sens. Mark Udall, D-Colo., and John Barrasso, R-Wyo., as well as Reps. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, and Diana DeGette, D-Colo.“This bill will not only increase recreational opportunities but also expand business opportunities and jobs,” DeGette said in a statement. “Year-round recreational activity will provide substantial benefits to our local economies, and help create stable jobs in the thirteen states that are currently home to ski resorts on public land crazy golf .”The legislators introduced the bill, known as the Ski Area Recreation Opportunity Enhancement Act of 2011, on Feb. 17. The bill would modify the National Forest Ski Area Permit Act of 1986.Some of the recreational activities included in the bill have already been permitted at Lake Tahoe resorts by the U.S. Forest Service, which encourages summer recreation “that is compatible with or enhances natural resource-based recreation opportunities and does not require additional specialized facilities,” said spokeswoman Cheva Heck.But the bill's authors hope to clarify exactly what can be permitted on Forest Service land containing ski resorts.Tennis courts, water slides, swimming pools, golf courses and amusements parks would be specifically prohibited if the bill passed.The legislation would also explicitly allow an activity that is already prominent on the slopes — snowboarding. The 1986 act only mentions Nordic and alpine skiing as allowable activities at ski resorts on Forest Service land.Amelia Richmond, spokeswoman for Squaw Valley USA, which offers many summer recreation opportunities, said offering prospective customers year-round activities is crucial to the resort's business model Tiger Woods is Back.“As a company, we have year-round overhead and year-round employees, so having summer and fall activities is key to operating a successful business,” she said. “Squaw Valley is currently in the process of defining significant future improvements for the resort as a whole. I feel confident that some of those improvements will relate to summer operations.”