Safety Week Initiatives

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NORTHSTAR-AT-TAHOE™ RESORT IMPLEMENTS NEW, CREATIVE SAFETY AWARENESS PROGRAMS

Initiatives Designed to Involve and Remind Guests and Employees to ‘Do Your Part, Slide Smart’

TRUCKEE, Calif. – Jan. 17, 2009 – As Northstar® Resort kicks off its participation in the annual National Ski Areas Association Safety Awareness Week, January 17-23, 2009, resort employees have developed creative new ideas designed to continue to help educate skiers, riders and other resort employees about the importance of safety on the slopes. The programs to be implemented during Safety Week include:

Safety Week Tent – Every day during Safety Week between 8 a.m. and 12 p.m., resort employees will staff a safety tent located at the base of the Gondola in the Village at Northstar™. Employees will distribute safety-related information, pass out hot chocolate and cookies, and register interested participants who can recite the Smart Style Code into the daily terrain park contests. “Marty the Martian,” Northstar Resort’s Children’s Ski School mascot will also be there to encourage kids to learn about safety on the slopes.

Terrain Park Contests – The Northstar Resort Terrain Park department will host contests each day during Safety Week starting at 1 p.m. at the base of the Superpipe. The first place finisher each day will win a helmet. Contests include:

Saturday:  High Ollie
Sunday:  High Ollie
Monday:  High Ollie
Tuesday:  Barrel Bonk
Wednesday:  Barrel Bonk
Thursday:  Down Box
Friday:  Down Box

Contestants will only be entered into the competition when they’ve successfully recited the Smart Style Code to attendants at the Safety Week tent in the Village at Northstar. Captain Safety, Northstar Resort’s safety mascot will also be positioned throughout the terrain parks to educate skiers and riders about the Smart Style Code and encourage participation in the daily contests.

Street Theatre – Saturday through Monday, January 17-19, employees from Northstar Resort’s lift maintenance and ski patrol departments will perform “street theatre” at the top of the Gondola, with performances featuring on-mountain safety-related topics.

Safety Awareness Booth – Saturday and Sunday, January 17-18, Northstar Resort’s National Ski Patrol members will host a Safety Awareness booth from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. National Ski Patrol members will distribute information pertaining to skier/rider safety, and will also recruit candidates for the National Ski Patrol. A daily contest will also be held, with the winner receiving a helmet.

Employee Slogan Contest – In an effort to encourage employee participation in Safety Week initiatives, Northstar-at-Tahoe Resort conducted an employee slogan contest. The winning slogan will be used throughout the resort’s Safety Week activities, and throughout the remainder of the winter season. More than 75 entries were submitted from various departments throughout the resort. The winning slogan, ‘Do Your Part, Slide Smart,’ was submitted by a member of the grooming/snow surfaces department and was selected by Northstar Resort management. The winner received a $100 gift card valid at the resort.

In addition to activities and events taking place during NSAA Safety Week, this season, Northstar Resort’s ski patrol will offer a new ski patrol shadow program for high school seniors living in the Lake Tahoe region. Designed to introduce students who have expressed interest in the resort industry or EMS to a “day in the life” of a ski patroller, the shadow program will be open to students with at least a 3.0 GPA, good attendance record and prior approval from a parent/guardian and their school principal or counselor. Additionally, interested students must be an intermediate or advanced level skier or rider, and must interview with Northstar Resort’s ski patrol director prior to participating in the program. Interested seniors should contact Northstar Resort ski patrol at 530.562.3441 for more information about this program.

For additional information about Northstar Resort’s planned Safety Week events or activities, please visit www.NorthstarAtTahoe.com.

About Northstar-at-Tahoe Resort
One of the finest year-round mountain resorts in North America, Northstar Resort is host to a new base area village featuring 35 unique shops and restaurants, a conference center, 9,000 square foot skating rink, on-site lodging, special events and more. A winter sport enthusiast’s paradise, Northstar Resort offers 89 ski trails spread across 2,904 acres, award-winning terrain parks and snow sports including alpine and Telemark skiing, snowboarding, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and tubing. Summer activities include mountain biking, golfing, scenic lift rides for sightseeing and hiking, fly-fishing and more.
 
Northstar-at-Tahoe Resort is located on Highway 267, just six miles north of Lake Tahoe and six miles south of downtown Truckee. For more information, call 1.800.GO.NORTH (1.800.466.6784) or visit www.NorthstarAtTahoe.com.

Press Contacts:
Jessica VanPernis, 530.562.3866
jvanpernis@boothcreek.com

Kirstin Cattell, 530.543.3132
kcattell.st@boothcreek.com

Kristin Mettler, 775.831.4422
kmettler@malenandmettler.com

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