| Northeast Ski Areas Entertain Questions from Online Ski Community |
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AlpineZone.com facilitates communication between its members and key players in the Northeast’s ski resort industry.
AlpineZone, a popular Northeastern ski and snowboard website located at www.alpinezone.com, has introduced a revolutionary means of communication between its members and key players in the Northeast’s snow sports resort industry. Borne of website founder Greg Blasko’s innovation, and the suggestions of its users, the AlpineZone Ski Area Challenge is a way for Internet-savvy skiing enthusiasts to directly ask specific questions of Northeast ski area representatives.
The program has been effective in dispelling rumors and myths that plague the industry amongst its patrons, while giving consumers a sense of the challenges involved with ski area marketing and operations. Northeast ski area managers previously seemed unaware of the valuable resource at their disposal in the various online skiing communities that are literally filled with passionate members anxious to ask questions and provide feedback. Consumer responses to detailed, specific questions are not easily achieved by emailing the mountain or by visiting their guest services counters.
When AlpineZone.com forum member Bill O’Brien, posting via the nickname ChileMass, started an online discussion topic entitled ...and now, let’s hear from the Marketing Department..., other forum members were likely unaware of what would follow. In that discussion, known on the Internet as a thread, AlpineZone participant Joshua B suggested inviting a mountain representative to participate in an interview, where we generate the questions in advance and then post the results of the interview. Blasko ran with the idea.
He encountered difficulty convincing some ski and snowboard resorts to participate. Forum member Klugscheisser is not surprised. What’s stunning is how little attention most of the mountains pay to online ski chat boards, said Klugscheisser. If I were running a resort, I’d take advantage of them to a much larger extent.
In their defense, most ski area marketing reps lack the time to visit, much less participate directly on Internet message boards. Furthermore, conflict sometimes ensues in such public situations, a situation that most resorts understandably wish to avoid. To overcome this obstacle, the AlpineZone Ski Area Challenge mediates the dialogue by providing a structured format for the general skiing and riding public to ask ten specific questions of resort representatives in advance, and their responses are posted online for all to see. Ski resort staffers are starting to take notice.
According to the program’s first respondent, Eric Friedman, Marketing Director for Mad River Glen, the most important thing that we can do to promote Mad River Glen is to develop a long-term relationship with our skiers. Friedman adds, Hopefully I have been able to convey what is unique and special about Mad River Glen and encouraged some new people to visit us this winter.
Cindy Feltch, Group Sales Manager for Bretton Woods Mountain Resort in New Hampshire, says that the challenge has provided us with a great venue to present the facts without the hype to people who really are interested in snow sports in New Hampshire and New England.
Chris Bradford, Director of Sales and Marketing for Crotched Mountain Ski Area in Bennington, New Hampshire agrees. It gave me a venue through which I could inform interested skiers about topics not generally covered in day-to-day marketing, Bradford says. Since Crotched is a new ski area, there have been a lot of rumors and misconceptions about it. Every piece of information I can put out is absolutely critical to our success as a business.
The information gathered from the responses was clearly of interest to AlpineZone readers. The online community learned how Mad River Glen’s ownership transferred to a cooperative, and the history behind the ski area’s famous Ski It If You Can bumper sticker. They learned about terrain expansion and glade clearing at Jiminy Peak in Hancock, Massachusetts before this information was officially
released to the public. Similarly, the installation of wireless Internet in the hotels at Sunday River Ski Resort in Bethel, Maine was revealed first directly to AlpineZone readers.
Northeastern snow sports resorts have earned credibility in the online skiing and snowboarding community via their participation in the AlpineZone Ski Area Challenge, as Joshua B’s feedback illustrates. From the reps’ answers, you come away with a positive or negative feeling, based on how forthcoming you feel the rep answered the questions. We want to ski at areas where we think they’re doing the right thing, or at least striving to present us with a positive experience, he said. Bill O’Brien adds, The instant-grading nature of the forum has the potential to create a lot of interest for members to visit an area they haven’t been to before.
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| Croppin’ Companion - The System to Manage Every Layout! - Nov 26, 2004 13:32 IST |
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The Croppin’ Companion is an organizational system of nesting folders. Their design was based on the premise that in order to utilize your supplies (photo’s, papers, embellishments etc.) and your time/money efficiently, you must first be organized. The pockets are placed on the top in front and the bottom in back to evenly distribute the bulk of each layout’s supplies which allows the folders to “nest” neatly into one another and lay flat on a shelf or in a standard 3 ring binder.
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| 3WTel VoIP is taking the Net by Storm. Call Worldwide - Nov 26, 2004 13:28 IST |
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3WTel VoIP has just launched and is already exploding in the global marketplace with new telephony technology that allows you to call anyone, anywhere in the world 24/7 for FREE, that is subscribed to the 3WTel Network.
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| cELLAbration! A Tribute to Ella Jenkins CD Wins Top National Awards New CD Picked for Child magazine’s “Best CDs of the Year” - Nov 26, 2004 13:27 IST |
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A new CD from Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, cELLAbration! A Tribute to Ella Jenkins, has won top awards from Child magazine, Parents’ Choice, and the iParenting Awards.
In citing cELLAbration! A Tribute to Ella Jenkins as one of the top 10 children’s music recordings of the year, Child magazine says the CD is “proof of why (Ella) is truly a multigenerational musical force.” Likewise, the judges for the nonprofit Parents’ Choice Foundation chose the CD as one of only five winners of its top-level Gold Award (see www.parents-choice.org). Oppenheim Toy Portfolio granted the CD a Gold award (www.toyportfolio.com) and the iParenting Media Awards (www.iparentingmediaawards.com) gave the CD a “Hot” Award, citing its “sparkling new renditions of Ella’s timeless repertoire.”
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| Fast Cars, Hot Women & Great Music - Nov 26, 2004 13:26 IST |
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After a media tour and two powerful performance nights this past weekend in San Francisco at The Forum and Space 550 night clubs, MIG Records’ Triple Threat of international recording artists RU, Adrienne and the Fantasy Twins are preparing to hit the Los Angeles Convention Center this Friday (November 26) and Saturday (November 27) as part of the ShowOff Café Classic Entertainment Showcase, with DJ Battle, for the Los Angeles International Car Show.
MIG Records is a new, dynamic independent record label based in Los Angeles, California, owned by Dr. Henry Jones. Over the past couple years, we have taken great effort to identify and nurture a group of talented artists that we are confident will have a significant impact on the world of music. As we move toward our nationwide launch on January 25, 2005, I am optimistic that our performers, such as the Triple Threat of RU, Adrienne and the Fantasy Twins, will be very well received.
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| PJ Clarke’s Is Open On Thanksgiving - Nov 26, 2004 13:24 IST |
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PJ Clarke’s, American’s quintessential American Saloon Restaurant, is Open on Thanksgiving serving a Traditional Thanksgiving Dinner in addition to PJ’s Classic American Menu.
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| CodeFutures Ships New Release of FireStorm/DAO Java Code Generator - Nov 26, 2004 13:22 IST |
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The award-winning FireStorm/DAO makes Java software developers more productive by generating the business logic for accessing databases. The benefits provided by CodeFutures’ code generation approach are higher developer productivity, better software quality, and lower maintenance costs.
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| Mt. Abram Family Resort Near Bethel Maine Opens - Nov 26, 2004 13:21 IST |
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Mt. Abram will open for its 44th season on December 18, 2004. The introduction of a new, $5 night skiing program underscores Mt. Abram’s commitment to being Maine’s best ski value. Skiers who show a season pass or a valid day lift ticket from any other ski area can ski from 4-8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays for $5. Mt. Abram skiers may also upgrade their full day ticket to include these nights for $5. “It’s a great way for people to get some extra runs and for the free skiers and riders to play in our expanded terrain and jib parks.” says General Manager Eric Schandelmeier.
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| Wedding Favors Supplier, My Wedding Reception Ideas - Nov 26, 2004 13:19 IST |
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My Wedding Reception Ideas is proud to announce it’s affiliation with NY City Weddings at http://nycityweddings.com.
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| Baron & Budd Attorney Taeri Im Oh Admitted to the Louisiana State Bar - Nov 26, 2004 13:16 IST |
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The law firm of Baron & Budd, P.C. announced today that attorney Taeri Im Oh has been admitted to the Louisiana State Bar.
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| What Every Man Wants - Nov 26, 2004 13:14 IST |
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What Every Man Wants: Day Spa Expert in Raleigh, North Carolina has the answer to your man’s holiday wish list. Every man wants to be taken care of. Stress relief, pampering, and even some rejuvenation is something everyone, including men crave. Day spa gift certificates are becoming more and more popular with men, and it is no wonder. Computers, cell phones, and other advancements designed to make life easier can actually mean that it can be more difficult to leave business stress at the office. Men are asking for stress-relief and spas are listening.
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| RCMP and HTCIA present public seminar entitled Protecting Your Children On-Line - Nov 26, 2004 13:9 IST |
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The seminar will take place from 6:30 PM - 8:30PM at the Holiday Inn Halifax Harbourview, 99 Wyse Road, Dartmouth, NS. This event will be free to any member of the public. Seating will be limited.
Confirmed speakers include:
- Cpl. Jim GILLIS, RCMP. Case Manager in charge of Project Horizon, an Atlantic Regional initiative dealing with child internet pornography.
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| Choosing the Perfect Day Spa Holiday Gift - Nov 26, 2004 13:8 IST |
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Spa gift certificates are becoming more and more popular and are right at the top of holiday wish lists for both men and women. Spas offer stress-relief, pampering, and results. Spa gift certificates are a wonderful way to show friends, family, employees, or the one you love, how much you care. A gift certificate to an upscale day spa says you want them to feel their very best and give them the stress relief they deserve.
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| How to Trade Forex Online - Nov 26, 2004 13:2 IST |
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David C. Arena has been professionally trading stocks, options, futures and foreign currency for years. He says that you will not find a more exciting and faster moving market than the forex market. Trading in foreign currency has become one of the most lucrative businesses in the world where an investor can turn a couple thousand into six figures in a very short amount of time.
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| Rashida Aisha Ali Author of Help I Need A Fan (A Rites - Nov 26, 2004 13:1 IST |
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Rashida Aisha Ali is an author, artist, educator and philanthropist who lectures nationwide catering to female audiences, conducting workshops, seminars and symposiums on women related topics such as health and wellness, natural healing with alternative approaches, sexuality, male/female relationships and matters relating to the spiritual and metaphysical realm.
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| Review of Dora the Explorer - Dora’s Ultimate Adventure Collection - Nov 26, 2004 12:59 IST |
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Review of Dora the Explorer - Dora’s Ultimate Adventure Collection
Paramount Home Video, October 2004
DVD, 291 minutes
Rating: Not Rated
ASIN: B0002V7OHO
Recommended Ages: 2 - 5
Review by Sherri Allen, editor of SherriAllen.com:
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| Branson, Missouri Serving Up Some White Chocolate - Nov 26, 2004 12:56 IST |
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Owen’s Theater Serving Up Some White Chocolate
December 5, 7, 9 2004 the White Chocolate band from the Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas area will be performing the Radical Fanatical Show at Owen’s Theater in Branson, Missouri at 1:00 P.M. each day. White Chocolate is one of Texas’s finest bands bringing a flavor of music genre to the stage which will surely tantalize the tastebuds.
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| DVDVCDPLAZA - Online VCD,DVD Shop for Indian - Nov 26, 2004 12:57 IST |
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Premium website of Bengali and Hindi VCD DVD hp://www.dvttdvcdplaza.com - launched from Kolkata India. Eminent TV producer Mr. Robin Ghosh launched the website on 22nd November 2004 from company premises at Kolkata. On the very first day the site registered a hit of 1 lkh visitors and around Rs 50,000 worth of selling of Bengali and Hindi VCD, DVD. The store also contains titles in English and other Indian languages like Bhojpuri , Gujrati , Kannada , Malayalam , Marathi , Oriya , Punjabi , Rajasthani , Urdu , Tamil , Telegu ACD, VCD and DVD’s.
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| Speed Reading Course - Nov 26, 2004 12:56 IST |
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Speed Studying is the result of a frustrating 6-year search for speed reading techniques that actually work. The developer of this system spent thousands (yes, that means 3 zeros!) on speed reading books and tapes. Here I have put altogether in a single website at http://orcfn.url.cjb.net/
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| New Download Service Offers a Better Deal for Independent Music - Nov 26, 2004 12:54 IST |
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Two long time independent musicians have joined forces to create a website devoted to furthering independent music that challenges the traditional music deal and allows independent artists world wide distribution, without selling their souls to major labels.
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| EESI First Steps of the Major Restructuring - Nov 26, 2004 12:51 IST |
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Mr. Erhart is a top level consultant and enjoyed successes too numerous to list here. He represents an incredible knowledge of telecom and a variety of other industries. In his words, ...my best accomplishment to date was my role in a project that changed Oklahoma’s educational technology forever. He almost single-handedly developed a vision for One-Net, communicated that vision to the legislature and was the leader that implemented the State of Oklahoma’s official government and educational telecommunications network. He comes to us from Erhart & Associates, LLC, where he is the managing partner. Mr. Erhart graciously accepted nomination to the EESI Board of Directors.
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