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Contact: Troy Hawks
NSAA Communications
(720) 963-4215
thawks@nsaa.org
NSAA Formalizes Partnership with IMBA
New Alliance Aims to Advance Summer Mountain Biking Opportunities at Ski Areas.
LAKEWOOD, Colo., October 25, 2011 – The National Ski Areas Association
(NSAA) announced today that it has partnered with the International Mountain Bicycling Association
(IMBA) with the shared aim of increasing visitation and improving summer mountain biking experiences
at U.S. ski areas. Fittingly, NSAA and IMBA signed a formal Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
just as news headlines nationwide announced that Congress had recently passed the Ski Area
Recreational Opportunity Enhancement Act (S. 382/H.R. 765), or summer activities bill. NSAA
and IMBA’s interests often align in Washington D.C., in fact IMBA supported and assisted NSAA
with advocacy on the summer activities bill.
“Formalizing our partnership with IMBA is a logical progression, and we look forward to
strengthening our symbiotic relationship further and leveraging the resources of both of our
organizations toward the end benefit of our valued members,” says NSAA President Michael Berry.
As part of the agreement, IMBA will make available to ski resorts mountain biking expertise
and resources including trail consulting, signage, and guides on risk management for mountain
bike operations. IMBA will also help participating ski areas market their mountain bike programs
through its Destinations program. Destinations is a web-based mountain bike travel planning
resource. Site visitors are able to locate mountain bike opportunities at ski areas, bike parks,
bike-friendly accommodations, tour operators and bike shops through the IMBA Destinations online
directory and locator map.
A number of ski areas have already joined IMBA. For example, Kirkwood Mountain Resort in
California, a long-standing IMBA member, helped pilot the IMBA Sustainable Trails program in 2010,
which enables a rider to make an optional $2 donation to IMBA’s Sustainable Trails Fund at the
time of his or her lift ticket purchase.
"Even though Kirkwood builds and maintains all our own trails, without IMBA advocacy work and
pioneering sustainable trail technology, we would have far fewer riders interested in our resort,"
says Ricky Newberry, Kirkwood Mountain Bike Park Manager. "We are excited to continue to grow our
support for IMBA and the sport, while leveraging the new Destinations program."
IMBA has worked extensively with other ski areas including Colorado’s Arapahoe Basin, Vail
Mountain, and Winter Park Resort, Utah’s Park City Mountain Resort, Idaho’s Sun Valley Resort,
and Seven Springs Mountain Resort in Pennsylvania. To celebrate the new partnership, NSAA ski
area members that join IMBA as a Destinations Member will receive complimentary copies of IMBA's
two award-winning books, Trail Solutions and Managing Mountain Biking.
For more information on IMBA’s Destination’s program, contact Wendy Kerr by phone at
(303) 545-9011 x113, or visit www.imba.com/membership/destinations.
ABOUT IMBA: IMBA is widely recognized as the leading authority on sustainable mountain bike
trail and bike park design and a leading force behind the popularity of the sport through their
work with land managers, ski areas, U.S. Forest Service, and local bike clubs. From beginner
trails to expert only jumps, flow and gravity trails, IMBA provides a great array of resources
for ski area development that can save you from reinventing the wheel. Visit www.imba.com.
THE NATIONAL SKI AREAS ASSOCIATION, LOCATED IN LAKEWOOD, COLO., IS A TRADE ASSOCIATION FORMED IN 1962 FOR SKI AREA OWNERS AND OPERATORS NATIONWIDE.
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