From Arizona Snowbowl

Flagstaff, AZ – The National Ski Area Association (NSAA) has announced that the Arizona Snowbowl has won the prestigious Best Overall Safety Award for ski areas across the nation with less than 250,000 skier visits. Snowbowl participated in NSAA’s 10th Annual National Safety Week, which was held January 16 – 22, 2009.

Snowbowl’s Safety Initiative was “BAAH”, Be Alert, Accident’s Hurt, with Sammy the Safety Sheep as their mascot. They will accept their award at NSAA’s National Convention Awards Ceremony in May. Snowbowl was one of nine resorts chosen out of the 326 NSAA member resorts. They will also be highlighted in the NSAA Journal in their August edition.

“I’m super excited to have our safety program recognized by NSAA. The creation and implementation of BAAH was a lot of fun, but also a lot of work. We could not have had the success that we did without the support of every employee, management and especially the commitment from our safety committee”, states Jon Gauld, Snowbowl’s Safety Coordinator. “In addition, the Arizona Snowbowl has an awesome, very tight knit local clientele who supported our program 110%. We could not have done it without them.”

“New initiatives and ideas made this program stand out. Be Alert Accidents Hurt (BAAH) and Stop, Hear, Evaluate, Eliminate, and Proceed (SHEEP) were the messages that helped them win. They were able to promote safety awareness through Sammy the Safety Sheep and get all departments and guests excited about the new program. I could feel the energy that was put into this program just by looking at the materials and reading the application form. There was a true sense of pride in what the employees accomplished and I could tell they were excited about it and this in turn made me excited for them!”, states Dave Byrd, NSAA Director of Education & Risk.

Snowbowl implemented a season long safety initiative which included; buttons, bandanas, banners, posters and Smart Style terrain park clinics. The safety program will continue next season with plans to further educate employees and guests about Slope Safety.

The result of the effort was impressive, with fewer slope related injuries and a 50% drop in employee work comp claims which will lower insurance premiums.

For more information about the Arizona Snowbowl, call (928) 779-1951 or visit our Web site at www.arizonasnowbowl.com.