The Interviews Blog

Liftopia’s Ron Schneidermann

Posted on by NYSkiBlog

LiftopiaThere are some basic truths that human beings are eventually forced to recognize — day follows night; winter is the best season; and lift-served skiing is a expensive sport.

After overcoming the hurdles of paying for equipment, clothing, gas, lodging, food, lessons, and lift tickets, it’s a wonder that we’re psychically capable of strapping on our boots and skiing.

As a survival technique, skiers and boarders are genetically wired to look for deals, and one of the most obvious places is lift tickets. 2-for-1 coupons, season passes, and buying at offsite ski shops are some of the time-tested ways to take a small bite out of this unavoidable cost.

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Jamie Schectman of Mountain Rider’s Alliance

Posted on by NYSkiBlog

Mountain Riders AllianceJamie Schectman is more than an avid skier — skiing is a driving force in his life. As one of the founders of the Mountain Riders Alliance, his goal is to develop environmentally-friendly, rider-owned ski areas around the world. He dreams of resorts that produce more energy than they use by limiting resort infrastructure and using alternative energy sources like solar, wind, micro hydro, and geo-thermal to run operations. We spoke with Jamie about his passion for skiing and his vision for “values-based ski areas.”

NYSkiBlog: Where were you born and when did you start skiing?

Jamie Schectman: I was born on Long Island, NY, but I moved to California when I was four. I went on a ski trip to Mammoth Mountain in junior high school and was instantly hooked.

NYSB: What did you do after you were “hooked?”

JS: During high school, I saw the movie Hot Dog and knew right then what I was going to do with my life. I moved to Squaw Valley after I graduated at the age of 18. I first started as a lift operator, but quickly realized watching other people skiing was not my calling and found a job making sandwiches. The kitchen was at the base of the mountain and the shift was 4pm – 11pm. I thought I was in heaven.

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Interview with Jessica Pezak of Hunter Mountain

Posted on by NYSkiBlog

Hunter Mountain logoThere have been significant changes to Hunter Mountain over the past few years including the installation of two new high speed lifts and the addition of North America’s longest and highest zipline.

We spoke with Jessica Pezak, Hunter’s Marketing Communications Manager, to check in on things at Hunter.

NYSkiBlog: First, did Hunter suffer any damage from Irene?

Jessica: Incredibly, no. We suffered zero damage. There is some normal erosion here and there, but that’s to be expected with that much rain. We had sandbags out and were prepared for water rushing down the mountain, and that really made a difference. While our towns were devastated, the Hunter lodge escaped unscathed.

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Tagged: Catskills, Hunter, Interviews14 Comments