By Ski Area Management magazine

WASHINGTON — The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee unanimously recommended passage of the Ski Area Recreation Opportunity Enhancement Act of 2011, which would amend the National Forest Ski Area Permit Act of 1986 to explicitly allow a much wider array of winter and summer activities within resort permit areas.

The 1986 law explicitly allows only alpine and Nordic skiing. Snowboarding and mountain biking, while widely approved on Forest Service land, are not mentioned in the existing law. The Forest Service has frequently allowed these activities because they use the same facilities—lifts and trails—as alpine and Nordic skiing, and thus require little or no additional development.

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