NASTAR Operations Return Back To SKI Magazine

Active Interest Media (AIM) and U.S. Ski & Snowboard today announced that NASTAR operations will transfer back to the program’s owner, AIM. AIM and U.S. Ski & Snowboard remain partners in the marketing, promotion, and growth of the 52-year-old NAtional STAndard Race series and national championship that boasts more than 100,000 annual races at over 100 resorts around the country.

“NASTAR can trace its roots back to 1968 when the program was developed by SKI Magazine,” said AIM CEO Andrew Clurman. “We are excited to bring NASTAR back under our roof at AIM with SKI Magazine. AIM is well-positioned to continue to develop the lauded NASTAR brand, and we look forward to garnering greater awareness and participation in the sport of ski racing nationally.”

“NASTAR has always been an important entry point for aspiring racers to our development pipeline in alpine ski racing and we are excited to see it continue to grow under AIM once again,” said U.S. Ski & Snowboard President and CEO Tiger Shaw. “Many of the best U.S. Ski Team athletes got their start at NASTAR - a tradition we expect to continue. We look forward to working with AIM to inspire participants of all ages to get involved in ski racing.”

U.S. Ski & Snowboard will transfer operations to AIM in the coming months. AIM will handle all forward operations interfacing with resorts while U.S. Ski & Snowboard will complete any outstanding business operations from last season. Any advance registrations for the Nationals this year that carry forward to next, will be transferred to AIM in the transition.

NASTAR (an acronym for NAtional STAndard Race) is the world's largest known recreational ski and snowboard race program. It allows ski or snowboard racers of all ages and abilities, through a handicap system, a way to compare themselves with one another and with the national champion, regardless of when and where they race.

NASTAR uses the principal of time percentages to calibrate a skier's ability, John Fry, who became editor-in-chief of SKI Magazine in 1964, adapted a percentage-of-time system to a program for recreational ski racing in the United States, calling it the 'National Standard Race'. Fry, who in 1969 became editorial director of Golf Magazine as well as SKI, was driven by the idea of creating in skiing the equivalent of par in golf. The program, to which Fry applied the acronym NASTAR, was introduced in 1968 as a means to compare the performance of recreational ski racers at resorts across the United States, and later, for a time, in Australia, Canada, Scandinavia, Switzerland and Italy. Nastar courses are simple, open-gated giant slaloms on mostly intermediate terrain, allowing skiers of all abilities and ages to experience racing. Just as in golf's handicap system, skiers can compare their times and compete with one another regardless of where and when they compete. It takes into account varying terrain and snow conditions. The program started with 8 participating resorts and 2,297 skiers in the first year, but quickly gained in popularity, under the powerful direction of former U.S. Ski Team coach and pro skiing impresario Bob Beattie, growing to more than 100 resorts and 6 million skiers and snowboarders having participated by 2006.[1][3] The program went through several national sponsors, the latest being Nature Valley.

One of the world's largest enthusiast-media companies, Active Interest Media publishes leading consumer magazines such as Yoga Journal, Backpacker, SKI, Vegetarian Times, Sail, Old House Journal, and more. The company's five divisions—the Equine Network, Home Group, Healthy Living Group, Marine Group, and Outdoor Group—reach more than 39 million people in 85 countries. AIM also operates thriving B2B platforms, online universities, and retail events. Core competencies include lead generation, marketing services (through its in-house agency, Catapult Creative Labs), and video production. Its businesses include Warren Miller Entertainment, the most successful adventure-film company in history; IDEAFit, the world's leading organization of fitness and wellness professionals; and AIM Studios, a seven-person unit dedicated to digital video. Active Interest Media's customers are smart, engaged, and loyal, and they look to our brands for trustworthy information and services that will inspire and enable them to enjoy their passions.