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To: skelly who wrote (32441)	4/24/1999 11:43:00 PM
From: Jim McMannis	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 116923

I believe Israel is taking about 150. Token at best but you are right. Where are the Arab countries?

To: skelly who wrote (32441)	4/25/1999 10:24:00 AM
From: long-gone	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 116923

And we were told this is a service based economy?????????? I know I heard an "industry analyst" giving advice to invest in these last year! Skiing stock goes downhill Resorts hit economic moguls, but operators optimistic for next year By Erika Gonzalez Denver Rocky Mountain News Staff Writer The curtain is closing on the ski season, and for at least two of the country's largest ski operators, the finale comes none too soon. Two of the three publicly held ski companies with resorts in Colorado have weathered especially tough seasons. Vail Resorts -- owner of Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone -- and Steamboat Springs parent American Skiing Co. both needed to post especially strong results this season, given a drop in investor confidence last fall. What they got was something entirely different and completely unexpected. "We usually get 35 feet of snow a season," Vail Chairman Adam Aron said. "This year we had the second lowest snowfall in the recorded history of Vail." Poor snow conditions caused American's and Vail's stock to plunge further: Vail, which traded at more than $30 last March, hit a low of $14.13 a year later. American has suffered the most, dropping from a high of $16.88 last April to a low of $3.13 a month ago. Copper Mountain parent Intrawest Corp. fared better. The Vancouver-based company's stock fell to just over $10 last October, but rebounded to a high of $21.63 earlier this month. The rise is primarily due to the company's Canadian resorts, which gained on strong early season snow conditions and the country's cheap exchange rates. Americans got 50 percent more value for their dollars when they traveled north. "The Canadian dollar has had a big, big impact," said Harry Rannala, an analyst with Research Capital Corp. in Toronto. Mother Nature cops out Vail and American had hoped to hold their own. But as this season proved, in an industry that depends so heavily on Mother Nature's graces, anything is possible. "Had it been a good snow season, we would've seen better results," said Stacy Forbes, an analyst with Denver-based Janco Partners, who covers Vail Resorts. American Skiing Co., Intrawest and Vail all had good reasons for optimism last fall. El Niño, which had brought little consistent snowfall to the Rockies last season, was followed by La Niña. That weather pattern had a reputation of delivering record snowfalls to the Rocky Mountains in particular, where each of the three companies has resorts. The trio collectively spent nearly $250 million on capital improvements for the 1998-1999 season, building more high-speed lifts, upscale condos and on-mountain restaurants for skiers to enjoy. As publicly held companies, Intrawest, Vail and American all have access to capital that private firms don't enjoy. But they are also held to scrutiny by stockholders. In Colorado, Intrawest, Vail Resorts (at Keystone and Breckenridge) and privately held Winter Park launched a price war. The four resorts allowed groups of four to ski all season for less than $200 a person. The promotion provided a significant discount from the $630 to $750 price tags for season passes the year before.(cont.) insidedenver.com How many other lies have we been told(don't ever buy gold?)?