Shaheen, Hassan, and Pappas push SHRED Act to keep ski mountain fees local

Every year, about 1 million visitors hit the slopes to ski or snowboard in New Hampshire’s White Mountain National Forest, according to the National Forest Service.

The ski resorts that operate there, as well as in other U.S. national forests, have to pay a permit fee. That fee generates more than $48 million (on average over the 10 years ending in 2022) for the National Forest Service from 124 ski resorts across the country, the Forest Service said.

About $1.6 million of that comes from New Hampshire and Vermont as of 2024, though there is no guarantee that the money comes back to the national forests in the two states specifically. (None of Maine’s ski resorts are in national forests.) Around half of it comes from national forests in Colorado, where Aspen Snowmass, Vail, and Steamboat Ski resorts, among others, operate.

In an effort to keep that revenue local, a bipartisan group of U.S. senators, including New Hampshire’s Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan, have helped reintroduce the Ski Hill Resources for Economic Development Act, orSHRED Act. U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas has signed on to the House version of the bill.

The bill, which lawmakers also tried to pass in 2023 and 2024, would allow national forests to keep 80% of the permit fee that was generated within its boundaries. The remaining 20% could be distributed nationally.

The bill also outlines a framework for how each forest can use their funding. Out of the funds that each forest keeps, 75% would be used to support the ski area programming and permitting while 25% could be used to manage the forest’s year-round recreational activities and needs.

Loon Mountain Ski Resort is one of those fee-paying ski areas in White Mountain National Forest.

“The reinvestment of ski area permit fees into local forest programs is important to both our operations and rural mountain economies,” Brian Norton, Loon Mountain’s President and General Manager, said. “Strong, well-resourced local Forest Service offices are essential for ski areas on public lands, like Loon, to maintain operations and advance future projects. Partnership with the Forest Service is crucial for us, and the SHRED Act would help ensure the agency’s recreation program has the resources it needs.”

Vail Resorts, the behemoth ski conglomerate that owns dozens of ski resorts around the country and world, including Wildcat and Attitash Mountain resorts in White Mountain National Forest, said in a statement that the SHRED Act would “strengthen the important partnership between ski areas and the US Forest Service.”

“We have long supported this legislation and appreciate the bill sponsors for their ongoing leadership and commitment to the outdoor recreation economy,” Brendan McGuire, the company’s VP of Community and Government Affairs, said.

Vail Resorts was also reportedly involved in drafting the bill, according to mediareports from Colorado where the company is based.

Representatives from Waterville Valley Resort, another ski resort that operates in White Mountain National Forest, did not respond to requests for comment.

The legislative effort is being led in the Senate by Colorado Democrat Sen. Michael Bennet and Wyoming Republican Sen. John Barrasso. Colorado Democrat Rep. Joe Neguse and Utah Republican Rep. Blake Moore introduced it in the House.

“New Hampshire’s stunning White Mountains and impressive ski slopes attract Granite State residents and tourists alike – making it a key pillar of our outdoor recreation economy,” Shaheen said in a statement, adding that she’ll “continue supporting commonsense investments in our recreation economy to benefit local communities and preserve our landscapes for generations to come.” 

 Hassan called New Hampshire’s ski resorts “cornerstones of our winter tourism industry and our state’s economy.”

“This legislation will benefit both our local communities and the millions of visitors who come to experience the Granite State’s natural beauty,” Hassan continued.