Latest news with #skiResort
Washington Post
07-07-2025
- Washington Post
High-profile trial for deadly hotel fire that killed 78 opens in Turkey
ISTANBUL — A total of 32 defendants went on trial on Monday over a deadly fire that tore through a popular ski resort hotel, killing 78 people and injuring 133 others. The Jan. 21 fire hit the 12-story Grand Kartal Hotel at the Kartalkaya ski resort in the province of Bolu during the winter school break. Dozens of children taking family vacations were among the victims.
Associated Press
07-07-2025
- Associated Press
High-profile trial for deadly hotel fire that killed 78 opens in Turkey
ISTANBUL (AP) — A total of 32 defendants went on trial on Monday over a deadly fire that tore through a popular ski resort hotel, killing 78 people and injuring 133 others. The Jan. 21 fire hit the 12-story Grand Kartal Hotel at the Kartalkaya ski resort in the province of Bolu during the winter school break. Dozens of children taking family vacations were among the victims. The tragedy, which saw guests and staff jump out of windows to escape smoke and flame-filled rooms or dangle sheets out of windows to lower themselves down, sent shockwaves across Turkey and sparked widespread calls for accountability over negligence and safety violations. Thirteen of the defendants face potential jail terms of 1,998 years each on charges of killing or wounding with possible intent, according to the state-run Anadolu Agency, citing a 98-page indictment from the Bolu Public Prosecutor's Office. The 19 others are charged with negligently causing death or injury, for which they could be jailed for 22½ years. With 210 plaintiffs and 32 defendants involved in the high-profile case, the trial is taking place at a sports center in Bolu that has been temporarily converted into a 700-seat courtroom to accommodate the proceedings, Anadolu reported. On Monday, family members and friends of the victims staged a demonstration outside the sports center, holding up posters of their loved ones and demanding justice. 'This is not neglect, it is murder,' the Anadolu Agency quoted Zeynep Kotan, the mother of 17-year-old Omur Kotan, who lost her life in the fire, as saying. The fire started at 3.17 a.m. local time as a spark from an electric grill plate in the fourth-floor kitchen lit a nearby garbage bin before melting the hose of a liquefied petroleum gas, or LPG, and igniting the gas. Staff first noticed the flames at 3.24 a.m. and called the emergency services but within two minutes the blaze had 'exceeded controllable limits,' according to the indictment. The blaze took hold of the wooden ceiling, accelerated by the flow of air from a door left open by escaping kitchen staff. The indictment says that inadequate measures on the stairs and elevators and the lack of a smoke extraction system caused flammable and toxic fumes to swiftly spread to the upper floors, filling corridors with smoke. The lack of emergency alarms, faulty fire detection and warning systems and insufficient staff fire training meant the hotel's 238 guests were not alerted to the blaze in time. Escape routes through the stairways and emergency exits were not properly fitted and there was no sprinkler system, turning the hotel's stairwells and life shafts into 'chimneys' for the smoke to quickly reach the upper floors. The indictment adds that the absence of emergency lighting, fire escape signs and alternative exits stopped the safe evacuation of guests. The 14-day trial will hear that legal responsibility lay with owner Halit Ergul and company board members, including his wife and daughters, and managers. Also facing the higher punishment are Bolu's deputy mayor and deputy fire chief. Those facing the lesser charges consist of hotel staff, inspection officials and maintenance workers. The hotel first opened in 1999 and has been operated by Ergul's company since 2007. In a statement to prosecutors made within days of the fire, Ergul said the hotel was checked for fire safety every two years by government-authorized inspectors before receiving a tourism certificate, allowing it to operate. The most recent certificate was due to expire in March. The hotel's last inspection by the Culture and Tourism Ministry was conducted five weeks before the fire, Ergul said.
Yahoo
21-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Jay Peak GM Calls Impact of Canadian Tariffs "Catastrophic"
Earlier this week, the United States Senate convened a forum amongst the Senate Financial Committee, and others, on the impacts of tariffs and the current administration's trade war on business, manufacturing, farming, and the tourism industry. Vermont Senator Peter Welch, who is a member of the Senate Finance Committee welcomed General Manager Steve Wright of Vermont's Jay Peak to the forum to speak on the economic impacts and cultural harm as a result of the administration's new policies. Wright's opening statement provided a stark look into how the ski area and its local economy, which sits just south of the Canadian border, has already seen dramatic impacts of the tariffs imposed by the administration. Wright cited that the ski area itself is a $70M business that's been around for 60 years, and was once even owned by a Canadian company. The towns that are closest to the ski area, Newport and Jay, are home to less than 5,000 and 550 full-time residents respectively. On any given busy day at the ski resort, the population of Jay, VT can increase to more than 10,000 people, 50% of whom are Canadian visitors traveling from towns like Toronto, Montreal, and several of the eastern townships. Due to both a close proximity and relationship with the neighboring country, Wright noted policies that had been put in place many years prior at the resort that allowed Canadians to use the Canadian dollar on products like lift tickets, entry to the water park, for golf rounds. Depending on the current status of the dollar and Canadian dollar, that's meant that a discount of around 20-35% at any given time. "Our french fries come with American gravy and Canadian cheese curds and the resort consumes equal parts Budweiser and Molson," said Wright, in a lighthearted emphasis of his to watch the full speech below. Keep reading for to keep up with the best stories and photos in skiing? Subscribe to the new Powder To The People newsletter for weekly updates. Wright continued by saying that Jay Peak and the state of Vermont are forecasting a 'potentially catastrophic amount of trouble' as it pertained to Canadians citizens unwillingness to visit the state for the 'indeterminate future.' He also touched on the increased costs of bringing in necessary operating equipment for the resort as a result of the tariffs. Located within Vermont's Northeast Kingdom, Jay Peak is the state's chief supplier of state and local taxes as well as more than 1,500 employment opportunities for Vermont's workforce, not to mention the most snow in eastern North America over the past winter, stated Wright. Despite these metrics, the ski area has already seen a massive decrease in Canadian visitorship. The 2026 fiscal year season pass sales has already seen a reduction of 35% by Canadian passholders. Wright recalled personally calling more than 150 Canadian households over the past two weeks. "They cite the Presidential Administration's flagrant disrespect of Canadian independence and not only a challenge to Canadian sovereignty but their own identity and they feel the need to respond," said Wright, summarizing the common sentiments of these phone calls. One family told him they were not sure when they'd return to Jay Peak, if ever. Beyond just Jay Peak, the 50,000 yearly Canadian visitors inject $150M into Vermont's economy annually, a number that has already seen suffering as a result of the tariffs. Wright closes his statement by noting the optimism required to work in the ski industry, one that is based largely on remote locations, fickle weather, and a lack of affordable housing. "The very last thing we need added to our plates is the President's anti-Canadian being driven by this administration that is neither grounded in logic nor supported by facts. It is my hope that ultimately cooler and more logical heads will prevail, but we have not seen much in the way of cool, and logic appears to be roughly five months out the proverbial window," said Wright. Jay Peak is not the only voice in the ski and outdoor industry to speak out about the affects of these tariffs. Earlier this week, women's ski and mountain bike brand, Wild Rye, opened to public investors as a way to bridge the financial gap needed to move product production out of China, as a result of the tariffs. On May 5th, Black Diamond reported a 15-25% raise in prices as a result of the tariffs. Many more brands and ski areas have waited in hesitation to see how these tariffs will continue to impact an already precarious industry following the COVID pandemic and in the face of climate change. Vermont skiers and ski areas are no strangers to standing up to this administration. Wright's statement further exemplifies that just because an office in the ski industry might look a little different than one in the White House, it's doesn't mean they aren't prepared to suit up and fight Peak GM Calls Impact of Canadian Tariffs "Catastrophic" first appeared on Powder on Jun 12, 2025 Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
RNZ News
13-06-2025
- Climate
- RNZ News
Skiers hit Mt Hutt slopes for first time this winter
Photo: Supplied Skiers are hitting the slopes at Canterbury's Mt Hutt for the first time this winter after the ski area was forced to postpone its opening day. Mt Hutt was supposed to open its doors for ski season on Friday, but morning rainfall caused the snowpack to become unstable. On its website Mt Hutt said crews were out all night laying down new cord and preparing the area for the public for Saturday morning. People were advised to avoid some off-trail areas which still had a high slide risk. Manager James Urquhart said they were grateful to finally be able to open. "It's a relief to see everyone be back skiing and riding. It's a great buzz at the moment." He said more than 1500 people were at Mt Hutt on Saturday morning braving the -3C temperatures. He said those queuing outside in their cars on Friday were not there when they opened the gates at 7am. "They must've got sick of waiting and went home, the poor ones yesterday. I do feel bad for them." One of their chairlifts had to be de-iced and they were still sorting out a few kinks. "There's a few out there riding, but we've got a lot of people hanging around waiting for that lift to get going. We've been up since 4am trying to get it done, but it's taking some time to thaw things out and we need the sun to make it easier for us. "We're still trialling a lot of systems and staff are trying to get used to their roles. Considering the conditions we've had in the last few days, it's going well." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
CBC
06-06-2025
- Business
- CBC
Marble draws no interest in latest government effort to off-load ski resort
The government of Newfoundland and Labrador is still struggling to off-load a seasonal tourism destination on the island's west coast, after receiving no public interest in its latest effort to sell off Atlantic Canada's largest ski resort. Marble Mountain Resort resides in Steady Brook, just west of Corner Brook. It's currently owned and operated by the provincial government, which has made several attempts to sell the operation. In June 2018, the province issued a request for proposal in hopes of drumming up a buyer. The RFP was cancelled in July 2021 after only three submissions were received. In August, an expression of interest for the purchase or long-term lease of the resort was issued. Former tourism minister Steve Crocker told CBC News at the time that two parties expressed interest. In February, the province issued a new RFP for the sale of the resort. Tourism Minister Fred Hutton said the government received no bids. "We're sort of back to square one," Hutton said. "We weren't completely surprised by this." WATCH | What's next for Marble Mountain: No bidders for Marble Mountain…. again 3 hours ago Duration 1:48 No interest The sale of Marble Mountain was recommended by both former premier Andrew Furey's economic recovery team and a 2022 review of provincial assets performed by multinational bank and financial services company Rothschild and Co. Hutton said the province would like to see the property become a privately owned four-season resort — a vision, he says, requires a private investor. "People have been doing other things around Marble Mountain for years," Hutton said. "It's just a matter of marketing that and having the right people behind it and the right investment that private would bring to it." In the meantime, the 2025 provincial budget has committed to funding Marble Mountain through its 2025-26 winter season. Hutton said the facility is a cornerstone of tourism on Newfoundland's west coast. "Over the last five years we've committed to about $4.5 million dollars in capital investments in addition to the operating fund that the province gives to the ski hill each and every year," he said, adding that the province remains committed to keeping the resort open. "If a private investor comes in and has some sort of different vision, that's why we want to talk to the stakeholders."
