BC Banter: Brownsville, Vt. Buys Ascutney Trails, GoPro Faces Investigation and DPS’s New Films

 

Town of Brownsville, Vt. Buys Ascutney Trails

Brownsville, Vt. On Tuesday, October 14, the townspeople of Brownsville, Vt. voted to purchase 470 acres of the former Ascutney Mountain Ski Resort, which closed in 2010, for $600,000. Three-hundred-thirty voters packed the town’s Story Memorial Hall and confirmed the purchase first through a voice vote, followed by an official ballot vote. With the purchase, Brownsville plans to expand their mountain-biking trail network, which abuts 1,342 acres of town forest land and may begin maintaining the ski trails for winter use. “Making it available for recreational use is a good economic vehicle to bring people into town and generate income,” Marty Hunt, a Brownsville resident who voted in favor of the purchase, told the Valley news. Read the full story, here.

 

Hagens Berman Investigates GoPro Interference

Hagens Berman, a national consumer-rights law firm, is investigating GoPro for not disclosing the risks associated with camera use. Recent reports note that the cameras and their mounting devices may interfere with avalanche beacons and searcher equipment used to locate avalanche victims. “GoPro intends and markets its cameras for use by extreme snow athletes who are often in avalanche-prone areas using avalanche beacons,” said Tom Loeser, a Hagens Berman attorney leading the investigation, “yet nowhere in its user manuals or product literature does GoPro mention that the cameras could interfere with beacons.” To learn more, click here.

 

DPS Launches “DPS Cinematic”

Salt Lake City, Utah DPS is venturing into new terrain with DPS Cinematic, the ski company’s newly created film sector. Through a partnership with Ben Sturgulewski, formerly of Sweetgrass Productions, DPS Cinematic has produced four short films, collectively entitled The Shadow Campaign. Each runs about five minutes and the first is set in Chile’s Valle Nevado and will be released online on October 21. “The premise is a focus on location,” noted featured skier Zack Giffin in a recent ESPN interview. “A lot of videos look at people, special trips….this one is about locations that have relevant meaning to the company.”

The Shadow Campaign // Trailer from DPS SKIS on Vimeo.