PARK CITY, Utah — The American Skiing Company (ASC) family of resorts has teamed up with Nickelodeon to introduce SpongeBob SquarePants skis and snowboards and Dora the Explorer skis, as well as helmets and winter accessories. These exclusive branded products from Rossignol, Giro, Chaos and Gordini will be available only at ASC resorts.

“SpongeBob SquarePants and Dora the Explorer skis and snowboards are sure to be a winter hit with kids and families as they head outdoors for seasonal sports and activities,” said Hal Snik, Nickelodeon & Viacom Consumer Products’ vice president of apparel, accessories & home goods.

Family Winter Festivals, presented by Nickelodeon, will take place at all seven ASC resorts this season and will be packed with activities and games for the whole family, including costume character appearances by SpongeBob and Dora, live bands that have appeared on NOGGIN’s hit series, Jack’s Big Music Show and special Learn-to-Ski/Ride Programs from ASC’s award-winning Perfect Turn Ski and Snowboard Schools.

“Skiing and snowboarding are such great family sports, and we’re excited to partner with Nickelodeon to promote an active outdoor lifestyle to kids,” said Chip Carey senior vice president of marketing and sales for ASC. “This partnership presents a tremendous opportunity for us to introduce more families to winter sports, which is not only important for our resorts, but the entire ski and snowboard industry.”

ASC resorts, including Killington and Mount Snow in Vermont; Sunday River and Sugarloaf/USA in Maine; Steamboat in Colorado; The Canyons in Utah; and Attitash in New Hampshire are hosting Family Winter Festivals throughout the 2006-07 ski and snowboard season. Family Winter Festivals will feature costume character appearances from SpongeBob and Dora, plus active on-snow Nickelodeon games, including the JellyFish Family Relay Race, Nick Tunes Karaoke, Nickelodeon movies, arts & crafts and scavenger hunts. Live entertainment from “The Dirty Sock Funtime Band,” “Hot Peas ‘N’ Butter” and “The Laurie Berkner Band” will also perform at select Family Winter Festival events.

Family Winter Festivals kick off Dec. 9-10 at Killington and continue through April 7-8 at Sunday River. Each resort will also offer special Family Winter Festival vacation packages, available through each resort’s website. The complete schedule and headlining bands are as follows:

Dec. 9-10: Killington – Featuring The Dirty Sock Funtime Band
Dec. 22-24: Mount Snow – Featuring Hot Peas ‘N’ Butter
Dec. 27-31: Attitash – Featuring The Dirty Sock Funtime Band
Jan. 1-6: The Canyons – Featuring The Dirty Sock Funtime Band
Jan. 8-12: Sunday River – Featuring The Dirty Sock Funtime Band
Jan. 12-15: Steamboat – Featuring The Laurie Berkner Band
Jan. 26-Feb. 4: Killington – Featuring Hot Peas ‘N’ Butter
Feb. 19-23: Attitash – Featuring The Dirty Sock Funtime Band
Feb. 5-11: Sugarloaf – Featuring Hot Peas ‘N’ Butter
Feb. 26-March 2: Sunday River – Featuring The Dirty Sock Funtime Band
March 5-10: Sugarloaf – Featuring The Dirty Sock Funtime Band
March 12-16: Mount Snow – Featuring The Dirty Sock Funtime Band
March 19-23: The Canyons – Featuring The Dirty Sock Funtime Band
April 7-8: Sunday River – Featuring Hot Peas ‘N’ Butter

A complete list of events and activities is available at each individual resort’s website.

Sunday River and The Canyons will feature Nickelodeon-themed mini terrain gardens featuring SpongeBob character cut outs to create a “secret passageway” that kids and parents can ski/ride together.

Nickelodeon & Viacom Consumer Products manages the third largest licensing business in the world and represents such properties as SpongeBob SquarePants and Dora the Explorer. The department handles the merchandising for Nick Jr., Nickelodeon, Paramount Pictures, Comedy Central, MTVN International, and Spike TV.

Nickelodeon, in its 27th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books, magazines and feature films. Nickelodeon’s U.S. television network is seen in more than 90 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for eleven consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom International Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B)

Headquartered in Park City, Utah, American Skiing Company is one of the largest operators of alpine ski, snowboard and golf resorts in the United States. Its resorts include Killington and Mount Snow in Vermont; Sunday River and Sugarloaf/USA in Maine; Attitash in New Hampshire; Steamboat in Colorado; and The Canyons in Utah. More information is available on the Company’s Web site, www.peaks.com.