Thursday, September 24, 2009
Aspen Skiing Co. won't hire pros on H2B visas this season
Company scraps plan to import 57 foreign ski instructors after Labor Department changes rules
Scott Condon

ASPEN — The Aspen Skiing Co. will quit using H2B visas to hire foreign ski and snowboard instructors this winter because of the state of the economy and a ruling by the Obama administration.

The Skico planned to reduce the number of foreign instructors in the special visa program from 109 last season to 57 this season, according to company spokesman Jeff Hanle. But now it won't hire any instructors through H2Bs, he said.

“It's not something we wanted to do,â€