Subaru, PSIA, AASI and NSP Celebrate 10 Years Of Partnership

LAKEWOOD, Colo., Dec. 16, 2004 -- 2004 was a milestone year in the ten-year partnership between the Professional Ski Instructors of America (PSIA), the American Association of Snowboard Instructors (AASI), the National Ski Patrol (NSP) and Subaru of America, Inc. In September 2004, vehicle number 5,000 was sold to a member of the National Ski Patrol in Spokane, Washington.

"The long-term success of the partnership is due to mutual commitment and significant contributions to the benefit of all partners," says PSIA-AASI-NSP assistant executive director, Mark Dorsey. "We're grateful to Subaru for their dedication to the relationship and look forward to it continuing long into the future."

In 1995, Subaru of America, Inc. strengthened its already 20-year history in snow sports by developing a strong grass-roots relationship with PSIA-AASI and NSP. Their research identified potential vehicle buyers as being outdoor enthusiasts, including skiers and snowboarders. With their combined membership of 56,000, PSIA-AASI and the NSP were a natural fit.

"The relationship that Subaru has fostered with the NSP, PSIA and AASI is a benchmark for marketing affiliation success unmatched to date in the automotive industry," said Tim Bennett, director, marketing programs, Subaru of America, Inc. "We are truly grateful to our partners at the NSP, PSIA and AASI for allowing us to uniquely showcase our Subaru Symmetrical All-Wheel-Drive under real-world driving conditions. The quantifiable sales success that this partnership continues to deliver is further evidence of the success of the program."

Over the years, AASI, NSP, and PSIA promoted Subaru brands aggressively to the associations' members through in-house print advertising, brochures, ski and snowboard tips for television, and through additional promotional efforts on the associations' websites to ensure strong member awareness and inspire vehicle purchase. The associations' customer service personnel handle member inquiries and generate leads that are fulfilled by Subaru and their dealer base.

Subaru creates decaled "signature vehicles" for AASI, NSP, and PSIA. These vehicles are distributed to members of the associations' boards of directors, and to those responsible for running the associations' geographic divisions. These "mobile billboards" are used and are present at major consumer events, from Alaska to the Carolinas.

Reaching consumers directly on the slopes, AASI and PSIA create and distribute Subaru "Tip of The Day" cards for member instructors to hand out to their students during lessons. These cards illustrate ski, snowboard and terrain park tips with space on them for instructors and students to make notes and use as a reference for their next lesson. Starting in 1995, 25,000 cards were distributed annually with their popularity increasing to this season's print run of 110,000 cards.

In 1997, the Subaru/PSIA/AASI/NSP partnership received top honors with the Keystone Awards for Excellence in Membership, awarded by the American Society of Association Executives. The program was recognized in the category of

"Best Non-Dues Revenue Program," with the winners being chosen for use of innovative tools and tactics to enhance membership development and retention.

Other highlights of the ten-year relationship include a series of Subaru "Master the Mountain" ski and snowboard instructional tips for television, Master the Mountain instructional camps for ski areas, collaboration on a video for consumer snowsports and auto shows, and support of PSIA-AASI national demo teams with participation at team training events.

About Subaru of America, Inc.

Subaru of America, Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. of Japan. Headquartered in Cherry Hill, N.J., the company markets and distributes all-wheel drive Subaru vehicles, parts and accessories through a network of nearly 600 dealers across the United States. Subaru is the only car company that features Symmetrical All-Wheel drive as standard equipment on every vehicle in its product line. For additional information visit http://www.subaru.com/.

About PSIA and AASI

PSIA and AASI are educational organizations of the nonprofit American Snowsports Education Association (ASEA) with a combined membership of more than 29,000 members who are dedicated to promoting snowsports through instruction. The organizations establish certification standards for ski and snowboard instructors and develop education materials to be used as the core components of most ski and snowboard school training. PSIA and AASI support the membership through research and development of instructional programs in alpine and nordic skiing, snowboarding, adaptive skiing, and children's skiing. Visit http://www.psia.org/ or http://www.aasi.org/.

About the National Ski Patrol

The National Ski Patrol (NSP) is a Federally Chartered nonprofit membership association dedicated to serving the public and the mountain recreation industry by providing education services about emergency care and safety. For more than 65 years, the NSP has been at the forefront of safety and emergency care education programs. The association's 28,500 members represent 98 percent of the nation's patrollers, whether or not they are paid by or volunteer for their home area. These members are agents of ski and snowboard area management and, through NSP's award-winning Outdoor Emergency Care program, are the principal delivery system of emergency care training for area patrollers. NSP also develops training for non-medical roles, including toboggan handling, avalanche rescue, mountain host programs, and more. http://www.nsp.org/

American Association of Snowboard Instructors; National Ski Patrol