SWAIN LEASED WITH PURCHASE AGREEMENT
The operators of Ski Denton, Pa., and owners of Swain Recreation Center, LLC reached an agreement to lease Swain Resort, N.Y., with the intention of completing an acquisition of the resort as soon as feasibly possible.

Ski Denton owners Scott and Jodi Carts and Shawn and Celeste Schoonover will continue ski operations at Swain while they arrange for the purchase of the area, which they plan to turn into a four-season family destination. Ski Denton is 65 miles south of Swain.


YELLOWSTONE CLUB SALE FINALIZED
The purchase of the Yellowstone Club, Mont., by Cross Harbor Capital Partners, LLC, was completed on July 17. Boston-based CrossHarbor, which includes several members of the private ski and golf club in Montana, will manage the property with Discovery Land Company.


NEW YORK NUMBER 4 IN VISITS
New York State surpassed four million skier visits, and Utah, over the 2008-09 season, a record-breaking number for the state that made it the fourth most popular ski state last winter, behind Colorado, California, and Vermont.

The Utah ski and snowboard industry closed the 2008-09 winter season with a total of 3,972,984 skier days, down 6.5 percent from the previous year’s record total of 4,249,190.


FORMER TITUS MANAGER PLEADS GUILTY
Zachary White, former mountain manager at Titus Mountain, N.Y., pleaded guilty to stealing electrical service to run lift and snowmaking operations at the ski area from August 2005 to March 2008. White faced 14 counts and pleaded guilty to all of them. A restitution hearing was set for October 8.


TELLURIDE TO HOST WORLD CUP
Colorado’s Telluride Resort will be the new home of international snowboarding competition in the U.S. as the 2010 Visa U.S. Snowboardcross Cup hits the Rocky Mountains December 17-20. Telluride will be the sole U.S. stop of the LG FIS Snowboard World Cup and will feature SBX and PGS competitions during what will be the second in a series of five Olympic qualification events for the two sports.


MOONLIGHT TO FORECLOSE?
Moonlight Basin, Mont., is facing foreclosure by its major lender, Lehman Bros., according to published reports. In 2007, Moonlight borrowed about $170 million from Lehman Bros. After the collapse of the bank in late 2008, Moonlight began to experience a severe cash squeeze due to the collapse of real estate sales.


OBITUARIES
Helmuth “Ace” Heise, 82, founder of Wisp Resort in Maryland, died on August 11, 2009, following a chronic illness. Helmuth, along with community leaders, started ski area operations in 1955. He sold his financial interest in 2001, but remained part of the management team up until his hospitalization.

Nic Fiore, 88, a legendary ski instructor from Badger Pass in Yosemite, died in mid-June. Fiore began teaching at the area in 1948 and directed the ski and snowboard school for 45 years. In 2001, he became a ski ambassador.


PEOPLE
Jules Older resigned as editor-in-chief of Ski Press Magazine.

The U.S. Alpine Ski Team welcomed back Forest Carey as the new men’s Europa Cup head coach.

Saddleback Ski Area, Maine, hired Conrad Klefos as director of marketing. The area also hired Greg Andrews as the new controller and director of finance.

Mount Washington Resort, N.H., hired Stacey Doll as the new director of public relations.

Snowshoe, W.V., hired Craig Low as the director of marketing.

At Beaver Creek, Colo., Jim Kercher became the director of the ski and snowboard school. . .At Telluride, Hollie Hannahs is the new director of lodging.

Sleeping Giant Ski Area, Wyo., which plans to reopen by Thanksgiving after several years in mothballs, has hired Hamilton Bryan as executive director.

Red Lodge, Mont., appointed Jeff Schmidt as general manager.

Homewood Mountain Resort GM Kent Hoopingarner was promoted to oversee California’s Alpine Meadows Ski Resort, as well as Homewood. . .Squaw Valley named Mike Livak as the new senior VP and general manager.


SUPPLIER NEWS
Rossignol hired Tim Petrick as vice president of global sales and marketing.

Wintersteiger announced its sponsorship as a supplier to the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association’s Center of Excellence equipment tuning room.