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EPR BUYS WINTERGREEN

EPR Properties has purchased the assets of Wintergreen Resort, Va., in conjunction with its operator for the property, Pacific Group Resorts, Inc. Pacific Group Resorts will lease the property from EPR and manage the resort. Pacific Group also owns Ragged Mountain, N.H., and worked in concert with EPR to acquire Wisp Resort in Western Maryland in 2012.

EPR purchased Wintergreen from James C. Justice, who had acquired the resort in the summer of 2012.

INTRAWEST Q2 RESULTS IMPROVE

Intrawest reduced its year-over-year second quarter loss for the period ending Dec. 31 and reported increased revenues. The net loss of $31.1 million compared to a net loss of $122.2 million in the same period the prior year, and reflected the reduced interest payments stemming from the company’s IPO in February 2014. Revenue was $120.8 million in the quarter, up from $102.1 million in 2013. Much of the increase resulted from the purchase of Blue Mountain in September 2014. Excluding that transaction, Intrawest cited a 4.7 percent increase in mountain revenue for the quarter, and a 2.2 percent increase in skier and snowboarder visits at its ski resorts.

PEOPLE

In the West, Northstar Resort has named Glenn Cademartori as its new resort marketing director. ... Paul Marshall is the new director of communications of Ski Utah.

Chris Diamond, president and COO of Steamboat Ski and Resort Corporation, will retire June 30, 2015. Intrawest, Steamboat’s parent company, will conduct an internal and external search for a qualified successor.

In New England, Ragged Mountain named Ryan Schramm as general manager. ... Jacky Francois is the new executive chef of the Omni Mount Washington Resort in Bretton Woods, N.H. ... Cranmore Mountain Resort hired a new physical therapist, Matt Geary.

Laura Schutz and Frank Kelley are the 2014 recipients of Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports’ annual Jim Hutchinson Volunteer of the Year Award.

The U.S. Ski Team added Brandon Dyksterhouse to its women’s technical team. Brooke McAffee is vice president and chief financial officer of the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association.

The National Ski Patrol elected new board members Keith Cassidy (Wintergreen, Va.), Rick Knight (Mount Southington, Conn.), Ken Kramer (Winter Park, Colo.), Chris Pringle (Bradford, Mass.), and Bill Sinykin (Beaver Mountain, Utah), and re-elected Ed McNamara as chairman.

The North American Snowsports Journalists Assn. honored Al Fletcher, founder of Nashoba Valley, with its Lifetime Achievement Award. Jack Sibbach, marketing and public relations director at Sun Valley, received the 2015 Bob Gillen Award. Bill Marolt, former CEO of the U.S. Ski Team, earned the Carson White Golden Quill Award. Journalist Frida Waara received the Mitch Kaplan Award for Excellence in Snowsports Coverage.

SUPPLIER NEWS

Best Lockers, a division of Safemark, has merged with ScooterBug. The company offers a portfolio of guest mobility solutions and electronic lockers.

HKD Snowmakers has added Ben Siefert to its sales and tech support team in the Western US.

OBITUARIES

Louise Kenney died on Dec. 9, 2014. Wife of David Kenney Jr., founder of the Lift Maintenance Seminars (LMS), Louise was the official registrar for the annual meeting for the past 37 years, as well as secretary to the Massachusetts Ski Areas Association.


A.G. “Buzz” Bainbridge, one of New Mexico’s key ski pioneers, died in his sleep on Jan. 11. He was 93. Bainbridge helped to create and manage several resorts in the Southwest.


Scott Gray died suddenly on Jan. 18. He was a vice president for Gregory & Appel, specializing in aviation and resort insurance. Scott was a longtime member of the National Ski Areas Association and the Midwest Ski Areas Association, where he served on the Board of Directors.


Ted Farwell died Jan. 25, at the age of 84. Ted was a longtime consultant in the planning and appraisal of ski areas. He also designed the first national Economic Analysis of Ski Areas for the NSAA. He competed in three Olympic Games, 1952-60; his 11th in the Nordic Combined in 1952 was the highest placement for an American-born Nordic Combined skier, a record that stood for 50 years.