• Lifts

SAM Magazine—Denver, Feb. 16, 2018—Meager snowfall at many western ski resorts through January led to a decline in winter occupancy for the first time in six years, while lodging properties maintained a tenuous hold on revenues, according to Inntopia’s monthly DestiMetrics Market Briefing.

• Lifts

SAM Magazine—Washington, D.C., Feb. 16, 2018—The U.S. Forest Service has commenced a series of “Regional Partner Roundtables” to gather feedback to improve processes related to environmental analysis and decision making (EADM). The roundtables provide resorts that operate on Forest Service land the opportunity to make suggestions for improving the efficiency of the processes associated with every improvement project that resorts undertake, according to the most recent NSAA Capitol Watch.

• Lifts

SAM Magazine—Washington, D.C., Feb. 16, 2018—More than 60 ski areas and resort companies have now been sued for allegations over inaccessible websites for the visually and hearing impaired under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), according to the most recent NSAA Capitol Watch. To combat this trend, NSAA representatives went to Washington D.C. this month to meet with key lawmakers and Justice Department officials who can help move regulation and guidance along.

• Ski School

SAM Magazine—Washington, D.C., Feb 9, 2018—The opening ceremonies for the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang are tonight, kicking off nearly three weeks of winter sports coverage from NBC, with hundreds of millions of people expected to tune in around the world. In the U.S., viewers will be directed to NBC-owned SportsEngine.com to learn how to participate in competitive winter sports, and a link to learntoskiandsnowboard.org is included for those seeking recreational pursuits.

• Ski Area Profiles

SAM Magazine—Denver, Feb. 7, 2018—Longtime Mammoth Resorts leader Rusty Gregory has been named Alterra Mountain Company’s chief executive officer. Gregory has been a member of Alterra’s board of directors since the company’s inception in August 2017. His 40-year ski industry career began as a lift operator at Mammoth Mountain, Calif., where he rose through the ranks to become an owner and the company’s chairman and CEO for more than 20 years.

• Legal
• Ski Area Profiles

SAM Magazine—Jackson, Wyo., Feb. 4, 2018—Snowbird majority owner and former Powdr Corp. owner Ian Cumming died Friday at his home in Jackson, Wyo. He was 77.

• Safety
• Legal

SAM Magazine—Durango, Colo., Feb. 2, 2018—Mountain Capital Partners has named industry veteran Elizabeth Howe its new director of operations for its collection of mountain resorts, including Purgatory Resort and Hesperus Ski Area, Colo.; Sipapu Ski & Summer Resort and Pajarito Mountain, N.M.; and Arizona Snowbowl.

• Legal
• Safety

SAM Magazine—Olympic Valley, Calif., Feb. 2, 2018—Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows is working with regional electricity provider Liberty Utilities to identify and develop new renewable energy generation, storage and energy efficiency projects, primarily solar, that will provide clean energy to the region. Subject to regulatory approval, the two companies intend to achieve the resort’s 100 percent renewable energy goal as early as December 2018.

• Personnel Issues
• Legal

SAM Magazine—Miami, Fla., Feb. 2, 2018—Jay Peak’s former owner who allegedly misused millions of dollars in EB-5 foreign investor funds has agreed to pay back $81 million as part of a settlement with the government. The SEC charged Quiros in 2016 with orchestrating a “ponzi-like” scheme.

• Lifts
• Personnel Issues

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., Feb. 1, 2018—Registration is now open for 16th annual spring session of Cutter's Camp, May 14-18, 2018, at Timberline, Mt. Hood, Ore. The weeklong spring program for terrain park professionals features on-hill and classroom workshops, including the return of one-on-one customized operator coaching, Park Challenge workshops​,​ and terrain park operations check list.

• Lifts

SAM Magazine—Lakewood, Colo., Jan. 31, 2018—Resorts can now enroll to participate in the 2018 NSAA Climate Challenge. The Climate Challenge is a voluntary program dedicated to helping participating ski areas track, report, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions as well as reduce energy costs. The deadline for enrollment is May 18.

• Lifts

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., Jan. 29, 2018—Vail Resorts has entered into a “long-term alliance” with Telluride Ski Resort in Colorado, adding the resort to the Epic Pass starting in 2018-19. The Epic Pass now offers access and benefits to a total of 46 mountain resorts worldwide. 

• Safety
• Lifts

SAM Magazine—Orcas Island, Wash., Jan. 25, 2018—The man who brought ski movies to the mainstream, Warren Miller, died Wednesday at the age of 93.

• Ski Area Profiles
• Safety

SAM Magazine—Denver, Jan. 25, 2018—Alterra Mountain Company, the recently-named joint venture that curated a dozen North American mountain resorts last year, unveiled the name of its highly anticipated season pass product and the mountains it will provide access to. The Ikon Pass will go on sale this spring, and passholders will get unlimited access to, and/or a set number of days at 23 different mountain resorts—Alterra’s 12 properties, and 11 partner mountains. The company said details on access, pass benefits, and pricing will be released in the coming weeks.

• Ski Patrol

SAM Magazine—Denver, Jan. 24, 2018—The much-anticipated Outdoor Retailer + Snow Show kicks off tomorrow at the Denver Convention Center, with roughly 1,000 outdoor brands ready to engage about 11,000 retail buyers over the four-day event, Jan. 25-28. SAM will be there, once again co-presenting the Rental World + Backshop and Uniform Gallery, which showcases these all-important product categories. The exhibits provide a one-stop overview of the categories, and provide a quick way for buyers to survey their options.