SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., May 15, 2015—A number of leadership changes first detailed by Vail Resorts last fall are currently underway. John Buhler, current COO of Keystone, is transitioning to COO of Breckenridge. Buhler joined Vail Resorts in 1994 as manager of the Breckenridge ski school. He became ski school assistant direct...

SAM Magazine—South Lake Tahoe, Nev., May 15, 2015—The Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board added the final stamp of approval to an extensive expansion of on-mountain summer activities at Heavenly Mountain Resort. Billed as Epic Discovery, new attractions will include multiple zip line canopy tours, a ropes course, an alpine coa...

SAM Magazine—Mill Valley, Calif., May 13, 2015—The California Ski Industry Association (CSIA) board of directors has chosen Michael Reitzell, an experienced attorney representing the ski and outdoor recreation industries, to be the new president of CSIA. Reitzell succeeds longtime CSIA chief Bob Roberts, who retires this month. Reitzell...

SAM Magazine—Denver, Colo., May 13, 2015—Bolstered by last fall's aquisition of 100 percent interest in Blue Mountain, Ontario, Intrawest reported consolidated revenue increased $36 million, or 12.6 percent, to $321.8 million, for the quarter ended Mar. 31, 2015. On a same-store basis, treating Blue Mountain as if it was fully owned...

SAM Magazine—Whistler, B.C., May 13, 2015—Skier and snowboarder visits to Whistler Blackcomb fell 9.3 percent, to 1.52 million compared to last season, according to Whistler Blackcomb Holding’s second quarter financial report, for the season through Mar. 31, 2015. Revenues, though, rose 1.5 percent, to $191.4 million, as the decli...

SAM Magazine—San Francisco, May 6, 2015—NSAA handed out a variety of awards at the National Convention here. Left: Bob Roberts (on left) accepting his award from Michael Berry, president of NSAA. Right: Dave Ingemie (on right) with Michael Berry. 2015 Lifetime Achievement Award: NSAA pre...

SAM Magazine—San Francisco, May 6, 2015—The U.S. ski industry tallied an estimated 53.6 million skier and snowboarder visits this past season, making 2014-15 the second-worst since 2000-01, according to the National Ski Areas Association. The results represent a 5 percent decrease from 2013-14, and are down 3.8 percent from the five-sea...

SAM Magazine—San Francisco, May 6, 2015—The U.S. Ski Team is assuming operational control of NASTAR through a partnership with the program’s owner, Active Interest Media (AIM). NASTAR is featured at 115 resorts nationwide, with more than 165,000 racer days each year. Tiger Shaw, ski team CEO, said the integration will capitaliz...

SAM Magazine—San Francisco, May 6, 2015—Thredbo, Australia, has joined The Mountain Collective as a full resort partner for the 2015-16 season, making it the first resort outside of North America to be added to the multi-resort pass. The news comes on the heals of Vail Resorts’ purchase of Perisher last month and further indicates...

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., April 28, 2015—Vail Resorts has reported that for the 2014-15 season, total lift revenues, including an allocated portion of season pass revenue, were up approximately 8.5 percent, while total skier visits for the company's nine mountain resorts were down 2.8 percent compared to 2013-14. Additional...

SAM Magazine—Rossland, B.C., April 27, 2015—Don Thompson has been promoted to president at Red Mountain. Thompson is the former vice president of operations and development and is now in charge of all aspects of resort operations, as well as project and property management. "I look forward to continually increasing and improving...

SAM Magazine—Donnelley, Idaho, April 23, 2015—Brad Larsen is set to become the new general manager for Tamarack Resort. He is joining the team of Replay Resorts, which was chosen last month to run Tamarack by the resort’s owner, New TR Acquisitions Co. (NEWTRAC). Replay is taking over management on May 1 from the Tamarack Municipa...

SAM Magazine—Lakewood, Colo., April 23, 2015—The National Ski Patrol (NSP) has bestowed its Minnie Dole Award on Ed McNamara, chair of the NSP board of directors. The award is given to patrollers who exemplify a spirit of service, dedication, and sacrifice that was epitomized by the organization's founder, Charles Minot "Minnie...

SAM Magazine—Denver, April 14, 2015—Despite mercurial temperatures and sporadic snowfall throughout the Rocky Mountain and Far West mountain resorts in February and March, resort lodging posted double-digit increases in revenue for the third straight winter, with summer reservations following a similar track, according to Denver-based D...

SAM €ˆMagazine—Natick, Mass., April 14, 2015—SAM Magazine is proud to announce the 2015 SAMMY Leadership Award winners: Beth Howard, Ryan Locher, and Hiram Towle. The awards, now in their 19th year, are given each year to individuals who will shape the future of the mountain resort industry. This year saw a record number of nominations, and almost 3,000 votes were tallied for our 12 finalists. Winners will be presented with an award on May 3 at the SAMMY Awards event at the National Ski Areas Association conference in San Francisco, CA.