SAM Magazine—Aspen, Colo., June 18, 2013—The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cleared Aspen Skiing Co. of any wrongdoing in the avalanche death of longtime patroller Patsy Hileman last Dec. 30. Hileman died in a small avalanche that took her over a cliff at Snowmass in the Hanging Valley Wall area, one of the ...

SAM Magazine--June 14, 2013--The organizers behind Antelope Butte Ski Area, Mont., have realized that the area will not open for the 2013-14 season as they had hoped. Antelope Butte first closed in 2003. Two years ago, locals formed a group called the Antelope Butte Foundation in order to revive and restore the local area. According to the Billings...

SAM Magazine--June 14, 2013--Black Mountain in Maine, owned by the Maine Winter Sports Center, had its request of a $51,700 donation from the town of Rumford voted down on June 13. According to the Sun Journal, the money was to help the area through the summer, get it ready for winter and pay wages for three employees. The defeat was especially ...

SAM Magazine--June 13, 2013--Colorado Ski Country USA (CSCUSA) announced today at its 50th Annual Meeting that statewide  visits totaled an estimated 11,445,000 in 2012/13. This estimation shows Colorado being up 3.95 percent compared to the 2011/12 season. Colorado Ski Country’s 21 member resorts hosted an estimated 6.4 million visits d...

SAM Magazine--June 13, 2013--The 2012-13 season in New Hampshire was a success for guests and resort operators alike, reports Ski NH, which represents 33 Alpine and nordic resorts in the state. Alpine resorts recorded a total of 2,276,370 skier and snowboarder visits, a 20.9% increase from the prior winter and a 4.7% increase over the ten-year aver...

SAM Magazine--June 13, 2013--The SnowSports Industries America (SIA) Board of Directors voted during its annual spring meeting to host the 2014 On-Demo/Ski-Ride Fest at Copper Mountain Resort, Colo., after considering industry feedback and recommendations provided by SIA’s On-Snow Demo Task Force. The Demo will be held on February 3, 2014, fo...

SAM Magazine--June 11, 2013--The Utah ski and snowboard industry closed the 2012-13 winter season Memorial Day weekend with a total of 4,031,621 million visits, up over 5 percent from the previous season’s 3,826,130. The 5.4 percent increase marks the sixth time Utah has ended above four million in the last eight years, and a significant incr...

SAM Magazine--June 6, 2013--Registration for SAM's 4th Annual Summer Ops Camp is officially open. The camp, which will take place at Attitash and Cranmore, N.H., September 15-17, will explore the many benefits of the growing opportunities in summer recreation in the mountains. The Summer Ops program is a hands-on educational and networking e...

SAM Magazine--June 6, 2013--New Zealand's Snow Park NZ was sold to Southern Hemishpere Proving Grounds (SHPG), a neighboring vehicle-testing facility, and the future of the ski area looks uncertain. SHPG managing director Tom Elworthy told the Otago Daily Times that is was possible Snow Park could still operate as a venue for events and trainin...

SAM Magazine—Missoula, Mont., June 5, 2013—Would-be resort developer Tom Maclay has submitted a third proposal for a resort on Lolo Peak in the Bitterroot Mountains west of Missoula. This current proposal omits Maclay’s former 3,000-acre ranch, which he lost to Met Life Agricultural Investments via foreclosure earlier this year. ...

SAM Magazine--June 4, 2013--At the Vermont Ski Areas Association (VSAA) annual meeting at Stowe Mountain Resort, the state's resorts celebrated the best season since 2001 with 4,513,041 skier and rider visits, which is also up 16% over last year. The number is the second best on record since VSAA started collecting data in 1992. VSAA also repor...

SAM Magazine--May 29, 2013--Vail Resorts (VR) announced today that it has entered into a long-term lease with affiliate companies of Talisker Corporation for Canyons Resort in Park City, Utah. Vail's history with Canyons has been an interesting one. VR attempted to purchase the area in 2007, but abandoned the effort in 2009 after much legal wra...

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., May 28, 2013—Vail Resorts (VR) has named Taylor Ogilvie as general manager of Mt. Brighton, Mich. He will begin his new position on June 10. Ogilvie is originally from the Chicago suburbs and grew up skiing in the Midwest. Ogilvie has been a ski instructor at VR and worked his way up through the ranks....

SAM Magazine—Banff, Alberta, May 28, 2013—Mt. Norquay has received approval from Parks Canada for a long-range improvement plan for summer and winter operations. The plan calls for widening of trails, renovating the Cliff House lodge and adding an observation deck, and creating a cable-assisted summer hiking trail. As part of the lon...

SAM Magazine—Wanaka, New Zealand., May 28, 2013—New Zealand’s Snow Park will not be opening for the 2013 season. The manager of the past three years, the Synnott family, did not renew its lease, and management reverted to Sam Lee, who founded the park in 2002. Lee is now seeking capital with which to reopen the area, known for its...