SAM Magazine—Concord, N.H., May 7, 2013—Six years after the operators of Mount Sunapee ski area sued the state for fraudulently obstructing the resort’s expansion plan, the suit finally will head to trial. A lower court had dismissed the suit, but the state Supreme Court overturned that ruling, saying that the resort’s claim...

SAM Magazine--May 7, 2013--Set your DVRs because starting on May 9, 2013, the National Geographic Channel will air Mountain Movers, a new series that features a behind-the-scenes look at the work that Chris “Gunny” Gunnarson and his team at Snow Park Technologies (SPT) do. The first episode of this reality-type series, "Stairway to...

SAM Magazine--May 4, 2013--The National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) announced two days ago that U.S. ski areas tallied an estimated 56.6 million skier and snowboarder visits during the 2012/13 season--the results represent an 11 percent increase over the previous season. The previous season was one of the worst in recent history, when visits total...

SAM Magazine--May 4, 2013--As of March 31, CNL Lifestyle Properties, Inc., saw a 16-percent increase over last season in revenues at its portfolio of 17 ski resorts during the 2012-13 ski season. Additionally, visits rose 10.4 percent as of April 29. “We have made substantial investments in our resorts to boost snowmaking capacity, add lif...

SAM Magazine--May 4, 2013--After six years at the helm, Tim White, the National Ski Patrol's (NSP) executive director, announced this week that he will not be extending his contract beyond July 31, 2013. He presented his intentions to the board of directors and his staff earlier this week. The NSP said, "His dedication and leadership have ...

SAM Magazine—June Lake, Calif., April 25, 2013—June Mountain is set to reopen next December after a year in mothballs. The resort will continue to target families and entry-level skiers and snowboarders, with tentative plans for lift and snowmaking upgrades down the road.  “Next winter we look forward to bringing skiers an...

SAM Magazine—Minneapolis, Minn., April 25, 2013—Vail Resorts has purchased longtime Twin Cities retailer Hoigaard’s, complementing it purchase last fall of Afton Alps. Hoigaard’s will be part of Vail’s retail division, Specialty Sports Venture, which includes more than 175 stores in Colorado, California, Nevada and ...

SAM Magazine—Hope, B.C., April 22, 2013—Sunshine Valley RV Resorts has purchased The Manning Park resort, which went into receivership four years ago. Manning Park manages Nordic and Alpine facilities in addition to campgrounds. The new owners, Kevin and Donna Demers, said the resort will keep its name, and they plan to reopen soon, ...

SAM Magazine--April 22, 2013--Vail Resorts, Inc., reported certain ski season metrics for the comparative periods from the beginning of the ski season through April 14, 2013 and for the prior year period through April 15, 2012. The reported numbers are adjusted as if Kirkwood, Calif., was owned in both periods, but exclude the newly-acquired Afton ...

SAM Magazine--April 22, 2013--Earl Holding, the owner of Sun Valley, Idaho, and Snowbasin, Utah, died on April 19 at the age of 86. Holding, who primarily made his fortune with Sinclair Oil, bought Sun Valley in 1977 and oversaw its transformation into an internationally-recognized four-season resort. Holding's Snowbasin underwent a similar tra...

SAM Magazine--April 19, 2013--Orville A. Slutzky, age 96, the beloved co-founder of Hunter Mountain, N.Y., passed away peacefully on April 18, 2013, in the company of loved ones. Orville was born in Hunter on February 13, 1917 and was raised on his parents’ farm in Jewett, N.Y. Slutzky is survived by three children (Carol Slutzky-Tenerowicz, ...

SAM Magazine—Vail, Colo., April 18, 2013—It’s a season for extended seasons. Following the postponed closing dates at many Northeastern areas this April, several Colorado resorts have extended their seasons, too. A late-season storm cycle has dropped several feet of snow on the mountains, and a couple of feet on the Front Range, c...

SAM Magazine—Catskill, N.Y., April 18, 2013—The Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) has proposed a five-year, $74 million expansion of the Belleayre ski center that could double the area’s annual visits. The plan, developed largely before ORDA took over control of Belleayre from the Department of Environmental Conservati...

SAM Magazine—Georgetown, Colo., April 16, 2013—The U.S. Forest Service has accepted the master development plan for Loveland Ski Area, setting the outline for expansion and improvement plans for the next decade or more. Specific projects included in the plan will still be required to undergo the usual environmental approval process, but...

SAM Magazine--April 11, 2013--U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell today announced a series of meetings in Colorado, Utah and California that will focus on the development of a ski area water rights clause impacting ski facility operations on national forests. “Skiing is an important recreational activity on our nation’s forests and...