SAM Magazine--September 13, 2011--Eaglecrest Ski Area in Alaska had tapped Ray Gardner to be GM, but due to an unexpected family emergency, Gardner was unable to fill the position. So, the board went back to its findings in the original search process and offered Matt Lillard the role, which he accepted. Lillard is currently the assistant GM and ma...

In late July, SAM paid a visit to Wisp Resort in Maryland to check out the area's wide range of summer activities. From water sports to high-flying challenges, Wisp keeps its doors open year-round and has posted some impressive numbers as a result. Check out our latest SAM CAM from Wisp. >> View the full SAM CAM library...

SAM Magazine-Sacramento, Calif., Sept. 8, 2011- Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed California's winter sports helmet law yesterday, calling the bill overbearing and expensive. The bill, passed by the state legislature earlier this year, would have mandated helmets for all youths ages 17 and under at winter resorts. The veto signals that the governor, a Dem...

SAM Magazine-Denver, Colo., Sept. 2, 2011-Vail Resorts' (VR) next generation EpicMix ski and snowboard app expands and simplifies how guests take and share photos at the company's six resorts, and broadens the app's reach to nearly everyone who visits the areas, not just season's passholders. EpicMix will deliver photos to guests' computers and mob...

Windham, N.Y., Aug. 30, 2011-Resorts across the Northeast continue to investigate and catalog the impacts from Hurricane Irene, which dumped more than 10 inches of rain across much of the high terrain in southern Vermont and the Catskills, with similar totals across much of northern New England. In the Catskills, both Hunter and Windham mountain...

SAM Magazine-Rutland, Vt., Aug. 29, 2011-The remnants of Hurricane Irene drenched northern New England and caused extensive flood damage to resorts, from Okemo and Killington in Vermont to Attitash, N.H., and Sugarloaf, Me. Flooding in many locations was the worst on records dating to the 1930s. The Superstar Pub attached to the K-1 Lodge partia...

SAM Magazine-McHenry, Md., Aug. 26, 2011-The owners of Wisp Resort are considering a variety of options, including the sale of the area as a last resort, to help pay or refinance a $28.5 loan that funded construction of a golf course and infrastructure for a resort community at Wisp. Wisp's ownership group operates three corporations involved in...

SAM Magazine--August 25, 2011--Peek 'n Peak Resort & Spa, N.Y., was bought out of bankruptcy yesterday by Scott's Development Co. for $11.3 million. The previous owners, Kiebler Recreation, first filed for bankruptcy in May 2010 as they tried to reorganize, but were unsuccessful in the effort, forcing the court to auction off the ski area. The ...

SAM Magazine-Salt Lake City, Utah, Aug. 24, 2011-Marc Jenson, one of the principal players in the scheme to transform Elk Meadows ski area into the upscale Mount Holly Club, was found in violation of an unrelated fraud case and jailed yesterday after he failed to make any payments toward a $4.1 million court-ordered restitution. Later in the day...

SAM Magazine-Denver, Aug. 22, 2011-According to the most recent data released by the Mountain Travel Research Program (MTRiP), reservation activity in July was up 8.2 percent compared to July 2010, thanks in part to the 4th of July holiday falling on a Monday, creating a three-day weekend. The strong results continued the trend of the past six mont...

SAM Magazine traveled to Gunstock Mountain Resort in Gilford, N.H., for another installment of the SAM CAM series. The resort recently invested $2.1 million in off-season attractions, all of which debuted this summer, with great success. First up on SAM's tour was the Aerial Treetop Adventure, which includes 91 different challenges and is consi...

SAM Magazine--August 17, 2011--Vail Resorts announced a worldwide multi-year partnership with Olympic gold medalist Shaun White. White will represent all six of Vail's ski areas (Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone, Heavenly and Northstar-at-Tahoe), with Northstar acting as his home mountain and primary training venue. In fact, White will de...

SAM Magazine--August 15, 2011--The Whistler Mountain Bike Park hosted the millionth unique rider Friday, August 12. In its twelfth season of operation, Whistler's park is the first lift-accessed mountain bike park to reach this number. The lucky guest, Ryan Domm, was greeted by confetti guns and walked away with a season pass for the remainder o...

SAM Magazine--August 11, 2011--Whistler-Blackcomb released its third quarter results yesterday and the news was good and bad. The first thing to note about the numbers is that on November 9, 2010, Whistler Blackcomb Holdings Inc. (the corporation) completed an initial public offering and concurrently acquired a 75% interest in both Whistler and Bla...

SAM Magazine-Burlington, Vt., Aug. 5, 2011-Members of the ASTM F27 Committee on Snow Skiing met in mid-July to consider expanding the committee's scope to include terrain park jumping features (ASTM stands for the American Society for Testing and Materials). The move, which is expected to be approved, would put ASTM in the business of considering s...