SAM Magazine--April 13, 2011--The National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) announced that Dick Kun, CEO of Snow Summit Ski Corporation, has been selected as the recipient of the 2011 NSAA Lifetime Achievement Award. Snow Summit Ski Corp. owns and operates Snow Summit and Bear Mountain ski areas in Big Bear Lake, Calif. Snow Summit was started in 1...

SAM Magazine-Jiminy Peak, Mass., Apr. 13, 2011-As America's lift system ages, springtime lift maintenance seminars and attendance are growing. The training season kicks off with the 34th annual Lift Maintenance Seminar (LMS) next week at Jiminy Peak and continues through Doppelmayr's two new Hall-specific training sessions in late May and June. ...

SAM Magazine-Vernon, N.J., Apr. 12, 2011-Gov. Chris Christie signed the New Jersey helmet law on Apr. 8, requiring all youths under age 18 to wear a helmet while skiing or riding in New Jersey. The law, the first statewide requirement for ski/ride helmets, takes effect Nov. 1. Enforcement is left up to parents and guardians. The parent or guardi...

SAM Magazine--The 2011 SAMMY Leadership Award honorees were announced today. This award goes to individuals who, at mid-career, show great promise as the winter sports industry's future leaders. They are: 1) Joe Hession, GM, Mountain Creek-Joe began his career at age 14 as a parking attendant at Vernon Valley Great Gorge, currently known as Mou...

SAM Magazine-Whistler, B.C., Apr. 11, 2011-Whistler Blackcomb is testing a new app which allows cell phones to serve as lift passes. The app, the Whistler Blackcomb Live Powered by Telus, will also allow users to track their runs using GPS, view trail maps, track the total vertical and distance they've traveled and their maximum speed, share their ...

SAM Magazine-Butler, Ohio, Apr. 11, 2011-Four local residents have acquired the Clear Fork Ski Area here and plan to turn it into a year-round destination. The four, Rick Weemhoff, Brian Johnson, and Ben and Luke Flynn, all grew up near Clear Fork, where they all worked and played. The area closed in 2006 after 40 years of operation. The foursom...

SAM Magazine-McLean, Va., Apr. 6, 2011-The snow sports market surpassed the $3 billion mark for the 2010-11 season in February, even as sales slowed significantly. After two months of double-digit sales gains, units sold were down 2 percent in February 2011 compared to 2010, and dollar sales slipped 1.5 percent. Lean inventories contributed to the ...

SAM Magazine-London, Apr. 6, 2011-The International Olympic Committee (IOC) today confirmed the inclusion of ski halfpipe for both men and women and women's ski jumping among six new events on the program of the Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, in 2014. The other events are the biathlon mixed relay, figure skating team event and luge team rel...

SAM Magazine--April 3, 2011--The National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) announced that Dan Fuller, president of Bristol Mountain Winter Resort in Canandaigua, N.Y., is the recipient of this year's Sherman Adams Award. The Sherman Adams Award is presented annually to an individual from an Eastern ski area that has significantly influenced the indust...

SAM Magazine-Whistler, B.C., April 1, 2011-Whistler Blackcomb has instituted a new height restriction for all skiers and riders due to the area's prodigious, record-breaking snowfall this season. The policy is intended to prevent guests from drowning in the bottomless pow. To that end, the resort is prohibiting guests shorter than 350cm/11.5 ...

SAM Magazine-Denver, Mar. 24, 2011-For the sixth consecutive month, occupancy at western mountain destinations rose. According to the most recent data released by the Mountain Travel Research Program (MTRiP), occupancy was up 1.2 percent compared to February 2010. Overall results for September through February are up 7.3 percent compared to the sam...

SAM Magazine-McLean, Va., Mar. 17, 2011)-The board of directors for SnowSports Industries America (SIA) has voted to shift the SIA Snow Show dates to an earlier, mid-January time slot beginning in 2013. That year, the show will begin Saturday, Jan. 12 and run through Tuesday, Jan. 15 at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver. The On-Snow Demo wil...

SAM Magazine-Lakewood, Colo., Mar. 18, 2011-The National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) will present its Industry Impact Award to snowboarder Shaun White. Last presented in 2009 to the Winter X Games, the Industry Impact Award recognizes significant contributions made to the ski and snowboard industry by an individual, business, or other entity. NSAA...

SAM Magazine-Broomfield, Colo., Mar. 18, 2011-Vail Resorts (VR) second-quarter net income rose 34 percent as ample snow and the improving economy brought more people out skiing, and the addition of Northstar-at-Tahoe boosted results. Net income during the quarter rose to $54.6 million, from $40.7 million a year earlier. VR's revenue rose 29 perc...

SAM Magazine-Denver, Mar. 18, 2011-Colorado's ski season continues on a positive path despite a small dip in visitation during the first two months of 2011. Visits were down .75 percent at the 22 members of Colorado Ski Country USAS during January and February, but remain up by 3.4 percent season-to-date compared to the same time last season. "Our ...