SAM Magazine-Vancouver, B.C., Dec. 28, 2009-Having missed a $524 million payment Dec. 23 on a $1.4 billion loan, Intrawest is continuing negotiations with its lenders, according to The Globe and Mail. Lenders had reportedly granted Intrawest a 60-day extension on the loan, which had been due Oct. 23. "Intrawest continues to be in active dialogue...

SAM Magazine-Juneau, Alaska, Dec. 28, 2009-A refurbished chairlift at Eaglecrest Ski Area was shut down Dec. 23 after only a few days of operation due to a broken shaft on the auxiliary side of the gearbox. Eaglecrest general manager Kirk Duncan said the broken part affected two of the lift's four braking systems, but that safety of the lift was no...

SAM Magazine-Denver, Dec. 28, 2009-The Winter Park Ski Train has been put on hold until at least Jan. 6 after a U.S. district judge declined to issue a temporary restraining order that would have forced Amtrak to operate the Rio Grande Scenic Ski Train between Denver and Winter Park. Iowa Pacific Holdings, which has been trying for months to tak...

SAM Magazine-Denver, Dec. 23, 2009-Winter has emphatically arrived, assuring excellent holiday skiing and snowboarding throughout North America and the European Alps, according to international snow conditions roundups from OnTheSnow.com and skiinfo.co.uk. "This is the first time in a number of years where most all of the world's ski resorts wil...

SAM Magazine-Mont Tremblant, Que., Dec. 21, 2009-Patrice Malo has been promoted to president and chief operating officer at Mont Tremblant. He will assume responsibility for all aspects of resort operations, real estate and community relations at Tremblant and will report directly to Bill Jensen, CEO at Tremblant parent company Intrawest. Malo b...

SAM Magazine-Merrimac, Wisc., Dec. 18, 2009-A team of investigators including state inspectors, tramway experts and staff members of the Devil's Head resort are conducting an investigation into what led to the lift rollback accident at the resort on Thursday evening. Resort general manager Joe Vittengl said that the resort's entire staff was...

SAM Magazine-Mt. Crested Butte, Colo., Dec. 18, 2009-Crested Butte Mountain Resort (CBMR) has filed an appeal with the U.S. Forest Service, disputing the agency's decision last month to reject the resort's proposed expansion onto Snodgrass Mountain without conducting a public review under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The propose...

SAM Magazine-Merrimac, Wisc., Dec. 18, 2009-At least 14 people were injured in a lift malfunction at Devil's Head Resort, Wisc., three of them seriously though not critically, after a lift rollback incident. The lift, a 1970s Hall double, was full when it stopped and then started to roll back last night at about 7 p.m. All three brake systems fa...

SAM Magazine-Denver, Colo., Dec. 18, 2009-Reservations for mountain lodging properties as of Nov. 30 for the 2009-10 season grew for the second straight month compared to last year, according to the monthly report compiled by the Mountain Travel Research Program (MTRiP). Overall occupancy rose, but still remains behind last year, even though lodgin...

SAM Magazine--December 18, 2009--Powdr Corp. today announced that it has successfully closed on its acquisition of Copper Mountain Resort from Intrawest. "We are thrilled to work with the experienced team in place at Copper Mountain and grateful for the opportunity to expand the Powdr family into Colorado," said Powdr CEO John Cumming. It wil...

SAM Magazine--December 18, 2009--More than a dozen people were injured in a lift malfunction at Devil's Head Resort, Wisc., three of them seriously. According to published reports, the Hall double stopped and then started to roll back last night at about 7 p.m. Witnesses described the rollback as very quick. Many people jumped from the lift while o...

SAM Magazine-McLean, Va., Dec. 16, 2009-Glen Plake, star of numerous ski adventure films and a frequent visitor to small ski areas on his annual Down Home Tours, will appear on NBC-TV's Today Show Jan. 4, 2010, to talk about learning a snow sport during the Learn a Snow Sport Month (LASSM) promotion. Plake is the national spokesperson for the initi...

SAM Magazine-Beaver, Utah, Dec. 11, 2009-Bowman Asset Management has won the bidding for the former Elk Meadows Ski Resort in Beaver County, Utah. The purchase price was approximately $1.6 million. The 1,138-acre property had been valued as high as $5 million. The purchase does not necessarily end the dream of developers who had hoped to rechris...

SAM Magazine-McLean, Va., Dec. 11, 2009-The snow sports retail market acheived a 12 percent increase in unit sales and a 10 percent increase in dollar sales compared to August through October 2008, according to the SIA Retail Audit. Apparel sales were up 13 percent overall to $242 million, with very strong growth in insulated parkas, apparel suits,...

SAM Magazine--December 8, 2009--Vail Resorts released its first quarter numbers for fiscal 2009, which were down from 2008. Overall revenue dropped 47 percent, from $152.8 million in the first quarter of 2008, to $80.8 million in 2009. In the mountain segment, revenue was $40.8 million, compared to $42.5 million in the first quarter of fiscal 20...