SAM Magazine - Burlington, Vt., September 17, 2008 - Burton Snowboards and Volvo Cars have announced a three-year partnership that expands their relationship in the United States to Europe. The new partnership focuses on Burton's European snowboard events, including the Burton European Open Snowboarding Championships, the Burton AM Tour and the Bur...

SAM Magazine - Queenstown, New Zealand, September 18, 2008- New Zealand's Coronet Peak ski area is set to close on Sunday after a record season. According to the resort, the positive results on the year are due to improvements in both the base facilities as well as snowmaking. "It's been a huge journey through a major redevelopment program to get t...

SAM Magazine - Snowmass, Colo., September 18, 2008 - A turbine tower that was part of an experimental effort to test the viability of wind power on Snowmass ski area was irreparably damaged during installation last Thursday. The tower was damaged when the winch used for installation failed. A new tower is expected to be installed in the same area w...

SAM Magazine - Mt. Ruapehu, New Zealand - The New Zealand ski resorts of Turoa and Whakapapa have announced that they will extend their seasons due to exceptional conditions. The closing date for Turoa has now been set for November 16, with Whakapapa expected to close as scheduled on October 27, but is expected to reopen for Christmas skiing from B...

SAM Magazine - Banff, AB., September 17, 2008 - Aspen and Telluride have already cashed in on this niche market, now CMH is poised to do the same. The venerable Canadian heli operation has said that the company will offer its first ever Gay Ski Week in April of 2009. The event is scheduled to run from From April 11 to 18 at CMH's, Gothics Lodge ...

SAM Magazine-North Woodstock, N.H., Sept. 15, 2008-Additional trails, improved snowmaking, more ziplines, new rental fleets and tubing expansions highlight capital improvements at New Hampshire resorts. Here's a recap of the developments. Loon Mountain, as part of its ongoing South Peak expansion, is adding two trails with 14 acres of additional...

SAM Magazine-Laramie, Wyo., Sept. 15, 2008-Snowy Range is up for sale, and the current owners say they won't open the resort this year if no buyers come forward. Rick and Terri Colling, who have owned and operated the resort for 16 years, say the ski area has struggled since the base lodge burned down in 2003. The Colling family has been trying ...

SAM Magazine-Copper Mountain, Colo., Sept. 15, 2008-Copper Mountain is becoming greener. Existing and upcoming environmental initiatives include the installation of a 4.2 kilowatt photovoltaic system at the Transportation Center, Green Globes certification of the new Woodward at Copper facility, and the creation of an employee-based fund to support...

SAM Magazine-Durango, Colo., Sept. 15, 2008-Durango Mountain Resort (DMR) and Colorado Wild have approved the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and a Record of Decision on the resort's Mountain Master Development Plan. Colorado Wild and DMR agreed to encourage the U.S. Forest Service to implement the majority of the planned improvements, while d...

SAM Magazine-LAKEWOOD, Colo., Sept. 15, 2008-A third of all resort visitors in 2007-08 were age 45 or older. Continued gains in visitation by these older skiers and riders is one of the most significant trends revealed in the recently released 2008 NSAA National Demographic Study. Since 1997-98, the percentage of visitors age 45 to 54 has increa...

SAM Magazine - Whistler BC., - Crews have completed the ropework for the Whistler/Blackcomb Peak 2 Peak Gondola. The ropework crosses an unsupported three-kilometer (1.88 mile) span between Whistler and Blackcomb mountains. Cabins for the gondola have also arrived, and installation should commence by the end of the month. The splicing of the hau...

SAM Magazine - Stevens Pass, Wash., September 8, 2008 - Washington resort Steven's Pass will be adding RFID technology to the ski area's lift tickets this season. The system will use technology from RTP and SKIDATA. Stevens Pass will be one of the first resort-wide deployments of the new RTP-SKIDATA integrated ticketing, RFID access control and ...

SAM Magazine - GALENA, Il., September 8, 2008 - Chestnut Mountain Resort, a popular Midwestern resort destination, which features skiing with Mississippi River views and the largest terrain park in the Midwest, has been sold. The mountain, previously owned by St. Louis businessman Joe Burnsein since 1979, was purchased by the Paul Family. The ...

SAM Magazine--September 8, 2008, Ironwood, Michigan-The Roger and Lilah Stangeland Trust, owner of Indianhead Mountain ski resort, has executed letters of intent to acquire the assets of nearby Big Powderhorn and Blackjack ski resorts, a combination that would combine three upper Midwest resorts into one. "We are extremely excited about the opp...

SAM Magazine--September 5, 2008--New lifts and additional terrain highlight a summer construction season, which also saw improvements to snowmaking systems. Here's an overview of some of the more noteworthy developments at Colorado Ski Country USA member resorts. Arapahoe Basin Arapahoe Basin invested $1.2 million dollars over the summer, a...