SAM Magazine-Arapahoe Basin, Colo., Dec. 22, 2008-Arapahoe Basin is the latest resort to partner with Pinnacol Assurance, a worker's compensation insurance company, to offer employees a knee safety program. The program focuses on preventing ACL injuries through education. Educational sessions last approximately 30 minutes and give employees tools t...

SAM Magazine-Carroll Valley, Pa., Dec. 22, 2008-Liberty Mountain Resort and Conference Center, which had announced its intent to purchase neighboring Carroll Valley Resort and Golf Course, has abandoned the deal. After two months of careful review and diligence, the two companies agreed to continue operations under separate ownerships. "It appea...

SAM Magazine-Whistler, B.C., Dec. 22, 2008-The BC Safety Authority reinstated the operating permit for the upper line of Blackcomb Mountain's Excalibur Gondola on Saturday, following inspections earlier in the week in the wake of the tower failure on the lower portion of the lift. Repair work has commenced on the lower line, and crews are working t...

SAM Magazine-Whistler, B.C., Dec. 18, 2008-Whistler Blackcomb, the BC Safety Authority and Doppelmayr personnel continue to investigate Tuesday's tower collapse on the Excalibur Gondola. By Wednesday evening, towers on eight lifts had been inspected and cleared of issues. Whistler Blackcomb lift maintenance crews worked late into the night to...

SAM Magazine-Princeton, Mass., Dec. 18, 2008-Last week's massive ice storm resulted in ski resort closures as areas shut down to assess damage and pick up the pieces. Most disruptions were minimal, but not all: Massachusetts resorts Jiminy Peak and Wachusett ceased operations, with Wachusett closing for five days. Other ski resorts, such as Vermont...

SAM Magazine-Whistler, B.C., Dec. 17, 2008-The British Columbia Safety Authority (BCSA), B.C.'s independent auditor on passenger ropeway systems, has given approval for Whistler Blackcomb to continue regular operations on its mountain lifts, with the exception of the Excalibur Gondola. "Preliminary inspection by BC safety officers has determined...

SAM Magazine-Denver, Colo., Dec. 17, 2008-With snow falling across the northern part of the continent, the ski season is finally in full swing. Although West Coast saw the snow come late, it has come in abundance. Conditions ahead of the holidays look to be favorable across North America. Canadian resorts now open include British Columbia ski ar...

SAM Magazine-Whistler, B.C., Dec. 17, 2008-A preliminary inspection of the Excalibur Gondola tower that failed yesterday afternoon showed that it resulted from water that seeped through a flange and froze, causing "ice jacking." This finding means that Whistler Blackcomb's other lifts, especially those that have different types of towers, will resu...

SAM Magazine-Whistler B.C., Dec. 16, 2008-Fifty-three guests were safely evacuated from the lower line of the Excalibur Gondola after a structural failure on tower 4. The Excalibur Gondola evacuation was completed at 5:51 p.m., about three and a half hours after the incident occurred. (See earlier report on the tower collapse.) "We are very t...

SAM Magazine-Whistler, B.C., Dec. 16, 2008-At approximately 2:30 p.m. PST, a tower on lower section of the Excalibur gondola at Blackcomb Mountain split and "bent over," leaving several gondola cars dangling from the line and forcing an emergency evacuation that, at 5 p.m. PST, was still underway. Five people have received medical attention, but no...

SAM Magazine - Snowbird, Ut., December 14, 2008 - An in-bounds avalanche in the Eye of the Needle area of Snowbird's Mt. Baldy claimed one life on Sunday in the wake of a storm that pounded both Utah and Colorado and pushed avalanche danger into the red zone. A similar in-bounds slide in the Lover's Leap area of Vail's Blue Sky Basin buried a man u...

SAM Magazine - Teton Village, Wyo., December 15, 2008 - Jackson's new tram is scheduled to open on December 19. The new tram replaces the original red boxes that were an iconic symbol of the Wyoming ski resort. Built by Doppelmayr/CTEC, the new lift has double the capacity - 100 people - per box versus the old tram and travels 4,139 vertical feet ...

SAM Magazine - Aspen, Colo., December 15, 2008 - In a tragic final note to a December Sunday which saw an inbounds avalanche kill a Snowbird skier as well as several other incidents involving avalanches both inside and outside the ropes, a former Aspen Ski Patroller died in a slide outside of Aspen Mountain late Sunday. Fifty-two-year-old Cory Bret...

SAM Magazine - Vail, Colo., December 9, 2008 - Recent storms across the Rocky Mountains and other parts of North America have sparked terrain openings. But resorts seem unwilling to rely upon Mother Nature to drive guest bookings and are aggressively marketing discounted vacation packages and other deals to drive business over the upcoming holiday ...

SAM Magazine-Vail, Colo., Dec. 7, 2008-In response to the economic downturn, Vail Resorts has laid off 50 year-round employees, eliminated 92 open positions, and frozen executive pay. In addition, the company will stop matching employee contributions to the company's 401 (k) plan. The cuts were announced last week in a memo sent by Vail Resort C...