SAM Magazine-Golden, B.C., Aug. 7, 2008-British Columbia ski area Kicking Horse has presented its new draft master plan. It proposes adding a signature 18-hole golf course, a densification of the resort base, and major improvements to the ski area. These include several new lifts, from detachable quads to conveyor lifts for the ski school beginner ...

SAM Magazine-Washington, D.C., Aug. 7, 2008-As most resorts know, the H-2B visa cap has been reached. The "final receipt date" for H-2B visa applications was July 29. However, there's still a chance that Congress, when it reconvenes in September, will pass an exemption for returning H-2B workers, as existed in recent years. Resorts with application...

SAM Magazine - Red Lodge, Mt., August 5, 2008 - With the Cascade wildfire 66-percent contained, crews are starting mop up operations at Red Lodge. The Cascade wildfire continued to burn overnight toward natural barriers to the west and south, but crews were pulled off the blaze at midnight on Sunday. Helicopters have also flown out 11,200 pounds of...

SAM Magazine-Lakewood, Colo., Aug. 5, 2008-The U.S. ski industry totaled a record 60.5 million visits in 2007-08, up 2.7 percent from previous record of 58.9 million visits set in 2005-06, according to the final Kottke End of Season Survey. Improved winter weather conditions and abundant snowfall in all regions except the Southeast contributed to t...

SAM Magazine-Red Lodge, Mont., Aug. 3, 2008-The Cascade Wildfire that has been threatening Red Lodge Ski Area is currently 33 percent contained, with crews solidifying fire lines around the resort and making progress in battling the blaze. The fire has burned more than 10,000 acres and is still active, with moderate rates of spread and mid-range...

SAM Magazine-Red Lodge, Mont., Aug. 2, 2008-Crews are making progress on the Cascade Wildfire, which has been threatening Red Lodge Ski Area. Currently the fire has burned 9,701 acres and is 31 percent contained. It appears that Red Lodge Ski Area will escape serious damage from the wildfire, but the situation on the ground remains fluid. Fire c...

SAM Magazine - Squaw Valley, Ca., July 31, 2008 - Squaw Valley has come to a lease agreement with local resident Troy Caldwell to lease land owned by Caldwell at the top of the ski area's KT-22 lift. The 57-year lease will preserve access for Squaw skiers and potentially marks the end of a stewing disagreement with Caldwell, who owns 460 acres adja...

SAM Magazine--August 1, 2008--All non-essential staff have been evacuated from Red Lodge Ski Area. Mont., in the face of a fast-moving wildfire that is threatening the resort. The Forest Service has approximately 700 firefighters and support staff battling the blaze. But with high winds expected and only 10-percent of the conflagration contained, t...

SAM Magazine - Denver, Co., July 31, 2008 - A Denver jury has found Vail Resorts not liable in a lawsuit claiming that the company was negligent in hiring ski instructor David Lorenzen, who was found not guilty of rape last year in a case involving a 17 year old woman who Lorenzen was instructing. The victim claimed she was raped in January 2006...

SAM Magazine - Lynchburg, Va., July 31, 2008 - The Christian institution of higher learning founded by Jerry Falwell, Liberty University, has announced plans to install a dry ski slope on the campus. The University is working in conjunction with the English dry slope manufacturer, Snowflex, and the facility will be named the Mountain Snowflex Cente...

SAM Magazine - Calgary, AB., July 31, 2008 - While the airline industry has been rocked by high fuel prices and consumers tightening their belts when it comes to vacation travel, several Canadian resorts got a bit of good news with the announcement that Delta Air Lines will commence direct jet service from Salt Lake City (SLC) to Canadian Rockies I...

SAM Magazine-Boulder, Colo., July 31, 2008-Two mergers have changed the face of snowsports media this week. Storm Mountain Publishing (SMP), the owners of Snowboard and Freeskier Magazines have announced that the company has acquired the assets, including websites and subscribers of recently defunct Future Snowboarding magazine. And, Ski Press has ...

SAM Magazine-Mammoth Lakes, Calif., July 23, 2008-Joining the growing number of airlines to offer resort access, Horizon Air will inaugurate daily nonstop flights from Los Angeles to Mammoth Mountain for the 2008/2009 season, starting Dec. 18 and running through Apr. 12. "The addition of commercial air service to Mammoth represents a big step to...

SAM Magazine-Hidden Valley, Pa., July 23, 2008-Scott Bender has joined the Buncher Resort & Hospitality Group, LLC as vice president of resort operations and will lead the management team at Hidden Valley Four Seasons Resort. Bender was formerly the president and CEO of neighboring Seven Springs Mountain Resort, where he worked for more than 25 yea...

SAM Magazine-Donnelly, Idaho, July 21, 2008-Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf, tennis stars and Tamarack Resort fans, and their investment group have decided against building a proposed Fairmont luxury hotel at the fledgling resort. The group cited Tamarack's uncertain future as the reason for its decision. Originally, the investment group planned to...