SAM Magazine-McLean, Va., Mar. 23, 2007-Snowsports retail sales at specialty stores declined 3 percent for the August through January period this year compared to the prior season, according to the SnowSports Industries America (SIA) Retail Audit. Sales totaled $1.37 billion compared to $1.41 billion in 2006 as an 8 percent gain in apparel sales he...

SAM Magazine - Perisher Valley, Australia, March 20, 2007 - Australian ski resort Perisher Blue has pumped $6.6 million (AUD) into improvements for the 2007-2008 season. Highlights include a $3.6 million (AUD) investment in snowmaking and water supply infrastructure and the purchase additional grooming equipment including a Kassbohrer Pisten Bully ...

SAM Magazine-Killington, Vt., Mar. 20, 2007-What a difference a month or two can make. With consistent late spring snowstorms coating the East Coast, conditions are finally up to par after a miserable early and middle of the season. In fact, conditions are so good that some resorts are extending the season. One of these is Pico Mountain. "With s...

SAM Magazine -Vail, Colo., Mar. 20, 2007-As local bumpers will no doubt lament, Vail Resorts is replacing yet another vestige of the past, Vail's fixed-grip Chair 10, with a high-speed quad this summer. The new lift will provide a faster way to reach China Bowl and thus increase traffic in what has been a mogul skier's paradise. The old chair, w...

SAM Magazine-Arapahoe Basin, Colo., Mar. 20, 2007-Not much has changed at Colorado's Arapahoe Basin since the resort opened in 1946. A few runs cut, some new lifts, a revamped base lodge. But the Basin is about to become a lot bigger. Last week the resort received approval for a 400-acre expansion that will substantially improve the intermediate te...

SAM Magazine - Denver, Co., March 14, 2007 - Colorado Ski Country USA has announced that statewide skier visits are on pace to meet or exceed last winter's record breaking year. Last season, Colorado's resorts set an all-time record for visitation with more than 12.53 million skier visits, representing more than 21 percent of the nation's 58.9 mi...

SAM Magazine - Lee Canyon, NV, March 14, 2007 - Las Vegas Ski and Snowboard Resort has announced that the mountain will be temporary closed as of Sunday, March 18 due to record high temperatures and a below average snowpack. The small resort, which features three chairlifts and is a mere 45 minutes from the strip is a Las Vegas anomaly. Situa...

SAM Magazine - Broomfield, CO, March 13, 2007 - Vail Resorts has posed a strong second quarter, with a 23% gain in net income and a 21% increase per earnings per diluted share over their 2006 numbers. The company racked up a second quarter net income of $53.0 million ($1.35 per diluted share) to post those gains. "We are very pleased with our...

SAM Magazine - Ragged Mountain, NH, March 11, 2007 - With Bankruptcy looming, the owners of Ragged Mountain, NH got a some breathing room as the seek to sell the resort. The mountain, owned by Al and Walter Endriunas was on the brink of filing for Bankruptcy last week after defaulting on a $4.75 million loan from Endeavor Financial Services LLC las...

SAM Magazine - Queenstown, New Zealand, March 12, 2007 - American park and pipe jauggernaught Snow Park Technologies has been tapped to redesign the park and pipe offerings at New Zealand's The Remarkables resort. The company, which became a wholly owned subsidiary of Booth Creek Ski Holdings in 2003, is one of the premiere park builders and co...

SAM Magazine, Sella Ronda, Italy, March 12, 2007 - It's a bet that most ski areas would shy away from: guarantee your opening and closing dates for the next three years. Even with snowmaking, most Eastern resorts in North America missed scheduled opening dates this year, and while Rocky Mountain resorts like Vail have announced that they are extend...

SAM Magazine--Park City, Utah, March 7, 2007--American Skiing Company (ASC), today announced that its Board of Directors has authorized the Company to conduct a strategic review of options for its Sunday River and Sugarloaf resorts, both in Maine, including the potential sale of the resorts. "As a result of our recently announced resort sales, w...

SAM Magazine--Park City, Utah, March 7, 2007--American Skiing Company (ASC), today announced that its Board of Directors has authorized the Company to conduct a strategic review of options for its Sunday River and Sugarloaf resorts, both in Maine, including the potential sale of the resorts. "As a result of our recently announced resort sales, w...

SAM Magazine-Queenstown, New Zealand, Mar. 6, 2007-While the ski season heads toward its conclusion in North America and Europe after a wild winter that saw deep snows come late to the Eastern region, epic snowfall in the Pacific Northwest and a rough season for Europe, resorts in the Southern Hemisphere are dusting off the summer blues and finaliz...

SAM Magazine-Trysil, Norway, Mar. 6, 2007-It sounds like something you'd expect one of those private "members only" ski resorts to install: a heated chairlift so the moneyed set doesn't have to endure the indignity of a cold bum. And it's certainly not the kind of "improvement" you'd find at most major North American resorts, as they review their e...