SAM Magazine—Wildwood, Mo., Feb. 10, 2017—With improved snow conditions compared to a year ago, sales of Peak Resorts’ new Peak Pass products were up 28 percent in units and 23 percent in dollars from the beginning of the ski season through Jan. 29, 2017, compared to the same period year-over-year. Paid skier visits at the company’s 14 ski areas were up 40 percent through the same period.

SAM Magazine—Teton Village, Wyo., Feb. 8, 2017—A massive power outage overnight Tuesday has left Jackson Hole Mountain Resort and Teton Village without power, and the resort will be closed at least through the weekend as a result. At present, the resort is targeting Monday, Feb. 13 as a possible reopening date.

SAM Magazine—Lakewood, Colo., Jan. 31, 2017—The National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) has posted on its website details for the position of president and CEO, and is soliciting resumes from prospective candidates. The new head will succeed longtime president Michael Berry, who is retiring at the end of the year.

SAM Magazine—Denver, Jan. 26, 2017—During yesterday’s National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) board meeting in Denver at the SIA Snow Show, NSAA president Michael Berry informed the board that he is retiring at the end of this calendar year. Berry has been president of NSAA since January 1993.

SAM Magazine—Princeton, Mass., Jan. 26, 2017—Head Skis has been working with the Professional Ski Instructors of America on a rekindled graduated-length method of learning, called Headway, which guarantees results in just one day. This “total immersion” program combines three different lengths of specially-designed rental skis with all-day instruction, and on-mountain testing of the program has officially begun at two participating resorts.

SAM Magazine—United Kingdom, Jan. 26, 2017—Over in the United Kingdom, taking selfies while skiing and riding has its consequences, according to a recent study of British skiers funded by UK-based travel insurance company Columbus Direct. The company’s research revealed that just over half (51 percent) of experienced skiers have been injured while trying to film or photograph themselves skiing/riding on expert terrain or off-piste.

SAM Magazine—Waitsfield, Vt., Jan. 26, 2017—The nation’s only cooperatively-owned ski area, Mad River Glen in Vermont, has hired Matt Lillard as its new general manager. Lillard is currently the GM of community-owned Eaglecrest Ski Area in Juneau, Alaska, where he’s been at the helm for the past five years. He’ll start at Mad River in early March.

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., Jan. 25, 2017—Registration is now open for 15th anniversary of the spring session of Cutter's Camp, May 16-20, 2017, at Timberline, Mt. Hood, Ore. The weeklong spring program for terrain park professionals features on-hill and classroom workshops, including the return of one-on-one customized operator coaching and the Park Challenge workshop.

SAM Magazine—Squaw Valley, Calif., Jan. 24, 2017—Joe Zuiches, a 42-year-old resident of Olympic Valley and a member of the Squaw Valley professional ski patrol since 2012, was killed in an incident at 8:35 a.m. this morning during avalanche control activities. The cause of the incident, which occurred at the top of Gold Coast Ridge at Squaw Valley, is believed to be the detonation of an explosive charge, the resort said in a statement this afternoon.

SAM Magazine—Plattsburgh, N.Y., Jan. 23, 2017—Gov. Andrew Cuomo is committing $28 million for capital enhancements at two of New York’s state-owned facilities—Whiteface and Gore Mountain. Both ski areas are located in the Adirondacks, and Cuomo said the goal is to attract more tourists to the areas so they can rival ski resorts in nearby Vermont and Canada.

SAM Magazine—Granby, Colo., Jan. 20, 2017—Preliminary investigation into the death of Texas mom Kelly Huber in a chairlift accident at Ski Granby Ranch Dec. 29 now suggests that the likely cause was an independent contractor’s modification to the lift’s electrical drive/control system, according to a statement released by the resort.

SAM Magazine—Denver, Jan. 20, 2017—Considering how long it took the ski season to get rolling in Colorado, it’s not surprising that total skier visits for the period Oct. 21 through Dec. 31 are down year-over-year at Colorado Ski Country USA’s 22 member resorts. The fact that they’re only down by single digits compared to last year, and actually up 3 percent over the five-year average, is a testament to how good things have been of late.

SAM Magazine—Denver, Jan. 19, 2017—With the Christmas holiday season and the month of December now officially in the books, many western mountain lodging properties have much to cheer about, according to the most recent data released by DestiMetrics. As of December 31, while actual occupancy for the month of December was up a scant 0.6 percent compared to last December, revenues jumped 13.2 percent.

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., Jan. 16, 2017—Before the snow started piling up this month at its properties in western North America, the ski season got off to a slow start for Vail Resorts’ destination areas in Colorado, Utah, California, and British Columbia. According to an interim period report from VR, skier visits were down more than 13 percent since the beginning of the season through Jan. 8, 2017, compared to the same period ending Jan. 10, 2016.

SAM Magazine—Incline Village, Nev., Jan. 13, 2017—After serving as Diamond Peak’s interim general manager during the 2015-16 season, Mike Bandelin had the “interim” removed from his title in October, and now serves as the resort’s full-on GM.