Photo credit: www.tellurideskiresort.com. SAM Magazine—Telluride, Colo., Nov. 16, 2016—The Telluride Ski Patrol, which formed a union under the umbrella of the Communications Workers of America (CWA) last February, ratified its first union contract on Nov. 9 by a 50-1 vote. The three-year deal addressed several of the concer...

SAM Magazine—Truckee, Calif., Nov. 12, 2015—With storm totals in California being measured in feet, the ski and snowboard season is getting off to its best start in years on the West Coast. Nationwide, a number of resorts are already open and more are kicking things off, starting yesterday. Lake Tahoe has received more than two feet ...

SAM Magazine—Saint-Sauveur, Quebec, Nov. 9, 2015—For the first time in the competitive atmosphere of the Quebec ski industry, two major players are teaming to offer a joint season pass. Ski Bromont and Mont Saint-Sauveur have created the Option Northeast, which gives anyone purchasing a season pass at either resort the opportunity to ad...

SAM Magazine—Fairfield, Idaho, Nov. 6, 2015—Matt and Dianne McFerran, a couple from Bend, Ore., are the new owners of Solider Mountain. More than 2,100 people had inquired about the resort, which was put up for sale on Oct. 14 at the price tag of $149,000, the amount of money the non-profit area owed to the bank. The McFerrans will b...

SAM Magazine—Nov. 5, 2015—While Killington Resort, Vt., was the first ski resort to open in the U.S. this season on Oct. 18, and Loveland and Arapahoe Basin, Colo., were the first to begin daily operations Oct. 29, several additional ski areas have opened or plan to kick-start their 2015-16 winter operations in the coming days. The f...

SAM Magazine—Donnelly, Idaho, Nov. 5, 2015—In a sign of Tamarack’s return to normal resort operations, the resort is launching Tamarack Lodging Co., the official reservation and property management company for Tamarack Resort, according to resort operator Replay Resorts. Tamarack is also resuming operation of all food and beverage...

SAM Magazine—Comox, B.C., Nov. 4, 2015—A Canadian subsidiary of Pacific Group Resorts Inc. (PGRI) has purchased Mount Washington Alpine Resort located on Vancouver Island in British Columbia. According to Vern Greco, PGRI president and the CEO, the transition had been in the works for a few years. PGRI owns all 81 alpine runs and 22 ...

SAM Magazine—Las Vegas, Nev., Nov. 4, 2015—After more than a decade of trying to rebrand itself as Las Vegas Ski and Snowboard Resort, the area is switching back to its original name, Lee Canyon, as of Nov. 9. “Despite changing our name to Las Vegas Ski & Snowboard Resort in 2003, locals and longtime guests still refer to u...

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., Nov. 3, 2015—After nominations were collected last month for the I Am a Snowmaker competition, sponsored by SAM Magazine and HKD Snowmakers, six resorts were named 2016 finalists: Copper Mountain, Colo.; Okemo, Vt.; Sunday River, Maine; Whistler, B.C; Cataloochee, N.C.; and Stowe, Vt.

SAM Magazine—Auburn, Maine, Nov. 2, 2015—Scott Shanaman, a New Hampshire-based tramway inspector, is the new owner of Maine’s Lost Valley Ski Area. Home to 15 trails, two chairlifts and one lodge, the ski hill plans to open for the 2015-16 season on Dec. 18. The ski resort and banquet facility, located 35 miles southwest of Aug...

SAM Magazine—Avon, Colo., Oct. 30, 2016—A group of ski and snowboard instructors at Beaver Creek resort are looking to form a union, as early as this winter. If they are successful, the union would be the first of its kind in the United States. The instructors have asked the Communication Workers of American (CWA) in Denver to help them...

SAM Magazine—McCall, Idaho, Oct. 28, 2015—Brundage Mountain Resort is offering free lift tickets for its beginner chairlift this season in hopes of attracting newcomers of all ages. “We want to give people a free sample of the Brundage Mountain experience because we’re confident that they’ll fall in love with the sp...

SAM Magazine—Garden Valley, Idaho, Oct. 28, 2015—Idaho’s X-Sports Tubing Hill is now under the ownership of Jason and Kelly Sawin. X-Sports is home to 900-foot long tubing lanes ranging from beginner to advanced. The facility also has 15 miles of Nordic ski trails. The couple, who also own CHS Snowmakers, will be moving to Garden ...

SAM Magazine—Arapahoe Basin, Colo., Oct. 28, 2015—Colorado’s Arapahoe Basin will open for the 2015-16 winter season Oct. 29, matching the plan of neighbor Loveland Ski Area. “The recent cold weather and currently snowy conditions allow for a tremendous start to the season,” said Alan Henceroth, Arapahoe’s CEO....

SAM Magazine—Georgetown, Colo., Oct. 27, 2015—Loveland Ski Area will be the first resort in Colorado to open for the 2015-16 season on Thursday. That is, unless Arapahoe Basin gets open before then. “A winter storm delivered 17.5 inches of natural snow last week and brought the cold temperatures our snowmakers had been waiting ...