SAM Magazine—Carrabassett Valley, Maine—On the heels of the King Pine lift rollback two weeks ago, Sugarloaf has taken a second, similar lift out of service. The Timberline lift, the most similar to the design of the King Pine, was found to have abnormal wear on the driveshaft, which was the component that failed and initiated the King ...

SAM Magazine—Monarch, Colo., April 2, 2015—Monarch Mountain CEO Rich Moorhead is retiring effective April 30 following a 39 year career at the ski area. He was appointed manager and CEO in 2002 after PowderMonarch LLC purchased the ski area’s assets, and Moorhead obtained an ownership stake in the ski area. He will continue to ser...

SAM Magazine—Mill Valley, Calif., April 2, 2015—This week, California Gov. Jerry Brown ordered mandatory water use reductions for the first time in California’s history, saying that the state’s four-year drought had reached “near-crisis proportions.” Nonetheless, ski industry officials in California told SAM that...

SAM Magazine--Broomfield, Colo.—March 30, 2015—Vail Resorts (VR) has agreed to acquire its first international mountain resort, Perisher Ski Resort in New South Wales, Australia, for AU$176.6 million (approximately US$136 million). The acquisition is expected to close in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2015 following the satisfaction of ce...

SAM Magazine—Red Lodge, Mont., March 30, 2015—Red Lodge Mountain Resort resumed operations Sunday after a wildfire about three miles west forced officials to evacuate its slopes on Saturday. About 650 skiers were evacuated from the ski area, and residents were evacuated from nearby subdivisions as 60 mph winds fanned the West Fork fire ...

SAM Magazine—Mill Valley, Calif., March 30, 2015—Bob Roberts, president and CEO of the California Ski Industry Association (CSIA), is retiring effective June 2015. Roberts has been at his post for 40 years. The CSIA executive committee is currently interviewing candidates, with plans to name a new director in the weeks to come. &ldqu...

SAM Magazine—Fort Collins, Colo., March 30, 2015—Colorado State University (CSU) has launched an online Ski Area Management Graduate Certificate of Completion program for students and current employees looking to further their careers in the ski industry. Each of the six online courses in the ski area management certificate follows a...

SAM Magazine—Park City, Utah, March 27, 2015—The Park City Planning Commission gave unanimous approval for Vail Resorts’ plan to build an interconnecting gondola between Park City and Canyons ski areas, among other capital improvements totaling $50 million. The end result will reportedly represent the largest single ski area in th...

SAM Magazine—Carrabassett Valley, Maine, March 26, 2015—A team of investigators has determined that an inappropriately specified switch in one of the brake components on Sugarloaf’s King Pine lift contributed to the March 21 rollback accident that injured seven people. Officials from Sugarloaf and engineers from parent company ...

SAM Magazine—Donnelly, Idaho, March. 26, 2015—New TR Acquisitions, the owner of Tamarack Resort, has named Replay Resorts to assume overall operational management of the resort with exception of the golf course. Replay takes over from the Tamarack Municipal Association (TMA). The management change goes into effect May 1, 2015. Replay...

SAM Magazine—Park City, Utah, March. 26, 2015—Powdr Corp. has aquired Human Movement Management (HMM), an active entertainment and event company that produces running races, festivals, triathlons, obstacle races, and outdoor events. Powdr officials say the move helps it further diversify its portfolio and expand its summer activities, e...

SAM Magazine—Olympic Valley, Calif., March 23, 2015—Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows is offering a “worry-free” rollover option for skiers and riders who purchase a 2015-16 Tahoe Super Pass. The option includes the ability to rollover up to four unused days during the 2015-16 winter season for credit toward the purchase of a 2016...

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., March 23, 2015—Vail Resorts is expanding its program for fifth and sixth graders, formerly known as School of Shred, to include all kindergarten through fifth graders. Renamed “Epic SchoolKids Colorado Pack,” the program provides 16 days of free skiing—four days each at Vail, Beaver Cree...

SAM Magazine—Meribel, France, March 22, 2015—Strong season-ending finishes by Lindsey Vonn and Mikaela Shiffrin led the U.S. Ski Team women to reap three titles at the season-ending World Cup Finals held over the last week at Meribel. Two of the globes went to Vonn, who claimed her 66th and 67th World Cup victories by winning both th...

SAM Magazine—Carrabassett Valley, Maine, March 22, 2015—Investigators from Sugarloaf working in conjunction with an engineer from the State of Maine Board of Elevators and Tramways have identified mechanical failures that led to the King Pine lift rollback, resulting in injuries to seven guests yesterday. The investigation began shor...