SAM Magazine—Lakewood, Colo., April 23, 2015—The National Ski Patrol (NSP) has bestowed its Minnie Dole Award on Ed McNamara, chair of the NSP board of directors. The award is given to patrollers who exemplify a spirit of service, dedication, and sacrifice that was epitomized by the organization's founder, Charles Minot "Minnie...

SAM Magazine—Denver, April 14, 2015—Despite mercurial temperatures and sporadic snowfall throughout the Rocky Mountain and Far West mountain resorts in February and March, resort lodging posted double-digit increases in revenue for the third straight winter, with summer reservations following a similar track, according to Denver-based D...

SAM €ˆMagazine—Natick, Mass., April 14, 2015—SAM Magazine is proud to announce the 2015 SAMMY Leadership Award winners: Beth Howard, Ryan Locher, and Hiram Towle. The awards, now in their 19th year, are given each year to individuals who will shape the future of the mountain resort industry. This year saw a record number of nominations, and almost 3,000 votes were tallied for our 12 finalists. Winners will be presented with an award on May 3 at the SAMMY Awards event at the National Ski Areas Association conference in San Francisco, CA.

SAM Magazine—Squaw Valley, Calif., April 13, 2015—After years of negotiating, Squaw Valley has reached an agreement with private land owner Troy Caldwell to build a base-to-base gondola connecting Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows. The linkage traverses White Wolf, Caldwell’s land, and has been at the top of both parties’ wish...

SAM Magazine—Denver, Colo., April 9, 2015—New snow that swept California, Utah, and parts of the Northeast have allowed some ski areas to tack on a few more days to their seasons. Squaw Valley reset its closing date to April 19 thanks to 20 inches of new snow in the past week. The area has four lifts running on a 45-inch base, and offic...

SAM Magazine—Jackson, Wyo., April 6, 2015—Mountain bike riders in North America have crowned the top bike parks as part of the second annual "Best Bike Parks Riders' Choice Awards" produced by MTBparks.com, a comprehensive online guide to North American bike parks. More than 3,000 riders cast votes this year on the top ...

SAM Magazine—Donner Summit, Calif., April 4, 2015—Rob Kautz, president and CEO of Sugar Bowl Resort, is retiring after nearly four decades at Sugar Bowl Resort. Kautz will stay on as president and CEO until Sugar Bowl Resort finds and trains a replacement, and will continue to work at the resort through June 2016. He will also remain on...

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...