SAM Magazine—Denver, Aug. 19, 2015—Summer lodging revenue is up 14 percent and occupancy is up 8 percent compared to last summer, according to data collected among lodging properties at 19 western mountain destination resorts in six states. In July alone, revenue was up 13.8 percent and occupancy 7.9 percent, according to DestiMetrics, ...

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., Aug. 13, 2015—It knows how long skiers and riders have been standing in a lift line, and now it has the capability of giving them a head’s up about lengthy wait times. Vail Resorts’ latest EpicMix app addition, EpicMix Time, will give users access to real-time, up-to-the-minute wait times. The...

SAM Magazine—Wrightwood, Calif., Aug. 12, 2015—Mountain High is giving skiers and riders added assurance that they will get more value out of their season passes by introducing the Winter Guarantee, which applies credits to those who use their season pass less than five days. Offered only to Mountain High Powder Alliance pass holders, t...

SAM Magazine—Nelson, B.C., Aug. 12, 2015—Whitewater ski resort has signed on to the Powder Alliance making it the second Canadian resort to participate in the season pass program that also includes 12 U.S. ski areas. Now, Whitewater season passes are also good for three days of skiing and snowboarding at each of the other 13 locations, ...

SAM Magazine—Norden, Calif., Aug. 11, 2015—More season pass partnerships among ski areas in the U.S. and internationally are being unveiled as the 2015-16 season approaches. Sugar Bowl, Woodward Tahoe, and Royal Gorge—all located atop Donner Summit—have partnered to offer skiers and riders unrestricted access to their facili...

SAM Magazine—Stowe, Vt., Aug. 11, 2015—Stowe Mountain Resort and Taos Ski Valley have joined the Mountain Collective that now includes skiing and riding access at ski areas in six U.S. states, Alberta and B.C., Canada, and Australia. Stowe is the first ski area in the East to sign on to the partnership. “As the only Eastern res...

SAM Magazine—Hood River, Ore., Aug. 7, 2015—The 12th OITAF-NACS Symposium will be held Sept. 8-11 at the Hood River Inn. Themed “Trams, Dams, and Bridges,” the gathering brings together ropeway operators, manufacturing companies, engineers, inspectors and others to discuss and analyze leading issues impacting ropeway transpo...

SAM Magazine—Idaho Springs, Colo., Aug. 6, 2015—Echo Mountain is re-opening its slopes to the general skiing and snowboarding public once again this winter. The Front Range Ski Club purchased the area in 2012 and turned it into a private race training center. It continues to manage the 226-acre area, but plans to open Dec. 10 with a ren...

SAM Magazine—Reno, Nev., Aug. 3, 2015— With Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe increasing its minimum wage to $11 an hour, ski area employees in the Tahoe region may be hoping for an all-out bidding war among resorts. The pay increase sets the starting wage at Mt. Rose $2.75 above Nevada’s $8.25 per hour minimum wage, and $2 more than Californ...

SAM Magazine—New York, July 31, 2015—New York State and the Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) have entered into a 25-year power purchase agreement with Borrego Solar, a San Diego-based firm that develops, finances, and implements solar energy projects, to supply power to state-owned Belleayre, Gore Mountain, and Whiteface sk...

SAM Magazine—Beijing, China, July 31, 2015—Beijing has been selected to host the 2022 Winter Olympics, beating out Almaty, Kazakhstan, by a 44 to 40 vote. It will be the first city to host both a summer and winter Games. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said that Beijing was awarded the Games because it aligned with the IOC&...

SAM Magazine—Park City, Utah, July 30, 2015—Let the rebranding begin: Officials at Vail Resorts unveiled a new brand campaign that combines Park City Mountain Resort and Canyons into one name, Park City. A new logo combines the Canyons’ insignia with the existing color palette of Park City Mountain Resort, with the tag line &ldquo...

Artist rendering of the new 2.3 megawatt Community Solar facility being installed in Hancock, Mass. SAM Magazine—Hancock, Mass., July 29, 2015—Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort, widely lauded for being the first ski area in the U.S. to install a wind turbine in 2007, continues to distinguish itself as one of the “greenest&rdq...

SAM Magazine—Snowbird, Utah, July 27, 2015—Richard Daniel “Dick” Bass, partner and chairman of Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort and the first person to climb the highest point on each of the seven continents, died Sunday, July 26, 2015 at the age of 85 surrounded by family in Dallas, Texas. Bass suffered from pulmonary fibrosi...

SAM Magazine—Denver, Colo., July 21, 2015—Summer revenues among lodging properties at 19 mountain destinations in six mountain states are up 12.5 percent over last year, while future reservations are up 6.8 percent. The figures, compiled by DestiMetrics, are based on occupancy and bookings for the six months from May through October. ...