SAM Magazine--August 2, 2012--The owners of the Otsego Club in Michigan, Osprey S.A. Ltd., announced that they will not open for the 2012/13 season. Osprey's CEO, Michael Collins, wrote that after unsuccessfully trying to sell the 73-year-old ski area last year, the company was forced to make the decision to shut down operations for this coming...

SAM Magazine—Vail, Colo., July 31, 2012—Burton Snowboards is moving the Burton US Open Snowboarding Championships to Vail, where it will take place Feb. 25 to Mar. 2, 2013. The move is aimed at continuing the progression of the event. The US Open had been held at Stratton, Vt., for the past 27 years. The US Open, which first took pla...

SAM Magazine--July 31, 2012--Potential buyers of the shuttered Powder Ridge ski area in Middlefield, Conn., were given the go-ahead by Middlefield selectmen. The Town, which owns the ski area, received a proposal from Sean Hayes, the owner of nearby Brownstone Exploration and Discovery Park, to purchase the area, but the Board of Selectmen first as...

SAM Magazine—Washington, D.C., July 30, 2012—The fifth annual January Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month (LSSM) initiative kicks off officially at the Midwest Ski Areas Association conference at Boyne Highlands, Mich., Aug. 5 to 8. Details of the new Bring a Friend (BAF) program and the national Bring a Friend Challenge will be unveiled a...

SAM Magazine—July 26, 2012—The Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) issued two citations against Hunter Mountain, N.Y., following the January 18 death of a snowmaking employee who slipped on ice and slid 200 feet hitting a tree and a rock. The safety violations (each carry a fine of $4,250) claim that 1) Hunter did not...

SAM Magazine—Beaver, Utah, July 25, 2012—Eagle Point resort is so intent on expanding its market that it’s offering free, unlimited skiing to California residents next winter. And for everyone else, skiing and riding are free on Thursdays in January. To receive free lift privileges, visitors must simply provide a name and email...

SAM Magazine—Richmond, Utah, July 25, 2012—The proposed Cherry Peak ski area has been stalled by a group of local opponents here, who are appealing a county conditional use permit in Utah’s 1st District Court. The local planning commission approved the permit last February, and the board of adjustments upheld that decision. Opp...

SAM Magazine--July 19, 2012-- Vail Resorts, Inc. has submitted a proposal to the U.S. Forest Service for a comprehensive summer activities plan at Vail Mountain. Vail’s summer activity effort, named Epic Discovery, a Summer Mountain Adventure, will encourage “learn through play” by featuring environmental educational elements i...

SAM Magazine—Boulder, Colo., July 17, 2012—In a sign that sports consumers are investing in their favorite activities (when the weather cooperates), May retail sales at outdoor retailers and sporting goods chains were up from year-ago totals, according to the Leisure Trends Group. Outdoor and sporting goods sales got a solid boost fr...

SAM Magazine—July 17, 2012—Yesterday, U.S. Senator Charles Shumer of New York visited Greek Peak Resort to urge the FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corp) to push through a loan review for the beleaguered resort after its primary lender, Tennessee Commerce Bank, was closed by state regulators in late January of this year. "Due to...

SAM Magazine—Denver, July 16, 2012—Momentum for vacations at mountain destinations throughout the western U.S. showed increasing strength in both occupancy and daily rate in June, according to the latest data released by the Mountain Travel Research Program (MTRiP). The average occupancy for the month was up 17 percent compared to the s...

SAM Magazine—Wrightwood, Calif., July 16, 2012—Mountain High Resort, Calif., and Stevens Pass Mountain Resort, Wash., have a new management structure for the two companies. There are several changes at each resort, and a new set of managers overseeing both. At the corporate level, Michele Roy has assumed the role of chief financial o...

SAM Magazine—Hood River, Ore., July 12, 2012—The Pacific Northwest Ski Areas Association (PNSAA) board of directors have selected John Gifford as its new president. Gifford, until recently the GM of Stevens Pass, will assume his duties on Aug. 15. Gifford will be PNSAA’s fourth president. He succeeds Scott Kaden, who resigned a...

SAM Magazine—Park City, Utah, July 11, 2012—While a long-term lease agreement for Park City Mountain Resort (PCMR) remains elusive, PCMR leaseholder and Canyons owner Talisker said last week that it had assured PCMR that the resort will be able to open for the 2012-13 season. In fact, Talisker said it assured PCMR of this back in April....

SAM Magazine--July 5, 2012--John J. Frado, Jr., 67, died at home on June 20 in his wife's arms (Cross Country Ski Areas Association President Chris Frado) as a result of complications from a traumatic brain injury incurred in December while building a barn. John was a visionary who enjoyed planning and creating, whether it was a multi-millio...