SAM Magazine-Taos, N.M., June 6, 2011-Spiking temperatures over the past week have kicked off the western wildfire season, and ski areas are starting to feel the heat. Last week, the Osha wildfire in northern New Mexico threatened the Sipapu Ski Area, forcing residents to evacuate the area. The fire is blamed on downed power lines from a fallen ...

SAM Magazine-Sandy, Utah, June 1, 2011-It's official, this year is one for the record books. With Snowbird still open, Utah resorts have chalked up a near-record number of approximately 4.2 million skier day visits during the 2010-11 winter season. The number represents four-percent growth over the prior year, making this winter the second best in ...

SAM Magazine-Grand Junction, Colo., June 1, 2011-Western Colorado's Powderhorn Ski Resort will be offered for sale at auction on Aug. 4. The resort, which consists of 44 trails and four lifts on 1,600 acres, is located on the Grand Mesas outside of Grand Junction. The sale is being conducted by J.P. King, a brokerage that specializes in high val...

SAM Magazine-Girdwood, Alaska, May 26, 2011-The Mountain Rider's Alliance (MRA) and its Manitoba Mountain Ski Area Restoration Project, which aims to restore lift access to a ski area that last operated in 1960, continue to move forward. The plan for the area, located on the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska, was introduced at a mid-February public forum i...

SAM Magazine-McLean, Va., May 26, 2011-SnowSports Industries America (SIA) has retained Reese Brown and his company, RDB Marketing & Event Services, as Nordic program director. Under the agreement, Brown will manage SIA's Winter Trails program and the SIA Snow Show's Nordic On-Snow Demo. The relationship is not a new one. For the past nine years...

SAM Magazine-La Parva, Chile, May 26, 2011-La Parva, located 50 kilometers outside of Santiago, Chile has unveiled a comprehensive plan designed to develop the freeride and freeski potential of the resort intended to make it a world-class freeride and freeski destination. Now that men's and women's ski halfpipe are in the 2014 Olympics, "We knew...

SAM Magazine-Mead, Wash., May 24, 2011-The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission has approved Mt. Spokane's proposal to add a chairlift and seven runs to the northwest quadrant of the ski area at Mt. Spokane. The decision in favor of the not-for-profit ski area was made last Thursday in Spokane, and included a blended land classificat...

SAM Magazine-Aspen, Colo., May 19, 2011-The Aspen Skiing Company today became the latest in a long line of areas to extend the season. And as with some other areas, Aspen is reopening after being closed for weeks. Aspen Mountain will reopen for May 28-30, and for additional weekends as conditions permit. The decision comes on the heels of record...

SAM Magazine-Boulder, Colo., May 19, 2011-In a sign of the continuing strength of outdoor sports despite a sluggish and perhaps stalling economy, dollar sales in April for outdoor retailers rose 8% compared April 2010, according to prelilminary data from the Leisure Trends Group. Outdoor specialty store sales increased a healthy 6 percent, outdoor ...

SAM Magazine-Jindabyne, New South Wales, Australia, May 18, 2011-Perisher Blue resort will open this Friday, making it the first resort to open in the Southern Hemisphere. Recent snowfalls coupled with cold temperatures for snowmaking have combined to allow the mountain to open weeks ahead of schedule. The resort will have a mini-terrain park on ta...

SAM Magazine-Kirkwood, Calif., May 18, 2011-Bud Klien, founder of Kirkwood resort, has died at the age of 83 after a battle with cancer. Klien, a number one draft pick for the Red Sox upon his graduation from Stanford in 1950, choose to return to California and help run his family's agricultural business rather than play ball. He switched to the s...

SAM Magazine-Broomfield, Colo., May 13, 2011-Vail Resorts is extending its discounted prices on 2011-2012 season passes until May 30. The discounts, introduced on Apr. 15, were initially set to expire on May 8. The discounts apply to all of the company's pass products, including the Epic Pass, Epic Local Pass, Epic 7-Day, Summit Value Pass and T...

SAM Magazine-Wanaka, New Zealand, May 13, 2011-Treble Cone will once again host the most prestigious big-mountain event in New Zealand,The North Face Freeski Open, Sept. 12-16. The event is expected to bring a global field of athletes to Treble Cone and is part of the Freeride World Tour's (FWT) slate of Freeride World Qualifying (FWQ) events. The ...

SAM Magazine-Olympic Valley, Calif., May 12, 2011-Squaw Valley USA is winding down a record-breaking winter by offering discounted lift tickets to season passholders from other resorts. The ski area, which racked up more than 730 inches of snow on the year, is running the promotion through closing day, May 30, 2011. The discounted lift tickets cost...

SAM Magazine-Lakewood, Colo., May 12, 2011-Six resorts have been granted funds from the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) Sustainable Slopes program. The ski areas, Arapahoe Basin, Colo.; Beaver Valley Ski Club, Ontario; Mt. Hood Meadows, Ore.; Oak Mountain, N.Y.; Stevens Pass Resort, Wash.; and Stratton Mountain Resort, Vt. The resorts will s...