SAM Magazine-Broomfield, Colo., June 12, 2011-According to initial tallies by Vail Resorts (VR), Vail Mountain set a new record for season visits during the 2010-11 season. The ski area saw 1.75 million skier visits, up 9.2 percent from the previous winter. Third quarter profitability also increased, by 5.6 percent, over the prior season, totaling...

SAM Magazine-Breckenridge, Colo., June 12, 2011-The U.S. Forest Service has approved Breckenridge Ski Resort's Peak 6 expansion plan despite opposition from some environmental groups. The draft EIS, released on Friday, would allow the area to add 550 acres of lift-served and hike-to terrain, a six-pack detachable chairlift, and a 150-seat lodge at ...

SAM Magazine-Windham, N.Y., June 7, 2011-Yes, you can go home again. Windham Mountain president and general manager Tim Woods will assume ownership of the Woods Valley Ski Area in Westernville, NY, about 15 miles northwest of Utica, in early fall 2011. Woods will continue to serve as president and GM at Windham Mountain through the end of the 2011-...

SAM Magazine-Hancock, Mass., June 6, 2011-The 2nd Annual SAM Summer Ops Camp, which affords managers and operators a chance to uncover the benefits and pitfalls of other-season activities, will move its dates from September to October 3-5 at Jiminy Peak, Mass. The move to October is to avoid any conflict with the Fall trade shows in September at Su...

SAM Magazine-June 7, 2011-The operating partners of Jiminy Peak, Mass., and Cranmore Mountain Resort, N.H., Brian and Tyler Fairbank, have been tapped to run Bromley Mountain in Vermont. The Fairbanks and Bromley owner Joseph O'Donnell have signed a management agreement that places the Fairbanks in charge of all aspects of Bromley resort operations...

SAM Magazine-Edwards, Colo., June 6, 2011-Colorado Mountain Express (CME), owned by Vail Resorts, will offer daily shared-ride shuttle service from downtown Denver to both Summit County and Vail.
 Denver visitors and residents can enjoy a daytrip or overnight getaway to the mountains without hassling with I-70 traffic. And residents of Summit...

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 ...