SAM Magazine-Whistler, B.C., Aug. 2, 2009-The Ministry of Forests & Range and the Whistler Fire Department have declared Blackcomb Mountain safe to re-open to guests. The Crystal Ridge fire, located on Blackcomb Mountain, was 85 percent contained by this morning. It is in an isolated area that does not interfere with the summer operating area on Bl...

SAM Magazine-Whistler, B.C., July 31, 2009-A wildfire started by a lightning strike Thursday afternoon at Blackcomb Mountain led to the evacuation of mountain. The fire, which covered about 75 acres as of Friday afternoon, has been burning since approximately 3 p.m. local time Thursday near the Crystal Chair, according to a Whistler Blackcomb spoke...

SAM Magazine-Cody, Wyo., July 31, 2009-Sleeping Giant Ski Area, which plans to reopen by Thanksgiving after several years in mothballs, has hired Hamilton Bryan as executive director. Bryan's duties will include overall management of Sleeping Giant as well as fundraising, marketing and strategic planning. Bryan was owner-operator of the UXU Dude...

In every issue of SAM we run a section called "SAM on the Road"-- a photo wrap up of happenings in the industry. Now, with the help of a helmet cam, SAM on the Road will be... in Action. This video kicks off a series of resort profiles featuring summer attractions across the country. These profiles will also be covered more in-depth in our Summe...

SAM Magazine--Snow24--July 28, 2009--The Compagnie Des Alpes (CDA), the world's largest ski lift operator with more than a dozen leading French ski areas, has released its third quarter results, which include the last month of the 2008-09 ski season--April 2009. The group reported record business with ski-lift ticket sales up 38 percent, thanks ...

SAM Magazine--July 28, 2009--American Eagle announced that it will add a second daily flight between Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and Santa Fe Municipal Airport in New Mexico. This is good news for Ski Santa Fe, Taos Ski Valley, Angel Fire and Red River Resorts, as the new service will kick in before the ski season starts. In addit...

SAM Magazine--July 21, 2009--The purchase of the Yellowstone Club by Cross Harbor Capital Partners, LLC, was completed on July 17. Boston-based CrossHarbor, which includes several members of the private ski and golf club in Montana, will manage the property with Discovery Land Company. "Today the Club emerges from Chapter 11 as a well capitaliz...

SAM Magazine-Telluride, Colo., July 14, 2009-While Telluride Ski Resort is keeping its base 2009-2010 season pass pricing the same as last season, those who buy early can receive substantial discounts. For example, if four adults purchase season passes (the 4Pass) together during the annual Pass Sale Aug. 3 to Oct. 30, the price drops to the 2007 r...

SAM Magazine-London, England, July 13, 2009-The Snow Train, which operated an overnight sleeper service between London and the French Alps, has been discontinued by operator Rail Europe for the coming winter. In operation for 20 years, the service was famous for its high quality staff and low quality rolling stock. It had been reported to be doing ...

SAM Magazine-Mount Prospect, Ill., July 13, 2009-According to data in the NSGA Sports Participation survey, there were 6.5 million Americans age 7 or older who skied more than once in 2008, along with 5.9 million snowboarders. Those figures represented increases of 1.9 percent and 15.6 percent, respectively, from 2007. Snowboarding was one of six s...

SAM Magazine-Bariloche, Argentina, July 13, 2009-Catedral ski area in Bariloche, Argentina, the biggest ski area in South America, is selling an online ski pass this winter enabling guests to purchase ski passes wherever they are with a credit card. The online ski pass then automatically downloads to a KeyCard or Proximity Card electronic lift tick...

SAM Magazine-Bend, Ore., July 9, 2009-Mt. Bachelor has introduced innovative, season-long, conditions-based pricing for single day tickets for 2009-10. The area has also released its season pass programs, including a payment plan to spread payments over several months, along with a guide that points out the most appropriate pass and day-ticket choi...

SAM Magazine-North Woodstock, N.H., July 7, 2009-New Hampshire ski resorts hosted 2,289,426 alpine skier and snowboarder visits in 2008-09, a slight decline of 3 percent from the record winter of 2007-08, as consistent snowfall and cold temperatures trumped a weak economy. The 2008/09 season was the third-best year since statewide skier visits were...

SAM Magazine--July 1, 2009--www.Skiinfo.com reports that summer ski and southern hemisphere resort openings takes the world tally past 60 choices in a dozen countries www.skiinfo.com reports that all three of the glacier ski areas that are still opening each year for summer skiing in France are now open, following Val d'Isere's summer snow o...

SAM Magazine-Red Lodge, Mont., June 30, 2009-Red Lodge Mountain Resort has named Jeff Schmidt as its new general manager. Schmidt joined Red Lodge in 2008 as director of mountain operations and has 24 years experience in the ski industry. Having grown up in Billings, Mont., Schmidt spent much of his youth skiing at Red Lodge and is familiar with...