SAM Magazine--Vail, Colo., May 11, 2009--A ski accident in 2007 at Beaver Creek that involved a 7-year-old boy and an adult skier from Pennsylvania has been highlighted as a good example of a frivolous lawsuit by the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform. According to the Vail Daily, the crash is being featured in movie trailers showing in the De...

SAM Magazine-McLean, Va., May 8, 2009-Retail sales for the 2008-09 season fell 5 percent, as fear about economic security kept consumers, retailers and suppliers in a cautious mood, according to Snowsports Industries America (SIA). Overall, the season's sales totaled $2.82 billion, compared to last season's $2.95 billion. Unit sales declined three ...

SAM Magazine-Oslo, Norway, May 6, 2009-The Southern hemisphere ski season is beginning five weeks early, even as snowfalls across Europe put a fresh face on the season there and provide a boost to Norway's summer season, according to skiinfo.com. The season in Europe was so strong this past winter, they're still skiing in Spain, at Europe's most so...

SAM Magazine-Vail, Colo., May 6, 2009-The Vail Valley is pursuing a third World Alpine Ski Championships. The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association has selected Beaver Creek/Vail as the American candidate applicant for the 2015 Championships. The Vail Valley hosted the 1989 and 1999 World Championships and has been a part of the FIS Alpine World Cu...

SAM Magazine--Quebec City, Que., May 4, 2009-- Daniel Gauthier, owner of Le Massif ski area in Quebec, announced today that he has found another financial investor for his tourism project in Charlevoix. The investor is Gauthier's long-time friend and business partner, Guy Laliberte, the founder of Cirque du Soleil. Laliberte is making a CDN $10 mil...

SAM Magazine-Mt. Hood, Ore., May 1, 2009-Not only are several North American resorts still operating, several others are reopening for the first weekend in May. Mt. Hood Meadows Ski Resort resumes operations today through Sunday, May 1, 2 and 3 for a season encore. Similarly, Wolf Creek and Echo Mountain, Colo., Jay Peak, Vt., and Alpental, Wash...

SAM Magazine-Lakewood, Colo., May 1, 2009-Henry "Hank" Lunde has received the National Ski Areas Association Lifetime Achievement Award, while Bill Gilbert has earned the Sherman Adams award, NSAA announced today. Lunde was president of Vermont's Killington and SKI, Ltd., for 28 years before spending nearly a decade as president of Stowe Mountai...

SAM Magazine-Lakewood, Colo., April 30, 2009-The National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) has honored nine member resorts with its annual Heads Up National Ski Area Safety Awards, in recognition of the resorts' programs to educate employees and guests about skiing and snowboarding responsibly. The 2009 winners are: • Best Overall Safety Program...

SAM Magazine--April 28, 2009--The National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) announced the winners of the 2008/09 Marketing and Guest Service Awards. The awards are presented annually to ski resorts of all sizes nationwide for their successful marketing and guest service programs that ultimately help grow winter sports. This year's categories recogn...

SAM Magazine-Mammoth Mountain, Calif., April 24, 2009-Mammoth opened up sales of its Mammoth Value Passes (MVP) to the public on April 1, and all 38,000 sold out before the May 1 deadline. "We saw incredible demand for this product this April," said Joani Lynch, director of communications for Mammoth. "This is a good indicator for Mammoth next s...

SAM Magazine-Lyndonville, Vt., April 24, 2009-The Resort Industry Leadership Institute (RiLi), created to help resort executives prepare up-and-coming managers in their ranks for future leadership positions, returns to Lyndon State College for its third season June 3-5. The program consists of several parts. Workshops develop leadership flexibi...

SAM Magazine-Park City, Utah, April 24, 12009-Globally and in North America, the Rossignol Group is focusing on its core competencies, streamlining many of its departments and systems, and reducing its workforce by 30 percent, North American president Francois Goulet told U.S. and Canadian employees on April 22. "Those necessary reductions, whil...

SAM Magazine--April 22, 2009--A part of Colorado ski history will exist no more as the Ski Train to Winter Park was sold to Canadian National Railway. According to the Denver Post, the train will be moved north of the border before summer operations begin. The train was started in 1940 and has serviced Winter Park year-round since....

SAM Magazine--April 21, 2009--Mountain High, Calif., announced yesterday that it closed five percent up from the previous season, making it the fourth best season in the area's history. The season was not without its challenges: a bad economy coupled with lack of natural snow in the early season worried management at first. But, thanks to more p...

SAM Magazine-Broomfield, Colo., April 17, 2009-Vail Resorts today reported that visits to its five resorts were off by 6.2 percent and lift ticket revenue down by 8.7 percent for the season to date through April 12, compared to last year. Room nights booked through VR's central reservations and directly at the company's owned and managed properties...