SAM Magazine-Gilford, N.H., March 11, 2009-More and more resorts are selling next year's passes at this year's prices. Gunstock, N.H., is one of the latest to make this offer. In addition, seniors will be given a break, with pricing the same as children. Unlimited season passes are $329 for adults and teens (13-64); seniors (65+) and children (6...

SAM Magazine-Broomfield, Colo., March 11, 2009-Vail Resorts will adopt a companywide wage reduction plan to reduce labor costs while preserving as many jobs as possible. Employee salaries will be reduced on a sliding scale, from 2.5 percent for seasonal employees to 10 percent for executives. This wage reduction plan, combined with certain other ad...

SAM Magazine-Broomfield, Colo., March 11, 2009-Vail Resorts second quarter results for fiscal 2009, ended Jan. 31, show resort revenue (mountain operations and lodging) of $299.6 million compared to $314.5 million a year earlier, a decrease of 4.7 percent. Lodging bookings were down 14.9 percent. But total revenue, including real estate sales, came...

SAM Magazine-Are, Sweden, March 11, 2009-Lindsey Vonn added yet another landmark to an already historic season for U.S. ski and snowboard competitors as she took her 21st career win in the downhill at the Audi FIS World Cup Finals. She then won her fifth super G in a row to extend her dominance of the women's tour. Her victories were the latest in ...

SAM Magazine-Boulder, Colo., Mar. 6, 2009-Resorts are looking to lock in customers for next winter as well as get new customers this season with a variety of season pass deals, including discounted rates on next year's offerings and affordable spring passes. Both Massachusetts' Jiminy Peak and Minnesota's Wild Mountain are pushing season pass of...

SAM Magazine-Snowbird, Utah, Mar. 6, 2009-High winds derailed the Peruvian Express chairlift at Snowbird on Wednesday, when wind gusts topped 70 mph. According to the resort, wind caused a misalignment in the way one of the chair grips attached to the haul rope, shutting the lift down after the misalignment was detected by one of the tower sheave s...

SAM Magazine-Reno, Nev., Mar. 6, 2009-A ski patroller working avalanche control routes at Squaw Valley was killed due to trauma sustained after being caught in an slide last Tuesday. Andrew Entin was partially buried by the avalanche, but injuries sustained during the incident were severe enough to kill him, according to Squaw officials. Entin was ...

SAM Magazine-Vancouver, B.C., Mar. 2, 2009-Hugh Smythe, Intrawest's senior vice president of mountain resorts, is retiring on Mar. 12. He will remain an advisor to the company. Smythe, a 43 year veteran of the ski industry,has been with Intrawest since 1986, including 20 years as president of resort operations. Currently, he oversees the managem...

SAM Magazine-Donnelly, Idaho, Mar. 2, 2009-Tamarack Resort, which has been in receivership since last fall, is shutting down after the close of business on Mar. 4. The area has been operating on funds provided by the lender group that has been attempting to foreclose on the resort, and that group has agreed to provide only limited funding for the n...

SAM Magazine-Bend, Ore., Feb. 27, 2009-Mt. Bachelor is one of the most recent resorts to partner with SOS Outreach, the Colorado-based organization that builds character and confidence for underserved youth through snowsports. The five-day program emphasizes core values and positive adult interaction. Clothing, equipment and lift tickets are provid...

SAM Magazine-McCall, Idaho, Feb. 27, 2009-Yes, even before many areas begin to sell next year's passes, Brundage is ending the first phase of its advance sales. This is the last week for customers to save up to $160 on the purchase of a 2009-10 season's pass. Prices currently range from $79 (ages 7 to 11) to $289 (adults ages 18 to 69); they rise i...

SAM Magazine-Whitefish, Mont., Feb. 27, 2009-On Feb. 24, the nearly 8,000 season pass holders at Whitefish Mountain Resort surpassed 1 billion vertical feet of skiing and snowboarding, as tracked by the resort's "Big Vertical" program. Resort officials were ecstatic to have an unfathomably large number to talk about-and a positive one at that. "...

SAM Magazine-Woodbury, Conn., Feb. 24, 2009-Cutter's Camp has opened registration for both of this year's sessions, at Mount Snow, Vt., and Timberline, Mt. Hood, Ore. Space will be filled on a first-come basis. Registration is processed on the SAM website at www.saminfo.com/events/register.php. For the past six years, Cutters Camp has hosted ter...

SAM Magazine-Krippenstein, Austria, Feb. 24, 2009-The snow just keeps falling across Europe as some areas are seeing record snowfall. In Austria, storms have been pounding most parts of the country with an additional meter expected for the week. "It's been amazing, says Kästle Skis president Siegfried "Sigi" Rumpfhuber. "One of the best seasons ...

SAM Magazine-West Lebanon, N.H., Feb. 24, 2009-Nordica has issued a recall for approximately 4,500 pairs of the company's XBi ALU skis. The skis were produced and sold between August 2006 and December 2008. There are concerns that the binding plates could fail, causing a loss of control. The recall involves the XBi binding component, which was used...