Snow Hunter-Chile, July 8, 2008-Llaima ski area in Chile's Conguillio National Park was evacuated last week as the Llaima Volcano on which the ski area is located spewed out lava flows up to two kilometres long above the ski runs and lifts. The 3,125 metre high volcano is 78km (49 miles) from regional capital Temuco and 700km (435 miles) sout...

Snow Hunter-New Zealand, July 8, 2008-Most of New Zealand's ski areas are basking in deep powder as heavy snowfall and some extreme weather conditions forced some resorts to close temporarily until the storm passed. Cardrona was typical reporting 60 cm (two feet) of natural snow falling over the three days to Saturday but with high winds and poor v...

Snow Hunter-Russia, July 8, 2008-Russia's former president Vladimir Putin, a keen skier and personally instrumental in winning the 2014 Olympics for the Black Sea resort of Sochi, is reported to have bowed to growing pressure from environmental campaigners regarding the location of some of the venues for the Games. The ski area borders a national p...

Snow Hunter-Australia, July 8, 2008- The first week of July has seen the 'real' start of winter at many Australian resorts after poor natural snowfall in June. Mount Hotham has reported 29cm (12 inches) of snow in the past week, with an additional 13cm (seven inches) in the past 24hrs, enough to open Heavenly Valley for skiing and riding tomorrow...

SAM Magazine-Bozeman, Mont., July 9, 2008-Founder Tim Blixseth has agreed to transfer his 50 percent interest in the private Yellowstone Club ski and golf resort in Montana to his wife, Edra, as part of an impending divorce settlement, according to the Wall Street Journal. This will give Edra full ownership of the resort. Neither of the Blixeths ar...

SAM Magazine-Seven Springs, Pa., July 8, 2008-Seven Springs Mountain Resort has appointed Eric Mauck as its new CEO. Mauck, formerly the resort's COO, replaces Scott Bender, who stepped down from the position after 25 years to lead the management team at Hidden Valley, Pa. Mauck's appointment will ensure a smooth leadership transition, said Seve...

SAM Magazine-Boulder, Colo., July 7, 2008-Skiing and Ski magazines, both from Bonnier Corp., are reducing their rate bases, starting with their September issues. Skiing will move from a rate base of 400,000 to 300,000, and Ski is going from 450,000 to 400,000. The circulation reductions will accomplish two things, according to company executives...

SAM Magazine-Montreal, Que., July 7, 2008-In a bid to jumpstart capital improvements at ski resorts in Quebec, the Canadian government has developed a loan program to enable private ski areas presenting a sound business plan for modernization and equipment replacement projects to access loans up to $4 million, repayable over a maximum period of 15 ...

SAM Magazine-Jay, Vt., July 1, 2008-After nearly 25 years of leading Jay Peak as president and CEO, Bill Stenger, along with a group of private investors, has purchased Jay Peak from Mont Saint Sauver International (MSSI). Stenger has been working on the sale and transition since last fall. MSSI owns and operates several Canadian-based resorts and ...

SAM Magazine-Big Cottonwood Canyon, Utah, June 26, 2008-Utah's Solitude has long been known as a sleepy backwater, with slow, fixed grip chairs, plenty of powder and no crowds. Next winter, however, life will become a little faster at the resort, with the summer installation of two high-speed quads in a $7 million lift upgrade. Less than three y...

SAM Magazine-Mt. Crested Butte, Colo., June 26, 2008-Crested Butte Mountain Resort (CBMR) is investing to enhance the guest experience through ncreased and expanded airline service, expanded services and amenities in the base-area hotels, upgrades and remodel of the Treasury Center, a new "Kids Base Camp" replacing Kids World, and expanded terrain....

SAM Magazine-Deer Valley, Utah, June 25, 2008-Deer Valley will double the ski resort's seasonal employee housing for the 2008-2009 winter. Given the pricy real estate surrounding the ski area, where many homes are valued at more than $1 million, the resort won't build slopeside accommodations for its seasonal workforce. Rather, the ski resort will ...

SAM Magazine-Snow Park, New Zealand, June 25, 2008-In a scenario which will be familiar to some Northern Hemisphere resort operators, the 2008 season Down Under has been delayed due to unseasonably warm weather. Snow Park, New Zealand's only dedicated terrain park resort, was scheduled to open on June 18, but had to delay operations, as did The Rem...

SAM Magazine--Grand Junction, Colo., June 13, 2008--Thomas W. Richardson, 71, died on June 5, 2008. Richardson started his industry career in 1964, when he was hired by the Aspen Skiing Company as a management trainee. From there, he rose through the ranks to president and CEO, a position he held for three years until his retirement in 1982. Bet...

SAM Magazine--June 12, 2008--Both Vermont and New Hampshire reported their 2007-008 skier visit numbers, and the news was good. First, the Vermont Ski Areas Association announced that 4,354,621 visits took place on Vermont slopes last season, which is a 14 percent increase over the prior season and well ahead of the 10-year average. Next up,...