SAM Magazine - Carrabassett Valley, Maine, April 9, 2008 - Sugarloaf has announced a $5 Million investment package at the resort this summer. The initiative will focus on improving snowmaking and the base area. According to the resort, a significant portion of the $5 million will go directly toward the snowmaking system, including upgrading water i...

SAM Magazine-April 9, 2008--With many resorts across the nation shuttering for the season, some ski area operators just can't quit. Idaho's Brundage Mountain Resort has announced that they will extend their winter with weekend operations on April 19-20 and April 26-27. With the news, the resort joins Colorado's Monarch Mountain and Okemo, Vermont, ...

Sam Magazine - Donner Summit, CA, April 9, 2008 - A Doppelmayr quad chair will highlight $2.6 million in improvements at California's Boreal. The new Castle Peak Quad will replace the existing Gunnar's double chair, increasing base area capacity on beginner/novice runs and evolution terrain parks. The new lift will take skiers and riders to a slig...

SAM Magazine, Carrabasett Valley, ME, April 8, 2008 -A series of avalanches in Sugarloaf's backside area on March 31 ran up to 200 feet wide and 200 feet long. The incidences were closed to the public, and the patrol was doing control work at the time. "They were small slides, which we have seen before in this area when base depths are large...

SAM Magazine-Ludlow, Vt., Mar. 31, 2008-Okemo Mountain Resort revealed today that it has been a recent target of criminal efforts to gain access to credit data by infiltration of its computer network. Okemo believes the intruder gained potential access to credit card data, including cardholder names, account numbers and expiration dates. An e...

SAM Magazine-Boulder, Colo., Mar. 27, 2008-In a series of staff changes at Mountain Sports Media, Ski magazine has named Greg Ditrinco editor, and Jake Bogoch has become editor of Skiing. Former Ski editor Kendall Hamilton becomes development editor for parent company Bonnier Corp.'s lifestyle and travel magazines. Ditrinco has been a key figure...

SAM Magazine--Newry, Maine, March 26, 2008--Sunday River announced that the first chondola in the Northeastern U.S. will be installed at the resort and will be up and running for the 2008-2009 season. The chondola will transport winter and summer guests from the South Ridge Base Area to the summit of North Peak, a trip that took two lift rides. Dop...

SAM Magazine-Aspen, Colo., Mar. 20, 2008-Aspen Highlands, Colo., and Cranmore, N.H., have joined the ranks of areas that are extending their seasons. Highlands will run weekends through April 27, providing two "bonus weekends" of operation. Cranmore will operate through April 6, with tubing operations on weekends through April 27. With over 120 ...

SAM Magazine-Taos, N.M., Mar. 20, 2008-Taos Ski Valley opened its slopes to snowboarders yesterday, and thousands of riders turned out to hit the famous slopes and steeps. The end of the snowboard ban at the 53-year-old area leaves just three areas that remain closed to snowboarders: Mad River Glen, Vt., and Deer Valley and Alta, Utah. Sherman P...

SAM Magazine-Vail, Colo., Mar. 18, 2008-The highly competitive Colorado market is known for ultra cheap season passes as giants Intrawest (Winter Park, Copper Mountain and Steamboat) and Vail Resorts (Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone) battle for visits. And the battle has escalated once again. Vail Resorts has thrown the latest punc...

SAM Magazine-Denver, Mar. 18, 2008-Colorado Ski Country USA (CSCUSA) says that a snowy January and February fueled a 6.7 percent gain in skier visits over the prior season for the period. In total, Colorado resorts racked up an estimated 5,540,464 visits during January and February. The increase puts the state on track to match last winter's record...

SAM Magazine-Bormio, Italy, Mar. 14, 2008-To complete an historic World Cup haul for the U.S., Olympic champion Ted Ligety (Park City, UT) joined Lindsey Vonn (Vail, CO) and Bode Miller (Bretton Woods, NH) as a 2008 World Cup champion Friday. This is the first time three American ski racers have won World Cup titles in the same season. The trio ...

SAM Magazine - Golden, B.C., March 10, 2008 - Kicking Horse resort in British Columbia has announced the launch of a new "Big Mountain Centre." Scheduled to open March 22, the Centre is an attempt by the resort to improve and enhance the big-mountain skiing and snowboarding educational experience. With sponsorship from Red Bull, Peak Performance, N...

SAM Magazine-Wolf Creek, Colo., March 14, 2008-Colorado Ski resort Wolf Creek and New England area Loon Mountain have joined Monarch Ski Area in extending their seasons. Others, including Jiminy Peak, Mass., are ready to do the same; for now, though, Jiminy is saying only that it will operate "well into April." The reason for lengthening the sea...

SAM Magazine - Heavenly, Ca., March 14, 2008 - Heavenly Ski Resort has announced the creation of the Heavenly Flyer, the longest zip line in the continental U.S. The year-round ride will propel riders at speeds up to 50 mph and features two separate lines and has a 525 vertical foot drop, matching that of the Space Needle. At 3,300 feet, the Heaven...