SAM Magazine - VAIL, Co., December 11, 2007 -Vail's SOS Outreach, formerly known as the Snowboard Outreach Society, has been named by Vail Resorts to be the administrator of the ski company's Diversity Program. The Diversity program is spearheaded by Vail Resorts to introduce Denver and surrounding residents to the mountains. The announcement by Va...

SAM Magazine-Princeton, Mass., Dec. 6, 2007-What do french fries and snowcats have in common at Wachusett Mountain Ski Area? Cooking oil! Wachusett is one of only three ski resorts in the Northeast to convert 100 percent of its 2,500 gallons of waste cooking oil into environmentally-friendly biodiesel. To complete the transformation, Wachusett i...

SAM Magazine-Grand Junction, Colo., Dec. 6, 2007-Leitner-Poma of America and Prinoth, both Leitner Technologies companies, today began construction on a $15-million, two-building, 90,000 square-foot office, factory and warehouse here on an 18-acre site adjacent to the Grand Junction Regional Airport. Leitner-Poma of America, previously known as Pom...

SAM Magazine-Montpelier, Vt., Dec. 6, 2007-Several Vermont resorts will serve up Ski Vermont Burgers this winter as the result of a partnership between the Vermont Ski Areas Association, Vermont Agency of Agriculture and the Vermont Beef Producers Association. First to offer Vermont beef on the menu are Bolton Valley, Jay Peak, Okemo Mountain and S...

SAM Magazine-Vancouver, B.C., Dec. 5, 2007-Kirby Brown has been named president and COO for Intrawest's Panorama Mountain Village, B.C., effective Dec. 17. Brown will be responsible for all aspects of Panorama's resort operations, and will report to Dave Brownlie, president and COO at Whistler Blackcomb. Brown began his career with Intrawest in ...

SAM Magazine-Denver, Dec. 5, 2007-Unsettled weather across North America has the season looking up in the East, but on the West Coast, areas are crossing their fingers and praying for snow. In Colorado, a strong storm system created epic conditions after a warm November delayed openings at some ski areas. The recent storm dumped more than two fe...

SAM Magazine--Lakewood, Colo.,, December 4, 2007--NSAA announced today that it has hired Ann George to serve as the association's education director. George hails most recently from Vail Resorts where she was the human resource director, but also worked in the East at Waterville Valley. George replaces Tim White, who now serves as executive directo...

SAM Magazine--Vermont and Maine, December 4, 2007--Both the Vermont Ski Areas Association and the Ski Maine Association are reporting strong early season business thanks to a weekend storm that dumped on the two ski states. Vermont areas are off to a stronger start than the last four years combined. A total of 369 trails are open, which accounts fo...

SAM Magazine-Blowing Rock, N.C., Nov. 29, 2007-Appalachian Ski Mtn. is offering free skiing to encourage guests to support efforts to fight global warming. On Dec. 8-9, Jan. 5-6, and Mar. 1-2, each guest at Appalachian Ski Mtn. who purchases a ski ticket and a $3 Green Ticket will receive a voucher for a free ski ticket redeemable any night in Marc...

SAM Magazine-Vail, Nov. 27, 2007-When Vail Resorts delayed Vail's opening by a few days earlier this month, the resort sent idle workers out on the town for a city-wide cleanup effort. A group of approximately 70 employees, ranging from mountain safety staff to ski patrollers, cat drivers and lift ops, roamed the Vail streets collecting rubbish. ...

SAM Magazine-Rossland B.C., Nov. 27, 2007-While terrain parks are common in resorts across the globe, dedicated skier and boarder cross courses are few and far between. But the Olympics could change that. Snowboardcross was one of the most popular disciplines at the Torino Olympics, and skier cross is slated to debut at Vancouver in 2010. To suppor...

SAM Magazine-Vail, Nov. 23, 2007-After a warm November in many parts of North America, resorts from coast to coast are swinging into action, thanks to the belated arrival of both natural snow and colder snowmaking temperatures. Delayed openings in the Rockies have been a major departure from prior seasons, when ample natural snowfall allowed resort...

SAM Magazine - Mt. Crested Butte, Colo., November 19, 2007- Crested Butte sees an opportunity in November's Rocky Mountain dry spell. With many Colorado and Utah ski areas postponing opening days and limited terrain at many of the resorts which are open, the 'Butte,--which opened as scheduled on November 17--is offering half price tickets to the co...

SAM Magazine - Vail, Co., November 15, 2007 - It's hot! Too hot, actually. In a mirror image of last year's slow start for Eastern ski resorts, Rocky Mountain ski areas are struggling to make snow and open on time. While both Loveland and Arapahoe Basin opened in October, November has been unseasonably warm. Some resorts have been able to make due....

SAM Magazine-Calgary, Alberta, Nov. 12, 2007-Resorts of the Canadian Rockies (RCR), is giving big air a big kiss-off. "All man-made snow jumps will be eliminated from RCR terrain parks this season," Matt Mosteller, senior director of business development for Resorts of the Canadian Rockies, has announced. The six-area company cited its core valu...