SAM Magazine-Whistler, B.C., Apr. 17, 2007-Whistler Blackcomb will unite its two mountains with the ambitious Peak to Peak Gondola, which will set world records for length and height. Construction is scheduled to begin in May, with completion by December 2008. The state-of-the-art gondola will be similar to a pioneering lift installed at Kitz...

SAM Magazine-Stowe, Vt., Apr. 16, 2007-With the high-elevation resorts of the Rocky Mountains shuttering winter operations for the season, it seems almost counterintuitive that Eastern resorts are extending their seasons. But plentiful snowfall and continued cold weather have sparked a slew of extended-season announcements, with Stowe being the lat...

SAM Magazine-Petite-Rivière-Saint-François, Que., Apr. 16, 2007-Lack of snow at the start of the ski season led to a 16.7 decrease in skier visits for Le Massif. "Cold snaps, rain and unusually late snowfalls always greatly affect our urban clientele's commitment to slide sports," says Pierre Raymond, general manager of the ski area. "When...

SAM Magazine-Vail, Colo., Apr. 16, 2007-Vail, which hosted the 1989 and 1999 World Alpine Championships, may be heading for a threepeat. A local group is considering submitting a bid for the 2013 FIS World Championships, which would be held at Vail and Beaver Creek ski areas. The non-profit Vail Valley Foundation will spearhead the bidding proce...

SAM Magazine-Aspen, Colo., Apr. 16, 2007-It's the kind of happy ending story that you don't expect when a bad thing happens to a chairlift with customers on board. A chair on Aspen Mountain's Ruthie's Express failed due to metal fatigue on Apr. 15 and broke, spilling one skier to the ground. The modest fall of 10 feet didn't faze the rider, who ski...

SAM Magazine-Pinkham Notch, N.H ., Apr. 13, 2007-It came in with a whimper, but it's leaving with a roar. That's the reality of an extremely mixed Eastern ski season, which saw resorts delay openings due to unseasonably warm weather in November and December, and now extend their seasons in April due to wintery conditions. The latest two ski areas t...

SAM Magazine-Aspen mountain has long been known for hidden locals' shrines to folks as diverse as Bob Marley to John Denver. But while the resort has accommodated the funky tributes, hidden in the woods off of some of the ski resort's most popular trails, the story at the mountain's sister resort, Snowmass, is a bit different. Unlike the shrines...

SAM Magazine - Carrabassett Valley, ME., April 11, 2007 - Sugarloaf is a great place to ski, but it sure isn't bad when it comes to golf, either. According to Golf Digest, the resort's Robert Trent Jones, Jr.-designed course clocks in at number 45 on the magazine's 100 Greatest Public Golf Courses for 2007-2008. In addition, Sugarloaf took the "bes...

SAM Magazine-Kent, Wash., Apr. 11, 2007-A skier, Kenny Salvini, was awarded $14 million last week as the result of becoming paralyzed after he outjumped the landing on a tabletop feature and crashed in the terrain park at The Summit at Snoqualmie. The incident took place Feb. 11, 2004, at 8:30 p.m. A jury found that the operator, Ski Lifts Inc.,...

SAM Magazine - Teton Village, WY., April 11, 2007 - Jackson Hole Mountain Resort had a good year. In fact, it was a very good year. The ski area wrapped up the 2006-2007 season by posting its second best year ever, with just over 400,000 skier visits. The grand total clocked in at a whopping 402,400 skier visits on the year, impressive, given th...

SAM Magazine--April 10, 2007--Chris Nyberg is stepping down from his VP position at Prinoth to pursue other opportunities. As a result, the company has restructured its staff. Jim Coughlin, the Northeast USA regional manager has been promoted to director, Eastern North America sales and after sales support. Peter Craig, Mid Atlantic product represe...

SAM Magazine-St, Louis, Mo., Apr. 5, 2007-Peak Resorts has closed on the purchase of Mount Snow and Attitash resorts from American Skiing Company. The sale agreement, announced on Feb. 16, includes all properties and assets of Mount Snow and Attitash resorts, for a purchase price of $73.5 million. In addition, Peak Resorts assumed approximately $2 ...

SAM Magazine-Tahoe City, Calif., Apr. 4, 2007-Powdr Corp. has agreed to sell Alpine Meadows ski resort to JMA Ventures, the owner of Homewood Mountain Resort. The transaction is expected to become final in June, pending Forest Service approval and the usual closing considerations. The purchase price has not been disclosed. If completed, the sale...

SAM Magazine-Valle di Fassa, Italy, Apr. 4, 2007-It's probably too late to save the European ski season, which suffered through some of the worst opening months in history, but snow is finally falling in many parts of the Alps, including Italy. The Trentino region in particular is scoring late-season storms, which have dropped between 20 and 50 cen...

SAM Magazine-Revelstoke, B.C., Apr. 4, 2007-Real Estate is hot at Revelstoke Mountain Resort, and the boom seems to be just starting. The mountain, based outside of the logging and mining town of Revelstoke, will feature North America's longest vertical drop, over 6,000 feet, upon completion. In addition to the skiing, the resort will have a compre...