SAM Magazine-Seattle, Wash., Aug. 18, 2005-Acordia Resort & Recreation is partnering with Markel Re's SMART (Specialized Markel Alternative Risk Transfer) division. "The addition of SMART as a key partner will allow us to expand the scope and competitiveness of the Resort program," said John Roberts, managing director of Acordia Alternative Risk. ...

SAM Magazine-Durango, Colo., Aug 10 2005-Hank Thiess will become general manager and COO for Durango Mountain Resort in September, with responsibility for all aspects of resort operations. That includes the mountain, village, lodging, food and beverage and sales and marketing. He replaces Bill Rock, who left in June to become GM at Snowshoe, W.Va. ...

SAM Magazine-McLean, Va., Aug. 9, 2005-SnowSports Industries America (SIA) is launching a pilot education seminar series, "Capitalizing on Today's Business Environment," in September. Workshops will focus on sales, marketing and effective small business practices, with separate tracks for retailers, suppliers, and reps. The seminars will take place...

SAM Magazine-Durango, Colo., Aug. 9, 2005-The signature Snow Monsters event, the NextSnow SEARCH, will stage a special "All Stars" event that will serve as the warm-up act for NBC's opening-day coverage of the 2006 Winter Olympics, which begin in Torino, Italy, on Feb. 11. The event will air from 2 to 3 p.m. EST; it will actually take place in Keys...

SAM Magazine--Wrightwood, Calif., July 14, 2005--Mountain High Resort in southern California was bought by Valor Equity Partners and former GM Karl Kapuscinski and key members of his management team. Valor is a Chicago-based private equity investment fund and licensed Small Business Investment Company. Kapuscinski will now become president and CEO ...

SAM Magazine-Pinkham Notch, N.H., July 13, 2005-Wildcat Ski Mountain is for sale. The area, located across the valley from Mt. Washington, has 225 acres of trails on a 2,100 vertical , served by four chairlifts, including a base-to-summit detachable. Wildcat's owner for the past 20 years is Franchi Management, a Boston-based real estate firm he...

SAM Magazine-Sandpoint, Ida., July 11, 2005-The two partners who comprised Harbor Resorts, MIG and Harbor Properties, have dissolved their partnership. As a result, Schweitzer Mountain Resort is now wholly owned by MIG (the estate of Keith McCaw, whose family established a regional cellphone company later bought by AT&T). Stevens Pass, Wash., rever...

SAM Magazine-Jackson Hole, Wyo., June 28, 2005-Jackson Hole Mountain Resort will retire its Aerial Tramway, estimated to have carried over 2 million passengers winter and summer since 1966, in September 2006. A replacement for the lift has not yet been determined. Owners of the resort, the Kemmerer Family, and the mountain's management decided t...

SAM Magazine-Big Sky, Mont., June 28, 2005-Big Sky Resort and its new neighbor on Lone Peak, Moonlight Basin, will give visitors next winter the option to purchase tickets and passes allowing unlimited access to both resorts. The resorts shared several trails and a lift in the past. But previously, it was necessary to purchase a ticket or season pa...

SAM Magazine-South Lake Tahoe, Calif., June 24, 2005-Prodigious and early snowfall helped lift California ski areas to record visits of 8.1 million, far surpassing the previous mark of 7.6 million recorded in the 1997-98 El Nino season, according to the California Ski Industry Association. Among individual areas, Heavenly, Kirkwood and Sierra-at...

SAM Magazine--West Dover, Vt., June 17, 2005--The Vermont Ski Areas Association announced its skier/boarder visit numbers for the 2004-05 season, which were 4.4 million. The total makes Vermont the third largest ski/ride state behind Colorado and California. This year's numbers represent a five percent increase over the 2003-04 season, which cam...

SAM Magazine--June 16, 2005--American Skiing Company (ASC) and Vail Resorts both announced their third quarter results and the numbers seem to be on the rise. ASC, thanks to good conditions across the board at all of it resorts, saw an increase in resort revenue of $16 million over the same period last year, and an increase in skier visits of 3 ...

SAM Magazine--Tannersville, Pa., June 16, 2005-- Camelback Ski Corporation, located in Pennsylvania's Poconos Mountains, was sold to a local entrepreneur, Arthur B. Berry III. In the acquisition, Berry will take over Camelback's winter operations and its large waterpark, which draws nearly as many visitors in the summer as the ski area does during ...

SAM Magazine--June 10, 2005--David Rowan, founder of the industry's trade publication Ski Area Management (SAM Magazine) died on Wednesday, June 8, from a rare cancer, mesothelioma. Rowan started his industry career in 1949 when he joined Ski Magazine as editor, interim publisher and ad salesperson. Rowan stayed with Ski until 1961 when the maga...

SAM Magazine-Vail, Colo., June 9, 2005-Vail Resorts (VR) saw total revenues grow by 13.5 percent in its fiscal third quarter ended April 30, and resort revenue rise by 10.1 percent. Net income, however, dropped to $58.8 million, compared to $62.5 million for the same period last year, due to a favorable one-time real-estate transaction in 2004. ...