SAM Magazine-Lakewood, Colo., Oct. 9, 2008-A special NSAA report prepared by RRC Associates concludes that snowfall will be a greater indicator of visits this coming season than the economy. The report is based on an analysis of visits, snowfall, economic conditions, and consumer confidence over the past 30 years. RRC outlines two different scen...

SAM Magazine-Big Sky, Mont., Oct. 8, 2008-CNL Lifestyle Properties, Inc. is providing capital to Boyne Resorts to, in large part, refinance some credit facilities Boyne had at the corporate level. The agreement includes an option to purchase Big Sky resort within the next two years, where Boyne expects to invest some of its capital. CNL already own...

SAM Magazine (SnowHunter) - October 6 --The world's largest ski resort operating company, Compagnie des Alpes, which manages 17 leading resorts in the Alps, decided it needed to publish a statement underlying its financial stability after Fortis, an international provider of banking and insurance services, published a report on the debt situation o...

SAM Magazine-Broomfield, Colo., Oct. 6, 2008-To help offset added airline fees, Vail Resorts is offering a "Baggage Bailout" for skiers and snowboarders staying at Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone and Heavenly this winter. Guests will receive a $50 credit when they book a stay of least four days and nights by Dec. 1 through Vail Resorts r...

SAM Magazine (SnowHunter) - October 6 --Burton will open the fifth of its natural Stash concept parks this winter, the second in Europe, at Fachauwinkl ski area in Austria's Salzburgland province. The Stash, scheduled to open in January, will be the first run of its kind in Austria, which is also home to Burton's European headquarters. The forst ...

SAM Magazine (SnowHunter) - October 6 --Perisher Blue in Australia finishes its 2008 winter this weekend. The resort was able to offer excellent riding conditions across its four resort areas for the majority of the southern hemisphere's 2008 season. Despite a slow start for snowfalls, the resort managed to open its first lifts on Saturday, 7 June...

SAM Magazine--October 2, 2008, Orlando, Fla.--Baxter Underwood was named senior VP and CIO at CNL Properties, Inc. In this role, Underwood will lead the acquisitions team in identifying new business opportunities and increasing the company's $2.3 billion portfolio of assets. Prior to his promotion, Underwood was VP of investments and oversaw the ac...

SAM Magazine-Snowmass, Colo., Oct. 2, 2008-The Aspen Skiing Company (Skico) has successfully installed a 164-foot-tall wind tower at the top of the Snowmass Ski Area to determine if wind turbines are feasible there. The initial installation of the tower was delayed last month when a winch failed, resulting in damage to the original tower and a slow...

SAM Magazine-Highmount, N.Y., Oct. 2, 2008-In the wake of budget cuts by New York State agencies, state-operated Belleayre Mountain Ski Center will restrict lift and snowmaking operations for the 2008-09 ski and snowboard season. However, all programming will remain available, including "Kidscamp," racing programs, and new this year, the adaptive s...

SAM Magazine-Broomfield, Colo., Oct. 2, 2008-Vail Resorts has elevated John Garnsey and Blaise Carrig to co-presidents of the company's Mountain division, while Stan Brown has been promoted to president of the Lodging division, all effective immediately. As co-president, Garnsey remains chief operating officer of Beaver Creek Resort and has dire...

SAM Magazine - Queenstown, New Zealand, October 1, 2008 - New Zealand's Coronet Peak has announced that the ski area will reopen this week. The resort had shuttered operations for the season last Saturday, but with additional storms pounding the area, management decided to extend the winter. "We've had a big dump of snow and there's more in the ...

SAM Magazine - Big Sky, Mt., October 1, 2008 - A potentially dangerous situation was avoided when aggressive action by wildfire crews contained a fire at Big Sky ski resort. The Spanish Peaks Fire, located in the Spanish Peaks Subdivision near Big Sky, was contained Monday night at approximately 10:00 p.m. The fire burned near the base of the Sout...

SAM Magazine-Broomfield, Colo., Sept. 26, 2008-Vail Resorts, Inc. (VR) on Thursday reported record fiscal 2008 net income of $102.9 million, a 67.6 percent increase over the prior fiscal year, as well as record fiscal 2008 resort revenue of $855.6 million and record total revenue of $1.15 billion, increases of 3.4 percent and 22.5 percent respectiv...

SAM Magazine - Georgetown, Colo., September 25, 2008 - Colorado ski resort Loveland has commenced snowmaking operations. The resort fired up the guns last night, making the ski area the first in North America to start snowmaking operations for the 2008-2009 ski season. A key ingredient in the mountain's ability to be the first to start snowmaking o...

SAM Magazine - Glenwood Springs, Colo., September 22, 2008 - Garfield County officials will review a proposal to redevelop the base area of Sunlight Ski Area on Wednesday evening. The proposal, which includes updating the on-mountain facilities and construction of more than 800 residential units, has met opposition from nearby residents, who cited ...

SAM Magazine-Stoneham, Que., Sept. 23, 2008-Canada's Stoneham Mountain Resort is constructing a permanent halfpipe to cut snowmaking costs and facilitate an earlier opening date. The area is resculpting the halfpipe terrain to create an eight foot-deep tank and establish a slope of 18.5 degrees. The resort expects the C$700,000 project, which incl...

SAM Magazine-Whitefish, Mont., Sept. 23, 2008-Whitefish Mountain Resort, in conjunction with Whitefish School District 55 and the Flathead Valley Ski Education Foundation (FVSEF), is creating the Whitefish Alpine and Freestyle Ski Academy for middle and high school student athletes for the 2008-2009 school year and ski season. The academy will offe...

SAM Magazine-Carrabassett Valley, Me., Sept. 23, 2008-Maine resort Sugarloaf has invested more than $5 million to enhance its snowmaking capacity, redesign terrain parks, and upgrade on-mountain facilities. The investment brings the area's total capital investment to $9 million since Sugarloaf joined the Boyne Resorts family in 2007. In snowmaki...

SAM Magazine-New York, Sept. 23, 2008-Appearing on the CNBC business news channel on Monday, AIG chairman and CEO Edward Liddy declared his intention to focus the company on its core insurance business and to have an asset list of for-sale items within seven to 10 days-and perhaps to begin divesting itself of these items in that time frame as well....

SAM Magazine - Burlington, Vt., September 17, 2008 - Burton Snowboards and Volvo Cars have announced a three-year partnership that expands their relationship in the United States to Europe. The new partnership focuses on Burton's European snowboard events, including the Burton European Open Snowboarding Championships, the Burton AM Tour and the Bur...

SAM Magazine - Queenstown, New Zealand, September 18, 2008- New Zealand's Coronet Peak ski area is set to close on Sunday after a record season. According to the resort, the positive results on the year are due to improvements in both the base facilities as well as snowmaking. "It's been a huge journey through a major redevelopment program to get t...

SAM Magazine - Snowmass, Colo., September 18, 2008 - A turbine tower that was part of an experimental effort to test the viability of wind power on Snowmass ski area was irreparably damaged during installation last Thursday. The tower was damaged when the winch used for installation failed. A new tower is expected to be installed in the same area w...

SAM Magazine - Mt. Ruapehu, New Zealand - The New Zealand ski resorts of Turoa and Whakapapa have announced that they will extend their seasons due to exceptional conditions. The closing date for Turoa has now been set for November 16, with Whakapapa expected to close as scheduled on October 27, but is expected to reopen for Christmas skiing from B...

SAM Magazine - Banff, AB., September 17, 2008 - Aspen and Telluride have already cashed in on this niche market, now CMH is poised to do the same. The venerable Canadian heli operation has said that the company will offer its first ever Gay Ski Week in April of 2009. The event is scheduled to run from From April 11 to 18 at CMH's, Gothics Lodge ...

SAM Magazine-North Woodstock, N.H., Sept. 15, 2008-Additional trails, improved snowmaking, more ziplines, new rental fleets and tubing expansions highlight capital improvements at New Hampshire resorts. Here's a recap of the developments. Loon Mountain, as part of its ongoing South Peak expansion, is adding two trails with 14 acres of additional...

SAM Magazine-Laramie, Wyo., Sept. 15, 2008-Snowy Range is up for sale, and the current owners say they won't open the resort this year if no buyers come forward. Rick and Terri Colling, who have owned and operated the resort for 16 years, say the ski area has struggled since the base lodge burned down in 2003. The Colling family has been trying ...

SAM Magazine-Copper Mountain, Colo., Sept. 15, 2008-Copper Mountain is becoming greener. Existing and upcoming environmental initiatives include the installation of a 4.2 kilowatt photovoltaic system at the Transportation Center, Green Globes certification of the new Woodward at Copper facility, and the creation of an employee-based fund to support...

SAM Magazine-Durango, Colo., Sept. 15, 2008-Durango Mountain Resort (DMR) and Colorado Wild have approved the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and a Record of Decision on the resort's Mountain Master Development Plan. Colorado Wild and DMR agreed to encourage the U.S. Forest Service to implement the majority of the planned improvements, while d...

SAM Magazine-LAKEWOOD, Colo., Sept. 15, 2008-A third of all resort visitors in 2007-08 were age 45 or older. Continued gains in visitation by these older skiers and riders is one of the most significant trends revealed in the recently released 2008 NSAA National Demographic Study. Since 1997-98, the percentage of visitors age 45 to 54 has increa...

SAM Magazine - Whistler BC., - Crews have completed the ropework for the Whistler/Blackcomb Peak 2 Peak Gondola. The ropework crosses an unsupported three-kilometer (1.88 mile) span between Whistler and Blackcomb mountains. Cabins for the gondola have also arrived, and installation should commence by the end of the month. The splicing of the hau...

SAM Magazine - Stevens Pass, Wash., September 8, 2008 - Washington resort Steven's Pass will be adding RFID technology to the ski area's lift tickets this season. The system will use technology from RTP and SKIDATA. Stevens Pass will be one of the first resort-wide deployments of the new RTP-SKIDATA integrated ticketing, RFID access control and ...

SAM Magazine - GALENA, Il., September 8, 2008 - Chestnut Mountain Resort, a popular Midwestern resort destination, which features skiing with Mississippi River views and the largest terrain park in the Midwest, has been sold. The mountain, previously owned by St. Louis businessman Joe Burnsein since 1979, was purchased by the Paul Family. The ...

SAM Magazine--September 8, 2008, Ironwood, Michigan-The Roger and Lilah Stangeland Trust, owner of Indianhead Mountain ski resort, has executed letters of intent to acquire the assets of nearby Big Powderhorn and Blackjack ski resorts, a combination that would combine three upper Midwest resorts into one. "We are extremely excited about the opp...

SAM Magazine--September 5, 2008--New lifts and additional terrain highlight a summer construction season, which also saw improvements to snowmaking systems. Here's an overview of some of the more noteworthy developments at Colorado Ski Country USA member resorts. Arapahoe Basin Arapahoe Basin invested $1.2 million dollars over the summer, a...

Mammoth Mountain is also adding four new "Adventure Zones" this winter to complement their Parks. These new runs will be fun tracks built into the trees featuring a variety of berms, rollers and small bumps. These "Adventure Zones" will be located near Disco Park, Forest Trail Park, Wonderland Park and Eagle Express Lift. Rounding out the list o...

SAM Magazine - Taos, NM., September 4, 2008 - Taos is doubling the size of the ski area's terrain park and adding additional terrain for the 2008 - 2009 season. The Out To Launch Terrain Park will get additional features and is now twice the size. Other on-mountain enhancements include an expanded Children's Center and two new runs. North American,...

SAM Magazine - Steamboat Springs, Colo., September 4, 2008 - Steamboat Springs will host the 2010 NCAA Men's and Women's Skiing Championships. The event will be hosted by the University of Colorado, Boulder. Howelsen Hill will host the Nordic events along with the Slalom while the men's and women's giant slalom will be held on Mount Werner at Steam...

SAM Magazine - Salt Lake City, Utah, September 2, 2008 - Improved lifts, new lodges and more highlight Utah ski resort investment over the summer. Here's an overview of the most notable projects. Beaver Mountain Recent upgrades to Beaver Mountain's food service have caused more skiers to gather in the resort's traditional A-frame lodge for lun...

SAM Magazine - Crested Butte, Colo., August 29, 2008 - Crested Butte Ski Area has named Andrew Cesati to the new position of mountain sports manager. In his new role, Cesati will create and manage the Mountain Sports Team and program offerings, as well as head the Mountain Sports Division, new this year to CBMR. The creation of the program will ...

SAM Magazine - Eagle, Colo., September 2, 2008 - Eagle County Commissioner Peter Runyon is promoting a provision in Colorado State Law that would allow counties to assess a "use tax" on lift tickets. Runyon told the "Vail Daily" that he envisions a statewide tax on lift tickets, which currently are exempt from taxation. "Exempting the ski indust...

Dady, Mueller Named to Echo Mountain Positions SAM Magazine-Echo Mountain, Colo., Aug. 27, 2008-Cindy Dady, an industry veteran with over 18 years of experience in ski area operations and management, has been named general manager of Echo Mountain ski and snowboard area. The resort has also promoted Molly Mueller to marketing director. Mueller jo...

SAM Magazine-Huntington Beach, Calif., Aug. 27, 2008-Quiksilver, Inc. will sell the Rossignol Group to Chartreuse & Mont Blanc, headed by Bruno Cercley, a former Rossignol CEO. Chartreuse & Mont Blanc is majority-owned by Macquarie Group, and supported by a non-voting minority interest by Jarden Corporation, owner of skiwear and ski equipment brand...

SAM Magazine-Park City, Utah, Aug. 26, 2008-With the H2-B visa cap reached, Park City-based Premiere Resorts, which needs a staff of approximately 500 to manage an inventory of over 2,850 units at a variety of Western resorts, has launched a web site to help recruit employees. The site, Funresortjobs.com, describes jobs that allow employees to move...

SAM Magazine-Snowbird, Utah, Aug. 26, 2008-Following its cleanup efforts on the Pacific Mine, Snowbird is embarking on a second mine restoration project. With assistance from Trout Unlimited (TU), Snowbird is redirecting water from the Live Yankee Mine in Mary Ellen Gulch, adjacent to the resort's Mineral Basin terrain, away from its current path o...

SAM Magazine-Snowbird, Utah, Aug. 26, 2008-Snowbird is dropping the prices on some of its early-purchase 2008-09 season passes, including a nearly $500 savings for families that opt for the Family of Four pack. Young-adult skiers and snowboarders also have an innovative new product which cuts the cost of skiing and riding by $420 compared to last s...

SAM Magazine-Snowmass Village, Colo., Aug. 26, 2008-Snowmass Ski Area expects to start evaluating the viability of wind turbines at the resort by the end of this month. A164-foot tower equipped with four anemometers will be installed at the top of the Big Burn to gather data on wind direction and speed. The experiment is being run in conjunction wi...

SAM Magazine-Bolton Valley, Vt., Aug. 26, 2008-Vermont resorts are offering a variety of new discounted ticket deals for 2008-09. Among the highlights: Ascutney Mountain Resort's Special Early Bird Season Pass Program offers discounts when purchases are made by Sept. 30. The unlimited pass is $150 off ($579 for juniors/seniors and $689 for adult...

SAM Magazine - Bretton Woods, NH., August 22, 2008 - With winter just around the corner, a variety of summits, expos and seminars have finalized their programs. The Northeast Winter Sports Summit is scheduled for September 2 - 4, 2008, at Bretton Woods. This event will include the NSAA Fall Educational Series a four-session track which will be fo...

SAM Magazine--August 20, 2008--Seven Springs Mountain Resort, Pa., has entered into an agreement with the Somerset Trust Company that, when finalized, will revive the currently dormant Laurel Mountain Ski Resort located on the Westmoreland and Somerset County border. The Seven Springs management team will work closely with the Pennsylvania D...

SAM Magazine-Park City, Aug. 15, 2008-Rossignol is recalling approximately 3,500 pairs of the company's HC Snowboard bindings due to the potential for failure of the t-nuts that attach the straps to the binding. According to the company, the t-nuts can detach, creating a fall hazard for users. The recall involves 2007 model year Rossignol snowbo...

SAM Magazine-Ludlow, Vt., Aug. 15, 2008-Okemo has added approximately eight acres of expert terrain, bringing the resort's total to 632 acres. The new terrain consists of two runs, White Lightning and Rolling Thunder, the final two trails of the original Jackson Gore layout. White Lightning measures about 1,000 feet long and Rolling Thunder is abou...

SAM Magazine-Denver, Aug. 15, 2008-The 2008-09 Colorado Gems Card, available in limited quantities for $10, provides access to special deals, discounts, programs and promotions at the nine Gem resorts. The benefits include one day of free skiing at three areas (restrictions apply), two-for-one lift tickets at four areas, and discounted tickets at s...

SAM Magazine-Frisco, Colo., Aug. 11, 2008-Copper will host the first U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix halfpipe series stop this Dec. 12-13, followed by Boreal and Killington. NBC and Versus will be broadcasting each leg of the tour, which will serve as a tune up for the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. Both Copper and Boreal are hosting tour stops for the f...

SAM Magazine-Flagstaff, Ariz., Aug. 9, 2008-Arizona Snowbowl's previous approvals for snowmaking are valid, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on Friday. In a statement, the resort said that "the Snowbowl community is very pleased that the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals decided to rehear the case and affirm the original District Court opin...

SAM Magazine-Washington, D.C., Aug. 7, 2008-As most resorts know, the H-2B visa cap has been reached. The "final receipt date" for H-2B visa applications was July 29. However, there's still a chance that Congress, when it reconvenes in September, will pass an exemption for returning H-2B workers, as existed in recent years. Resorts with application...

SAM Magazine-Golden, B.C., Aug. 7, 2008-British Columbia ski area Kicking Horse has presented its new draft master plan. It proposes adding a signature 18-hole golf course, a densification of the resort base, and major improvements to the ski area. These include several new lifts, from detachable quads to conveyor lifts for the ski school beginner ...

SAM Magazine-Vancouver, B.C., Aug. 7, 2008-The competition schedules for the 2010 Paralympic and Winter Olympic ski and snowboard events is coming into focus. Both schedules are available online at www.vancouver2010.com, giving spectators two months to review the event plan before tickets go on sale on Oct. 3. Notable alpine skiing schedule high...

SAM Magazine-Red Lodge, Mont., Aug. 7, 2008-Operations are winding down on the Cascade Wildfire, which at one time threatened Red Lodge Ski Area. The fire has burned more than10,000 acres but is now 85 percent contained. Currently, crews staffing the fire are mopping up and securing fire lines. Dozer lines along the controlled perimeter are being r...

SAM Magazine-Lakewood, Colo., Aug. 5, 2008-The U.S. ski industry totaled a record 60.5 million visits in 2007-08, up 2.7 percent from previous record of 58.9 million visits set in 2005-06, according to the final Kottke End of Season Survey. Improved winter weather conditions and abundant snowfall in all regions except the Southeast contributed to t...

SAM Magazine - Red Lodge, Mt., August 5, 2008 - With the Cascade wildfire 66-percent contained, crews are starting mop up operations at Red Lodge. The Cascade wildfire continued to burn overnight toward natural barriers to the west and south, but crews were pulled off the blaze at midnight on Sunday. Helicopters have also flown out 11,200 pounds of...