SAM Magazine—Denver, Jan. 14, 2014—Despite late and so-so snowfall and average visitation, U.S. winter resorts posted a record level of operating profit in 2012-13, and their second-highest gross revenue, according to the recently published 2012-13 Economic Analysis of United States Ski Areas. The report, prepared by RRC Assocs. and the...

SAM Magazine--January 14, 2014--Colorado Ski Country USA (CSCUSA) announced today that its 21 member resorts reported an increase in skier visitation for the beginning of the 2013/14 ski season. Skier visits at CSCUSA resorts were up by 22 percent during the first period of the 2013/14 season, defined this year as opening day of the season (October...

SAM Magazine—Washington, D.C., Jan. 9, 2014—Snow sports retail sales soared 14 percent in November from year-ago levels as the season began in earnest, the latest data from the SIA RetailTRAK show. The survey is based on point-of-sale data from more than 1,200 snow sports retailers. For the year through November, sales totaled $1.2 b...

SAM Magazine—Park City, Utah, Jan. 7, 2014—Olympic champion Lindsey Vonn will not participate in the upcoming Sochi Olympics due to instability in her surgically repaired right knee, and will undergo another surgery soon so that she has time to recover for the 2015 World Alpine Championships in Vail/Beaver Creek. The decision means V...

SAM Magazine—Beaver Creek, Colo.–Jan. 3, 2014 –Beaver Creek is replacing its primary express quad from the base area with a new high-speed combination chairlift and gondola. The new lift will increase uphill capacity by as much as 35 percent through the use of alternating 10-passenger gondola cabins and six-person chairs. The new ...

SAM Magazine—Grenoble, France, Dec, 30, 2013—Seven-time Formula 1 champion Michael Schumacher is in critical condition in a French hospital with head injuries suffered on Sunday morning while skiing off-piste at Meribel. Update: His condition is slightly improved following a second operation on Monday night that relieved pressure on his...

SAM Magazine—Denver, Dec. 30, 2013—Lodging properties at a sample of Eastern mountain resorts are reporting a 13 percent increase in projected reservations revenue for 2013-14 over last year, according to the most recent data released by Denver-based DestiMetrics. DestiMetrics has been collecting research data in the Eastern U.S. and...

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., Dec. 30, 2013—After 28 days and 26 resorts in four countries, 10 lifetime Epic Passes were awarded to the winners of the Vail Resorts’ Epic Race to Ski the World. The Epic Race was intended as a season-long quest to ski and ride all 26 resorts spread across 4 countries on the Epic Pass. The reward: ...

SAM Magazine—Bloomington, Minn., Dec. 18, 2013—The Hyland Ski and Snowboard Area is set to upgrade its base lodge and parking areas and thus improve its services to the increasing throngs that visit the hill. The Bloomington City Council approved the $14.2 million expansion of the ski area earlier this week, according to local business ...

SAM Magazine—Denver, Colo. Dec. 16, 2013—Positive snow equity from last winter, good early season snowfall this year, and stronger financial news are combining to drive occupancy and revenues at western mountain destinations to one of their strongest starts in memory, according to the most recent data released by the Denver-based DestiM...

SAM Magazine—North Conway, N.H., Dec. 16, 2013—Cranmore Mountain Resort has unveiled a Master Development Plan at a town Planning Board Meeting here to replace dated ski facilities with a mix of combination service space/residential condominium buildings and residential-only condos. “Mixing new ski facilities with condominiums ...

SAM Magazine—Washington, D.C., Dec. 11, 2013—Snow sports retailers sold $624 million in apparel, accessories and equipment from Aug. 1 to Oct. 31, a three percent increase from the prior year, according to the Snowsports Industry America (SIA) RetailTRAK survey of more than 1,200 snowsports retailers. Good snow conditions in late Nov...

SAM Magazine--Taos, N.M., December 11, 2013--Mickey Blake, COO of Taos Ski Valley and son of ski pioneers Ernie and Rhoda Blake, announced today that the family-held corporation has entered into an agreement with conservationist Louis Bacon who will purchase the resort. Blake stated, "Louis and his team have been true partners for many year...

SAM Magazine—Park City, Utah, Dec. 3, 2013—Powdr Enterprises, a division of Powdr Corp., has acquired the Emmy Award-winning television series “World of Adventure Sports Presented by GoPro.” Powdr Enterprises is expanding the show from a television series airing on NBC and NBCSN into a year-round, multi-platform offering tha...

SAM Magazine—Manchester, Vt., Nov. 26, 2013—Bromley Mountain is inviting the public to a free “Introduction to Terrain Based Learning” session Dec. 21 so that first-timers can experience the increasingly popular teaching process based on terrain features. The session runs from 10:30 a.m. to 12 noon and includes an all-day Le...

SAM Magazine—Salt Lake City, Utah, Nov. 26, 2013—With the 2013-14 ski season underway, Ski Utah recently launched an updated website. SkiUtah.com provides extensive trip planning tools, custom detailed weather forecasts, a new travel expert blogger, and large imagery that showcases the resorts—along with a comprehensive look at Ut...

SAM Magazine—Woodbury, Conn., Nov. 22, 2013—More than 50 areas in North America are now open, with dozens more opening this weekend, and with still more resorts set to open on or just after Thanksgiving. Cold weather in the East and Midwest has provided good snowmaking conditions. In the West, snowmaking operations have been suppleme...

SAM Magazine--Queensbury, N.Y., November 22, 2013--After filing for bankruptcy protection last June, West Mountain's future was uncertain. However, as of yesterday, its future looks brighter thanks to the purchase of its first mortgage by the investment group that has been running the area—Apex Capital. As we reported in late October, Zio...

SAM Magazine—Mt. Baldy, Calif., Nov. 19, 2013—For a limited time, Mt. Baldy is offering season passes for $59 to skiers and snowboarders who have never had a Baldy pass before. “It's an almost risk-free way to sample our mountain," said Mt. Baldy president Ron Ellingson. "Passes are intended for skiers and snowboa...

SAM Magazine--Denver, Colo., November 18, 2013--Bookings and occupancy figures continue their summer and fall growth patterns and with nearly half of all bookings already made for the upcoming winter, the mountain lodging industry in the western U.S. is in a position to post record-breaking numbers according to the most recent data released by Dest...

SAM Magazine—Ludlow, Vt., Nov. 14, 2013—A cold wave earlier this week that spread across the U.S. east of the Rockies, along with snow and favorable snowmaking conditions in parts of the West, have enabled dozens of areas across North America to open, either for the coming weekend or for the season. East In the East, Okemo was one...

SAM Magazine--Denver, Colo., November 12, 2013--According to NASDAQ.com, Intrawest Resorts Holdings Inc., filed an initial public offering today with the New York Stock Exchange to raise up to $100 million. Intrawest, which is based out of Denver, operates Winter Park and Steamboat in Colorado, Mont Tremblant in Quebec, Stratton in Vermont and Snow...

SAM Magazine—Breckenridge, Colo., Nov. 7, 2013—Breckenridge, Mammoth, Calif., Lake Louise, Alberta, Brighton, Utah, and Loon, N.H., are among the several areas that are recently opened or opening in the next few days. The start-ups give skiers and riders more options from coast to coast. In California, Boreal Mountain Resort reopened...

SAM Magazine—Truckee, Calif., Nov. 7, 2013—Several Western areas are adding value to their pass offerings. Sugar Bowl Resort has partnered with Sun Valley Resort, complementing a similar deal with Grand Targhee, Wyo., to give Sugar Bowl’s unrestricted and slightly restricted season passholders free skiing at both partner resorts (...

SAM Magazine--Salt Lake City, Utah, November 7, 2013--Ski Utah is bringing its message to Coloradans this weekend during the Denver Ski & Snowboard Expo, held from November 8-10 at the Colorado Convention Center. This marks the first time that any Utah resort will be represented at the show. Ski Utah will represent its 14 member resorts in a 20...

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., Nov. 6, 2013—SAM Magazine and Snow Operating LLC, are joining forces to host the first annual Conversion Camp at Jiminy Peak, Mass., March 4-6, 2014. The Conversion Camp will be a total immersive experience for resort operators that examines the complete trial and conversion process for beginners—from t...

SAM Magazine—Telluride, Colo., Nov. 7, 2013—Telluride Ski Resort has brought in four industry veterans to fill out its management team, headed by president and GM Greg Pack, who assumes his new role Nov. 19. Pack, a Colorado native, will oversee resort operations and the planning of ski, lodging, culinary service, marketing, guest se...

SAM Magazine—Ishpeming, Mich., Nov. 6, 2013—Six athletes and sport builders have been elected to the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame for their contributions to the sport. Honorees include big mountain skier Scot Schmidt, freestyle pioneer and world champion John Clendenin, 2006 Olympic moguls bronze medalist Toby Dawson, freestyle a...

SAM Magazine—Copper Mountain, Colo., Oct. 31, 2013—Several resorts are opening for the season on Friday, Nov. 1, as the season begins to pick up steam. The resorts include Copper Mountain and Keystone in Colorado, Boreal, California, and Mt. Norquay, Alberta. Copper will open terrain off the American Eagle chairlift and in the Easy R...

SAM Magazine—Frisco, Colo., Oct. 31, 2013—In an attempt to ease housing pressures for employees of the resorts that populate the I-70 corridor in Colorado, the U.S. House of Representatives has approved a bill to convey 40 acres of White River National Forest to Summit County, Colo., so that the county can establish affordable housing o...

SAM Magazine--October 30, 2013--Foreclosures, bad economy and more have taken their toll on all industries worldwide, and the mountain resort industry is no different. But, let's start with some good news. In New Hampshire, Whaleback Ski Area announced its closure this year after the owners were foreclosured on. In August, the bank tried to auc...

SAM Magazine—Breckenridge, Colo., Oct. 24, 2013—Breckenridge Ski Resort will offer an exclusive perk for guests staying in resort-owned lodging properties this winter: First Tracks Fridays. This program will allow guests staying at official Breckenridge Ski Resort lodging properties to access a designated chairlift on Peak 9 one hour be...

SAM Magazine--Vancouver, B.C., October 24, 2013--Tourism British Columbia launched a new website this week called Ski It To Believe It. The site features comprehensive stats for 13 B.C. resorts, including Apex, Big White, Fernie, Kicking Horse, Kimberley, Mount Washington, Panorama, Red Mountain, Revelstoke, Silver Star, Sun Peaks, Whistler Blackco...

SAM Magazine—Colorado Springs, Colo., Oct. 24, 2013—The U.S. Olympic Committee has named Ted Ligety 2012-13 Olympic SportsMan of the Year, its highest annual individual athlete honor. The 2006 Olympic gold medalist won three gold medals at the 2013 FIS Alpine World Ski Championship and six Audi FIS Alpine World Cup giant slalom victorie...

SAM Magazine--Whitehorse, Yukon, October 23, 2013--After receiving news early this summer that the City Council of Whitehorse rejected a request for $400,000 to continue to operate Mount Sima, a community ski hill, a group called Friends of Mount Sima rallied and raised more than $200,000 through fundraising efforts and season pass sales and announ...

SAM Magazine—Georgetown, Colo., Oct. 18, 2013—Loveland Ski Area has became the second resort in Colorado to open for the 2013-14 season, with Wolf Creek set to become the third on Saturday. Loveland opened yesterday with a single 1,000-vertical-foot run on a combination of natural and machine-made snow, and added a second run today. ...

SAM Magazine--Aspen, Colo., October 15, 2013--The Aspen Skiing Co. has thrown its hat in the ring to host the World Cup Finals at Aspen Mountain in 2017. According to the Aspen Daily News, Aspen has been hosting annual World Cup races for women and, on the men's side, last hosted a men's downhill in 2001. The last World Cup Finals held in N...

SAM Magazine--Denver, Colo., October 15, 2013--As early snowstorms and cold weather fronts moved across the California, Utah and Colorado mountains, bookings among participating resorts continued their upward trend in pacing and revenues. In the most recent data released by the Denver-based DestiMetrics (formerly known as Mountain Travel Research P...

SAM Magazine--Kansas City, Mo., October 14, 2013--EPR Properties announced that it is the entity that purchased Camelback Mountain Resort in Tannersville, Pa. for close to $70 million. The resort consists of 160 acres of skiable terrain and includes a waterpark, an outdoor adventure park, a 40-lane tubing facility and base lodge. The resort hosts 9...

SAM Magazine—Arapahoe Basin, Colo., Oct. 11, 2013—Arapahoe Basin Ski Area will open Sunday, Oct. 13, 2013, marking the official start to the Colorado ski and snowboard season. Early-season snow, low temperatures and snowmaking upgrades have made it possible for A-Basin to open four days earlier than last season. The Black Mountain Ex...

SAM Magazine—Lakewood, Colo., Oct. 11, 2013—The National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) today released its 13th Sustainable Slopes Annual Report detailing the ski industry’s progress in implementing the principles of its Environmental Charter during the 2012-13 season. Among the highlights: • 115 ski areas endorsed the Cl...

SAM Magazine—Washington, D.C., Oct. 11, 2013—The 2013 Women's Snow Sports Market Intelligence Report reveals that 3.3 million women participated in snowsports last season, and made $1 billion in purchases of women-specific gear during the 2012-13 season. The report, a supplement to the full Market Intelligence Report produced by Sno...

SAM Magazine--Tannersville, Pa., October 10, 2013--Spirit Realty Capital, Inc., the real estate investment trust (REIT) that owned Camelback Mountain Resort, announced that it has sold Camelback Mountain Resort for $69.25 million, representing a "significant gain on its original investment," says the press release. The REIT bought the are...

SAM Magazine--October 8, 2013--In a survey released last week by PhoCusWright, a New York based travel industry research group, and sponsored by Mountain Travel Symposium (MTS), the current data available on the travel behavior of skiers and snowboarders revealed new information about these specific destination travelers. Here are some highlight...

SAM Magazine--Los Angeles, Calif., October 3, 2013--ESPN issued the following statement today: ESPN today announced it will not continue with X Games events in Barcelona, Munich, Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil and Tignes, France. We are proud to have run world-class competitions for both the athletes and spectators; however the overall economics of t...

SAM Magazine--October 3, 2013--In a clever move, Arizona Snowbowl and Aspen/Snowmass are spinning lifts for tourists who are shut out of national parks. Thanks to the government shutdown, national parks are closed across the country, so the ski areas decided to offer alternatives for tourists. Arizona Snowbowl is extending its scenic chairlift oper...

SAM Magazine—Copper Mountain, Colo., Oct. 2, 2013—The Forest Service has approved Copper’s high alpine project, The 12’s, a multi-year enhancement of the resort’s high alpine skiing and riding. The 12’s encompass three peaks with elevations in excess of 12,000 feet: Tucker Mountain, Union Peak and Copper Peak. Th...

SAM Magazine--Vernon, N.J., October 2, 2013--UPDATE: After announcing an auction for October 1, Hidden Valley remains unsold after no-one bid on the resort. According to The Star-Ledger, bidding was expected to start at $2.75 million (an amount that would cover debts and fees). The auction house is still hopeful that someone will make an offer. In ...

SAM Magazine--Greenwood, Maine, October 1, 2013--Building on an existing partnership, Mt. Abram, Maine, has hired Mountain Rider’s Alliance (MRA) to manage the ski area. MRA is a grassroots organization whose mission is to create sustainable mountain playgrounds. Led by GM Dave Scanlan, MRA personnel will fill other key positions of Mt Abram&...

Loveland, CO SAM Magazine—Denver, Oct. 1, 2013—Colorado resorts have begun snowmaking operations for the 2013-14 season. Loveland Basin cranked up its guns at 6 p.m. on Sept. 27, and Arapahoe Basin followed five hours later. Copper Mountain began early today. This year’s start was about a week ahead of last year. While warme...

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., Sept. 27, 2013—Vail Resorts (VR) rebounded nicely in 2012-13 from a very poor 2011-12 season, and early indicators, such as pass sales, suggest the coming winter will be strong. That’s the big picture presented by VR’s year-end financial report, released today. For the year ended July 31, t...

SAM Magazine--Covington Township, Pa., September 26, 2013--The following is a statement released by The Renaissance Auction Group: "We are pleased to announce that the high bid submitted at the Sealed Bid auction for Alpine Mountain Ski Area was accepted by the sellers. "The successful bidder is a local investor who plans to continue o...

SAM Magazine—Missoula, Mont., Sept. 25, 2013—The Bitterroot and Lolo national forests have, for the third time, rejected Tom Maclay’s proposal for a ski resort on the national forest above his family’s former ranch. “Based on review of your proposal, we have concluded that your proposal is not consistent with all of...

SAM Magazine—Aspen, Colo., September 24, 2013—Summer gave way to snow on the first few days of fall across parts of the West. From Colorado to California and Oregon, resorts reported the first significant snow of the season. It was significant enough at Silverton, Colo., where two to three feet of snow fell, that a few patrollers rode t...

SAM Magazine—Ludlow, Vt., Sept. 24, 2013—The state of Vermont has given the go-ahead to a $200 million development at Okemo Mountain. The development will be led by Timber Creek at Okemo, a private investment group, but it will connect to the existing resort. Okemo will operate the development’s two planned lifts and snowmaking on...

SAM Magazine—West Dover, Vermont, Sept. 24, 2013—New England areas are competing hard for core customers, especially college-age and post-college skiers and riders. In Vermont, sometime rivals Mount Snow and Stratton have formed a new partnership that offers 18- to 26-year-old skiers and snowboarders an unrestricted Double Down Pass ...

SAM Magazine--Mount Spokane, Wash., September 20, 2013--A proposed lift, which would have accessed 279 more acres at Mt. Spokane Ski and Snowboard Park, was halted by a ruling this past Tuesday from the state appeals court. According to The Spokesman-Review, the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission made a mistake by not requiring a deta...

SAM Magazine--Park City, Utah, September 19, 2013--Yesterday, a district county judge in Summit County, Utah, ruled that Park City Mountain Resort (PCMR) can ammend its complaint against Talisker Land Holdings LLC and argue that it had "first right of refusal" to buy the terrain that Talisker owns and leases to PCMR. The terrain does not ...

SAM Magazine--Denver, Colo., September 18, 2013 – Colorado Ski Country USA (CSCUSA) announced  that Christy Sports, a family owned and Colorado-based ski and snowboard retailer, is partnering with CSCUSA in support of the 5th and 6th Grade Passport Programs. The CSCUSA Passport Programs introduce kids to Colorado’s winter sports...

SAM Magazine--Denver, Colo., September 17, 2013--Lodging properties in 17 western mountain resort destinations wrapped up the summer through August with a 5.5 percent increase in actual occupancy and a six percent increase for the past six months compared to 2012 according to the most recent data released by DestiMetrics. The results are through Au...