SAM Magazine--December 2, 2011--Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows, Calif., have commenced a pilot study to determine the possibility of creating backcountry access gates that would allow on-snow travel between the two resorts. During the upcoming season, the management and ski patrols at the two ski areas, along with the U.S. Forest Service, will inv...

SAM Magazine-Lincoln, N.H., Nov. 22, 2011-Big snow in the Northwest, up to 28 inches at Whistler Blackcomb, has helped some areas in the region open earlier than planned. In the East, a warm spell forced several areas to delay openings last weekend. But with colder evening temperatures and with up to a foot of snow forecast for northern New England...

SAM Magazine--November 21, 2011--The Wall Street Journal reported that Peak Resorts announced today that it is offering 5 million common shares and expects the initial offering price to be between $16 and $18 per share. The company hopes to raise $85 million in the IPO and command a market value of $152 million. In addition, Peaks Resorts plans to ...

SAM Magazine-Boulder, Colo., Nov. 18, 2011-In a sign of health for outdoor sports, preliminary Outdoor RetailTRAK data from Leisure Trends Group indicate that outdoor retail sales gained 14 percent over October 2010, spurred by especially strong apparel sales. Sales continued on pace with September's record total, as outdoor stores posted largest-e...

SAM Magazine-Orlando, Fla., Nov. 18, 2011-CNL Lifestyle Properties, Inc.,has acquired Stevens Pass from New Stevens, LLC for $20.5 million. Stevens Pass Mountain Resort, LLC, an affiliate of Mountain High Resort Associates, LLC, in California, will operate the area under a long-term lease agreement. Karl Kapuscinski of Mountain High will serv...

SAM Magazine-Leavenworth, Wash., Nov. 18, 2011-Recent cold temperatures and periods of heavy snowfall combined with a strong winter weather outlook have led Stevens Pass, Schweitzer, Mt. Hood Meadows, Mission Ridge, and Summit West at Snoqualmie to open Nov. 19. Stevens Pass is reporting a base of 25-32 inches, and will have its third-earliest o...

SAM Magazine--November 17, 2011--Bookings for the upcoming winter season continue a positive trend upward at participating mountain destinations throughout the western U.S., despite mixed economic news and indicators, according to the most recent report by the Mountain Travel Research Program (MTRiP) released yesterday. As of Oct. 31, on-the-books ...

SAM Magazine-Park City, Utah, Nov. 17, 2011-Canyons is proposing a groundbreaking gondola to connect Canyons and Solitude resorts and reduce auto traffic between the two. The SkiLink gondola would tie together 6,000 acres of existing terrain. "Studies have reported that SkiLink would decrease canyon traffic by providing an alternative to the 45-...

SAM Magazine-Lutsen, Minn., Nov. 16, 2011-Lutsen Mountains recently gained a variance from the state's department of natural resources (DNR) to draw snowmaking water from the nearby Poplar River, even though the waterway has dropped below minimum flow levels. The decision, which the DNR says only applies for the next three years, has drawn criticis...

SAM Magazine-Frisco, Colo., Nov. 16, 2011-The U.S. Ski Team Speed Center, a long-term partnership between the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) and Copper Mountain Resort, officially opened Tuesday. The early-season facility provides the only full-length downhill training available anywhere in the world during late October and early Nove...

SAM Magazine-Park City, Utah, Nov. 16, 2011-A slew of Western resorts are opening this weekend, along with several in the Northeast and a smattering of areas in Canada and the rest of the U.S. Park City is one of four areas in Utah that are starting up the lifts. It will operate three lifts and seven runs, as well as its all-season mountain coas...

SAM Magazine-Lebanon, N.H., Nov. 16, 2011-SnoCountry Ski Areas Association is launching SnoNews, a weekly consumer eNewsletter featuring original news and features on skiing, snowboarding, mountain resorts, travel, and lift ticket deals, on Nov .23. SnoNews will email weekly to a list of more than 50,000-and growing-subscribers every week, givin...

SAM Magazine--November 16, 2011--The previously announced transaction between KSL Capital Partners and JMA Ventures, which joins Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows under one operating company, has officially closed. The two resorts will be connected by complimentary shuttles that will provide transportation between the two resorts. Andy Wirth, Squ...

SAM Magazine-San Diego, Calif., Nov. 14, 2011-The Active Network, Inc., a provider of organization-based cloud computing applications, has acquired enterprise computer services provider RTP. For Active, which has focused primarily on helping organizers manage summer events, RTP "is an excellent complement to our mission of connecting people with th...

Opening Day at Mammoth Mountain  SAM Magazine-West Vancouver, B.C., Nov. 10, 2011-Cypress Mountain, B.C., opened Nov. 8, its earliest date ever, highlighting a week in which several Western areas are launching the season, along with a few others around the country. La Nina has brought early natural snow to the West Coast, from B.C. down to sou...

SAM Magazine-McLean, Va., Nov. 9, 2011-The Winter Trails program of Snowsports Industries America (SIA) is hosting educational workshops, animal tracking and a variety of fun activities at its nine anchor site locations on Winter Trails Day, Jan. 7. Winter Trails offers children and adults new to snow sports a chance to try snowshoeing and/or cr...

SAM Magazine-Red Lodge, Mont., Nov. 9, 2011-The installation of the Magnestick system on the Miami Beach chair lift makes Red Lodge the third U.S. resort to adopt it. The system uses an electromagnetic seatback and corresponding vest. The vest, which will be worn by children enrolled in ski and snowboard programs, contains a metal plate that secure...

SAM Magazine-Homewood, Calif., Nov. 9, 2011-The multi-area season's pass concept, which gives customers access to other resorts that are not corporately related, has been catching on in recent years. The strategy has been most aggressively pursued by Monarch, with its 26 partners, but many other areas East and West are following Monarch's lead, and...

SAM Magazine--November 8, 2011--Senator Mark Udall from Colorado announced that President Obama signed the summer recreation bill into law yesterday, November 7. The bipartisan Ski Area Recreational Opportunity Enhancement Act makes a small change to the National Forest Ski Area Permit Act of 1986 to allow the Forest Service to permit ski areas t...

SAM Magazine--November 4, 2011--Cockaigne Ski Area, N.Y., recently announced on its website that it would not open this year and is actively looking for a buyer. "For the first time since 1965 Cockaigne Ski Area will not be open for skiing this winter!," says the area's website. "The search for a new owner who will operate Cockaigne next year...

SAM Magazine--November 4, 2011--Sno Mountain, Pa., (formerly Montage) has defaulted on a $5 million loan according to published reports. The ski area has not made a payment on its state loan in almost a year, and county records show the resort owes at least $1.55 million in unpaid bills, a third of which are real estate taxes. The Times-Tribu...

SAM Magazine-Denver, Nov. 3, 2011-In the latest variation on the multi-area ticket, Aspen/Snowmass, Steamboat and Winter Park have unveiled a new Colorado Triple Play pass, good for two days at each of the three resorts during the 2011-12 season. Cost is $299 for adults, $249 for children 12 and under. The passes go on sale Nov. 4 at the Colorado S...

SAM Magazine-Aspen, Nov. 2, 2011-Aspen Skiing Company (ASC) is instituting a new employee helmet policy tas an integral part of its commitment to safety. ASC currently recommends that all snowsport participants wear a properly fitted snowsports helmet whenever they are skiing or riding. To further instill that habit this season, all ASC employees w...

SAM Magazine-Denver, Nov. 2, 2011-Copper Mountain and Keystone Resort join the ranks of open areas in North America this Friday, Nov. 4, bringing the total in Colorado to five, and the North American total to roughly a dozen. At Copper, The American Eagle and Excelerator chairs will be running; the area has hosted race teams and the PSIA fall tr...

SAM Magazine-Rutland, Vt., Oct. 28, 2011-Early snow and cold temperatures have encouraged several areas across North America to begin operations this weekend. Among them are Killington, Vt., and Sunday River, Me., in New England; Boreal, Calif.; and Nakiska, in Alberta. They join perennial early-operators Timberline, Ore., Loveland and Arapahoe Bas...

SAM Magazine--October 27, 2011--Powder Ridge, Conn., has once again lost the opportunity to reopen. Last week, Alpine Ridge LLC withdrew its offer to purchase the ski area for $1 million. The deal was first approved last spring and the summer was spent getting permitting and surveys in place and going through the mandatory 90-day due diligence p...

SAM Magazine--October 27, 2011--Burke Mountain, Vt., hosted an official ribbon cutting of the new wind turbine with Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin on Wednesday, October 26. The new wind turbine, installed in August 2011, was designed by Vermont-based Northern Power Systems. Burke Mountain is one of only four mountains in the country to have a wind ...

SAM Magazine-Denver, Oct. 27, 2011-Despite two negative ballots on a proposal to broaden its scope to include standards-writing for some terrain park features, the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) F27 Snow Skiing Committee is likely to do just that in the near future. ASTM bylaws changes, such as the proposal to broaden the scop...

SAM Magazine--October 25, 2011--The National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) announced that it has partnered with the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) with the shared aim of increasing visitation and improving summer mountain biking experiences at U.S. ski areas. As part of the agreement, IMBA will make available expertise and re...

SAM Magazine--October 25, 2011--After several council meetings, the City Council in Ashland has agreed to give up its permit for the Mt. Ashland Ski Area, Ore., to the Mt. Ashland Association, the nonprofit association that runs the area. According to the "Mail Tribune," the Association will apply for the permit from the Forest Service and is requi...

SAM Magazine--October 18, 2011--This afternoon, the Senate passed the Ski Area Recreational Opportunity Act and the bill will now head to President Obama for his signature. The bill, which will allow ski areas on Forest Service land more freedom to offer activities year-round, passed the House earlier this month. Colorado Senator Mark Udall, one...

SAM Magazine--October 18, 2011--The owners of Wisp Ski Resort in Maryland, DC Development LLC, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on October 15. As we reported in late August (www.saminfo.com/news/article.php?tid=5237), Wisp's parent company was struggling to refinance a $28.5-million loan used to fund the development of a golf community. T...

SAM Magazine--October 13, 2011--Arapahoe Basin, Colo., is set to open its doors today, October 13. With an 18-inch base, the area is opening one intermediate trail and its terrain park with four features. Nearby, Loveland will open its doors Friday, October 14, at 9 a.m. The area's website didn't offer any further details. The two areas j...

SAM Magazine--October 13, 2011--Spanish Peaks, Mont., a swanky private ski and golf community on Lone Peak, closed its doors and laid off its staff on October 10. According to the "Bozeman Daily Chronicle," the 5,700-acre resort cited the troubled real estate market and substantial operating losses for its closure. The beleaguered club attem...

SAM Magazine-Jackson, Wyo., Oct. 11, 2011-Snow King Resort in downtown Jackson is for sale after a non-profit community group tried but failed to step in and run the area. Operations at the resort have been running $500,000 and $1 million in the red. Summer activities, including an alpine slide and miniature golf course, help offset winter losse...

SAM Magazine-Denver, Oct. 11, 2011-Having spun off its flagship Whistler/Blackcomb resort, and with its largest remaining resorts located in Colorado, Intrawest is relocating its headquarters here from Vancouver. The new office opened Sept. 26, and the transition from Vancouver will be completed by the end of the year. In the meantime, both offices...

SAM Magazine-Pagosa Springs, Colo., Oct. 7, 2011-Wolf Creek Ski Area is opening this Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 8-9, after receiving 36 inches of new snow over the past few days. This early opening is a record breaker for Wolf Creek, with the prior earliest opening being Oct. 27, 2006. It also makes Wolf Creek the first to open for the season in Col...

SAM Magazine-Boulder, Colo., Oct. 7, 2011-Active Americans plan to increase spending on sports, recreation and fitness gear by 11 percent in 2011, according to a mid-September survey by Leisure Trends Group (LTG). Its Most Active Americans Panel (MAAP) estimated it would spend an average of $584, 11 percent above the $526 Active Americans estimated...

SAM Magazine-Incline Village, Nev., Oct. 5, 2011-Diamond Peak Ski Resort has named Brad Wilson as its new general manager, effective Nov. 1. Wilson returns to the ski industry after a stint with California's Catalina Island Resort, where he was COO. Wilson is very familiar with the Lake Tahoe ski resort market, having worked at both Alpine Meado...

SAM Magazine-Evergreen, Colo., Oct. 4, 2011-Max Dercum, co-founder of both Arapahoe Basin and Keystone, died last Friday at a retirement home here, just a few days before his 99th birthday. A champion skier and forestry professor, Dercum was part of a group of seven, including his wife, Edna, who founded A-Basin in 1946. He helped found Keystone...

SAM Magazine-Washington, D.C., Oct. 4, 2011-A measure that would explicitly allow and encourage a wide range of summer activities on Forest Service land leased by winter resorts passed the House this week. The Ski Area Recreational Opportunity Enhancement Act of 2011 (H.R.765) updates the National Forest Ski Area Permit Act of 1986 to outline a ...

SAM Magazine-Aspen, Colo., Sept. 30, 2011-The Aspen Skiing Co. is seeking a new structure to replace the snowsport school's Team Leader system and maintain open lines of communication within the school. The Team Leader system was developed 18 years ago as part of management's efforts to derail a move to unionize the school. However, the National La...

SAM Magazine-Oconomowoc, Wisc., Sept. 30, 2011-Highlands of Olympia ski and snowboard area will open for the 2011-2012 season with new management: Casey Bingham and Brent Milkey. The two plan to make improvements to the terrain park, focus on beginner lessons, and offer some of the best rates and prices in the area. "We are very anxious to ma...

SAM Magazine-Monarch, Colo., Sept. 30, 2011-Monarch Mountain season's passes are now valid for skiing on two continents, in four countries, and in six states-at a total of 26 areas, including the latest to join the Monarch fold: Hochfelln, Kampenwand, Wendelstein and Oberaudorf, Germany and Hochkossen, Austria,. The five European ski areas are part...

SAM Magazine--September 27, 2011--Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows Ski Resort, Calif., announced today that the two North Lake Tahoe ski resorts have agreed to combine operations under common ownership and offer season passes and lift tickets that will allow guests to enjoy skiing and riding on both mountains. The transaction is expected to close p...

SAM Magazine--September 25, 2011--According to The Morning Call, a 49-year-old man working for an excavation company at Blue Mountain Ski Area in Pennsylvania was killed when the truck he was operating overturned on a ski slope last Wednesday morning, September 21. The accident victim, Victor Bortz, was an employee of Livengood Excavating & Pavi...

SAM Magazine--September 25, 2011-- The venerable 40-year-old Royal Gorge Ski Resort at Donner Summit, Calif., is in receivership after defaulting on its loan. The area's lender, Armed Forces Bank, first issued a default notice in June on a $16.7 million loan, according to published reports. For the time being, the bank will not assume ownership ...

SAM Magazine, September 16, 2011--The most recent data released by the Mountain Travel Research Program (MTRiP)* revealed that despite a dramatic drop in consumer confidence, wide fluctuations in the stock market and the the weather wreaking havoc, reservation activity for western mountain destinations remained solid. August occupancy continued the...

UPDATE TO BLOG: This week's Blog Patrol is brought to you by John Rice, General Manager, Sierra-at-Tahoe. Dear SAM, In my original Speak Out I made a few assumptions that were factually 
incorrect, and I would like to apologize to USTPC and founding member Jim McNeil about them. To set the record straight: In my first...

SAM Magazine--September 13, 2011--Eaglecrest Ski Area in Alaska had tapped Ray Gardner to be GM, but due to an unexpected family emergency, Gardner was unable to fill the position. So, the board went back to its findings in the original search process and offered Matt Lillard the role, which he accepted. Lillard is currently the assistant GM and ma...

In late July, SAM paid a visit to Wisp Resort in Maryland to check out the area's wide range of summer activities. From water sports to high-flying challenges, Wisp keeps its doors open year-round and has posted some impressive numbers as a result. Check out our latest SAM CAM from Wisp. >> View the full SAM CAM library...

SAM Magazine-Sacramento, Calif., Sept. 8, 2011- Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed California's winter sports helmet law yesterday, calling the bill overbearing and expensive. The bill, passed by the state legislature earlier this year, would have mandated helmets for all youths ages 17 and under at winter resorts. The veto signals that the governor, a Dem...

SAM Magazine-Denver, Colo., Sept. 2, 2011-Vail Resorts' (VR) next generation EpicMix ski and snowboard app expands and simplifies how guests take and share photos at the company's six resorts, and broadens the app's reach to nearly everyone who visits the areas, not just season's passholders. EpicMix will deliver photos to guests' computers and mob...

Windham, N.Y., Aug. 30, 2011-Resorts across the Northeast continue to investigate and catalog the impacts from Hurricane Irene, which dumped more than 10 inches of rain across much of the high terrain in southern Vermont and the Catskills, with similar totals across much of northern New England. In the Catskills, both Hunter and Windham mountain...

SAM Magazine-Rutland, Vt., Aug. 29, 2011-The remnants of Hurricane Irene drenched northern New England and caused extensive flood damage to resorts, from Okemo and Killington in Vermont to Attitash, N.H., and Sugarloaf, Me. Flooding in many locations was the worst on records dating to the 1930s. The Superstar Pub attached to the K-1 Lodge partia...

SAM Magazine-McHenry, Md., Aug. 26, 2011-The owners of Wisp Resort are considering a variety of options, including the sale of the area as a last resort, to help pay or refinance a $28.5 loan that funded construction of a golf course and infrastructure for a resort community at Wisp. Wisp's ownership group operates three corporations involved in...

SAM Magazine--August 25, 2011--Peek 'n Peak Resort & Spa, N.Y., was bought out of bankruptcy yesterday by Scott's Development Co. for $11.3 million. The previous owners, Kiebler Recreation, first filed for bankruptcy in May 2010 as they tried to reorganize, but were unsuccessful in the effort, forcing the court to auction off the ski area. The ...

SAM Magazine-Salt Lake City, Utah, Aug. 24, 2011-Marc Jenson, one of the principal players in the scheme to transform Elk Meadows ski area into the upscale Mount Holly Club, was found in violation of an unrelated fraud case and jailed yesterday after he failed to make any payments toward a $4.1 million court-ordered restitution. Later in the day...

SAM Magazine-Denver, Aug. 22, 2011-According to the most recent data released by the Mountain Travel Research Program (MTRiP), reservation activity in July was up 8.2 percent compared to July 2010, thanks in part to the 4th of July holiday falling on a Monday, creating a three-day weekend. The strong results continued the trend of the past six mont...

SAM Magazine traveled to Gunstock Mountain Resort in Gilford, N.H., for another installment of the SAM CAM series. The resort recently invested $2.1 million in off-season attractions, all of which debuted this summer, with great success. First up on SAM's tour was the Aerial Treetop Adventure, which includes 91 different challenges and is consi...