SAM Magazine-Lakewood, Colo., May 12, 2011-Six resorts have been granted funds from the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) Sustainable Slopes program. The ski areas, Arapahoe Basin, Colo.; Beaver Valley Ski Club, Ontario; Mt. Hood Meadows, Ore.; Oak Mountain, N.Y.; Stevens Pass Resort, Wash.; and Stratton Mountain Resort, Vt. The resorts will s...

SAM Magazine-Olympic Valley, Calif., May 12, 2011-Squaw Valley USA is winding down a record-breaking winter by offering discounted lift tickets to season passholders from other resorts. The ski area, which racked up more than 730 inches of snow on the year, is running the promotion through closing day, May 30, 2011. The discounted lift tickets cost...

SAM Magazine-Tahoe City, Calif., May 11, 2011-Alpine Meadows Ski Resort and Kirkwood Mountain Resort are partnering on a new season pass program that will allow access to both mountains. In addition, the new passes will also allow access to Homewood Mountain Resort, Red Lodge Mountain Resort, and Durango Mountain Resort. With the partnership, Al...

SAM Magazine-East Rutherford, N.J., May 5, 2011-Triple Five, operator of the Mall of America and the new owner of the former Meadowlands Xanadu project, plans to expand the plan and rename the project American Dream. When completed, the $2.7 billion megamall is expected to draw even more visitors than Triple Five's current flagship operations, t...

SAM Magazine-Hancock, Mass., May 5, 2011-The 2nd Annual SAM Summer Ops Camp, which affords managers and operators a chance to uncover the benefits and pitfalls of other-season activities, will take place Sept. 7-9 at Jiminy Peak, Mass. In addition to workshops and seminars, the program allows campers to experience the several summer activities a...

SAM Magazine--May 3, 2011--HKD Snowmakers and Turbocristal have announced that the two companies will be merging by June 30, 2011, to be called HKD Turbo and will service the U.S. and Canada and have distribution around the world. HKD Turbo will offer a complete line of air/water and fan snowmaking technology in both manual and automatic configurat...

SAM Magazine--May 3, 2011--According to a release from SIA, the snow sports market brought in a record $3.3 billion over the full 2010/11 season (previous highest sales record was $3 billion, set in 2007/08). Overall, snow sports sales were up 8% in units sold, and 12% in dollars sold. Leaner inventories kept prices strong throughout the season, eq...

SAM Magazine--May 3, 2011--According to published reports, Vail Resorts (VR) announced that 2010/2011 skier visit totals at its six resorts were up 3.9 percent. VR also announced that ski school revenue was up 8.4 percent, dining up 9 percent and retail/rental increased by 8.3 percent over last season. (All of these totals were adjusted as if North...

SAM Magazine-McLean, Va., April 29, 2011-The board of directors for SnowSports Industries America (SIA) has decided to keep the organization's annual Snow Show in the late January/early February timeframe. The latest move reverses SIA's decision in March to shift the show dates earlier in January. "At the end of the day, the voice of the reta...

SAM Magazine-Hamilton, Ga., Apr. 21, 2011-Ralph Walton, who co-owned Crested Butte Mountain Resort (CBMR) with Howard "Bo" Callaway for more than three decades, died Apr. 17 at his home in Georgia. He was 80. Walton had been a manager with Westinghouse Electric for nearly 15 years when, in 1970, just months from earning a lifetime pension, he jo...

SAM Magazine-Tabernash, Colo., Apr. 21, 2011-Devil's Thumb Ranch, a 6,000-acre guest ranch and resort with an extensive cross-country network, has named Sean Damery as its new vice president and general manager. A 22-year hospitality industry veteran, Damery has worked in a number of positions in food and beverage, lodging and operations. At Oja...

SAM Magazine--April 18, 2011--Peak Resorts, Inc. announced that it has filed a registration statement on Form S-1 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") relating to a proposed initial public offering of shares of its common stock. The number of shares to be offered and the price range for the offering have not yet been determined....

SAM Magazine--April 15, 2011--The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) found "serious" workplace violations at Wolf Creek Ski Area, Colo., following an investigation of the avalanche death of the area's patrol director. On November 22, 2010, Scott Kay was performing avalanche control work by himself and was not wearing a helmet, ...

SAM Magazine--April 13, 2011--The National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) announced that Dick Kun, CEO of Snow Summit Ski Corporation, has been selected as the recipient of the 2011 NSAA Lifetime Achievement Award. Snow Summit Ski Corp. owns and operates Snow Summit and Bear Mountain ski areas in Big Bear Lake, Calif. Snow Summit was started in 1...

SAM Magazine-Jiminy Peak, Mass., Apr. 13, 2011-As America's lift system ages, springtime lift maintenance seminars and attendance are growing. The training season kicks off with the 34th annual Lift Maintenance Seminar (LMS) next week at Jiminy Peak and continues through Doppelmayr's two new Hall-specific training sessions in late May and June. ...

SAM Magazine-Vernon, N.J., Apr. 12, 2011-Gov. Chris Christie signed the New Jersey helmet law on Apr. 8, requiring all youths under age 18 to wear a helmet while skiing or riding in New Jersey. The law, the first statewide requirement for ski/ride helmets, takes effect Nov. 1. Enforcement is left up to parents and guardians. The parent or guardi...

SAM Magazine--The 2011 SAMMY Leadership Award honorees were announced today. This award goes to individuals who, at mid-career, show great promise as the winter sports industry's future leaders. They are: 1) Joe Hession, GM, Mountain Creek-Joe began his career at age 14 as a parking attendant at Vernon Valley Great Gorge, currently known as Mou...

SAM Magazine-Whistler, B.C., Apr. 11, 2011-Whistler Blackcomb is testing a new app which allows cell phones to serve as lift passes. The app, the Whistler Blackcomb Live Powered by Telus, will also allow users to track their runs using GPS, view trail maps, track the total vertical and distance they've traveled and their maximum speed, share their ...

SAM Magazine-Butler, Ohio, Apr. 11, 2011-Four local residents have acquired the Clear Fork Ski Area here and plan to turn it into a year-round destination. The four, Rick Weemhoff, Brian Johnson, and Ben and Luke Flynn, all grew up near Clear Fork, where they all worked and played. The area closed in 2006 after 40 years of operation. The foursom...

SAM Magazine-McLean, Va., Apr. 6, 2011-The snow sports market surpassed the $3 billion mark for the 2010-11 season in February, even as sales slowed significantly. After two months of double-digit sales gains, units sold were down 2 percent in February 2011 compared to 2010, and dollar sales slipped 1.5 percent. Lean inventories contributed to the ...

SAM Magazine-London, Apr. 6, 2011-The International Olympic Committee (IOC) today confirmed the inclusion of ski halfpipe for both men and women and women's ski jumping among six new events on the program of the Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, in 2014. The other events are the biathlon mixed relay, figure skating team event and luge team rel...

SAM Magazine--April 3, 2011--The National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) announced that Dan Fuller, president of Bristol Mountain Winter Resort in Canandaigua, N.Y., is the recipient of this year's Sherman Adams Award. The Sherman Adams Award is presented annually to an individual from an Eastern ski area that has significantly influenced the indust...

SAM Magazine-Whistler, B.C., April 1, 2011-Whistler Blackcomb has instituted a new height restriction for all skiers and riders due to the area's prodigious, record-breaking snowfall this season. The policy is intended to prevent guests from drowning in the bottomless pow. To that end, the resort is prohibiting guests shorter than 350cm/11.5 ...

SAM Magazine-Denver, Mar. 24, 2011-For the sixth consecutive month, occupancy at western mountain destinations rose. According to the most recent data released by the Mountain Travel Research Program (MTRiP), occupancy was up 1.2 percent compared to February 2010. Overall results for September through February are up 7.3 percent compared to the sam...

SAM Magazine-McLean, Va., Mar. 17, 2011)-The board of directors for SnowSports Industries America (SIA) has voted to shift the SIA Snow Show dates to an earlier, mid-January time slot beginning in 2013. That year, the show will begin Saturday, Jan. 12 and run through Tuesday, Jan. 15 at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver. The On-Snow Demo wil...

SAM Magazine-Lakewood, Colo., Mar. 18, 2011-The National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) will present its Industry Impact Award to snowboarder Shaun White. Last presented in 2009 to the Winter X Games, the Industry Impact Award recognizes significant contributions made to the ski and snowboard industry by an individual, business, or other entity. NSAA...

SAM Magazine-Broomfield, Colo., Mar. 18, 2011-Vail Resorts (VR) second-quarter net income rose 34 percent as ample snow and the improving economy brought more people out skiing, and the addition of Northstar-at-Tahoe boosted results. Net income during the quarter rose to $54.6 million, from $40.7 million a year earlier. VR's revenue rose 29 perc...

SAM Magazine-Denver, Mar. 18, 2011-Colorado's ski season continues on a positive path despite a small dip in visitation during the first two months of 2011. Visits were down .75 percent at the 22 members of Colorado Ski Country USAS during January and February, but remain up by 3.4 percent season-to-date compared to the same time last season. "Our ...

SAM Magazine-Rutland, Vt., Mar. 11, 2011-Despite good snow nearly everywhere for the Presidents' Day holiday, U.S. resorts saw signs of winter fatigue. Business levels were sporadic, ranging from "absolutely rockin'" in Utah and "crazy busy" in Vermont, to "not stellar' at Wachusett, Mass., "not outstanding" in Colorado, and only "decent" at Liber...

SAM Magazine--March 10, 2011--Jason Gibbs has been named director of marketing for Ski Vermont, the Vermont Ski Areas Association (VSAA). Gibbs has an extensive background in brand management and strategic communications, formerly serving as commissioner of the Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation and as communications director for Governor Ji...

SAM Magazine-Idaho Springs, Colo., Mar. 10, 2011-Echo Mountain is turning five this spring, and celebrating by offering $5 lift tickets on Friday nights, Mar. 18-Apr. 15. The tickets are good for skiing and riding 4-9 p.m. The 700-vertical-foot area is the closest ski and ride area to Denver, about 35 minutes away. To further mark its fifth anni...

SAM Magazine-Cortland, N.Y., Mar. 9, 2011-Greek Peak Mountain Resort, NY is developing an Adventure Fun Center that's part of a $20 million expansion. The center, scheduled to open in June, includes a ropes course, zip lines, a mountain biking park, alpine coaster and tubing center. The Wiegand alpine coaster will be 4,300 feet in length. There ...

SAM Magazine-Broomfield, Colo. , Mar. 9, 2011-Vail Resorts (VR) plans to invest $30 million on capital improvement projects at Northstar-at-Tahoe. VR aims to enhance the guest experience both on the mountain and in the Village at Northstar for the 2011-12 winter season. Plans include the installation of a new backside high-speed chair that will ...

SAM Magazine-Boulder, Colo., Mar. 8, 2011-Snow sport sales increased 13 percent in units and 16 percent in dollars for a total of $516 million at retail this January, the strongest in at least 10 years, according to the Leisure Trends Group. Snow sport retailers comfortably outpaced general retail, which was up 8.3 percent over January 2010, accord...

SAM Magazine--March 7, 2011--Johnson Controls Snow announced the hiring of James Voskuil as the new GM for the North American market. Voskuil will be based out of Denver, Colo., and started on February 28, 2011. Voskuil is new to the industry, but has an extensive international sales and general management background and is also bilingual in Englis...

SAM Magazine--March 7, 2011--Mount Snow, Vt., announced that it will replace its Summit Local triple chair with a Leitner-Poma high-speed detachable six-passenger bubble chairlift. The new lift will have a ride time of seven minutes. Every night the chairs will be run off the line and stored in a heated barn to protect the bubbles and allow the ...

SAM Magazine-Nederland, Colo., Mar. 7, 2011-Eldora Mountain Resort's 2011 Master Plan has been accepted by the U.S. Forest Service. Eldora has been working on its updated Master Plan for more than two years, during which time it conducted research, solicited public input and studied the impacts of future projects from both business and environmenta...

SAM Magazine-Ruidoso, N.M., Mar. 7, 2011-Two weeks ago, the Elk Lodge at Ski Apache became the nation's first winter resort to offer slopeside slot machines. "During the Presidents' Day weekend we had a nice turnout," said Justin Rowland, Ski Apache's director of operations. "We opened midday on Saturday, and ran Saturday, Sunday and Monday." Th...

SAM Magazine--February 24, 2011--The National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) announced that Todd Buchholz, a former White House director of economic policy, will be the keynote speaker at the NSAA National Convention in May. Buchholz's presentation, "New Realities in the Post-Recession American Economy,"will decipher the riddle of the evolving eco...

SAM Magazine--The Canada West Ski Areas Association (CWSAA) has announced the appointment of David Lynn to president and CEO. Lynn comes to CWSAA from Sun-Rype Products Ltd., where he was president and CEO. Lynn, an avid skier, will begin his duties on April 4, 2011. In the meantime, Lynn will travel with retiring CEO and president, Jimmie Spenc...

SAM Magazine--February 22, 2011--Sugarloaf reopened its Spillway East lift yesterday after closing it in late December after a derailment, which inured eight. The Maine State Board of Elevator and Tramway Safety reinstated the lift's operating license on Monday after a load test was performed on Friday, February 18. The cause of the derailment t...

SAM Magazine--February 22, 2011--Last Friday night, masked gunmen shot and killed three tourists on their way to Mt. Elbrus ski resort in the Caucasus region. In addition, a gondola at the resort was blown up. According to published reports, last month President Dmitry Medvedev announced a $15 billion plan to turn the Caucasus into a tourist des...

SAM Magazine-Nederland, Colo., Feb. 21, 2011-Beginning today, Eldora Mountain Resort is offering a free day of skiing or riding to anyone who has a lift ticket or a season pass from any other ski area. The offer is designed to introduce Eldora to Colorado skiers and riders. "We've come to realize just how many skiers and snowboarders in Colorado...

SAM Magazine-The upward trend in lodging occupancy at major Western mountain destinations continued for January, with average occupancy up 5.8 percent compared to a year ago, according to the Mountain Travel Research Program (MTRiP). The figures are based on reports from 265 property management companies in 15 mountain destinations in Colorado, Uta...

SAM Magazine--February 14, 2011--Leitner Technologies has purchased 100 percent of the Swedish company Lenko Snow AB, Inc. along with developing an active participation with the South Tyrolean snowmaking company Demac. The purchase of Lenko includes its Austrian, Italian, U.S. and Canadian subsidiaries including a facility in Queensbury, New York. ...

SAM Magazine-Denver, Feb. 2, 2011-Intrawest is moving its headquarters to the Denver metro area in the coming off-season. An internal memo informed the company's Vancouver employees of the plan last week. While the memo said the move will take place by the end of 2011, the transition could begin as early as July, SAM has learned. Since Intrawest...

SAM Magazine-Denver, Feb. 2, 2011-The energy level was high at the 2011 SIA Snow Show here last week, reflecting a record-setting retail season that has drawn down inventories to the bare-wall level for many city and suburban stores. The shelf cleaning coincides with a major shift in hard goods, with rocker skis and snowboards on the rise, along wi...

SAM Magazine-Woodbury, Conn., Feb. 1, 2011-Cutter's Camp has opened registration for both of this year's sessions, at Mount Snow, Vt., April 4-8 and Timberline, Mt. Hood, Ore., May 9-13. Space will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Registration is processed on SAM's website at www.cutterscamp.com For the past eight years, Cutter's ...

SAM Magazine--January 28, 2011--After 29 years of employment at Northstar-at-Tahoe, Julie Maurer has resigned and accepted a position as VP of marketing and sales for Squaw Valley, USA. Powdr Corp today announced the promotion of Tim Brennwald to senior vice president and chief development officer. Brennwald, a 24-year ski industry veteran, h...

SAM Magazine--Bessemer, Mich., Jan. 17, 2011--In the wake of a fire that destroyed the main lodge at Big Powderhorn last Thursday, the resort has relocated all business, including ticket sales and gear rentals, to the Caribou Lodge at the area. The area was back in operation less than 24 hours after the fire, in fact. While the fire destroyed 10...

SAM Magazine-Middlebury, Vt., Jan. 14, 2011-Mike Hussey has accepted the position of director of the Carroll and Jane Rikert Ski Touring Center at Middlebury College, starting after this season. Hussey is a 17-year veteran of HKD Snowmakers, where he played "an integral role in building the company, brand and reputation," said HKD's Ian Jarrett. ...

SAM Magazine-Boulder, Colo., Jan. 14, 2011-Holiday outdoor sales surged to a record-breaking $1.1 billion in December, according to preliminary outdoor retail sales figures reported by Leisure Trends Group. Sales not only rebounded 13 percent from last December, but topped the December 2008 record by 8 percent. The strong holiday results pushed tot...

SAM Magazine--January 13, 2011--This morning, January 13, 2011, the Big Powderhorn lodge burned in a huge fire, reports the Midwest Ski Areas Association (MSAA). MSAA released an e-mail at 2:30 p.m. local Michigan time, saying the fire is still burning. Causes are unknown at this time. Likely a total loss, the base lodge included administ...

SAM Magazine-Ellicottville, N.Y., Jan. 12, 2011-Holiday Valley plans to build an Adventure Park, including an aerial ropes course and a mountain coaster, for the coming summer. The Aerial Park will open in June and the mountain coaster a bit later. Outdoor Ventures Group of Southport, Conn., will design and build the Aerial Park. Its platforms ...

SAM Magazine-Boise, Idaho, Jan. 12, 2011-Judge Terry Myers has removed Tamarack Resort from federal Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and sent the dispute over the resort's future back to state court. What this means for the area's long-term future is not immediately clear. A potential buyer has bid $40 million for the resort. But Credit Suisse, ...

SAM Magazine-McLean, Va., Jan. 12, 2011-Winter Trails, a series of free, learn-to events for snowshoe and cross-country organized by Snowsports Industries America (SIA), drew good crowds to more than 80 local events across the country on Saturday, Jan. 8. Favorable weather in almost every part of the country helped boost attendance at comparable ev...

SAM Magazine-Albany, N.Y., Jan. 11, 2011-Three privately-owned neighbors of state-owned Belleayre Mountain in the Catskills are crying foul over the number of free lift tickets Belleayre makes available to gain visits, often at the expense of the private areas. Hunter Mountain and Windham Mountain used the state Freedom of Information Law to unc...

SAM Magazine-Broomfield, Colo., Jan. 10, 2011-Vail Resorts (VR) reported increases in visits and revenues from several departments for the season through Jan. 6, 2011, compared to the prior year through Jan. 7, 2010, which was an historically weak period hampered by poor early-season snow. Total skier visits for VR's six mountain resort properti...

SAM Magazine-Grangeville, Idaho, Jan. 10, 2011-Idaho Sewing for Sports has chosen "to be part of the solution in our nation's, and the world's, current economic situation" by keeping its staff fully employed and performing community service, rather than laying off employees and contributing to unemployment when business is soft, said company CEO Gu...

SAM Magazine-Boise, Idaho, Jan. 4, 2011-U.S. bankruptcy judge Terry Myers has lifted a stay on two lifts at Tamarack Resort, allowing Bank of America Corp. (BAC) to repossess them. It's likely that BAC will try to sell the lifts to Tamarack's eventual buyer, or to another resort for reinstallation elsewhere. BAC now owns a mile-long detachable q...