World Snow Resort News--February 12, 2009--Recent snow in urban areas has led to ski instructors working indoors year-round in the growing number of indoor snow centers in Europe to come outdoors to see the recent snowfall in parking lots and ride them as well. Britian's SNOzone! staff enjoy their lunch break from indoor snow.  Back on Eur...

SAM Magazine-Wellington, N.Z., Feb. 9, 2009-With travelers worldwide staying closer to home, Tourism New Zealand is mounting an early run of TV commercials in Australia to promote New Zealand's ski resorts. The move is aimed at promoting early bookings, and marks the first time that New Zealand has gone into Australia with ski ads this early. The c...

SAM Magazine-Copper Mountain, Colo., Feb. 9, 2009-Woodward at Copper, a year-round training center that focuses on terrain park and pipe progression for skiers and snowboarders, will open Feb.28. The center's main facility, The Barn, is an evolution of Pennsylvania's highly successful Camp Woodward. The 20,000 square foot indoor complex houses Snow...

World Snow Resort News--February 6, 2009--Although the snow arrived a few days later in Scotland than the south of England, domestic resorts have received up to two feet of fresh snow over the past 36 hours, which falling on top of an established base has led to extremely good powder and what Nevis Range describes as, "Near alpine conditions." C...

World Snow News--February 6, 2009--Statistics published by tour operators, ski resorts and even airlines continue to reflect increased sales this winter, contrary to mainstream media reports. Figures released by easyJet indicate a 17 percent increase in customer bookings in a bid to escape the UK for destinations across Europe in December 2008, ...

SAM Magazine-Duluth, Minn., Feb. 5, 2009-A move by Duluth to obtain $6 million as part of the economic stimulus package being debated in Congress to improve the city's water supply is drawing fire from privately-held resorts in the region, as the money would pay for a new source of water for city-owned Spirit Mountain's snowmaking system. The new s...

SAM Magazine--Grand Junction, Colo., February 2, 2009--On January 26, Leitner-Poma of America and Prinoth held the grand opening ceremony for their new 90,000-square-foot facility adjacent to the Grand Junction Regional Airport. Colorado Governor Bill Ritter attended the opening and said a few words to the crowd, praising Leitner Technologies for b...

SAM Magazine - Incline Village, NV., February 3, 2009 - The snow is falling and jobs in the ski industry are hot. At least that's the experience of educators at Nevada's Sierra Nevada College. The private, four-year residential college on the shores of Lake Tahoe has seen a huge increase in enrollment in its Ski Business and Resort Management (SBRM...

SAM Magazine - Vail, Colo., January 29, 2009 - A suspect in the 1998 arsons on Vail Mountain has been seen in Canada. Rebecca Rubin, who participated in the fiery eco-terrorism attacks on the Colorado ski area that burned the Two Elk Lodge and other structures including lift shacks and ski patrol rooms, has been seen near Vancouver, British Columbi...

SAM Magazine--January 27, 2009--Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort has entered into a long-term capital partnership with CNL Lifestyle Properties, Inc., a real estate investment trust (REIT) focused on lifestyle properties. Through a sale leaseback agreement, CNL Lifestyle Properties has acquired all of the resort's fixed assets for a total of $27 millio...

SAM Magazine - Denver, Colo., January 23, 2009 - Colorado skier visits dipped slightly says Colorado Ski Country USA (CSCUSA). The industry organization, which represents 22 resorts in Colorado, reports total skier visits down 7.7 percent during the first period of the 2008-2009 ski season, defined as October 15, 2008 through December 31, 2008. How...

SAM Magazine-Boulder, Colo., Jan. 23, 2009-In a report that has long-term implications for western resorts already battling a plague of beetles and beetle-killed trees, a Colorado University scientist says that there is a trend of increasing tree deaths across the west. The deaths encompass a variety of species-not just the lodgepole beetle-killed ...

SAM Magazine-Crested Butte, Colo., Jan. 22, 2009-The U.S. Geological Survey has made public the agency's Snodgrass report after a lengthy review process by the US Forest Service and provides the basis for Crested Butte Mountain Resort (CBMR) to revise its Master Plan. Both CBMR and the US Forest Service conducted in-depth geological hazards inve...

SAM Magazine-Aspen, Colo., Jan. 22, 2009-As this year's ESPN Winter X Games ramp up in Aspen, the Aspen Skiing Company has reached an agreement that will keep the Winter X Games in Aspen/Snowmass through 2012. Winter X has been in Aspen since 2002. Winter X began at Snow Summit Mountain Resort, Calif., in 1997 then moved to Crested Butte, Colo....

Denver, Colorado, Jan. 22, 2009-A combination of factors including timely snowfall, discounted lodging, incentive packages, and aggressive marketing campaigns helped destination resort minimize their losses over the holidays, according Mountain Travel Research Program (MTRiP) data. As a result, "While the results are not as good as previous years, ...

SAM Magazine-Avon, Colo., January 21, 2009 -SkiData AG, a provider of RFID access controls, has acquired a 25 percent ownership in Resort Technology Partners, LLC (RTP), a major provider of integrated point-of-sale and Internet software for the resort, recreation, and attractions industries. The investment will strengthen and expand the existing...

SAM Magazine-Vienna, Austria, Jan. 21, 2009-The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has criticized Sochi, the 2014 Olympic site, and other Central and Eastern European ski resorts over their development plans, claming they will irreparably damage some of Europe's last pockets of wilderness. In addition, the WWF claims that many of the resorts are unsustainab...

SAM Magazine-Welch, Minn., Jan. 21, 2009-Welch Village is opening its Back Bowl slopes and new quad chairlift to all guests daily beginning Thursday, Jan. 22, until the end of the season in March. The quad is the first installation of a "cookie cutter" design created by Doppelmayr in conjunction with Welch Village specifically for smaller resorts. ...

SAM Magazine-Killington, Vt., Jan. 19, 2009-Killington Resort and Burton Snowboards joined forces this past summer to break ground on the East Coast's first Stash run, one of only five in the world. The Stash opened to the public in December, with a grand opening on Jan. 15. Celebrating the day were Burton pro riders Dave Downing, Yale Cousino, and...

SAM Magazine-Sacramento, Calif., Jan. 16, 2009-In the wake of a mixed holiday season that saw both slumps and records set, resorts are still seeking ways to drive traffic to the lifts. One of the more recent promotions is Squaw Valley's Sacramento shuttle service. The shuttles leave Sacramento at 7 a.m. every Saturday for Squaw Valley, providing...

SAM Magazine-Helena, Mont., Jan. 16, 2009-The Montana House of Representatives is considering an assumption of risk law to protect a wide range of recreation businesses from liability lawsuits. The bill would shift the burden for managing the inherent risks in many sports to participants, much like ski-related assumption of risk laws in many other ...

SAM Magazine-Granby, Québec, Jan. 16, 2009-The Leitner Technologies Group has acquired the Camoplast Track Machine Group and will integrate the division into Prinoth, Leitner's snow grooming division. Prinoth will manage production and sales of the group's utility and municipal vehicles as well as its existing Alpine machines. Leitner expects th...

SAM Magazine-Cody, Wyo., Jan. 13, 2009-Wyoming's Sleeping Giant ski area, which has been closed since 2004, has just received a $500,000 grant from the state as the resort seeks to remake itself as a non-profit, community venture. The grant was part of $22 million doled out by the State Loan and Investment Board (SLIB) at its meeting last Thursday ...

SAM Magazine - Crystal Mountain, Wash., January 10, 2009 - With surrounding resorts reopening after warm rains caused havoc to conditions and spiked avalanche danger, Washington's Crystal Mountain remains embattled due to road closures. The Washington Department of Transportation has continued road closures on Highway 410, the only access road to t...

SAM Magazine-Vail, Colo., Jan. 9, 2009-Unaudited interim data for Vail Resorts (VR) show season-to-date skier visits for the company's five mountain resorts were down 5.8 percent compared to the prior year. Lift ticket revenues dropped 7.5 percent, including an allocated portion of season pass revenue for each year. Bookings through VR's central re...

SAM Magazine-Aspen, Colo., Jan. 9 2008-Following news of declining occupancy rates in Vail, Aspen lodging properties are reporting lower occupancy rates for the holiday season. In Aspen, a soft Christmas week holiday period saw occupancy at just 67 percent compared to last year's 87 percent. Advance reservations are similar reduced. As of the la...

Robert Drake  SAM: You guys had a near miss with a fire this summer, tell us about it. Robert Drake: We did. The Cascade Fire started at the far end of the West Fork Canyon behind the resort and quickly made its way down canyon toward us. It started over the weekend when there are typically not a lot of people on the mountain over the s...

SAM Magazine-Vail, Colo., Jan. 8 2009-Ski resorts across the U.S. have been reporting strong holiday visits as December snowfall brought out skiers and snowboarders in droves. In Vermont, Okemo Mountain Resort saw skier rise seven percent above of the same Monday-through-Sunday period over the Christmas holiday last year, and six percent ahead o...

SAM Magazine-Snoqualmie Pass, Wash., Jan. 8, 2009-Heavy rains and high snow levels have taken a toll on Washington ski resorts, with avalanches, mudslides and floods shuttering resorts and making access roads impassible. At Snoqualmie Pass, rain sparked a 300-foot-wide slide that toppled two lift towers on the resort's Keechelus chairlift. The debr...

SAM Magazine-Whistler, B.C., Jan. 2, 2009-Two separate avalanches-in areas closed due to avalanche danger-have resulted in fatalities at Canada's Whistler/Blackcomb resort. The incidents occurred on separate parts of the resort. In the first case, a 37-year-old Whistler resident died after triggering a Class 2 avalanche with a three-foot crown, ...

SAM Magazine-Nederland, Colo., Dec. 30, 2008-Eldora Mountain Resort general manager Brian Mahon, 49, was the victim of an apparently random shooting this morning at the resort. The suspect, 24-year-old Derick Bonestroo, a lift attendant at Eldora, fled the scene and was pursued by a Boulder County deputy sheriff. After a brief chase, Bonestroo stop...

SAM Magazine-Jackson Hole, Wyo., Dec. 30, 2008-Routine avalanche control work at Jackson Hole on the resort's Headwall area triggered a substantial avalanche, which damaged the resort's Bridger Restaurant and forced the closure of the ski area's upper lifts. The slide, which occurred at approximately 9:30 a.m. on Dec. 29, was triggered by patroller...

SAM Magazine - Squaw Valley, Calif., December 27, 2008 - In the second in-bounds avalanche fatality of the year, 21-year old Randall Davis died on December 21 after getting separated from a friend and caught in a slide in the Red Dog area. The victim was found by ski patrol who determined Davis had been caught by a slide after finding his ski prot...

SAM Magazine - Ludlow, Vt., December 27, 2008 - Vermont Resorts Okemo and Stratton are offering a joint lift ticket product that will enhance the destination visitor experience. The deal allows any purchaser of a three-day lift ticket to use on day at the other resort. The tickets can be purchased separately or as part of each resorts' skiing and l...

SAM Magazine-Lakewood, Colo., Dec. 24, 2008-The recent adoption of the ACL Prevention Program by Arapahoe Basin (see earlier report) is only the most recent case of what has been a broader spread of the program. Several resorts in Colorado and, more recently, California, are using it. So are Mt. Bachelor, Ore., Bogus Basin, Idaho, Red Lodge, Mont.,...

SAM Magazine-Whistler, B.C., Dec. 24, 2008-Blackcomb's Excalibur Gondola reopened today after the BC Safety Authority reinstated the operating permit for the lower line of the lift. The gondola's tower 4 failed Dec. 16, and repair work was completed Monday. Testing and inspection took place throughout Tuesday in accordance with BC Safety Authority ...

SAM Magazine-Ogden, Utah, Dec. 24-Atomic Ski USA, Inc. is carrying out a voluntary precautionary recall of heel components of certain bindings manufactured between 1998 and 2002. This recall applies to the below listed models of the Atomic Race, Xentrix, Device, Centro and Dynamic ski bindings produced between 1998 and 2002. This safety recall i...

SAM Magazine-Denver, Dec. 24, 2008-Consumers are holding off on booking vacations to destination resorts, waiting till the last moment to make sure conditions are good and to get the best possible deal, according to Ralf Garrison of MTRiP, the travel tracking clearinghouse. MTRiP data show that bookings slowed dramatically last month. For the 250...

SAM Magazine-Whistler, B.C., Dec. 22, 2008-The BC Safety Authority reinstated the operating permit for the upper line of Blackcomb Mountain's Excalibur Gondola on Saturday, following inspections earlier in the week in the wake of the tower failure on the lower portion of the lift. Repair work has commenced on the lower line, and crews are working t...

SAM Magazine-Carroll Valley, Pa., Dec. 22, 2008-Liberty Mountain Resort and Conference Center, which had announced its intent to purchase neighboring Carroll Valley Resort and Golf Course, has abandoned the deal. After two months of careful review and diligence, the two companies agreed to continue operations under separate ownerships. "It appea...

SAM Magazine-Arapahoe Basin, Colo., Dec. 22, 2008-Arapahoe Basin is the latest resort to partner with Pinnacol Assurance, a worker's compensation insurance company, to offer employees a knee safety program. The program focuses on preventing ACL injuries through education. Educational sessions last approximately 30 minutes and give employees tools t...

SAM Magazine-Twin Bridges, Calif., Dec. 22, 2008-Sierra-at-Tahoe has received USFS approval to incorporate Huckleberry Canyon into the resort's boundary. The 350-acre zone was accessible via backcountry access gates last season but will now be subject to control work, rescue operations and closures based upon the resort's ski patrol assessment of t...

SAM Magazine-Princeton, Mass., Dec. 18, 2008-Last week's massive ice storm resulted in ski resort closures as areas shut down to assess damage and pick up the pieces. Most disruptions were minimal, but not all: Massachusetts resorts Jiminy Peak and Wachusett ceased operations, with Wachusett closing for five days. Other ski resorts, such as Vermont...

SAM Magazine-Whistler, B.C., Dec. 18, 2008-Whistler Blackcomb, the BC Safety Authority and Doppelmayr personnel continue to investigate Tuesday's tower collapse on the Excalibur Gondola. By Wednesday evening, towers on eight lifts had been inspected and cleared of issues. Whistler Blackcomb lift maintenance crews worked late into the night to...

SAM Magazine-Whistler B.C., Dec. 16, 2008-Fifty-three guests were safely evacuated from the lower line of the Excalibur Gondola after a structural failure on tower 4. The Excalibur Gondola evacuation was completed at 5:51 p.m., about three and a half hours after the incident occurred. (See earlier report on the tower collapse.) "We are very t...

SAM Magazine-Whistler, B.C., Dec. 17, 2008-A preliminary inspection of the Excalibur Gondola tower that failed yesterday afternoon showed that it resulted from water that seeped through a flange and froze, causing "ice jacking." This finding means that Whistler Blackcomb's other lifts, especially those that have different types of towers, will resu...

SAM Magazine-Denver, Colo., Dec. 17, 2008-With snow falling across the northern part of the continent, the ski season is finally in full swing. Although West Coast saw the snow come late, it has come in abundance. Conditions ahead of the holidays look to be favorable across North America. Canadian resorts now open include British Columbia ski ar...

SAM Magazine-Whistler, B.C., Dec. 17, 2008-The British Columbia Safety Authority (BCSA), B.C.'s independent auditor on passenger ropeway systems, has given approval for Whistler Blackcomb to continue regular operations on its mountain lifts, with the exception of the Excalibur Gondola. "Preliminary inspection by BC safety officers has determined...

SAM Magazine - Aspen, Colo., December 15, 2008 - In a tragic final note to a December Sunday which saw an inbounds avalanche kill a Snowbird skier as well as several other incidents involving avalanches both inside and outside the ropes, a former Aspen Ski Patroller died in a slide outside of Aspen Mountain late Sunday. Fifty-two-year-old Cory Bret...

SAM Magazine - Teton Village, Wyo., December 15, 2008 - Jackson's new tram is scheduled to open on December 19. The new tram replaces the original red boxes that were an iconic symbol of the Wyoming ski resort. Built by Doppelmayr/CTEC, the new lift has double the capacity - 100 people - per box versus the old tram and travels 4,139 vertical feet ...

SAM Magazine - Snowbird, Ut., December 14, 2008 - An in-bounds avalanche in the Eye of the Needle area of Snowbird's Mt. Baldy claimed one life on Sunday in the wake of a storm that pounded both Utah and Colorado and pushed avalanche danger into the red zone. A similar in-bounds slide in the Lover's Leap area of Vail's Blue Sky Basin buried a man u...

SAM Magazine-Whistler, B.C., Dec. 16, 2008-At approximately 2:30 p.m. PST, a tower on lower section of the Excalibur gondola at Blackcomb Mountain split and "bent over," leaving several gondola cars dangling from the line and forcing an emergency evacuation that, at 5 p.m. PST, was still underway. Five people have received medical attention, but no...

SAM Magazine - Vail, Colo., December 9, 2008 - Recent storms across the Rocky Mountains and other parts of North America have sparked terrain openings. But resorts seem unwilling to rely upon Mother Nature to drive guest bookings and are aggressively marketing discounted vacation packages and other deals to drive business over the upcoming holiday ...

SAM Magazine-Vail, Colo., Dec. 7, 2008-In response to the economic downturn, Vail Resorts has laid off 50 year-round employees, eliminated 92 open positions, and frozen executive pay. In addition, the company will stop matching employee contributions to the company's 401 (k) plan. The cuts were announced last week in a memo sent by Vail Resort C...

SAM Magazine-Ludlow, Vt., Dec. 5, 2008-CNL Lifestyle Properties, Inc. is purchasing Okemo, Vt., Crested Butte, Colo., and Mount Sunapee, N.H., from Tim and Diane Mueller's Triple Peaks LLC, and leasing the properties back to Triple Peaks to manage the ski, golf, hospitality and conference operations under a long-term lease. Purchase price is report...

SAM Magazine-Breckenridge, Colo., Dec. 3, 2008-Uphill traffic is growing at several Colorado resorts including Aspen and Breckenridge. At the latter, the traffic is starting to frustrate mountain operations crews, who are looking to limit uphill access for safety reasons. Breckenridge ski resort can see up to 50 people each weekend who skin or s...

SAM Magazine - Bretton Woods, NH., December - When it snows, they will come. At least that's the lesson that Chris Ellms, Mount Washington Resort's director of ski operations, is drawing from a Thanksgiving holiday weekend that was up by 22 percent over the previous season at Bretton Woods. "We're thrilled, of course, but not completely surprise...

SAM Magazine - Smithers, B.C., - Ski and Ride Smithers, a northern British Columbia resort, has received approval for the resort's master plan. The plan features a a multi-year expansion including ski terrain and retail and residential development. The primary feature of the plan are trails to connect the mountain, which will change its name to Hu...

SAM Magazine - Girdwood, Ak., December 3, 2008 - After a dry November across North America delayed some openings and forced snowmaking crews to work overtime, winter seems to finally have arrived. Alaskan resort Alyeska received more than 117 inches over the last week, pushing the ski area's total to more than 200 inches on the year. "This is t...

SAM Magazine-Zermatt, Switzerland, Nov. 26, 2008-Huge snowfalls in recent weeks have brought fantastic early-season conditions to ski resorts across Europe, according to Patrick Thorne's www.Skiinfo.com. Resorts in Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Norway and Switzerland have reported more than three feet in the past five days, and more than 200 ski...