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  • SAM Taps Whistler Blackcomb to Host 2025 Summer Ops Camp

    SAM Magazine—Whistler, British Columbia, March 18, 2025—SAM’s Summer Ops Camp will be held at Whistler Blackcomb, Sept. 2-4, 2025, offering three days of education, networking, and hands-on learning focused on the future of summer operations at mountain resorts. This year’s camp will also feature a partnership with the Canada West Ski Areas Association (CWSAA), bringing together a dynamic mix of resort professionals from across North America.   Whistler Blackcomb has been at the forefront of year-round recreation development, balancing business innovation with environmental sustainability. With a robust lineup of summer attractions—including the Whistler Mountain Bike Park, Peak...

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Ski Utah Hires Blogger Athlete

SAM Magazine - Salt Lake City, UT, November 21, 2006 - You've heard of them: Blogs. The web logs that are written by somewhat anonymous personalities about every subject under the sun. The best Blogs have become alternative sources of news and commentary, vaulting their authors into the limelight and providing valued insights. At their worst, Blogs merely waste bandwidth. After all, who really cares about the daily adventures of Aunt Martha's cat? Still, as resorts come to grips with new technology and the power of the Internet, Blogs can provide another weapon in the marketing war. And, if you have a Blog that combines the elusive combination of authenticity and mass appeal, they can become powerful voices for your brand.

Right Coast Rebound

SAM Magazine, Boulder, CO, November 20, 2006 - Eastern ski resorts are back on track as cold weather returned to the region over the weekend and resorts have resumed snowmaking operations. Numerous resorts delayed opening dates last week as warm weather stymied snowmaking and Mother Nature failed to cooperate. But with colder temperatures in store...

Lake Louise Gets Go-Ahead for Downhill

SAM Magazine - Lake Louise, Alberta, November 17, 2006 - Lake Louise has gotten the go-ahead to host the first men's World Cup Downhill race of the season. The event is scheduled for November 25 and 26. The resort recently passed a hill inspection by the FIS and met the conditions to host the DH. Given the speeds at which World Cup DH racers re...

Bernie Weichsel and Phil Gravink Honored

SAM Magazine--Boston, Mass., November 17, 2006--This year's BEWI Award luncheon had one of its largest crowds ever to honor Bernie Weischel and Philip Gravink. The location was Gillett stadium where they were busy trying to get the field repaired after last Sunday's muddy game. Left to right: Herbert Schneider, Billy Kidd, Bernie Weichsel, Phil ...

Vermont Expands Helmet Research

SAM Magazine--Burlington, Vt., November 16, 2006--After four years of tracking helmet use among skiers and snowboarders at three Vermont Ski areas, the Vermont Snow Sports Research Team announced it is expanding its project to up to eight additional Vermont resorts, thanks to a collaboration with the Vermont Ski Areas Association (VSAA). The res...

Aspen's Pat O'Donnell Steps Down

SAM Magazine--Aspen, Colo., November 16, 2006--Pat O'Donnell, president and CEO of the Aspen Skiing Company, has moved up his retirement, which is effective immediately. O'Donnell joined Aspen in 1993 and became CEO in 1996. During his tenure, O'Donnell brought the environment to the forefront of industry thinking, as well as customer service. "...

Mixed Conditions Accelerate, Delay Openings

SAM Magazine - Vail, Colorado, November 14, 2006 - Resorts have faced a mixed bag of weather over the past week. With snow and cold temperatures in the west and warm eastern temps, the outlook for Thanksgiving openings is mixed. Groomers putting final touches on Winter Park slopes.  The situation is the best in the western region of Nort...

Sugarloaf/USA and Sunday River Become Largest Consumers Of Wind Power in New England

SAM Magazine - Sugarloaf/USA and Sunday River, Maine, November 14, 2006 -Sugarloaf/USA and Sunday River have become the largest purchasers and consumers of wind power in New England. Both Maine resorts have jointly chosen to offset 100 percent of their resort operations' electricity usage with energy generated from wind. Wind energy exclusively wil...

Middlebury to Go Beyond Green, to Carbon Neutral

SAM Magazine-Middlebury, Vt., Nov. 8, 2006-Middlebury College Snow Bowl is raising the bar on carbon dioxide offsets. According to Middlebury College assistant treasurer and director of business services Tom Corbin, "The Middlebury College Snow Bowl may well be the first ski area to take carbon neutrality to this level by offsetting electric, gas, ...

Greg LeMond Sues Yellowstone Club

SAM Magazine-Yellowstone, Mont., Nov. 8, 2006-Tim Blixseth, the developer of Montana's Yellowstone Club, is being sued by three-time Tour de France champion Greg LeMond. LeMond, an early investor in two of the companies that control the Yellowstone club, claims that Blixseth has cheated him out of millions of dollars. Blixseth has counter-sued L...

Denver Parks Department To Create Urban Terrain Park

SAM Magazine - Denver, Co, November 7, 2006 - It's a gutsy, innovative move that could change the face of skiing and snowboarding. It's also the kind of bold action that you'd expect from Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, who made his fortune as an entrepreneur in the restaurant business. Hickenlooper was the most famous face among many city of De...

Campbell Named COO At Keystone, Colorado

SAM Magazine - Keystone, CO, November 7, 2006 - Vail Resorts has named Patricia Campbell the new chief operating officer of Keystone Resort. Campbell will report directly to Roger McCarthy, co-president of Vail Resorts' mountain division and chief operating officer of Breckenridge. Patricia Campbell For the past six years, Campbell has been...

No Early Opening for Eclipse

SAM Magazine--Idaho Springs, CO, November 6, 2006--Colorado's Clear Creek County has delayed a crucial planning meeting on the rezoning of the former St. Mary's ski area and the opening of the new Eclipse ski resort on the property. Eclipse, which is headed by Michael Coors of the Coors brewing dynasty, hopes to open this winter. The County Plannin...

Surprise First Opening in New England

SAM Magazine--Woodbury, CT, November 6, 2006--It may come as a surprise to those enjoying some balmy fall days in New England, but the region is open for skiing, courtesy of plucky Woodbury ski area, which pulled out all the snowmaking stops to open on Friday. With man-made conditions and a solid base, the ski area clocked a record attendance on it...

Peek 'n Peak Announces $280 Million in Improvements

SAM Magazine--Findley Lake, N.Y., November 6, 2006--The new ownership group of New York's Peek'n Peak Resort and Conference Center expects to pump massive infusions of cash into the resort over the next ten years. The investment is part of a revitalization plan for the resort implemented by Kiebler Recreation, LLC and Kiebler Properties. The group,...

Intrawest CEO Houssian Retires; Wasilov Moves Up

SAM Magazine-Vancouver, Nov. 2, 2006-Joe Houssian, Intrawest founder and CEO, is retiring, and Intrawest president and chief operating officer Alex Wasilov replaces him effective immediately. Wasilov, who joined Intrawest two years ago, will report to Fortress Investment Group CEO Wes Edens and managing director Bill Doniger. Houssian will serve in...

Four Colorado Areas Lead Early-Opening Parade

SAM Magazine-Denver, Nov. 2, 2006-A series of early storms have allowed Colorado resorts to get the jump on the ski season. Currently Loveland, Arapahoe Basin, Wolf Creek and Copper Mountain are open, with more resorts planning to fire up the lifts soon-including Keystone tomorrow. The state benefited from substantial October snowfall, which left u...

American Skiing Co. Reports Greater Income, Smaller Loss in 2006

SAM Magazine-Park City, Utah, Oct. 30, 2006-American Skiing Company cited strong season pass sales, continued growth at The Canyons resort, and excellent performance at Steamboat resort as factors behind a record-setting revenue year. Significantly, ASC also made payment in full of the principal balances of all real estate-related debt as a result ...

Bender Promoted to CEO of Seven Springs

SAM Magazine - Champion,Pa, October 31, 2006 - Scott L. Bender has been promoted to the Chief Executive Officer position at Pennsylvania's Seven Springs Mountain Resort. A familiar face in the organization - he has been employed with the resort since 1983 - Bender's prior positions include President, Chief Operations Officer and Chairman of the Bo...

The Greening Of White: Renewable Energy Movement Accelerates

SAM Magazine - Lakewood, CO, October 30, 2006 - Alpine Meadows, Calif., Grand Targhee, Wyo., and Middlebury College Snow Bowl, Vt., have recently joined 16 other ski areas that are offsetting 100 percent of their energy use by purchasing renewable energy. Together, these 19 resorts are purchasing 258,574,498 kWh of green energy and their purchases ...

Magic Gets New Owners

SAM Magazine--Londonderry, VT, October 26, 2006--Magic Mountain is set to open for the 2006/2007 season under a new ownership group which has revamped several aspects of the resort. The group, JLS Magic LLC, a partnership headed by Jim Sullivan, agreed to purchase the resort from Magic Mountain Management LLC. Although the deal is expected to be fi...

Big Plans for Haystack as a Private Club

SAM Magazine - Wilmington, VT, October 26, 2006 - Vermont's Haystack Ski Area is on its way to becoming a private club. The ski area, which was sold approximately one year ago by the American Skiing Company to a group of local business people, is slated to undergo a five-year, $450 million dollar makeover, including new lifts and 100 percent snowma...

SMI Goes Small

SAM Magazine - Midland, MI, October, 26, 2006 - Snowmaking equipment manufacturer Snow Machines, Inc. (SMI) has introduced the quietest, lightest design in its more than 35-year history, the SMI Kid PoleCat. In addition, the machine also is light, and, according to manufacturers, has a delivery capability and throw of up to 100 feet, making it idea...

Magic Gets New Owners

SAM Magazine--Londonderry, VT, October 26, 2006--Magic Mountain is set to open for the 2006/2007 season under a new ownership group which has revamped several aspects of the resort. The group, JLS Magic LLC, a partnership headed by Jim Sullivan, agreed to purchase the resort from Magic Mountain Management LLC. Although the deal is expected to be fi...

Mt. Hood Meadows Under New Management

Founder Of Mt. Hood Retires SAM Magazine-Mt. Hood, OR, October 25, 2006-The founder of Mt. Hood Meadows Resort, Franklin Drake, has announced that he is turning management of the resort over to his two protegees. Drake, who was the president/CEO of Mt. Hood Meadows Ski Resort in addition to the founder of the ski area, has managed the mountain s...

Alta Hops On Green Wagon

SAM Magazine- Alta, Utah, October 25, 2006 - Alta ski resort has committed to purchasing 900,000 kilowatt-hours (kwh) of renewable energy over the next 12-month period. The purchase will offset more than 23 percent of the ski resort's annual energy usage. The move marks the latest effort by the Utah resort to limit the environmental impacts of...

Nor-Am Freestyle Schedule Set, Tamarack surprising choice for only halfpipe event

SAM Magazine-Park City, Ut, October 23, 2006-US Skiing has announced the 2006 Nor-Am Freestyle Schedule. The season opens with a selection round at Park City, Utah. These December events will determine which freestyle athletes compete on the Nor-Am Circuit, which officially opens with events at Mont Gabriel, Quebec. A surprising addition to this ye...

The Death Of The Chalk Board. Wireless Message Boards Come Of Age

SAM Magazine - Kingston, NY, October 24, 2006 -- The chalk boards at the base of ski lifts across North America have been an institution for decades, providing lift ops the opportunity to scrawl cryptic jokes, the ski patrol a forum for tracking down lost kids and the place to view-at least in Vail -updated NFL playoff scores if the skiing was too ...

Intrawest Lays Off 200 in Cost-Saving Effort

SAM Magazine-Vancouver, B.C., Oct. 20, 2006-Intrawest laid off 200 full-time employees, primarily managers, across its several divisions and resorts earlier this week as part of an effort to improve its bottom-line performance in the coming year. The move was made the day before Intrawest shareholders voted overwhelmingly in favor of the company's ...

Dalbello, Elan Form Alliance

SAM Magazine-Andover, N.H., Oct. 20, 2006-In a move that could have a big impact on the retail and rental ski equipment markets, Dalbello Skiboots and Elan Skis are beginning a new strategic global alliance as of Jan. 1. Clint Lyon, CEO of the newly formed Dalbello~Elan Sports, said, "Dalbello and Elan firmly believe that focused, specialized co...

Gambling A Bad Bet At Seven Springs

SAM Magazine--October 20, 2006--Pennsylvania's Seven Springs Resort has announced that it will be withdrawing its limited Category 3 gaming license application after the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board determined that the reworked proposal would not comply with the current requirements of the gaming regulations. The inability to secure a g...

Ski Helmet Use Research Team Receives Grant From Vermont Health Foundation

SAM Magazine--Burlington, VT, October 20, 2006-- The Vermont Snow Sports Research Team has received a $20,000 grant from the Fletcher Allen Community Health Foundation to expand its program to increase voluntary ski helmet use among children to prevent serious head injuries. The snow sport research team is a partnership of the University Of Vermon...

Lawsuit Challenges Wolf Creek Village Access Roads

SAM Magazine--Wolf Creek, Colo., October 20, 2006--Colorado Wild and the San Luis Valley Ecosystem Council have filed a lawsuit challenging the U.S. Forest Service's decision to allow two access roads accessing the proposed Wolf Creek Village to be built. Both groups contend that the roads, which would cross public lands, are only two dominos in th...

Salomon Heads to Utah

SAM Magazine-Portland, Ore., October 15, 2006--Salomon North America is expected to announce that the company will relocate from Portland, Oregon to Ogden, Utah in the summer of 2007. The move is part of a reorganization by Salomon's parent company, Finland based Amer Sports Corp, which will consolidate the groups North American holdings, which als...

Beaver Creek's Alpine Slide in Question

SAM Magazine--Beaver Creek, Colo., October 17, 2006--Plans by Vail Resorts to build an Alpine slide on Beaver Creek have local homeowners up in arms. The slide, proposed for Beaver Creek's Haymeadow area, has been aggressively opposed by local property owners, including the Beaver Creek Property Owners Association, with approximately 2,000 voicing ...

Shareholders Of Intrawest Approve Sale To Fortess

SAM Magazine--Vancouver, BC, October 17, 2006-- Fortress Investment Group is expected to become the new owner of Intrawest after Intrawest shareholders approved the sale of the company to the private investment firm. The deal, worth $2.8 billion needed the approval of two-thirds of Intrawest shareholders to be consummated. The decision to sell was ...

Arapahoe Basin First to Open in North America

SAM Magazine-Summit County, Colo., Oct. 13, 2006-This is what they were hoping for when they installed snowmaking four years ago. And today, for this year, they are the champions. Colorado's Arapahoe Basin beat out perennial champion Loveland for the first time, chalking up the earliest opening ever for the 60-year old area and claiming boasting ri...

Mammoth Fined in Patroller Deaths

SAM Magazine-Mammoth Lakes, CA., Oct. 11, 2006-Last April, a tragic accident at Mammoth Mountain resulted in the deaths of three ski patrollers. James Juarez, John "Scott" McAndrews and Charles Walter Rosenthal all died from a fall into a volcanic fumarole inside the ski area boundary. The California Department of Industrial Relations' Division of ...

Utah Launches

SAM Magazine--October 11, 2006--Ski Utah has announced a new initiative to combat global warming. Called KeepUtahCool.com, the new website offers information on global warming, how warming impacts the ski industry and what individuals can do to help combat global warming. In addition, the site also has coverage of what Utah ski resorts are doing to...

Ski Areas Get Greener

SAM Magazine--Lakewood, Colo., Oct. 10--The National Ski Area Association (NSAA) has announced that 45 ski resorts across the nation are currently buying green energy. The list of mountains that have taken this proactive step is diverse, and ranges from Aspen, Colorado to Okemo, Vermont. Green power is generated from renewable and nonpolluting en...

Controversy Dogs Reopening of Elk Meadows

SAM Magazine-Beaver, Ut., Oct. 5, 2006- CPB Development has proposed a $3.5 billion plan to local planning authorities for a Yellowstone Club-style resort at Elk Meadows, which hasn't operated for four years. Resort property owners, who would lose their access to the mountain, are rising in opposition. The resort, which opened in 1971, went ...

Vail Resorts Reports Record Net Income for 2006

SAM Magazine-Broomfield, Colo., Oct. 5, 2006-Vail Resorts, Inc. reported record net income of $45.8 million for the fiscal year ended July 31,2006 compared to net income of $23.1 million for fiscal 2005, a rise of 98 percent. Much of the increase stemmed from mountain operations, plus reduced depreciation and interest expense and a gain on the sale...

Group Led by Read Purchases Mt. Norquay

SAM Magazine-Banff, Alta., Oct. 3, 2006-An investment group which includes legendary Canadian skier Ken Read has purchased Mt. Norquay Ski Area outside of Banff. The group includes Read, who currently serves as president of Alpine Canada Alpin, the governing body of ski racing in Canada, as well as Stephen Ross of Devonian Properties in Canm...

Vail Brings Diversity In-House; Alpino Seeks "Opportunity"

SAM Magazine-Broomfield, Colo.-Sept. 29, 2006-Vail Resorts (VR) is creating a new program focused on ethnic youth in Eagle and Summit counties as well as the Front Range. The program is intended to expand on the Company's joint effort with Alpino over the past two years to introduce skiing and snowboarding and the winter mountain experience to peop...

Vail Arsonists To Plead Guilty

SAM Magazine-Eugene, Ore., Sept. 29, 2006-Chelsea Gerlach and Stanislas Meyerhoff, accused of involvement in arson that destroyed Vail's Two Elk lodge in 1998, have cut deals with prosecutors in exchange for consideration in their sentences and cases pending against them. Both individuals were part of a group of 13 individuals responsible for 18 se...

Sugarloaf Beefs Up Park, Racing, and Village, Adopts Biodiesel

SAM Magazine-Sugarloaf, Me., Sept. 28, 2006-As part of a $1 million summer makeover, Sugarloaf is enhancing its terrain parks, recreational racing facilities, and base village. A new terrain park, 400 feet wide and nearly a half a mile long, will accommodate a series of jumps, features and rails. "This new park will let us build bigger, better, ...

Wachusett Revives Ski Train from Boston

SAM Magazine-Princeton, Mass., Sept. 26, 2006-Wachusett Mountain, the most accessible ski area in the eastern USA according to SKI Magazine, is becoming more so. For the 2006-2007 season, the area is teaming with the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority (MBTA) and the Massachusetts Bay Commuter Rail Company (MBCR) to operate commuter rail service to...

Snow Ridge, N.Y., Has New Owner

SAM Magazine-Turin, N.Y., Sept. 26, 2006-Pennsylvanian Russell Horn is purchasing Snow Ridge ski area from Peter Harris, who also owns Song Mountain Resort in Tully. Horn is consolidating his position at Snow Ridge; he purchased the Towpath Inn at the base of Snow Ridge in 2005. Horn will put Snow Ridge under the management of his son Keith and ...

Keystone Adds Snowcat Terrain for Experts

SAM Magazine-Keystone, Colo., Sept. 26, 2006-Keystone will open Independence Bowl, almost 300 acres of expert-only hiking and snowcat terrain south of the summit of Dercum Mountain, for the 2006-07 season. The U.S. Forest Service issued the final approval Sept. 21, just before early-season storms dropped more than a foot of snow on the resort. The ...

Hemlock Valley, B.C., Rises from the Dead

SAM Magazine-Hemlock Valley, B.C., Sept. 25, 2006-Ice hockey entrepreneur Ralf Berezan, owner of the Junior A Surrey Eagles ice hockey team, has purchased British Columbia's Hemlock Valley Resort and expects to have the mountain open this season. Berezan, who also owns a variety of pubs in British Columbia, purchased the resort out of receivership....

Alta Nixes Terrain Park

SAM Magazine-Alta, Utah, Sept. 25, 2006-It is one of the very few areas in the U.S. that don't allow snowboarding, and, it appears, doesn't need a terrain park, either. While most resorts have been pumping investment dollars into their parks, contrarian resort Alta has decided to ax its park altogether. "We found that our skiers were curious abo...

Silverton Opens First

SAM Magazine-Silverton, Colo., Sept. 23, 2006-Silverton Mountain Ski Area hosted the first skiers of the year yesterday after receiving two major storms Thursday and Friday. Skiers and snowboarders were waiting and ready to ride Friday when they woke up to what looked like February storm conditions. After two days of heavy snow, Silverton Mountain'...

Powder Ridge Closes, Threat of Development Looms

SAM Magazine-September 22, 2006--Powder Ridge, located in Middlefield, Connecticut, will remain closed this winter pending sale of the ski resort. The 500-vertical-foot mountain featured 18 trails spread over 75 skiable acres served by six lifts, including two triple chairs and two double chairs. The announcement that the resort is ceasing o...

Loveland Fires Up Its Gun in the Snowmaking Battle

SAM Magazine-Georgetown, Colo., Sept. 21, 2006-Over the past twenty-four hours, a cold front has moved through Colorado, dropping snow across the state and allowing Loveland to start snowmaking operations. Loveland, which has been the first resort to open on an ongoing basis for the past seven seasons, is aiming to extend that record. Last year, th...

Wolf Creek Expands With An Eye On the Environment

SAM Magazine-Pagosa Springs, Colo., Sept. 21, 2006-Wolf Creek is replacing its venerable 34-year old Dickey lift with a Doppelmayr-CTEC detachable quad. The new "Raven" lift will have an initial capacity of 1,200 skiers per hour and should be operational by the start of the the coming season. The lift, which will serve approximately the same terra...

Northstar Pimps Homeowners to Provide Employee Housing

SAM Magazine-Truckee, Calif., Sept. 20, 2006-In an innovative program designed to allieviate some of the problems its employees face when looking for seasonal housing, Northstar has developed the "Rental Rewards Program," which offers free lift tickets or season's passes to homeowners who rent to the resort's employees for the season. The program r...

NSAA Preparing to Launch New Version of SmartStyle

SAM Magazine-Lakewood, Colo., Sept. 18, 2006-NSAA is introducing SmartStyle 2.0 this fall, sporting new information, a new logo, and an updated video. The program builds on SmartStyle's three main messages with new information added to each. The video also includes new rider interviews, to update the athletes and keep the message fresh. The new log...

Vail Regains Top Spot in Ski Magazine Poll

SAM Magazine-Boulder, Colo., Sept. 18, 2006-Vail has returned to the number-one spot in Ski Magazine's annual "Top 50 Resort Guide." Vail has taken the top spot in 14 of the survey's 19 years. Perennial Eastern favorite Tremblant, Que., is ranked No. 1 on the East Coast for a record-setting tenth consecutive year. Results of the highly influential ...

Schweitzer Completes Best Summer Ever

SAM Magazine-Sandpoint, Ida., Sept. 14, 2006-Add Schweitzer Mountain to the growing list of areas whose summer operations are growing. Labor Day Weekend marked the grand finale of the area's summer season. Measured by chairlift rides and hotel occupancy, Schweitzer had record-setting summer traffic. Fall Fest, held on Labor Day Weekend, was the big...

Shawnee Peak Adopts Wind Power

SAM Magazine-Bridgton, Me., Sept. 14, 2006-Shawnee Peak has joined the growing ranks of wind-powered ski areas. The electricity consumption of Shawnee's lifts, snowmaking equipment, lights, lodges and administrative offices will be supplied entirely from zero-emission wind power through an agreement with Community Energy, Inc., a wind energy market...