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...

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...

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...

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 ...

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...

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...

SAM Magazine-Vancouver, Sept. 13, 2006-Intrawest Corporation reported its full-year profit for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2006 rose to $115.2 million from last year's $32.8 million, largely on gains from the sale of Mammoth Mountain. Income from continuing operations totalled $55.3 million, compared with $24.1 million in 2005. Total company EBI...

SAM Magazine-New York, Sept. 13, 2006-Time Inc. has put 18 of its titles, including Ski, Skiing, and Warren Miller Entertainment and the TransWorld group, up for sale. A spokeswoman said the company hopes to complete a deal by early 2007. "While these titles are good performers, Time Inc. is focusing its energy, resources and investment on our l...

SAM Magazine-Lakewood, Colo., Sept. 13, 2006-The National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) and Snowsports Industries America (SIA) are working with the U.S. Congress to secure a White House Proclamation declaring January "National Ski and Snowboard Month." The designation is intended to call attention to the need for all people to exercise and get outs...

SAM Magazine--Ashland, OR, September 14, 2006--Mt. Ashland is jumping on the renewable energy bandwagon by announcing that the area is purchasing enough renewable energy to offset 100 percent of its annual electrical use. The program is called the Green Chair Renewable Energy Program and under that name, the ski area has contracted to purchase 780,...

SAM Magazine--Donnelly, Idaho, September 8, 2006--Andre Agassi and Stefanie Graf, through their company Agassi Graf Development LLC, and Bayview Financial LP, finalized an agreement to develop a luxury mountain project at Tamarack Resort. Called the Fairmont Tamarack, the development will include a resort and spa, with 285 units, located in Tamarac...

SAM Magazine--Wrightwood, CA, September 9, 2006--Mountain High kicked off its season pass sale with 80 tons of snow, seven features and a few thousand riders--giving guests a small taste of winter in the 90-degree heat. North Hollywood Ice Company trucked in 80 tons of blocked ice to Mountain High's East Resort, then ran the ice through giant chipp...

Sept. 1, Great Britain (SnowHunter)--On the 5th September the British Snowlife Schools Tour, now in its second successful year, hits the road again to educate and inspire over 8,000 school pupils to give snowboarding and skiing a go for the first time. The team of professionals - among them Olympians and British Champions - will visit a lucky 16 sc...

SAM Magazine-Vancouver, B.C., Sept. 1, 2006-Intrawest Corporation has acquired Whistler Heli-Skiing in a transaction that increases Whistler Blackcomb's skiing and snowboarding terrain to more than 500,000 acres. The purchase adds Whistler Heli-Skiing's permit area of 494,000 acres to Whistler Blackcomb's 8,171 acres of in-bounds skiing. The pre...

SAM Magazine-Beaver Creek, Colo., Sept. 1, 2006-Beaver Creek plans to open 180 acres of new terrain in the Stone Creek area for the coming season. By bringing these expert-oriented south facing chutes and glades within the resort's patrolled and controlled terrain, the resort removes a favorite poaching shot from the "off-limits" category. In prior...

SAM Magazine--Utah, August 31, 2006-- Three consecutive record breaking seasons for skier days in Utah have afforded ski areas the capitol to continue adding new features and making improvements. From new lifts to more terrain to North America's first ski area tunnel, Utah's ski resorts will welcome visitors with a host of new amenities for both wi...

SAM Magazine-Donnelly, Ida., Aug. 31, 2006-Tamarack Resort will offer guided backcountry services on 5,000 acres of terrain north and south of the resort boundaries this season under a special use permit from the U.S. Forest Service. The permit expands Tamarack's available terrain five-fold. The new National Forest terrain includes chutes, cliff...

SAM Magazine-Mount Prospect, Ill., Aug. 31, 2006-Wonder where resort prospects are likely to reside? The density of snowboarders is twice as high in California and New York as in other states; skiers are twice as likely to call New Jersey home than other states, according to a new report from the National Sporting Goods Association (NSGA). The "...

SAM Magazine-Denver, Aug. 31, 2006-Vail Resorts is partnering with the National Forest Foundation (NFF), a non-profit partner of the U.S. Forest Service that helps the USFS improve the health of the national forest system, to raise funds for conservation projects in both the White River National Forest and the Lake Tahoe Basin areas. The two groups...

SAM Magazine--August 30, 2006, Woodbury, CT--In response to recent survey results, SAM Magazine has hired an on-line editor, Tom Winter, to bring more original content and breaking news to its website at www.saminfo.com. "The survey results showed that SAM readers have come to rely on the breaking news service as its primary online source of up-to-...

SAM Magazine-Lakewood, Colorado August 28, 2006-The National Ski Patrol board of directors unanimously chose Mark Dorsey to become executive director of the NSP. Dorsey has been the acting interim director for the past eight months. Jim DeWeerd, NSP's recently elected national board chairman, said, "We've spoken directly to members, staff, and i...

SAM Magazine-New York, Aug. 24, 2006-The news that Ski and Skiing have shifted significant portions of their circulation from "paid" to "verified," a new circulation category recognized by the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC), has reminded industry advertisers once again of the need to evaluate the various types of circulation reported (verified ...

SAM Magazine-Silverton, Colo., Aug. 24, 2006-Silverton Mountain owners Aaron and Jen Brill have acquired 164 acres of new ski terrain adjacent to the area's existing boundaries from Aspenite Jim Jackson, who has long harbored dreams of building his own ski area in Silverton. The purchase ends a seven-year battle over the control of the ski terrain ...

SAM Magazine-Lakewood, Colo., Aug. 23, 2006-NSAA is partnering with Renewable Choice Energy to offer renewable power to all members at below-market rates of less than 1 cent per kWh. The aim is to make it easier for resort and supplier members to purchase green power and join an industry-wide effort to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases that c...

SAM Magazine--Thompsonville, Mich., August 22, 2006--Joining the wind power wave, Crystal Mountain, Mich., announced that it will power its high-speed quad, the Crystal Clipper, entirely with wind power this coming season. By purchasing the wind credits for the lift, Crystal will prevent 174,000 pounds of carbon Dioxide pollution from entering the ...

SAM Magazine--Government Camp, Ore., August 22, 2006--Skibowl and Timberline Lodge have joined together to offer the Mt. Hood Fusion Pass, a season pass good at both areas all days, all nights, all winter. The pass will be sold to a group of two people from any age group starting September 5 and are priced as follows: $199 for a youth pass (age ...

SAM Magazine-Thompsonville, Mich., Aug. 21, 2006-Crystal Mountain became the first Michigan ski area to commit to renewable wind energy today. The resort will purchase enough renewable energy certificates from Boulder, Colo.-based Renewable Choice Energy to power its Crystal Clipper high-speed quad entirely with wind power this season. Crystal owne...

SAM Magazine-Squaw Valley, Calif., Aug. 21, 2006-Alexander C. Cushing, who founded Squaw Valley and brought the 1960 Winter Olympics to the resort, died from pneumonia Aug. 20 at his summer home in Newport, Rhode Island. He was 92. Cushing grew up in the East, where he attended Groton School, Harvard University, 1936 and Harvard Law School, 1939...

SAM Magazine-Ludlow, Vt., Aug. 17, 2006-Tim and Diane Mueller, owners of Okemo Mountain Resort in Vermont, Crested Butte Mountain Resort in Colorado, and Mount Sunapee Resort, in New Hampshire, have entered into an agreement with Gunnison County Electric Association to purchase 27 million kilowatt hours of Renewable Energy Certificates from Sterlin...

SAM Magazine-Keystone, Colo., Aug. 17, 2006-White River National Forest Supervisor Maribeth Gustafson has signed a Decision Notice approving the Upper Independence Cat Skiing proposal at Keystone Resort. Gustafson stated in the Decision Notice, "I believe that the EA has adequately and clearly addressed the issues relevant to the proposal and do...

SAM Magazine-Snowmass Village, Colo., Aug. 17, 2006-The Snowmass base village partnership (Intrawest Corporation and Aspen Skiing Company) has signed a letter of intent with WestPac Investments for the purchase and development of both residential and commercial components of the $400 million Snowmass Base Village. The LOI could evolve into a bindin...

SAM Magazine-Vancouver, B.C., Aug. 11, 2006-Fortress Investment Group is buying 100 percent of Intrawest Corporation for $35 a share. The total value of the transaction, including the existing debt of Intrawest, is approximately $2.8 billion. Fortress is a global investment and asset management firm with approximately $23 billion in equity capit...

SAM Magazine-Teton Village, Wyo., Aug. 10 2006-Jackson Hole Mountain Resort (JHMR) will replace its original 60-passenger tram with a new 100 passenger state of the art Doppelmayr/CTEC aerial tramway. Like its predecessor, the new tram will be a gig back reversible and rise 4,139 vertical feet from the base in Teton Village to the summit of Rendezv...

SAM Magazine--Sandpoint, ID, August 2, 2006--Schweitzer Mountain Resort has announced that Tom Chasse, president and managing director of Attitash, N.H., has accepted the position of president and CEO of Schweitzer effective August 14, 2006. Chasse has been with Attitash for 14 years, eight of them as managing director. In all, he has worked in ...

SAM Magazine--Vail, CO, August 1, 2006--Vail Resorts Inc. announced that the company will offset 100 percent of its energy use by purchasing nearly 152,000 megawatt-hours of wind energy for its five mountain resorts, its lodging properties, all of its 125 retail locations and its new corporate headquarters in Broomfield, CO. By purchasing renewable...

SAM Magazine--August 1, 2006, Killington, VT--Killington's long-awaited ski village suffered a setback when its developer pulled out of the project. According to the Rutland Herald, Centex Destination Properties, who signed on a year ago to build out a village at the base of Killington that would have included 1,400 vacation homes and condominiums,...

SAM Magazine-Boulder, Colo., Aug. 1, 2006-Storm Mountain Publishing Company (SMP), parent of Freeskier magazine, has crafted a long-term partnership agreement with Global United Publishing (GUP) to publish Snowboard magazine. GUP had said earlier that it would not publish its September issue due to financial constraints. The parties expect to final...

SAM Magazine--August 1, 2006, Middlefield, CT--Powder Ridge Ski Area in Connecticut may have a new lease on life after the town of Middlefield's board of selectmen reached an agreement to purchase 300 acres of land the area sits on for $3.6 million. Powder Ridge owner Ken Leavitt had approached the town several times about buying the land and l...

SAM Magazine--Wolf Creek, Colo., July 14, 2006--The Regional Office of the Forest Service upheld the Rio Grande National Forests' April 3rd decision to allow two access roads across Forest Service land that will access developer Red McCombs' proposed village site at Wolf Creek Mountain. Administrative appeals had been brought by Colorado Wild, t...

SAM Magazine-Park City, Utah, July 14, 2006-The board of directors of American Skiing Company (ASC) has retained investment advisors to initiate a strategic review of business options for the Steamboat Ski and Resort Corporation, including the potential sale of the resort. "Steamboat's status as a world-renowned destination resort, combined with...

July 12, Great Britain (Snow Hunter)--The UK's annual Ski Industry Report has been published by leading tour operator Crystal. The Report notes that the British ski market recorded one of its strongest periods of growth last winter, with seven per cent more UK skiers taking a ski holiday abroad than the previous winter. More than 1.15m ski holi...

SAM Magazine-Scranton, Pa., July 11, 2006-Snow Mountain LLC, a consortium of Philadelphia investment bankers, developers, and accountants, has agreed to purchase Montage Mountain Ski Resort from Lackawanna County. Sno Mountain LLC will pay a reported $5.1 million for the resort. Last month the group offered $4.1 million, but increased its offer ...

July 10, France (SnowHunter)--The first half of Compagnie des Alpes' fiscal year (October to March) combines the positive figures of the ski operations with the normally negative figures for the group's growing clutch of leisure parks, since most of the major sites are closed during this accounting period. However, first-half sales up to end Dec...

July 10, Italy/Switzerland (snowHunter)-- For the coming winter season 2006/2007, there'll be a re-launch of the 'International' ski area of Breuil-Cervinia and Valtournenche in Italy and Zermatt in Switzerland with the construction of six new lifts and an increase in the artificial snowmaking cover and therefore a total of 24 lifts in the Breuil...

SAM Magazine-Canmore, Alta., July 8, 2006-Canadian Mountain Holidays helicopter skiing founder Hans Gmoser, 73, died July 5, two days after he broke his neck and was paralyzed in a bicycling accident on the 1A highway near Lake Louise. Gmoser was riding alone when he apparently fell. Gmoser, 73, founded the heli-skiing business in 1965. In recen...

July 10, New Zealand (SnowHunter)--Lake Wanaka Ski Tourism Boost New Zealand's Lake Wanaka is looking forward to an increase in visiting skiers and snowboarders, thanks to a multi-million dollar investment in winter sports infrastructure. Over the last three years, the town's ski areas of Cardrona, Snow Park and Treble Cone have jointly inves...

July 10, Austria (Snow Hunter)--Year Round Skiing Ends at Sölden Sölden in Austria has followed other glacier ski areas like Tignes in France by deciding to end 365 day ski lift opening. The resort previously boasted that one of its twin glacier ski areas, either the Rettenbach or Tiefenbach glacier, was open for skiing on every day of ...

SAM Magazine-Park City, Utah, July 7, 2006-The American Skiing Co. (ASC) is in a legal tussle with Wolf Mountain Resort, from whom ASC leases much of the terrain that makes up The Canyons, over who will control the resort. Wolf has alleged that ASC defaulted on its lease and that Wolf is therefore entitled to repossess the resort. A judge has issue...

SAM Magazine-Lakewood, Colo., June 28, 2006-Mark Dorsey is the new executive director of the Professional Ski Instructors of American (PSIA) and the American Association of Snowboard Instructors (AASI), according to The American Snowsports Education Association (ASEA). Dorsey, previously the assistant executive director, replaces Stephen Over, who ...

SAM Magazine-Lakewood, Colo., June 28, 2006-The National Ski Patrol's board of directors elected Dr. James DeWeerd Jr. as national chairman at the annual board meeting here late last week. DeWeerd is one of five new board members seated Mar. 1, 2006, as a result of the special election held in February. DeWeerd hails from the North Central regio...

SAM Magazine-Killington, Vt., June 20, 2006-Vermont ski areas recorded 4,147,467 skier visits for the 2005-06 season, a nearly 6 percent decline from 4.4 million visits in 2004-05, according to the Vermont Ski Areas Association. Despite the decrease in skier visits, Vermont remains the number three ski state behind Colorado and California, the asso...

SAM Magazine-Steamboat Springs, Colo., June 19, 2006-Colorado resorts tallied 12.53 million visits in 2005-06, more than 500,000 better than the previous record and more than 700,000 better than the prior year, according to Rob Perlman, president of Colorado Ski Country USA (CSCUSA) at the organization's annual meeting here. Perlman noted that r...

SAM Magazine-Champion, Pa., June 19, 2006-After 74 years of ownership, the Dupre family is selling Seven Spring Mountain Resort to another longtime family business from the region, Ogden Newspapers, operated by the Nutting family. Ogden publishes 21 daily newspapers and 20 phone books with a circulation of more than one million households within a ...

SAM Magazine--Park City, Utah, June 15, 2006--American Skiing Company (ASC) released its third quarter figures and the news was good on a quarter to quarter comparison, but the company's debt load still runs high. Net revenues for resort operations for the 13 weeks ended April 30, 2006 were $132.8 million, compared to $132.3 million during the s...

SAM Magazine-North Woodstock, N.H., June 14, 2006-New Hampshire and New Mexico both saw visitor numbers drop for the 2005-06 season. Weather challenged skiers and riders in the two states. N.H. visits dropping 10 percent from last year's near-record level, to 2,021,098. New Mexico visits tumbled more than 50 percent, to 416,617 visits, down from 95...

SAM Magazine-Homewood, Calif., June 14, 2006-JMA Ventures, the company that built Ghirardelli Square in San Francisco, has purchased Homewood Mountain Resort. The resort occupies 1,260 acres on Tahoe's West Shore. The move comes after 4th District Congressman John Doolittle, R-Roseville, blocked a possible sale of the property to the U.S. Forest Se...

SAM Magazine--June 1, 2006, Donnelly, Idaho--The newest four-season ski area, Tamarack in Idaho, announced the closing of a $250-million senior credit facility arranged by Credit Suisse. The financing allows for reinvestment of the proceeds from real estate sales against a pre-approved business plan for a period of five years, provided that certain...

SAM Magazine--Marco Island, Fla., May 25, 2006--The National Ski Areas Association announced that, based on prelimary estimates, national skier visits for the 2005/06 season will set an all-time record at 58.8 million visits. The previous record was set in 2002/03 with 57.6 million visits. Confirmation of the record will be made once all resorts...

SAM Magazine--Marco Island, Fla., May 25, 2006--The National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) got a new chairman when Vail COO Bill Jensen was elected to the position during the national trade show and convention in Marco Island, Florida. Jensen most recently served as vice chairman and will replace outgoing chairman, David Crowley from Wachusett Mount...

Newry, Me., May 26, 2006-Dana Bullen has become president and managing director of Sunday River resort in Newry, Maine, effective immediately. He has served as GM of the resort since September 2004 and brings more than 20 years of ski industry and resort management experience to the job. Bullen, who spent several years working his way through the r...