SAM Magazine—Aspen, Colo., May 9, 2013—The Environment Foundation, with primary funding provided by Aspen Snowmass employees, has made the largest grant in its 16-year history, donating $50,000 to protect 220,000 acres of Federal land from oil and gas development. The land is at Thompson Divide, outside of Carbondale, Colo. The grant is...

SAM Magazine--May 9, 2013--Whistler Blackcomb Holdings, Inc., the corporation that holds a 75% interest in the entities that operate Whistler Blackcomb, announced its second quarter numbers, as well as numbers for the six months ended March 31, 2013 (all numbers are in Canadian dollars). Total revenue for the six-month period was $182.5 million, 4....

SAM Magazine--May 9, 2013--Summit, the producer of the leadership conference Summit Series, finalized its purchase of Powder Mountain, Utah. Plans for the 7,000-acre resort include a sustainable residential community called Summit Eden, which will become the home base for the organization and its leadership and cultural events. Over the years, Powd...

SAM Magazine—Telluride, Colo., May 9, 2013—In a sign of changing priorities, Telluride Ski and Golf Company will no longer host a pre-Christmas FIS World Cup Ski and Snowboard event, and has bought a boutique hotel in town. Telluride executive vice president Jim Mikula said that the World Cup event consumes a lot of resources and ene...

SAM Magazine—Whistler, B.C., May 7, 2013—Resorts spokespersons are pushing back against a ruling by WorkSafeBC that mandates helmet use for employees at Whistler Blackcomb and Mount Seymour whenever staff are skiing or riding. The rule covers any employee who is on skis while working, such as lift operators and ski patrol, and even empl...

SAM Magazine—Concord, N.H., May 7, 2013—Six years after the operators of Mount Sunapee ski area sued the state for fraudulently obstructing the resort’s expansion plan, the suit finally will head to trial. A lower court had dismissed the suit, but the state Supreme Court overturned that ruling, saying that the resort’s claim...

SAM Magazine--May 7, 2013--Set your DVRs because starting on May 9, 2013, the National Geographic Channel will air Mountain Movers, a new series that features a behind-the-scenes look at the work that Chris “Gunny” Gunnarson and his team at Snow Park Technologies (SPT) do. The first episode of this reality-type series, "Stairway to...

SAM Magazine--May 4, 2013--The National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) announced two days ago that U.S. ski areas tallied an estimated 56.6 million skier and snowboarder visits during the 2012/13 season--the results represent an 11 percent increase over the previous season. The previous season was one of the worst in recent history, when visits total...

SAM Magazine--May 4, 2013--As of March 31, CNL Lifestyle Properties, Inc., saw a 16-percent increase over last season in revenues at its portfolio of 17 ski resorts during the 2012-13 ski season. Additionally, visits rose 10.4 percent as of April 29. “We have made substantial investments in our resorts to boost snowmaking capacity, add lif...

SAM Magazine--May 4, 2013--After six years at the helm, Tim White, the National Ski Patrol's (NSP) executive director, announced this week that he will not be extending his contract beyond July 31, 2013. He presented his intentions to the board of directors and his staff earlier this week. The NSP said, "His dedication and leadership have ...

SAM Magazine—June Lake, Calif., April 25, 2013—June Mountain is set to reopen next December after a year in mothballs. The resort will continue to target families and entry-level skiers and snowboarders, with tentative plans for lift and snowmaking upgrades down the road.  “Next winter we look forward to bringing skiers an...

SAM Magazine—Minneapolis, Minn., April 25, 2013—Vail Resorts has purchased longtime Twin Cities retailer Hoigaard’s, complementing it purchase last fall of Afton Alps. Hoigaard’s will be part of Vail’s retail division, Specialty Sports Venture, which includes more than 175 stores in Colorado, California, Nevada and ...

SAM Magazine—Hope, B.C., April 22, 2013—Sunshine Valley RV Resorts has purchased The Manning Park resort, which went into receivership four years ago. Manning Park manages Nordic and Alpine facilities in addition to campgrounds. The new owners, Kevin and Donna Demers, said the resort will keep its name, and they plan to reopen soon, ...

SAM Magazine--April 22, 2013--Vail Resorts, Inc., reported certain ski season metrics for the comparative periods from the beginning of the ski season through April 14, 2013 and for the prior year period through April 15, 2012. The reported numbers are adjusted as if Kirkwood, Calif., was owned in both periods, but exclude the newly-acquired Afton ...

SAM Magazine--April 22, 2013--Earl Holding, the owner of Sun Valley, Idaho, and Snowbasin, Utah, died on April 19 at the age of 86. Holding, who primarily made his fortune with Sinclair Oil, bought Sun Valley in 1977 and oversaw its transformation into an internationally-recognized four-season resort. Holding's Snowbasin underwent a similar tra...