SAM Magazine—Washington, D.C., Apr. 13, 2012—Snow sports retail sales were down 12 percent in units and 4 percent in dollars through the end of February, according to the RetailTRAK, released by SnowSports Industries America (SIA) and The Leisure Trends Group. Sales totaled $3.2 billion. Sales declined most for accessories, down 15 p...

SAM Magazine--April 12, 2012--Vail Resorts, Inc. (VR) today announced that the company has closed on its acquisition of Kirkwood Mountain Resort at Lake Tahoe, Calif. Vail Resorts now operates three mountain resorts in the Lake Tahoe region and together with Heavenly Mountain Resort and Northstar California. The transaction, which included the ski ...

SAM Magazine--April 11, 2012--Powderhorn, Colo., is celebrating the end of its first season under new ownership with good results. The season started on August 4, 2011, with the purchase of the 45-year-old western Colorado resort by Andy Daly and Ken, Tom and John Gart. While most resorts had to open late or close early this season, Powderhorn ...

SAM Magazine-Aspen, April 5, 2012-While many Colorado resorts experienced skier-day declines in the face of a warm, dry winter, Aspen/Snowmass saw visits increase through February, and they could end up for the season. The reason? Aspen's position as a true destination resort. Through the beginning of March, Aspen room occupancy was up 8.4 perce...

SAM Magazine--April 5, 2012--Actor Bruce Willis has announced that he would be willing to give his small Idaho ski area, Soldier Mountain, away to the right non-profit group. Soldier Mountain operates two chairs and one rope tow on permitted Forest Service land (about 1,150 acres). According to published reports, one such nonprofit group, the So...

SAM Magazine--April 5, 2012--Fifty-two years after the Olympic flame was first ignited in the Tahoe region, California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom and Nevada Lieutenant Governor Brian Krolicki announced the formation of the Lake Tahoe Winter Games Exploratory Committee (LTWGEC) today, a new joint California Nevada initiative to develop an Olym...

SAM Magazine--April 3, 2012--TechnoAlpin, founded in 1990 in Bolzano (Italy) and a major player in snowmaking, (35% market share in Europe) has just formalized the acquisition of all the activities of Johnson Controls Neige (JCN) in France, Italy and the U.S. JCN is a snowmaking equipment market leader in France with 60% market share and 30% worldw...

SAM Magazine--April 3, 2012--Wisconsin's Governor Scott Walker signed the "Skier Safety Act" today defining the responsibilities of both participants and ski area operators. Wisconsin Ski Industries Association (WSIA), representing 32 ski areas across the state, expressed gratitude to Representative Pat Strachota and Senator Glenn Grothman for thei...

SAM Magazine--March 30, 2012--According to the Cache Valley Daily, Utah's Cache County Board of Adjustment upheld the planning commission's approval of a conditional use permit for the proposed Cherry Peak Ski Area this week. Logan Checketts, who owns the property where Cherry Peak would operate, was first granted the permit in February, but sev...

SAM Magazine--March 28, 2012--The NY-state-owned Belleayre Ski Center has found a new overseer with the Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA), which operates both Whiteface and Gore Mountain for the State of N.Y. Until now, Belleayre was under the control of the Department of Environmental Conservation. The move is expected to benefit Be...

SAM Magazine-Newry, Maine, Mar. 26, 2012-Weather-challenged resorts in the East and West are declaring their commitment to guests by making snow, extending their seasons, or offering free skiing and riding. As most Eastern ski resorts are closing for the season in the wake of last week's unprecedented heat, Sunday River, Sugarloaf, and Loon Moun...

SAM Magazine--March 23, 2012--Bolton Valley, Vt., officials announced that the Vermont Land Trust has signed a contract to purchase the 1,161 acres of terrain that host the Bolton Valley Nordic and backcountry trails. The Vermont Land Trust's purchase price and related expenses is $1,850,000. Because of the property's statewide significance, th...

SAM Magazine-Invermere, B.C., Mar. 21, 2012-The B.C. government has approved development of the long-stalled Jumbo Glacier Alpine Resort, which could become the country's first year-round glacier-based ski resort if environmental appeals don't cause further delays. The resort will be located in the Purcell Mountains on an old sawmill site, not far ...

SAM Magazine--March 19, 2012--Colorado Ski Country USA's (CSCUSA) 22 member resorts reported a decrease in skier visitation during the second period of the 2011/12 ski season, which counts skier visitation from January 1 through February 29. During this mid-season time period, skier visits at CSCUSA resorts slipped by 5.2 percent compared to las...

SAM Magazine--March 16, 2012--The non-profit organization that runs Mt. Ashland, Ore., the Mt. Ashland Association, was granted the Forest Service permit to operate the ski area. Prior to the Forest Service decision yesterday, the city of Ashland held the permit, but the City Council voted last Fall to give it up in order to have better control ove...