SAM Magazine-Squaw Valley, July 27, 2011-Squaw Valley USA has detailed the first two years of a five-year, $50 million capital improvement plan that will impact the on-mountain and base village experience. Plans include everything from new food and hospitality offerings to new beginner and advanced high-speed chairlifts, trail improvements and a st...

SAM Magazine-Boise, Idaho, July 26, 2011-Resort founders Alfredo Miguel of Tamarack Resort, Idaho, and Tim Blixseth of the Yellowstone Club, Mont., are hoping to recoup money lost at their failed resorts from lender Credit Suisse Group. The two men hope to join a $2.5 billion suit claiming that Credit Suisse engaged in predatory lending. The ori...

SAM Magazine-Lakewood, Colo., July 26, 2011-A newly revised website for Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month (LSSM) officially launched today with features that make it easy for consumers to find information on how to get involved in skiing and snowboarding. Built by nxtconcepts.com, the site serves as a key communications tool for the national Janu...

SAM Magazine--July 19, 2011-- The Las Vegas Ski and Snowboard Resort (LVSSR), owned by Powdr Corp., announced that the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest Service has accepted its Master Development Plan (MDP). The news comes after many years of examining the extensive multiphase project, which will take several years to complete. Included in the MDP ...

SAM Magazine-Augusta, Maine, July 19, 2011-The Maine Elevator and Tramway Safety Board has voted to recommend that the state legislature create licensing standards for ski lift mechanics in the wake of the lift deropement last winter at Sugarloaf USA, in which eight people were injured. The licensing proposal, if acted upon by the legislature, woul...

SAM Magazine-Denver, July 19, 2011-In the most recent data compiled by the Mountain Travel Research Program (MTRiP),* analysts found that despite current economic uncertainties, lodging occupancy in western mountain destinations continues to rise while nightly room and lodging rates remain flat, according to the most recent data compiled by the Mou...

SAM Magazine-Washington, D.C., July 15, 2011- The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee unanimously recommended passage of the Ski Area Recreation Opportunity Enhancement Act of 2011, which would amend the National Forest Ski Area Permit Act of 1986 to explicitly allow a much wider array of winter and summer activities within resort permit ...

SAM Magazine--July 15, 2011--Registration for SAM's Second Annual Summer Ops Camp is officially open. The camp, which will take place at Jiminy Peak, Mass., from October 3-5, 2011, will explore the many benefits of the growing opportunities in summer recreation in the mountains. From ziplines to waterparks, we will cover the wide range of summer at...

SAM Magazine--July 14, 2011--- July 14, 2011 - The National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) announced today that U.S. ski areas set a new all-time record of 60.54 million skier/snowboarder visits during the 2010/11 season, according to the final Kottke End of Season Survey. The association announced preliminary figures in May projecting that, at an es...

SAM Magazine kicks off the 2011 Summer SAM CAM series with a visit to Amesbury Sports Park in Amesbury, MA., on June 26th, 2011 to take part in the resort's first Warrior Dash event. Amesbury is no stranger to large scale events like these, having done the Sparton Race Series the last couple of years, but the Warrior Dash Race attracted off-th...

SAM Magazine-Donner Summit, Calif., July 12, 2011-Boreal Mountain Resort will expand its presence in action sports with the opening of Woodward Tahoe, an action sports freeride and freeski instructional center and camp program, in the summer of 2012. The local planning commission recently approved Boreal's plans for a 33,000 square foot facility...

SAM Magazine-Lakewood, Colo., July 8, 2011-The 11th Sustainable Slopes Annual Report from the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) highlights the latest environmental implementations at ski areas including the use of electric vehicles, composting, local purchasing programs, efforts to reduce carbon footprints, water conservation efforts, and emplo...

SAM Magazine-Broomfield, Colo., July 7, 2011-Specialty Sports Venture (SSV), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Vail Resorts, has acquired the assets of Outdoor Outlet, LLC, which operates O2GearShop.com, an online outdoor/snowsports retailer that drew more than 2 million total visits last year. "The addition of O2GearShop.com is a significant opportu...

SAM Magazine-Greenwood, Maine, July 7, 2011-Fire severely damaged the lodge at Mt. Abram Family Resort Wednesday evening after it was struck by lightning. The fire began on the third floor of the west wing, which housed the administrative offices; the roof collapsed onto the third floor, and parts of some walls collapsed or were consumed by the ...

SAM Magazine-Durban, South Africa, July 6, 2011-The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has awarded the 2018 Winter Olympics to Pyeongchang, South Korea, the first time the Winter Olympics has been hosted in the country and the third time for the Winter Games to take place in Asia. Pyeongchang has been campaigning for the honor for a decade. I...