SAM Magazine-Brand, Austria, Apr. 25, 2007-The Austrian resort Brand has announced the biggest lift upgrades to date of any European resort for the summer of 2007. The improvements include a massive tram, akin to the Whistler/Blackcomb project, which will link Brand with neighboring resort Burserberg. The new Gulmabahn lift crosses a valley between...

SAM Magazine-Bridgton, Me., Apr. 25, 2007-Shawnee Peak Ski Area received the Red Cross Real Hero award for Environmental Service and Outreach for being the first Maine area to purchase renewable-energy certificates to offset 100 percent of its electrical energy use. Shawnee Peak's wind energy purchase powers everything electrical on the mountain, f...

SAM Magazine-Copper Mountain, Colo., Apr. 25, 2007-In an aggressive move to build upon its freeride programs, Copper plans to build an indoor training facility for athletes who are interested in improving their terrain park skills. Current proposals include trampolines, bungee systems, synthetic snow ramps and foam crash pits. The resort will co...

SAM Magazine-Broomfield, Colo., Apr. 25, 2007-Vail Resorts (VR) and the National Forest Foundation (NFF) raised more than $225,000 for local conservation projects, thanks to the generosity of Vail guests. Starting in September 2006, VR asked guests at its five mountain resorts to contribute $1 on purchases of season passes, online lift tickets, and...

SAM Magazine-Sugarloaf, Me., Apr. 20, 2007-Following three major April snowstorms, several eastern areas have pushed their closing dates into the latter half of April. Among those open until Apr. 29 are Sugarloaf, Le Massif, Que., and Stowe, and (possibly) Sugarbush, Jay Peak, Vt., and Wildcat, N.H.; the last of these had previously extended its...

SAM Magazine-Lyndonville, Vt., Apr. 19, 2007-Facing a shortage of qualified middle managers, a group of senior managers in the Northeast have helped create the first-ever Resort Industry Leadership Institute (RILI), a management training program for mid- and senior-level managers. The Institute will take place at Lyndon State College, Vt., June 13-...

SAM Magazine--Woodbury, Ct., April 18, 2007--In recognition of the accomplishments of up-and-coming personnel in the winter sports industry, SAM Magazine has chosen Chris Bates (Cataloochee Ski Area), Chris Jarnot (Vail Resorts), and Jeff Summers (Wolf Mountain) as the winners of the 10th Annual SAMMY Future Leadership Awards. Winter Park's Bob Hol...

SAM Magazine-Breckenridge, Colo., Apr. 17, 2007-The National Brotherhood of Skiers (NBS) will host its 35th anniversary get-together at Breckenridge January 12 to 19, 2008. The organization's Annual Meeting and Challenge Cup (AMCC) is expected to attract more than 1,000 individuals representing 77 clubs from across the country. Since its foundin...

SAM Magazine-Whistler, B.C., Apr. 17, 2007-Whistler Blackcomb will unite its two mountains with the ambitious Peak to Peak Gondola, which will set world records for length and height. Construction is scheduled to begin in May, with completion by December 2008. The state-of-the-art gondola will be similar to a pioneering lift installed at Kitz...

SAM Magazine-Stowe, Vt., Apr. 16, 2007-With the high-elevation resorts of the Rocky Mountains shuttering winter operations for the season, it seems almost counterintuitive that Eastern resorts are extending their seasons. But plentiful snowfall and continued cold weather have sparked a slew of extended-season announcements, with Stowe being the lat...

SAM Magazine-Petite-Rivière-Saint-François, Que., Apr. 16, 2007-Lack of snow at the start of the ski season led to a 16.7 decrease in skier visits for Le Massif. "Cold snaps, rain and unusually late snowfalls always greatly affect our urban clientele's commitment to slide sports," says Pierre Raymond, general manager of the ski area. "When...

SAM Magazine-Vail, Colo., Apr. 16, 2007-Vail, which hosted the 1989 and 1999 World Alpine Championships, may be heading for a threepeat. A local group is considering submitting a bid for the 2013 FIS World Championships, which would be held at Vail and Beaver Creek ski areas. The non-profit Vail Valley Foundation will spearhead the bidding proce...

SAM Magazine-Aspen, Colo., Apr. 16, 2007-It's the kind of happy ending story that you don't expect when a bad thing happens to a chairlift with customers on board. A chair on Aspen Mountain's Ruthie's Express failed due to metal fatigue on Apr. 15 and broke, spilling one skier to the ground. The modest fall of 10 feet didn't faze the rider, who ski...

SAM Magazine-Pinkham Notch, N.H ., Apr. 13, 2007-It came in with a whimper, but it's leaving with a roar. That's the reality of an extremely mixed Eastern ski season, which saw resorts delay openings due to unseasonably warm weather in November and December, and now extend their seasons in April due to wintery conditions. The latest two ski areas t...

SAM Magazine-Aspen mountain has long been known for hidden locals' shrines to folks as diverse as Bob Marley to John Denver. But while the resort has accommodated the funky tributes, hidden in the woods off of some of the ski resort's most popular trails, the story at the mountain's sister resort, Snowmass, is a bit different. Unlike the shrines...