SAM Magazine - Vail, Co., December 30, 2006 - Forget the traditional ski school model. This year more resorts than ever are looking to expand the offerings available through their ski schools, tapping into new customers, some of whom would never consider lessons. While many North American resorts are already beefing up their pipe and park progr...

SAM Magazine - Vail, Co., December 30, 2006 - Former President Ford, a fixture at Vail and Beaver Creek resorts, will be honored by having runs named after him at each ski area. Ford, who until his death owned a Beaver Creek residence, was an active skier whose mere presence at Vail and Beaver Creek during his tenure as president did more to market...

SAM Magazine - The Canyons, Utah, December 27, 2006 - The only unionized ski patrol in Utah has come to a tentative agreement with their employers, thus averting a strike over the holiday season. The Canyon's ski patrol, which is represented by the Communications Workers of America, had been working since the resort opened for the 2006-2007 winter ...

SAM Magazine-Broomfield, Colo., Dec. 20, 2006-Vail Resorts, for whom snow is the raison d'etre, has postponed its annual meeting due to a major winter storm moving across Colorado. The meeting was originally scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 21, but by Wednesday afternoon, heavy snow and wind had brought travel to a standstill. More than a foot of snow ...

SAM Magazine-Steamboat Springs, Colo., Dec. 19, 2006-Backed by its new owner, Fortress Investment Group, Intrawest is purchasing the Steamboat Ski & Resort Corporation from American Skiing Company (ASC) for $265 million. The eighth most-visited resort in the U.S. in 2006, Steamboat will become the eleventh member of the Intrawest empire if the deal...

SAM Magazine-Keystone, Colo., Dec. 18, 2006-Keystone resort has become the first ski area to offer "geocaching." This high-tech treasure hunt challenges players to find hidden "geocaches" that are located via GPS units. "It's a cool way to introduce people to Keystone, as well as a fun kind of adventure for families," resort spokesperson Amy Kemp t...

SAM Magazine-Corvara, Italy, Dec. 18, 2006-Listed as "Number 1" in the Italian Registry of Lifts, Corvara's Col Alto chairlift has finally undergone the transformation to a gondola. Installed in 1947, the venerable lift was Italy's first chairlift. It debuted with a capacity of 163 passengers per hour. As time passed, the lift was upgraded, first t...

SAM Magazine-Vail, Colo., Dec. 18, 2006-Call it war, a rip-off or just a good way to pad the bottom line. But whatever you call it, there is no mistaking that for skiers, the two most expensive resorts in Colorado just got a bit pricier. Last week Aspen raised its single-day lift ticket price to $82. This week Vail upped the ante, raising its singl...

SAM Magazine-Portland, Me., Dec. 12, 2006-John Cumming, the CEO of Powdr Corp, which owns Park City Mountain Resort, Alpine Meadows, Mt. Bachelor and Las Vegas Ski & Snowboard Resort, is part of a group which has purchased Resort Sports Network (RSN), the television network dedicated to the creation and distribution of outdoor content in ski resort...

SAM Magazine - Boulder, Colo., December 8, 2006 - The Outdoor Industry Association is currently accepting nominations for the organization's Industry Awards. The Industry Awards recognize individuals who have implemented exceptional programs, demonstrated superior innovation or have gone that extra step to advance the outdoor industry as a whole. O...

SAM Magazine - Vail, Co, December 10, 2006 - If you want a piece of the growing international market, you could do worse than learn German. Austrians are leading the charge when it comes to international visitors to North American ski areas. Aspen's international guests account for 20 percent of the Aspen ski company's on-hill business and at J...

SAM Magazine-Vail, Colo., Dec. 11, 2006-Vail Resorts reported quarterly revenues up nearly 33 percent for the first quarter of fiscal 2007, primarily on increased real estate revenues, but expenses largely offset the gain. However, the resort cited increases in season's pass sales (21 percent in dollars) and advance bookings (24 percent in dollars...

SAM Magazine-Plymouth, N.H., Dec. 11, 2006-The ownership of Tenney Mountain Ski Resort has decided not to open the ski operation this winter. Instead, it is focusing on future planning for the entire resort including an outdoor adventure partnership plan with Eastern Mountain Sports (EMS). The decision came as the resort management and staff was in...

SAM Magazine--Tuxedo, N.Y., December 8, 2006--Sterling Forest ski resort, which was shut down during the 2005-06 season, was purchased by a local resident, Glenn Godsey. According to The Journal News, Godsey is hoping to open the 250-acre resort with the first snowfall this season. Sterling Forest has 4 double chairs, a vertical of 400 feet and ...

SAM Magazine-Vail, Colo., Dec. 8, 2006-CNL Income Properties, a Florida-based company, will soon own four of the six resorts currently part of Booth Creek Ski Holdings, Inc., as part of a complex deal that will net three current Booth Creek principals ownership of two of the resorts, along with a long-term lease for the other four areas. The dea...