SAM Magazine-Big Sky, Mont., June 28, 2005-Big Sky Resort and its new neighbor on Lone Peak, Moonlight Basin, will give visitors next winter the option to purchase tickets and passes allowing unlimited access to both resorts. The resorts shared several trails and a lift in the past. But previously, it was necessary to purchase a ticket or season pa...

SAM Magazine-South Lake Tahoe, Calif., June 24, 2005-Prodigious and early snowfall helped lift California ski areas to record visits of 8.1 million, far surpassing the previous mark of 7.6 million recorded in the 1997-98 El Nino season, according to the California Ski Industry Association. Among individual areas, Heavenly, Kirkwood and Sierra-at...

SAM Magazine--West Dover, Vt., June 17, 2005--The Vermont Ski Areas Association announced its skier/boarder visit numbers for the 2004-05 season, which were 4.4 million. The total makes Vermont the third largest ski/ride state behind Colorado and California. This year's numbers represent a five percent increase over the 2003-04 season, which cam...

SAM Magazine--June 16, 2005--American Skiing Company (ASC) and Vail Resorts both announced their third quarter results and the numbers seem to be on the rise. ASC, thanks to good conditions across the board at all of it resorts, saw an increase in resort revenue of $16 million over the same period last year, and an increase in skier visits of 3 ...

SAM Magazine--Tannersville, Pa., June 16, 2005-- Camelback Ski Corporation, located in Pennsylvania's Poconos Mountains, was sold to a local entrepreneur, Arthur B. Berry III. In the acquisition, Berry will take over Camelback's winter operations and its large waterpark, which draws nearly as many visitors in the summer as the ski area does during ...

SAM Magazine--June 10, 2005--David Rowan, founder of the industry's trade publication Ski Area Management (SAM Magazine) died on Wednesday, June 8, from a rare cancer, mesothelioma. Rowan started his industry career in 1949 when he joined Ski Magazine as editor, interim publisher and ad salesperson. Rowan stayed with Ski until 1961 when the maga...

SAM Magazine-Vail, Colo., June 9, 2005-Vail Resorts (VR) saw total revenues grow by 13.5 percent in its fiscal third quarter ended April 30, and resort revenue rise by 10.1 percent. Net income, however, dropped to $58.8 million, compared to $62.5 million for the same period last year, due to a favorable one-time real-estate transaction in 2004. ...

SAM Magazine-North Woodstock, N.H., June 9, 2005-New Hampshire resorts posted 2,270,106 alpine skier and snowboarder visits during the 2004-05 season, the state's second-best winter on record, just short of the all-time record of 2,357,000 visits in 2000-01. The season got off to a slow start with erratic weather in early December. But as the wi...

SAM Magzine-Denver, Colo., June 9, 2005-Colorado Ski Country USA (CSCUSA) resorts reported their third best year ever as record numbers of international skiers and snowboarders helped drive visits to 11.81 million, up more than 550,000 from a year ago. International visits grew 28 percent, indicating that the after-effects of 9/11 have disappeared....

SAM Magazine-Whistler, B.C., June 6, 2005-Whistler Blackcomb closed June 5 after a season of record-breaking highs and lows. Heavy snowfall through the latter half of March and early April delivered exceptional conditions that lasted well into the spring, and set the base for summer glacier skiing and riding. The resort had its share of weather ...

SAM Magazine--Fort Collins, Colo., May 27, 2005--The skiing and snowboarding season isn't over yet. Fourteen North American resorts will be in operation this Memorial Day weekend, according to SkiTown.com. In California, seven areas are operating at least through Memorial Day: Alpine Meadows, Donner Ski Ranch, Mammoth Mountain, Sierra Summit, Sq...

SAM Magazine--Scottsdale, Ariz., May 25, 2005--The National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) honored D. Grady Moretz Jr., president of Appalachian Ski Mountain, and Brian H. Fairbank, president, CEO and co-owner of Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort, at the annual convention here. Moretz received the Lifetime Achievement Award. Fairbank earned the Sherman ...

SAM Magazine--Scottsdale Ariz., May 25, 2005--Whistler/Blackcomb earned the 2005 Golden Eagle Award for Overall Environmental Excellence, presented at the NSAA national convention here. The resort, which also won the Golden Eagle in 2003 and is a five-time Silver Eagle award winner, was nominated in four other Silver Eagle categories. Whistler r...

SAM Magazine--Scottsdale, Ariz., May 25, 2005--The National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) estimates 56.4 million skier/snowboarder visits at U.S. ski resorts for the 2004/05 season, based on preliminary results of the Kottke National End of Season Survey. If these figures hold up in the final Kottke report, 2004-05 would be the fourth best season on...

SAM Magazine--McLean, Va., May 18, 2005--Retail sales at winter sports specialty and chain stores rose 1.9 percent, to $2.25 billion for the August 2004 through March 2005 period, compared to $2.20 billion a year ago, according to the SnowSports Industries America (SIA) Retail Audit. Unit sales dropped 7.8 percent. The trend toward higher-priced me...