SAM Magazine—Dover, Vt., June 2, 2016—Mountain resorts nationwide opened for summer operations over the long Memorial Day weekend, kicking off the warm season with a growing number of attractions aimed at boosting the bottom line.

SAM Magazine—Washington, D.C., June 2, 2016—Snowsports Industries America (SIA) has informed its staff that the organization’s headquarters will be relocating out west. The organization said the move will put it in better proximity to partner brands, like-minded organizations, and the winter sports environment as a whole.

SAM Magazine—Salt Lake City, June 2, 2016—Prolific early season snow set the tone for a record-setting winter at Utah’s ski areas. The state tallied 4,457,575 skier visits during the 2015-16 season, up 5 percent from the previous record set in 2007-08. According to Ski Utah, visits were up 13 percent compared to last season, and beat the ten-year average by 10.4 percent.

SAM Magazine—Northeast Kingdom, Vt., June 2, 2016—Recent developments in the Securities and Exchange Commission’s case against Jay Peak owner Ariel Quiros include presentation of a preliminary injunction by the SEC and additional financial implications for Quiros, according to local news website VTDigger.org.

SAM Magazine—Denver, June 1, 2016— The Colorado Supreme Court ruled that avalanches are an inherent risk of skiing and fall under the state’s liability-limiting Ski Safety Act. In a 5-2 decision, the court agreed that avalanches result from changing snow conditions, changing weather, and variations of steepness and terrain, all of which are specifically noted in the Ski Safety Act.

SAM Magazine—Perisher, Australia, May 27, 2016—With the start of Australia’s ski season a fortnight away, there’s been consistent snow across the country’s main ski areas, which forecasters say should continue for most of the coming week.

SAM Magazine—Bloomfield, Colo., May 27, 2016—Vail Resorts’ CEO Rob Katz said that the company is looking to expand its portfolio of resorts, with possible acquisitions in Canada and Japan “a higher priority,” according to Snow Hunter’s World Weekly Snow News. The strength of the dollar has increased Vail’s buying power in recent years.

SAM Magazine—Zhangjiakou City, China, May 27, 2016—In a move aimed at tapping into the growing Chinese tourist market, Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows has entered into a “strategic alliance” with China’s Genting Secret Garden Resort, one of the host areas for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. California is currently the top U.S. destination for Chinese travelers, who spent $2.5 billion in California in 2015, according to research by Visit California.

SAM Magazine—Wildwood, Mo., May 26, 2016—Peak Resorts has gained approval from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for its $52 million project at Mount Snow, Vt., providing a shot of good news for the recently maligned EB-5 immigrant investor program.

SAM Magazine—Lakewood, Colo., May 26, 2016—At the 2016 NSAA National Convention and Trade Show, several resorts and individuals were honored with annual awards. The various awards recognize environmental efforts, marketing acumen, safety, bringing new skiers and riders to the sport, and more.

SAM Magazine—Denver, May 24, 2016—Western resort destinations set all-time records for occupancy and revenue during the 2015-16 winter season, according to DestiMetrics. As of April 30, occupancy was up 4.4 percent and revenues were up 5.2 percent compared to last season. That surpassed the previous record set in 2007-08.

SAM Magazine—Nashville, Tenn., May 20, 2016—U.S. ski areas tallied an estimated 53.9 million skier and snowboarder visits during the 2015-16 season, up slightly from last season’s 53.6 million total, according to the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA). A record year in the Pacific Northwest and the Rockies was offset by steep declines in visitation in the eastern half of the country.

SAM Magazine—Nashville, Tenn., May 20, 2016—Judy Dorsey, the principal and founder of Brendle Group, a sustainability engineering and planning firm based in Colorado, received the Industry Impact Award from the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA).

SAM Magazine—Nashville, Tenn., May 20, 2016—Soda Springs, Calif., Gore Mountain, N.Y., and Aspen Skiing Co., Colo., earned the 2016 Golden Eagle Awards for Environmental Excellence, presented by SKI Magazine. Additionally, SKI named Kristyn Lingenfelter of Squaw Valley/Alpine Meadows in California as the “Hero of Sustainability” honoree for 2016.

SAM Magazine—Nashville, Tenn., May 19, 2016—Since his first day on the job four months ago, SnowSports Industries America (SIA) president Nick Sargent has had to address the decision to shift the organization’s longtime Snow Show and On-Snow Demo from late January to early December, starting in 2017. Following comprehensive meetings with stakeholders, Sargent and the SIA board of directors unanimously decided to abandon the December time shift and maintain the January dates moving forward.

More than 500 lift mechanics, operations staff, managers, suppliers, and instructors attended the 45th annual Rocky Mountain Lift Association (RMLA) Spring Conference May 2-5 in Grand Junction, Colo. The theme was “Expanding Winter into Summer” but focus was clearly on lift maintenance training and winter operations. There were fewer sessions on risk management and guest service this year, and more about how to keep older lifts healthy.

It was 40 years ago that Jake Burton Carpenter began testing his early snowboards at Stratton Mountain, Vt., and launched snowboarding’s love/hate affair with winter resorts. Ironically, it was resorts’ initial wariness of snowboarding that set Burton on a course that has made the company Jake founded one of the best partners winter resorts have known.

SAM Magazine—Santa Fe, N.M., May 16, 2016—New Mexico’s nine alpine and four Nordic ski areas saw 938,000 skier visits during the 2015-16 season, up 3 percent year-over-year and 20 percent above the previous five-year average of 783,000. Ski area visitation contributed $524 million to the local economy, almost $17 million more than in 2014-15, according to Ski New Mexico.

SAM Magazine—Lakewood, Colo., May 16, 2016—The National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) has named Crystal Mountain, Mich., and Taos Ski Valley, N.M., as recipients of its annual Sustainable Slopes Grant Program. Funds from the program target carbon emission reductions, snowmaking improvements, and climate adaptation at U.S. ski areas.

SAM Magazine—Boulder, Colo., May 16, 2016—The process of booking, organizing, and managing ski school reservations could get an upgrade thanks to a partnership between SNOW Operating and software firm SnowCloud.

SAM Magazine—Portage, Wis., May 16, 2016—Cascade Mountain is working on a $9 million expansion project that includes two new lifts, seven new trails, additional snowmaking, an expanded main lodge, paved parking, and base area improvements. And that is just the first part of what will be a three-phase expansion plan.

SAM Magazine—Pacific Palisades, Calif., May 11, 2016—Burton Snowboards has made a $50,000 contribution to Protect Our Winters (POW), which the organization says will be used “to invest in its operational capacity and ongoing advocacy efforts on behalf of the snow sports community.”

SAM Magazine—Bend, Ore., May 11, 2016—Powdr has appointed John McLeod as president and general manager of Mt. Bachelor, Ore. A longtime Bend resident, McLeod served as

A monthly roundup of the latest news about industry people and personalities.

SAM Magazine—Salzburgerland, Austria, May 9, 2016—The jury has always been out as to whether new lifts attract more people, but according to usage figures recently released by the Kitzsteinhorn glacier in Austria’s Salzburgerland, there may be evidence they do.

SAM Magazine—Denver, May 9, 2016—Strong numbers at Intrawest’s Colorado resorts and Canadian Mountain Holidays helped balance the challenging winter its eastern properties endured. Total revenue decreased 1.9 percent, to $314.2 million, for the three months ended March 31, compared to the same prior-year period.

SAM Magazine—Park City, Utah, April 29, 2016—Lee Canyon president and general manager Kevin Stickelman has resigned from Lee Canyon, Nev., to become chief operating officer of the National Ability Center in Park City, Utah. Stickelman had been in the Powdr organization for 15 of the last 20 years, leading Lee Canyon (formerly Las Vegas Ski and Snowboard Resort) for the last six.

SAM Magazine—Grand Junction, Colo., April 28, 2016—Leitner-Poma has acquired Salt Lake City-based chairlift builder and retrofitter Skytrac, a company established by legendary liftbuilder Jan Leonard and former CTEC employees, with roots in aerial lift technology that extend back nearly five decades. The purchase was completed this week.

SAM Magazine—Bellefontaine, Ohio, April 27, 2016—After losing its base lodge to a fire last September and operating out of temporary Sprung Structures this past winter, Mad River Mountain, Ohio, plans to break ground on a new $6.5 million, 46,000-square-foot base lodge in May.

SAM Magazine—Palmer, Alaska, April 27, 2016—Silverton Mountain Guides Alaska Heli has named lifelong Alaskan and 25-year ski industry veteran Di Whitney as its new vice president of operations. Most recently, Whitney was general manager and VP at Alyeska Ski Resort.

SAM Magazine—Stevens Pass, Wash., April 26, 2016—Stevens Pass wrapped up its season on April 24 with 132 percent more skier visits than 2014-15 and the most since it started digitally capturing that data in 2008-09.

SAM Magazine—Denver, April 22, 2016—DestiMetrics’ most recent Monthly Market Briefing tells a very positive story for the Far West and Rocky Mountain regions. As of March 31, actual occupancy combined with on-the-books reservations for April were nudging the 2015-16 season to a likely record, with winter occupancy up 4.3 percent and revenues up 5.2 percent over last year. Boosted by an early Easter, March occupancy was up 5.2 percent and revenues up 7.9 percent compared to March 2015.

SAM Magazine—Woodbury, Conn., April 20, 2014—There are still a few spots available for Cutter’s Camp at Timberline, Mt. Hood, May 9-13, but registration closes on April 29. Now in its 14th year, Cutter's Camp continues to be the industry’s only open-forum educational gathering of terrain park professionals.

SAM Magazine—West Dover, Vt., April 21, 2016—Until the department of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services releases the $52 million Mount Snow has raised through the EB-5 foreign investor program, the resort’s West Lake and Carinthia Base Lodge projects are on hold.

SAM Magazine—Woodstock, Vt., April 20, 2016—Grooming technique and hospitality were emphasized at this year’s Cross Country Ski Areas Association (CCSAA) annual conference at Snow Mountain Ranch, Colo, April 5-6.

SAM Magazine—Kelowna, B.C., April 20, 2016—Canada West Ski Areas Association (CWSAA) has named ski industry veteran Christopher Nicolson as its new president and CEO. He succeeds David Lynn, who left the organization in January to establish a business consultancy.

SAM Magazine—Olympic Valley, Calif., April 18, 2016—No need to spend time hunting for a closer parking spot on your next trip to Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows, so long as you bring at least three friends. The resort has partnered with Protect Our Winters (POW) to offer free premium close-in parking to guests who carpool with at least four passengers in the vehicle.

SAM Magazine—Killington, Vt., April 14, 2016—The trend of expanding summer business at mountain resorts has gained traction at Killington in Vermont. The resort plans to invest $850,000 this summer to install dual zip lines, summer tubing lanes, and a 40-foot tower jump. Also included is a new rental fleet of mountain bikes, six new mountain bike trails, upgrades to food and beverage facilities, and kids camps.

SAM Magazine—Burke, Vt., April 14, 2016—The last 24 hours have been dramatic in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont, culminating with the Securities and 

Exchange Commission charging Q Burke and Jay Peak co-owners Ariel Quiros and Bill Stenger with fraud. The charges are the result of an investigation performed by the agency into the partners’ use of EB-5 foreign investor funds.

Woodbury, Conn., April 14, 2016—SAM Magazine has selected four outstanding individuals to receive 2016 SAMMY Leadership Awards: Halley O’Brien, Elia Hamilton, Phoebe Mills, and Steve Wright. The awards, now in their 19th year, recognize individuals who, in mid-career, are influencing the future of the mountain resort industry. The four will receive their awards on May 20 at the SAMMY Awards during the National Ski Areas Association conference in Nashville, Tenn.

SAM Magazine—Snowbird, Utah, April 13, 2016—Snowbird was granted unanimous approval by the Utah County Board of Adjustment on two conditional use permits involving resort expansion in American Fork Canyon. The plans call for a new gondola, two new chairlifts, 500 acres of new terrain, and a zip line.

SAM Magazine—Newbury, N.H., April 6, 2016—Today Mount Sunapee N.H., received approval from the state to move forward with its West Bowl Expansion, which will add 56 acres of skiing terrain down the west flank of the mountain into the town of Goshen. There will be four top-to-bottom intermediate to advance intermediate runs, all with snowmaking, serviced by a 5,100’ high-speed quad chairlift.

SAM Magazine—Burke, Vt., April 6, 2016—In the employment-starved Northeast Kingdom of Vermont, a major development project funded by a program designed to create jobs has resulted in a loss of jobs and much squabbling between the state and the developers, Bill Stenger and Ari Quiros. 

This begins SAM’s monthly series of updates on important happenings about prominent people in the ski and snowboard industry. This will include awards, promotions, obituaries, and recognitions.

SAM Magazine—East Rutherford, N.J., April 5, 2016—Developer Triple Five and resort operating group SNOW Operating are partnering to operate North America’s first indoor snow center, “Big SNOW America,” at American Dream when the megaplex at the Meadowlands Sports Complex opens in 2017.

SAM Magazine—Whistler, B.C., April 6, 2016—Big things are in the works at North America’s biggest ski resort with Whistler Blackcomb planning to invest $345 million over three phases of development. Called “Whistler Blackcomb Renaissance,” the investment will add new, year-round attractions and activities, see major on-mountain winter and summer improvements, offer new real estate developments, and improve Blackcomb’s upper and lower base areas.

SAM Magazine—Carrabassett Valley, Maine, April 4, 2016—While only a handful of New England ski resorts remain open, several are planning to continue operations for weeks, if not a month or more.

Natick, Mass., April 1, 2016—After much anticipation and more than 66,000 votes tallied, SAM Magazine and HKD Snowmakers are honored to announce the Sunday River, ME, Snowmaking Crew as the winner of the 2016 I Am a Snowmaker Award. When asked to share their team motto, Sunday River responded, “We’re not just a team; we’re a brotherhood!” To view Sunday River’s complete profile as well as the five other teams nominated, click here.

SAM Magazine—Dover, Vt., March 29, 2016—Mountain ops crews at ski areas in the eastern half of the continent have put in a herculean effort this winter to keep the ski season going and provide a quality product for visitors. In most areas out West, the snow hasn’t really stopped falling, so resorts are keeping winter rolling.

SAM Magazine—Big Sky, Mont., March 25, 2016—The shortage of affordable housing in resort communities across the U.S. has become a major issue—one that the recently formed Big Sky Community Housing Trust (BSCHT) aims to address by growing the inventory of such residences for the town’s local workforce.

SAM Magazine—Zermatt, Switzerland, Mar. 25, 2016—High-altitude resorts across the Alps are preparing for and investing in summer operations, according to Patrick Thorne's SnowHunter World Weekly Snow News. The strategies are, not surprisingly, diverse.

SAM Magazine—Bend, Ore., March 23, 2016—As of March 16, Mt. Bachelor president and general manager Dave Rathbun no longer holds a position with the resort, and nobody knows why. Rathbun said he was unable to speak about the circumstances surrounding his departure and directed questions to John McCloud, the resort’s director of finance, who Rathbun said had been appointed acting general manager.

SAM Magazine—Wildwood, Mo., March 23, 2016—With 14 properties located in the snow-starved eastern half of the country, Peak Resorts’ results for the third quarter ending Jan. 31 summed up the difficult winter it’s been. The company reported a Q3 profit of $3.7 million, and the $38.7 million of revenue is down 16 percent from the same quarter last year. Nonetheless, Peak’s net income rose 13 percent year-over-year.

SAM Magazine—Washington, D.C., March 23, 2016—Despite this winter’s challenging snow year in the eastern half of the country, participation in January Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month (LSSM) programs topped 166,000 in 2016, up from 118,000 a year ago. Numbers are based on results from the annual LSSM resort survey.

SAM Magazine—Denver, March 15, 2016—According to a recent report by DestiMetrics, winter business is on its way to a strong finish at western resorts and their surrounding communities. Bookings made in February for arrival in February were up a dramatic 19.2 percent compared to the same time last year.

SAM Magazine—Denver, March 16, 2016—Colorado Ski Country USA’s 21 member resorts reported an uptick in skier visits of 3.8 percent during the second period of the season, defined as Jan. 1–Feb. 29, compared to the same period last season. From opening day through Feb. 29, member resorts are up a total of 6.2 percent in skier visits compared to last season.

SAM Magazine—Frisco, Colo., March 16, 2016—Copper Mountain just moved up the list for families with kids ages 6 to 12 after the resort unveiled its new Kids Ski Free season pass offer. With the purchase of an adult season pass ($399 for ages 18+, no blackout dates) kids 6 to 12 get a free season pass. The offer ends after June 1.

SAM Magazine—Sutton, Que., March 9, 2016—The sale and purchase of Mont Sutton Ski Area is now complete. Today, the Superior court has confirmed the acquisition of Ski Sutton Inc. by Jean-Michel Ryan, Pierre Chesnay and Sylvain Gervais for C$7.5 million. This amount includes the purchase of all Ski Sutton Inc. shares, the debt and other entities related to the Boulanger family.

SAM Magazine—Laguna Hills, Calif. March 14, 2016— The 41st annual Mountain Travel Symposium (MTS) April 3–9 in Keystone, Colorado, will welcome it largest audience ever, as registered attendance has topped 1,000. That number includes an international contingent from 38 countries, providing an indication of how important group business is for destination resorts—and group travel buyers.

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., March 10, 2016—After more than 75 years in operation, Wilmot Mountain, Wis., is about to get a $13 million overhaul courtesy of new owner Vail Resorts. The plan covers upgrades to on-mountain infrastructure, base area facilities, and a learning terrain expansion.