SAM Magazine—Nederland, Colo., Sept. 14, 2015—Brent Tregaskis, former general manager at Big Bear Mountain Resorts, is now the GM at Eldora Mountain Resort, Colo. The news comes just one week after Chris Riddle, vice president of marketing, announced his retirement after 41 years with sister resort Snow Summit.

“The opportunity presented itself recently. This is the best time for me to leave the valley and head for Colorado,” Tregaskis said.

SAM Magazine—New York, N.Y., Sept. 14, 2015—More than 4,000 ski resorts, brands, and athletes signed up for .ski domain extensions in just the first 10 hours that it became publically available last week, according to officials at StartingDot, the Internet registry that started the campaign three years ago.

Now, less than one week after the launch, the tally is 5,000 and counting. Companies have been snapping up domain names at the rate of 200 a day after the opening flurry of activity, according to a StartingDot spokesman.

SAM Magazine—Donnelly, Idaho, Sept. 14, 2015—This season, skiers and riders at Tamarack Resort will have access to an additional 100 acres of in-bounds, hike-to terrain that hasn’t been open since 2009. Tamarack will reopen the Wildwood trail system on the northern section of the mountain when natural snow conditions allow. The area is not covered by snowmaking and was closed after a lift servicing this terrain was removed. The reopening augments existing out-of-bounds terrain at the south side of the resort.

SAM Magazine—Breckenridge, Colo., Sept. 1, 2015—Breckenridge residents will vote Nov. 3 on whether to impose a new 4.5 percent admissions (i.e., lift ticket) tax that would be used as long-term funding for parking and transit projects. The Breckenridge Town Council announced the ballot measure in July, but has since negotiated with Vail Resorts to exclude season passes and summer lift tickets from the tax.

SAM Magazine—Aug. 28, 2015—A memorial service for Jan Leonard, the principal in Skytrac lifts and former president of Doppelmayr who died Aug. 26, will take place Sept. 1.

SAM Magazine—Aug. 26, 2015—Jan Leonard, a principal in Skytrac lifts and former president of Doppelmayr, died this morning.

His Skytrac partners, David Metivier, Alan Hepner, and Carl Skylling, have presented the following open letter to the industry:

To all our friends, industry patrons and trade partners,

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., Aug. 26, 2015—Registration for SAM’s sixth annual Summer Ops Camp—a series of seminars, workshops, and site visits that explore the state of the art in summer operations—closes Monday, Aug. 31. A few spots are still available for the camp, Sept. 9-11 at Camelback, Pa.

SAM Magazine—Lakewood, Colo., Aug. 20, 2015—A number of ski associations in the U.S. are plotting to pull off the “world’s largest ski and snowboard lesson” Jan. 8, 2016, with the goal of having it officially recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records. The goal is also to use this stunt as a kickoff event for Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month and the Bring a Friend learn-to campaigns.

SAM Magazine—Denver, Aug. 19, 2015—Summer lodging revenue is up 14 percent and occupancy is up 8 percent compared to last summer, according to data collected among lodging properties at 19 western mountain destination resorts in six states. In July alone, revenue was up 13.8 percent and occupancy 7.9 percent, according to DestiMetrics, the Denver-based firm that collects and analyzes the data.

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., Aug. 13, 2015—It knows how long skiers and riders have been standing in a lift line, and now it has the capability of giving them a head’s up about lengthy wait times. Vail Resorts’ latest EpicMix app addition, EpicMix Time, will give users access to real-time, up-to-the-minute wait times. The feature will be live across Vail Resorts’ four Colorado resorts for the 2015-16 season, with information on 55 core lifts, with plans to expand the technology to its other ski areas in upcoming seasons.

SAM Magazine—Wrightwood, Calif., Aug. 12, 2015—Mountain High is giving skiers and riders added assurance that they will get more value out of their season passes by introducing the Winter Guarantee, which applies credits to those who use their season pass less than five days. Offered only to Mountain High Powder Alliance pass holders, the program applies credits of up to 50 percent of the purchase price of a 2016-17 season pass.

SAM Magazine—Nelson, B.C., Aug. 12, 2015—Whitewater ski resort has signed on to the Powder Alliance making it the second Canadian resort to participate in the season pass program that also includes 12 U.S. ski areas. Now, Whitewater season passes are also good for three days of skiing and snowboarding at each of the other 13 locations, with some restrictions on weekends and holidays.

SAM Magazine—Norden, Calif., Aug. 11, 2015—More season pass partnerships among ski areas in the U.S. and internationally are being unveiled as the 2015-16 season approaches. Sugar Bowl, Woodward Tahoe, and Royal Gorge—all located atop Donner Summit—have partnered to offer skiers and riders unrestricted access to their facilities for the 2015-16 season.

SAM Magazine—Stowe, Vt., Aug. 11, 2015—Stowe Mountain Resort and Taos Ski Valley have joined the Mountain Collective that now includes skiing and riding access at ski areas in six U.S. states, Alberta and B.C., Canada, and Australia.

SAM Magazine—Hood River, Ore., Aug. 7, 2015—The 12th OITAF-NACS Symposium will be held Sept. 8-11 at the Hood River Inn. Themed “Trams, Dams, and Bridges,” the gathering brings together ropeway operators, manufacturing companies, engineers, inspectors and others to discuss and analyze leading issues impacting ropeway transportation around the world.

SAM Magazine—Idaho Springs, Colo., Aug. 6, 2015—Echo Mountain is re-opening its slopes to the general skiing and snowboarding public once again this winter. The Front Range Ski Club purchased the area in 2012 and turned it into a private race training center. It continues to manage the 226-acre area, but plans to open Dec. 10 with a renewed focus on the family and beginner guests.

Day lift tickets are currently listed at $49, and season passes start at $159.

SAM Magazine—Reno, Nev., Aug. 3, 2015— With Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe increasing its minimum wage to $11 an hour, ski area employees in the Tahoe region may be hoping for an all-out bidding war among resorts.

SAM Magazine—New York, July 31, 2015—New York State and the Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) have entered into a 25-year power purchase agreement with Borrego Solar, a San Diego-based firm that develops, finances, and implements solar energy projects, to supply power to state-owned Belleayre, Gore Mountain, and Whiteface ski areas.

SAM Magazine—Beijing, China, July 31, 2015—Beijing has been selected to host the 2022 Winter Olympics, beating out Almaty, Kazakhstan, by a 44 to 40 vote. It will be the first city to host both a summer and winter Games.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said that Beijing was awarded the Games because it aligned with the IOC’s goal to bring a "stronger focus on sustainability, legacy, and transparency" to the event.

SAM Magazine—Park City, Utah, July 30, 2015—Let the rebranding begin: Officials at Vail Resorts unveiled a new brand campaign that combines Park City Mountain Resort and Canyons into one name, Park City. A new logo combines the Canyons’ insignia with the existing color palette of Park City Mountain Resort, with the tag line “There is only one. Park City.”

SAM Magazine—Snowbird, Utah, July 27, 2015—Richard Daniel “Dick” Bass, partner and chairman of Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort and the first person to climb the highest point on each of the seven continents, died Sunday, July 26, 2015 at the age of 85 surrounded by family in Dallas, Texas. Bass suffered from pulmonary fibrosis.

SAM Magazine—Denver, Colo., July 21, 2015—Summer revenues among lodging properties at 19 mountain destinations in six mountain states are up 12.5 percent over last year, while future reservations are up 6.8 percent. The figures, compiled by DestiMetrics, are based on occupancy and bookings for the six months from May through October.

SAM Magazine—McLean, Va., July 15, 2015—The SnowSports Industries America (SIA) Board of Directors has chosen Nick Sargent, former vice president of global business alliance at Burton Snowboards, as its incoming president. Sargent will begin in a transitional role Aug. 24 before succeeding David Ingemie as president following the 2016 SIA Snow Show in Denver.

SAM Magazine—Vancouver, B.C, July 15, 2015—SBC Media has filed for bankruptcy and closed its 10 magazine titles, including Snowboard Canada, SBC Skier, SBC Business, SBC Skateboard, and SBC Wakeboard. Officials at SBC said investors that stepped in 2014 to help support the media group made the decision to cut additional funding.

SAM Magazine—Santiago, Chile, July 14, 2015—A heavy storm that dumped more than five and a half feet of snow on Portillo, and nearly three feet of new snow in other areas of the central Chilean Andes and parts of Argentina, has allowed several ski resorts to open after a delayed start to the season.

Valle Nevado opened today, July 15, thanks to 31 inches of snow that fell there. Valle Nevado operated most of its lifts along with several restaurants, and all equipment rental outlets and retail stores. The resort's hotels are set to open Friday, July 17.

SAM Magazine—Sydney, Australia, July 13, 2015—After what local ski area operators described as the worst start to a season in 50 years, a cold winter storm system continues to deliver freezing air across southeast Australia and new snow to the mountains. Meteorologists are calling it the “Antarctic vortex,” and in Sydney, it resulted in nearly two weeks of cold temperatures not seen since 1978.

SAM Magazine—Mt. Hood, Ore., July 13, 2015—This summer Mt. Hood Meadows is growing its presence in Portland by expanding an existing office in the city into an “alpine lifestyle center,” called Altitude. The space, which is set to open Labor Day Weekend, will include a mountain retail store and après bar, a ski and snowboard service center, and a lift ticket and season pass office.

SAM Magazine—West Windsor, Vt., July 10, 2015—An eight-member committee is working to form a non-profit organization that would manage and maintain the assets of the West Windsor Town Forest, including reopening Mt. Ascutney ski area.

SAM Magazine—Lakewood, Colo., July 7, 2015—Mark Dorsey, CEO of the Professional Ski Instructors of America and the American Association of Snowboard Instructors (PSIA-AASI), is stepping down to assume a similar role with another association outside of the ski and snowboard industry.

“This is a terrific opportunity for Mark, and we wish him the best in his new venture,” said Ed Younglove, PSIA-AASI chairman of the board.

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., July 2, 2015—Vail Resorts is increasing its minimum wage for entry-level positions to $10 an hour. Effective Sept. 26, the pay hike will affect nearly 7,500 of Vail’s 25,000 employees in eight states, including workers in housekeeping, lift operations, food preparation, and retail sales.

Currently, the federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour, but 29 states and Washington, D.C., have minimum wages above that level.

SAM Magazine–Donnelly, Idaho, July 2, 2015–Tamarack Resort will restart its mountain bike operation, which hasn’t been running since 2007, on July 4. But instead of providing uphill access via chairlift, Tamarack will offer a shuttle service and bike rentals. The services will begin July 4.

SAM Magazine—Athena, Ore., June 29, 2015—The listings of ski areas for sale recently grew by two, as Spout Springs, Ore., went on the market for $1.25 million and Marshall Mountain, located seven miles northeast of Missoula, Mont., is also for sale for $2.95 million.

SAM Magazine—Sheridan, Wyo., June 29, 2015—The board of directors of the Antelope Butte Foundation (ABF) signed a purchase and sale agreement with the U. S. Forest Service on June 19, paving the way for the purchase of the ski area located in the Bighorn Mountains near Dayton, Wyo.

Mark Weitz, ABF board president, said the Foundation is purchasing the property, lifts, lodge, and outbuildings for $275,000. A first payment of 20 percent of the purchase price will be due within 45 days. Two more payments of 40 percent each will be due in March and November, 2016.

SAM Magazine—Truckee, Calif., June 29, 2015—In a move to dampen the danger of accidental fires, the Tahoe Donner Association has implemented a smoking ban on all its properties. The ban, effective through the end of the year, prohibits smoking at all amenities, common areas, and other association-owned properties. The Truckee Fire Protection District has recently issued Red Flag warnings due to the risks of lightning and strong winds amid extreme fire danger in the region.

SAM Magazine—Steamboat Springs, Colo., June 26, 2015—Rob Perlman has been named president and chief operating officer of Steamboat Ski & Resort Corporation effective July 1, 2015, by parent company Intrawest Holdings.

SAM Magazine—Mt. Ashland, Ore., June 24, 2015—Mt. Ashland has launched a $650,000 public fundraising campaign, primarily to help fund operation and maintenance costs until the end of November. The campaign, billed as the 2015 Local Mountain Fund, has already brought in $275,000, including $68,000 donated by Mt. Ashland Association board members and employees of the ski area.

SAM Magazine–Santiago, Chile, June 24, 2015–The 2015 ski season is off to a slow start for some ski areas in the Southern Hemisphere, including those in Chile, where six ski areas remain closed due to lack of snowfall. Traditionally skiers and riders in the Southern Hemisphere start hitting the slopes by early to mid June.

However, Francisco Sotomayor, director of Chile’s ski area association, said there have been about 20 seasons in the past 50 that have started after June 25, and 10 seasons have started after July 1.

SAM Magazine—Lincoln, N.H., June 16, 2015—Ski NH’s 33 alpine and cross-country resorts hosted more than 2.57 million alpine, X-C, and tubing visits during the 2014-15 season, according to Ski NH. Abundant snowfall in February and March resulted in numerous record-breaking spring skiing days for many New Hampshire ski areas. That helped offset sporadic weather challenges from Christmas through the Presidents Day vacation period.

SAM Magazine—Whistler, B.C., June 16, 2015—This coming winter, Whistler Blackcomb will conduct a snowmaking pilot project aimed at preserving the Horstman Glacier on Blackcomb Mountain. The area will operate four low-energy guns in the Horstman Hut area to determine if a full-scale snowmaking system is an option to prevent further recession of the glacier.

SAM Magazine—Denver, June 16, 2015—Following a record season across much of the West, summer occupancies and revenues are continuing that momentum, according to the most recent data released by Denver-based DestiMetrics. As of May 31, summer occupancy and reservations were up 8.5 percent compared to the May through October period a year ago. Revenue booked for arrival during the summer season has already reached 70 percent of last summer’s total, a 14 percent increase.

SAM Magazine—Jay Peak, Vt., June 12, 2015—Ski areas in Vermont tallied a record-breaking 4,670,903 million visits during the 2014-15 season. The visit totals were released during the Vermont Ski Areas Association’s (VSAA) 46th Annual Meeting here on Thursday.

Early openings at ski areas, recent capital investments in new snowmaking equipment, and a series of snowstorms that left Vermont leading continental U.S. in total snowfall were all credited for boosting overall skier and snowboarder visitation.

SAM Magazine—Boulder, Colo., June 12, 2015 – Skier and snowboarder visits at the 21 member ski resorts of Colorado Ski Country USA (CSCUSA) totaled 7.1 million during the 2014/15 season, about one-half of 1 percent fewer than last year’s record season and 6.5 percent more than the five-year-average. The figures were released during the association’s 52nd Annual Meeting here yesterday.

SAM Magazine—Santa Fe, N.M., June 9, 2015—New Mexico’s 11 ski areas saw a 19.4 percent increase in skier and snowboarder visits in 2014-15 compared to 2013-14, to 909,357, contributing to a $98 million increase in local economic activity, according to Ski New Mexico.

SAM Magazine—Calgary, Alberta, June 9, 2015—While final skier and snowboarder visits to Canadian ski areas have not yet been released, resorts in Western Canada had a poor to average season. The winter's warm temperatures, below average snow, and decreased days of operation have led a few ski areas to offer dramatically reduced rates on 2015-16 season passes.

SAM Magazine—Lausanne, Switzerland, June 8, 2015—The International Olympic Committee (IOC) approved big air snowboarding and an alpine team event as new event inclusions for the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea.

SAM Magazine—Dresser, Wis., June 8, 2015—Ski areas across the country are ramping up their summer operations with new aerial adventure parks, zip lines, canopy tours, water parks, mountain bike parks and more. With the slew of new year-round activities being offered (too many to report on here) it’s clear that ski areas have a bullish outlook on summer’s potential to significantly add to their overall revenue.

Here’s a sampling:

SAM Magazine—Vernon, N.J., June 8, 2015—The Koffman family, one of four partners that purchased New Jersey’s Mountain Creek from Intrawest in 2010, became the sole owner of the resort on June 4. The Koffman family was also a partner in the original Great Gorge ski area in the 1970s. The transaction provides for improvement and expansion capital as the resort enters its 50th anniversary year, Mountain Creek president Bill Benneyan told SAM.

SAM Magazine—June 5, 2015, Tannersville, PA—Registration for SAM's 6th Annual Summer Ops Camp officially opens today. The camp, which will take place at Camelback Mountain Resort Sept. 9-11, will explore the many benefits of and growing opportunities in summer recreation at winter resorts.

SAM Magazine—Terrebonne, Qué., June 5, 2015—Ski areas in Quebec tallied 5,887,000 skier and snowboarder visits this season, down 2.7 percent over last year ,according to the Quebec Ski Areas Association (ASSQ). The news was announced during the association’s annual meeting in the Laurentians at Manoir St-Sauveur, with more than 300 industry executives in attendance.

SAM Magazine—Kensington, Minn., June 2, 2015—Under the strain of tighter profit margins, two ski areas in the Midwest are looking for local government funding to continue operations.

SAM Magazine—Nagano, Japan, May 28, 2015 —Hakuba Valley in the Japanese Alps has joined the Mountain Collective for the 2015-16 season. The Collective now provides access to 18 mountains in five countries that combined have more than 41,000 skiable acres of terrain and 244 lifts.

SAM Magazine – Salt Lake City, Utah, May 20, 2015 – The Utah ski and snowboard industry closed the 2014-15 winter season with a total of 3,946,762 skier days, down 4.9% from the previous season's 4,148,573. This year's number represents a 2.2% decrease vs. Utah's 5-year average of 4,037,349.

SAM Magazine – Butler, Ohio, May 18, 2015 – Clear Fork Resort will go on the market via a sheriff’s sale in early June after a judge ordered foreclosure on the property to recover nearly $2.5 million in loan debt.

On Feb. 13, Richland County Common Pleas Judge James DeWeese signed a foreclosure paving the way for five land parcels at 341 Resort Drive to be sold, after finding that the current owner, Slater Run Land Development LLC, of Columbus, failed to pay installments due on the loan.

SAM Magazine – Whistler, B.C., May 18, 2015 – Whistler-Blackcomb announced it will roll out a new smoke-free policy May 31 coinciding with World No Tobacco Day. The policy will prohibit smoking anywhere on Whistler-Blackcomb property including lift lines, chairlifts, gondolas, ski runs, hiking trails, valley base areas, parking lots, the bike park trails on Whistler Mountain, and all Whistler-Blackcomb bar and restaurant locations including outdoor patios.

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., May 15, 2015—A number of leadership changes first detailed by Vail Resorts last fall are currently underway.

John Buhler, current COO of Keystone, is transitioning to COO of Breckenridge. Buhler joined Vail Resorts in 1994 as manager of the Breckenridge ski school. He became ski school assistant director in 1996, director of the ski school in 2000, and then the director of skier services in 2007. He became vice president and general manager of Keystone Resort in 2010, and then vice president and COO of Keystone in 2013.

SAM Magazine—South Lake Tahoe, Nev., May 15, 2015—The Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board added the final stamp of approval to an extensive expansion of on-mountain summer activities at Heavenly Mountain Resort. Billed as Epic Discovery, new attractions will include multiple zip line canopy tours, a ropes course, an alpine coaster, a mountain bike park, additional multi-use trails, and interpretive and educational tours. Work is set to begin this summer.

SAM Magazine—Mill Valley, Calif., May 13, 2015—The California Ski Industry Association (CSIA) board of directors has chosen Michael Reitzell, an experienced attorney representing the ski and outdoor recreation industries, to be the new president of CSIA. Reitzell succeeds longtime CSIA chief Bob Roberts, who retires this month. Reitzell begins his new job in July 2015.

Reitzell will be responsible for providing leadership and overseeing the organization’s strategy, operations and finances.

SAM Magazine—Denver, Colo., May 13, 2015—Bolstered by last fall's aquisition of 100 percent interest in Blue Mountain, Ontario, Intrawest reported consolidated revenue increased $36 million, or 12.6 percent, to $321.8 million, for the quarter ended Mar. 31, 2015. On a same-store basis, treating Blue Mountain as if it was fully owned in both years, the revenue increase was 4.8 percent. Net income attributable to Intrawest Resorts Holdings, Inc. improved $19.2 million, or 17.6%, to $128.7 million.

SAM Magazine—Whistler, B.C., May 13, 2015—Skier and snowboarder visits to Whistler Blackcomb fell 9.3 percent, to 1.52 million compared to last season, according to Whistler Blackcomb Holding’s second quarter financial report, for the season through Mar. 31, 2015. Revenues, though, rose 1.5 percent, to $191.4 million, as the decline in visits was offset in part by an 11.1 percent increase in revenue per visit. Whistler Blackcomb Holdings has a 75 percent interest in and manages the entities that operate Whistler Blackcomb.