SAM Magazine—Denver, Mar. 21, 2014—Intrawest saw increased visits at its resorts in the early season, and that fueled revenue growth for the quarter ended Dec. 31, 2013, Intrawest Resort Holdings reported earlier this week. The report and subsequent call with analysts also indicated that Intrawest sees potential for growth in the future via increased capital investment at its existing resorts, acquisitions, and eventually, through base area real estate development.

SAM Magazine--Salt Lake City, Utah, March 19, 2014--Ski Utah and representatives from Alta, Brighton, Canyons, Deer Valley, Park City Mountain Resort (PCMR), Snowbird, and Solitude held a news conference today at Ski Utah’s headquarters to announce their support for an over-the-snow connection between all seven resorts via chairlift and ski run called ONE Wasatch.

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., Mar. 17, 2014—Reflecting its diversified holdings across Colorado, Utah, and California, where this winter’s weather has been both favorable and not, Vail Resorts saw net income decline 2.1 percent, to $59.1 million, for the second quarter of fiscal 2014 ended Jan. 31, 2014. Visit growth of 11.9 percent at its Colorado resorts was offset by a 27.7 percent decline at its Tahoe resorts during the period.

SAM Magazine--Denver, Colo., March 17, 2014--Colorado Ski Country USA (CSCUSA) announced today that its 21 member resorts reported an increase in skier and snowboarder visitation in January and February. Visits at CSCUSA resorts, which do not include any resorts owned by Vail Resorts, were up by 8.6 percent during the second period of the 2013/14 season, defined as January 1, 2014 through February 28, 2014, compared to the same period of the prior year.

SAM Magazine—Denver, March 13, 2014—Advance reservations at mountain resorts in both the Rockies and the Northeast were strong in February. As of Feb. 28, with nearly 95 percent of all winter lodging business either completed or on the books, lodging visits showed a 4.6 percent increase for the 2013-14 season (November through April) compared to last year, and a 10.4 percent increase in revenue, according to the most recent data released by DestiMetrics.

SAM Magazine--Crystal Mountain, Wash., March 11, 2014--Guests checking out Crystal Mountain's website this morning for the Mountain Report found this:

SAM Magazine--Tamarack, Ida., March 11, 2014--In an auction on Monday, Credit Suisse, the main creditor for Tamarack, was the only bidder for three large sections of Tamarack Resort at a sheriff's sale. According to KTVB news, Credit Suisse now owns most of the physical properties instead of collateral interest, including the mountain assets and property for $65 million, hotel properties fror $10 million and another property.

SAM Magazine--March 11, 2014-- Whistler, Aspen/Snowmass, Jackson Hole, Alta, Snowbird and Squaw Valley/Alpine Meadows, members of the Mountain Collective, which offers purchasers two days at each of the destinations, plus a 50% discount on all additional days, have released an expanded pass product for the 2014/15 season.

SAM Magazine—Washington, D.C., March 10, 2014—The snow sports retail market finished January up 4 percent in units sold and up 7 percent in dollars, reaching $2.8 billion for the season to date (August through January), according to the SIA RetailTRAK. The report is prepared by Leisure Trends for SnowSports Industries America (SIA). Total market projections are based on point of sale data collected from more than 1,200 snow sports retailers.

SAM Magazine--Olympic Valley, Calif., March 10, 2014--Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows are teaming up with Sugar Bowl next season to offer passholders sliding privileges at all three resorts, plus Royal Gorge Cross Country. Holders of Squaw/Alpines's Gold pass are allowed four free days at Sugar Bowl and Royal Gorge. Sugar Bowl's unrestricted season passholders will receive four free tickets to Squaw or Alpine Meadows. Sugar Bowl also has similar arrangements with Sun Valley and Grand Targhee. The tickets at the Tahoe resorts are good for any day except Saturdays and holiday periods.

SAM Magazine--Albany, N.Y., March 10, 2014--New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced the launch of the ‘I Ski NY’ Bus, a new, dedicated bus line to 13 upstate ski mountains from New York City and Toronto to begin service for the 2014-2015 winter ski season.

SAM Magazine—Pagosa Springs, Colo., Mar. 7, 2014—On Tuesday, Mar. 4, Wolf Creek Ski Area avalanche technician and senior patroller Colin Sutton was caught in an avalanche while conducting an exploration and research mission via helicopter on Conejos Peak. The avalanche occurred at about 1:30 p.m. He was immediately dug out by his partner and two other emergency personnel, then airlifted by a Medevac helicopter to the emergency room at Mercy Regional Hospital in Durango, Colo., where he was pronounced deceased at 4:30 p.m.

SAM Magazine—Aspen, Colo., Mar. 7, 2014—Some of the world’s best snowboarders will descend on Aspen March 19-23 to try their hand on a halfpipe—or two—that is unlike anything done before. For this Red Bull Signature Series event, two competition-spec halfpipes will be constructed side-by-side, complete with rails, wallrides, channels and other unique features.

SAM Magazine--Richmond, Utah, March 6, 2014--A new resort in Cache County, Utah, (close to Logan) is set to open its doors next season, bringing the state's total to 15 mountain resorts. Called Cherry Peak Ski Resort, the small 200-acre resort will postion itself as a teaching mountain. According to Utah Public Radio, the resort will feature three lifts, a small lodge and a parking lot for 300 cars. Cherry Peak is on private land owned by John Chadwick and was set to open this year, but a lawsuit brought on by a neighbor hampered opening efforts.

SAM Magazine--Denver, Colo., March 6, 2014--Like cell phone companies, Intrawest has roled out a new pass product designed for the "modern" family. Called the Intrawest Passport, the pass will offer children 12 and under free skiing and riding, as well as redefine who can be included in the product. The season pass includes six days of skiing at each of six participating North American ski resorts during the 2014-15 season--Steamboat Springs and Winter Park, Colo.; Blue Mountain, Ont.; Mont Tremblant, Que.; Stratton Mountain, Vt.; and Snowshoe, W.V.

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., Feb. 28, 2014—With many resorts already selling season passes for the 2014-15 season, Vail Resorts (VR) is adding one of the snowiest powder skiing resorts in the world—Niseko, Japan—to its Epic Pass program. Epic Passholders will receive five complimentary consecutive days at Niseko, Japan, for the 2014-2015 winter season. The five free consecutive days of skiing and riding will be reciprocated for Niseko All-Mountain Season Pass holders.

SAM Magazine—Park City, Utah, Feb. 28, 2014—Olympian Tiger Shaw will take over as president and CEO of the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) effective Mar. 3 as part of a planned transition, replacing longtime USSA chief Bill Marolt.

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., Feb. 26, 2014—Despite the legalization of private use of marijuana in Colorado, public use of pot remains illegal. And so, over the past several weeks, Vail Resorts (VR) and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) have destroyed a number of structures associated with prohibited marijuana use. The structures had been constructed illegally on USFS lands within the permitted boundaries of the company’s four Colorado resorts—Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone.

SAM Magazine—Sochi, Russia, Feb. 24, 2014—A record-matching 17 Team USA skiers and snowboarders left the Sochi Olympic Winter Games with medals, including a record eight gold in on-snow events. Of course, it helped that there were more events for skiers and snowboarders—a total of 30 in all, including new slopestyle and ski halfpipe competitions.

SAM Magazine—Sochi, Russia, Feb. 24, 2014—Canadian skiers and snowboarders racked up a dozen medals during the Sochi Games, nearly half of the 25 medals won by Canadian athletes. They also took home four of Canada’s 10 gold medals. All that helped Canada rank fourth in the overall medal count, and third in the gold-medal count, just ahead of the U.S.

SAM Magazine—North Woodstock, N.H., Feb. 21, 2014—Winter resorts in New Hampshire generated $1.15 billion in direct and secondary sales for the 2012-13 season, according to Ski NH’s most recent economic study. That impact stemmed from visits by 3.26 million winter and summer guests at the group’s 33 member areas and more than 200 lodging properties.

SAM Magazine—Denver, Feb. 19, 2014—Buffeted by the weather, destination lodging occupancy in the East and West was up 4.7 percent for the November-January period compared to a year ago, according to research firm DestiMetrics. With 85 percent of visits either completed or on the books, lodging properties surveyed by DestiMetrics appear headed for a 10 percent increase in revenue on the season.

SAM Magazine—South Lake Tahoe, Calif., Feb. 18, 2014—Heavenly Mountain Resort has formally objected to the U.S. Forest Service's 15-year land management plan for Lake Tahoe. In a letter, the resort said that the Forest Service plan would limit future expansion of the four resorts in the Tahoe Basin to just 200 acres in total and ignite a “development race.”

The four resorts that would be subject to the limit are Heavenly, Alpine Meadows, Diamond Peak, and Homewood.

SAM Magazine--Hillsdale, N.Y., February 13, 2014--Catamount announced a 10-year master plan that includes a luxury ski in/ski out condominium complex called The Berkshire Mountain Club. The 66 fully furnished suites will have full kitchens and be available in studio, 1-, 2- and 3-bedroom unit configurations with amenities, such as a restaurant/lounge, spa, fitness center, pool, hot tubs, lockers, game room, front desk, valet parking and more.

SAM Magazine--Stowe, Vt., February 13, 2014--Spruce Peak Realty, LLC and Stowe Mountain Lodge, LLC, affiliates of Stowe Mountain Resort, along with a group of owners of 40 condominium units at Stowe Mountain Lodge, announced that they have reached an agreement in principle as to the terms of a settlement resolving a putative class action lawsuit alleging that condominium and hotel service fees are much higher than anticipated by owners at the time of purchase at Stowe Mountain Lodge.

SAM Magazine--Petite-Riviere-Saint-Francois, February 12, 2014--Employees at Le Massif de Charlevoix voted yesterday for the right to strike. Management has been in negotiations with the union, which only includes mountain employees and not hotel or train employees, but were unable to come to an agreement. In the meantime, the resort said that it will remain open and that all services will be up and running. Le Massif officials also said that they will continue to work with the union to come up with a solution that will satisfy both parties.

SAM Magazine—Dixville Notch, N.H., Feb. 12, 2014—The owners of the Balsams Grand Resort Hotel and the Balsams Wilderness Ski Area have engaged American Skiing Company founder Les Otten to help redevelop the hotel and resort, which have been closed for the past three years.

SAM Magazine—Sochi, Russia, Feb. 8, 2014—Acting on an idea first promoted by SAM five years ago, NBC Olympics, in partnership with the U.S. Olympic Committee and national governing bodies including the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA), has created the Olympic Gold Map to help newcomers take up Olympic sports and existing participants find competitive programs.

SAM Magazine—Woodbury Conn., Feb. 7, 2014—After years of circling around the conversion question, resorts across North America are deploying new and innovative approaches to the learning experience. Novel programs aimed at increasing trial and conversion are seeing big success at several resorts, and were all the rage at the NSAA East and West winter fairs. Conversion will also be the focus of the upcoming Conversion Camp at Jiminy Peak March 4-6.

SAM Magazine—Martinsville, N.J., Feb. 4, 2014—As the wintersport season nears its midpoint, several sources are weighing in with their projections for the season. RRC estimates resort visit totals will range between 51 and 53 million, depending on weather and other factors over the season’s second half, while destination lodging visits appear to be on the upswing, according to researcher DestiMetrics.

SAM Magazine--Denver, Colo., January 31, 2014-- Intrawest Resorts Holdings, Inc., which counts Winter Park, Stratton, Steamboat, Mont Tremblant, Blue Mountain and Snowshoe among its holdings, announced the pricing of its initial public offering of 15,625,000 shares of its common stock at $12 per share yesterday. The Company priced 3,125,000 shares of its common stock and an entity controlled by certain private equity funds managed by an affiliate of Fortress Investment Group LLC priced an additional 12,500,000 shares of the Company’s common stock.

SAM Magazine—Denver, Jan. 30, 2014—Bolstered by strong retail sales this season, the annual Snowsports Industries America (SIA) Snow Show kicked off this morning with a "Sendoff to Sochi" opening ceremony. The event showcased the various official uniforms of the U.S. alpine, freestyle, snowboard, and freeskiing teams. With 94 snowsports athletes representing the U.S. at Sochi, the largest contingent ever, the sendoff was a fitting way to mark the upcoming Games as well as the start of the 2014 Snow Show.

SAM Magazine—Eden, Utah, Jan. 24, 2014—Another local's area is getting a new lease on life: Skyline Mountain Base, an investment group comprised of local and European investors, has acquired the Wolf Mountain ski resort here from America First Credit Union. No terms of the deal were disclosed.

Wolf Mountain fell into bankruptcy in 2010, and parts of the property were sold at auction. The resort itself did not sell, but eventually emerged from bankruptcy thanks to America First.

SAM Magazine--West Dover, Vt., January 24, 2014--A 120-million-gallon water storage pond for snowmaking and a new 36,000-square-foot base lodge for guest services are two of the projects Mount Snow will fund through EB-5, an immigrant investor program. The projects, newly approved under the Vermont EB-5 Regional Center, total $52 million in investments.

SAM Magazine—Aspen, Colo., Jan. 23, 2014—Aspen Skiing Company (ASC) and ESPN have reached an agreement that will have the X Games calling Aspen/Snowmass its home until 2019. Now in its 13th year, ESPN chose to continue its long-term partnership with ASC, already the longest-tenured X Games host. And by 2019, Aspen/Snowmass will have hosted the premier winter action sports event for 18 years.

SAM Magazine—Denver, Jan. 16, 2014—Favorable snowfall in December in most mountain regions in the U.S. helped boost lodging occupancy and revenues for the month, according to DestiMetrics (formerly the Mountain Travel Research Program, aka MTRiP). The upward trend in both occupancy and revenue is carrying into the remainder of the season, DestiMetrics added.

SAM Magazine--Salt Lake City, Utah, January 15, 2014--Wasatch Equality announced today that it has filed a lawsuit against Alta and The U.S. Forest Service in an attempt to open the ski area up to snowboarders. The non-profit group was formed solely for this purpose. The following is a portion of the group's release:

SAM Magazine--January 14, 2014--Colorado Ski Country USA (CSCUSA) announced today that its 21 member resorts reported an increase in skier visitation for the beginning of the 2013/14 ski season. Skier visits at CSCUSA resorts were up by 22 percent during the first period of the 2013/14 season, defined this year as opening day of the season (October 13, 2013) through December 31, 2013, compared to the same period of the prior year. Significantly, this season’s first period skier visits also exceeded the five-year first period average by approximately 6.7 percent.

SAM Magazine—Washington, D.C., Jan. 9, 2014—Snow sports retail sales soared 14 percent in November from year-ago levels as the season began in earnest, the latest data from the SIA RetailTRAK show. The survey is based on point-of-sale data from more than 1,200 snow sports retailers.

For the year through November, sales totaled $1.2 billion, up about 7.4 percent from the same period in 2012. Equipment and apparel sales both rose 6 percent, while accessories were up 13 percent.

SAM Magazine—Park City, Utah, Jan. 7, 2014—Olympic champion Lindsey Vonn will not participate in the upcoming Sochi Olympics due to instability in her surgically repaired right knee, and will undergo another surgery soon so that she has time to recover for the 2015 World Alpine Championships in Vail/Beaver Creek.

The decision means Vonn won’t defend the gold medal she won in downhill at the Vancouver Olympics, where she also took the bronze in super-G.

SAM Magazine—Beaver Creek, Colo.–Jan. 3, 2014 –Beaver Creek is replacing its primary express quad from the base area with a new high-speed combination chairlift and gondola. The new lift will increase uphill capacity by as much as 35 percent through the use of alternating 10-passenger gondola cabins and six-person chairs. The new lift is expected to be in place for the 2014-15 ski and snowboard season, during which Beaver Creek will host the 2015 World Alpine Ski Championships.

SAM Magazine—Grenoble, France, Dec, 30, 2013—Seven-time Formula 1 champion Michael Schumacher is in critical condition in a French hospital with head injuries suffered on Sunday morning while skiing off-piste at Meribel. Update: His condition is slightly improved following a second operation on Monday night that relieved pressure on his brain, but he remains in a coma.

Authorities have credited a helmet for preventing immediate death, but his prognosis is unknown.

SAM Magazine—Denver, Dec. 30, 2013—Lodging properties at a sample of Eastern mountain resorts are reporting a 13 percent increase in projected reservations revenue for 2013-14 over last year, according to the most recent data released by Denver-based DestiMetrics.

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., Dec. 30, 2013—After 28 days and 26 resorts in four countries, 10 lifetime Epic Passes were awarded to the winners of the Vail Resorts’ Epic Race to Ski the World. The Epic Race was intended as a season-long quest to ski and ride all 26 resorts spread across 4 countries on the Epic Pass. The reward: The top 10 participants earned an Epic Pass for life.

SAM Magazine—Bloomington, Minn., Dec. 18, 2013—The Hyland Ski and Snowboard Area is set to upgrade its base lodge and parking areas and thus improve its services to the increasing throngs that visit the hill. The Bloomington City Council approved the $14.2 million expansion of the ski area earlier this week, according to local business publication Finance & Commerce.

“This is a gem of our community,” said Mayor Gene Winstead as the council unanimously voted in favor of the project.

SAM Magazine—Denver, Colo. Dec. 16, 2013—Positive snow equity from last winter, good early season snowfall this year, and stronger financial news are combining to drive occupancy and revenues at western mountain destinations to one of their strongest starts in memory, according to the most recent data released by the Denver-based DestiMetrics. Data is derived from approximately 290 property management companies in 19 mountain destination communities across Colorado, Utah, California, Nevada, Oregon and Wyoming.

SAM Magazine—North Conway, N.H., Dec. 16, 2013—Cranmore Mountain Resort has unveiled a Master Development Plan at a town Planning Board Meeting here to replace dated ski facilities with a mix of combination service space/residential condominium buildings and residential-only condos.

SAM Magazine—Washington, D.C., Dec. 11, 2013—Snow sports retailers sold $624 million in apparel, accessories and equipment from Aug. 1 to Oct. 31, a three percent increase from the prior year, according to the Snowsports Industry America (SIA) RetailTRAK survey of more than 1,200 snowsports retailers.

Good snow conditions in late November and December are expected to have a positive impact on the snowsports market during the holiday buying season. Typically, about 35 percent of total season sales are made between Black Friday and December 31.

SAM Magazine--Taos, N.M., December 11, 2013--Mickey Blake, COO of Taos Ski Valley and son of ski pioneers Ernie and Rhoda Blake, announced today that the family-held corporation has entered into an agreement with conservationist Louis Bacon who will purchase the resort.

SAM Magazine—Park City, Utah, Dec. 3, 2013—Powdr Enterprises, a division of Powdr Corp., has acquired the Emmy Award-winning television series “World of Adventure Sports Presented by GoPro.” Powdr Enterprises is expanding the show from a television series airing on NBC and NBCSN into a year-round, multi-platform offering that integrates Powdr’s mountain resorts, television, content, digital platforms, and events.

SAM Magazine—Manchester, Vt., Nov. 26, 2013—Bromley Mountain is inviting the public to a free “Introduction to Terrain Based Learning” session Dec. 21 so that first-timers can experience the increasingly popular teaching process based on terrain features. The session runs from 10:30 a.m. to 12 noon and includes an all-day Learning Zone lift ticket. Equipment rentals will also be free for the morning.

SAM Magazine—Salt Lake City, Utah, Nov. 26, 2013—With the 2013-14 ski season underway, Ski Utah recently launched an updated website. SkiUtah.com provides extensive trip planning tools, custom detailed weather forecasts, a new travel expert blogger, and large imagery that showcases the resorts—along with a comprehensive look at Utah’s 14 resorts.

SAM Magazine—Woodbury, Conn., Nov. 22, 2013—More than 50 areas in North America are now open, with dozens more opening this weekend, and with still more resorts set to open on or just after Thanksgiving.

Cold weather in the East and Midwest has provided good snowmaking conditions. In the West, snowmaking operations have been supplemented by storms in the past week that have dropped up to 30 inches of snow in Utah, up to 20 inches in Colorado, and 12 at Mammoth, Calif. All this has allowed many areas to open on or ahead of schedule.

SAM Magazine--Queensbury, N.Y., November 22, 2013--After filing for bankruptcy protection last June, West Mountain's future was uncertain. However, as of yesterday, its future looks brighter thanks to the purchase of its first mortgage by the investment group that has been running the area—Apex Capital. As we reported in late October, Zions National Bank in Utah was attempting to auction off the $390,000 loan it had on West Mountain. The first attempt failed to attract any interest, but the second attempt yesterday was  successful, with Apex Capital purchasing the loan.

SAM Magazine—Mt. Baldy, Calif., Nov. 19, 2013—For a limited time, Mt. Baldy is offering season passes for $59 to skiers and snowboarders who have never had a Baldy pass before. “It's an almost risk-free way to sample our mountain," said Mt. Baldy president Ron Ellingson.

SAM Magazine--Denver, Colo., November 18, 2013--Bookings and occupancy figures continue their summer and fall growth patterns and with nearly half of all bookings already made for the upcoming winter, the mountain lodging industry in the western U.S. is in a position to post record-breaking numbers according to the most recent data released by DestiMetrics.

SAM Magazine—Ludlow, Vt., Nov. 14, 2013—A cold wave earlier this week that spread across the U.S. east of the Rockies, along with snow and favorable snowmaking conditions in parts of the West, have enabled dozens of areas across North America to open, either for the coming weekend or for the season.

East

SAM Magazine--Denver, Colo., November 12, 2013--According to NASDAQ.com, Intrawest Resorts Holdings Inc., filed an initial public offering today with the New York Stock Exchange to raise up to $100 million. Intrawest, which is based out of Denver, operates Winter Park and Steamboat in Colorado, Mont Tremblant in Quebec, Stratton in Vermont and Snowshoe in West Virginia, as well as half of Blue Mountain in Ontario. Intrawest will remain under the leadership of Bill Jensen.

SAM Magazine—Breckenridge, Colo., Nov. 7, 2013—Breckenridge, Mammoth, Calif., Lake Louise, Alberta, Brighton, Utah, and Loon, N.H., are among the several areas that are recently opened or opening in the next few days. The start-ups give skiers and riders more options from coast to coast.