SAM Magazine--June 20, 2013--Rusty Gregory, the CEO and chairman of Mammoth Mountain, Calif., announced a new leadership team today. The leadership change is effective immediately as the resort hopes to better align the organization to execute key strategies aimed at improving guest experience, communicating the brand and growing visitation to Mamm...

SAM Magazine—Canon City, Colo., June 18, 2013—A 3,200-acre wildfire last week destroyed much of the Royal Gorge Bridge and Park. The iconic suspension bridge survived largely intact, along with several more recent additions, including the park’s skycoaster and zipline. But the park’s aerial tram was destroyed, along with 48 ...

SAM Magazine—Denver, June 18, 2013—Warm temperatures and good economic news are nudging western mountain destinations toward a record-breaking summer for lodging properties, based on the latest data from DestiMetrics, (formerly called the Mountain Travel Research Program). Occupancy during May achieved a year-over-year 14.6 percent i...

SAM Magazine—Bartlett, N.H., June 18, 2013—Peak Resorts has realigned management at several areas by promoting three individuals from within the company. Josh Boyd is now president of Boston Mills, Brandywine and Alpine Valley Ski Area, all in Ohio. Boyd has served as general manager of Wildcat Mountain since 2011. He will be relocat...

SAM Magazine—Aspen, Colo., June 18, 2013—The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cleared Aspen Skiing Co. of any wrongdoing in the avalanche death of longtime patroller Patsy Hileman last Dec. 30. Hileman died in a small avalanche that took her over a cliff at Snowmass in the Hanging Valley Wall area, one of the ...

SAM Magazine--June 14, 2013--The organizers behind Antelope Butte Ski Area, Mont., have realized that the area will not open for the 2013-14 season as they had hoped. Antelope Butte first closed in 2003. Two years ago, locals formed a group called the Antelope Butte Foundation in order to revive and restore the local area. According to the Billings...

SAM Magazine--June 14, 2013--Black Mountain in Maine, owned by the Maine Winter Sports Center, had its request of a $51,700 donation from the town of Rumford voted down on June 13. According to the Sun Journal, the money was to help the area through the summer, get it ready for winter and pay wages for three employees. The defeat was especially ...

SAM Magazine--June 13, 2013--Colorado Ski Country USA (CSCUSA) announced today at its 50th Annual Meeting that statewide  visits totaled an estimated 11,445,000 in 2012/13. This estimation shows Colorado being up 3.95 percent compared to the 2011/12 season. Colorado Ski Country’s 21 member resorts hosted an estimated 6.4 million visits d...

SAM Magazine--June 13, 2013--The 2012-13 season in New Hampshire was a success for guests and resort operators alike, reports Ski NH, which represents 33 Alpine and nordic resorts in the state. Alpine resorts recorded a total of 2,276,370 skier and snowboarder visits, a 20.9% increase from the prior winter and a 4.7% increase over the ten-year aver...

SAM Magazine--June 13, 2013--The SnowSports Industries America (SIA) Board of Directors voted during its annual spring meeting to host the 2014 On-Demo/Ski-Ride Fest at Copper Mountain Resort, Colo., after considering industry feedback and recommendations provided by SIA’s On-Snow Demo Task Force. The Demo will be held on February 3, 2014, fo...

SAM Magazine--June 11, 2013--The Utah ski and snowboard industry closed the 2012-13 winter season Memorial Day weekend with a total of 4,031,621 million visits, up over 5 percent from the previous season’s 3,826,130. The 5.4 percent increase marks the sixth time Utah has ended above four million in the last eight years, and a significant incr...

SAM Magazine--June 6, 2013--Registration for SAM's 4th Annual Summer Ops Camp is officially open. The camp, which will take place at Attitash and Cranmore, N.H., September 15-17, will explore the many benefits of the growing opportunities in summer recreation in the mountains. The Summer Ops program is a hands-on educational and networking e...

SAM Magazine--June 6, 2013--New Zealand's Snow Park NZ was sold to Southern Hemishpere Proving Grounds (SHPG), a neighboring vehicle-testing facility, and the future of the ski area looks uncertain. SHPG managing director Tom Elworthy told the Otago Daily Times that is was possible Snow Park could still operate as a venue for events and trainin...

SAM Magazine—Missoula, Mont., June 5, 2013—Would-be resort developer Tom Maclay has submitted a third proposal for a resort on Lolo Peak in the Bitterroot Mountains west of Missoula. This current proposal omits Maclay’s former 3,000-acre ranch, which he lost to Met Life Agricultural Investments via foreclosure earlier this year. ...

SAM Magazine--June 4, 2013--At the Vermont Ski Areas Association (VSAA) annual meeting at Stowe Mountain Resort, the state's resorts celebrated the best season since 2001 with 4,513,041 skier and rider visits, which is also up 16% over last year. The number is the second best on record since VSAA started collecting data in 1992. VSAA also repor...

SAM Magazine--May 29, 2013--Vail Resorts (VR) announced today that it has entered into a long-term lease with affiliate companies of Talisker Corporation for Canyons Resort in Park City, Utah. Vail's history with Canyons has been an interesting one. VR attempted to purchase the area in 2007, but abandoned the effort in 2009 after much legal wra...

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., May 28, 2013—Vail Resorts (VR) has named Taylor Ogilvie as general manager of Mt. Brighton, Mich. He will begin his new position on June 10. Ogilvie is originally from the Chicago suburbs and grew up skiing in the Midwest. Ogilvie has been a ski instructor at VR and worked his way up through the ranks....

SAM Magazine—Banff, Alberta, May 28, 2013—Mt. Norquay has received approval from Parks Canada for a long-range improvement plan for summer and winter operations. The plan calls for widening of trails, renovating the Cliff House lodge and adding an observation deck, and creating a cable-assisted summer hiking trail. As part of the lon...

SAM Magazine—Wanaka, New Zealand., May 28, 2013—New Zealand’s Snow Park will not be opening for the 2013 season. The manager of the past three years, the Synnott family, did not renew its lease, and management reverted to Sam Lee, who founded the park in 2002. Lee is now seeking capital with which to reopen the area, known for its...

SAM Magazine—Orlando, Fla., May 22, 2013—CNL Lifestyle Properties is testing the market value of its ski village holdings, which it acquired from Intrawest nearly a decade ago. That foray marked CNL’s entry into the winter resort business; it liked the industry so much that CNL has since become the nation’s largest owner of ...

SAM Magazine—San Clemente, Calif., May 22, 2013—Source Interlink’s GrindMedia division acquired the TransWorld magazine titles on May 20, swapping them with Bonnier Corp. for Source Interlink’s nine motorcycle titles. The exchange gives Source Interlink multiple titles in snowboarding, and Bonnier several titles in cycling. ...

SAM Magazine—Denver, May 22, 2013—Eastern destination lodging results reflected a strong start and finish to the 2012-13 season, outpacing the gains at Western resorts, according to data released by the Mountain Travel Research Program (MTRiP). In the East, the final tally for the season, November through April, revealed an aggregated 1...

SAM Magazine--May 15, 2013--The winter season crossed the finish line with a positive outcome for mountain lodging in both western and eastern mountain destinations according to the latest data released by the Mountain Travel Research Program.* In the west, a slow start to the season was reversed with improving snow conditions and economic news thr...

SAM Magazine--May 15, 2013--In its Capital Watch newletter, the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) announced the following: The Forest Service issued the long awaited advertising and sponsorship policy this week. In addition to Monday’s Federal Register Notice on the policy, there is a Directive from the Forest Service Manual and a Q&A...

SAM Magazine--May 15, 2013--The Empire State Development Division of Tourism, which administers the I LOVE NY program, was a co-recipient along with Ski Areas of New York, Inc. (SANY) and the Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) of the 2013 Tourism Excellence Award for Tourism Promotion at the 7th Annual I LOVE NEW YORK Empire State Touris...

SAM Magazine--May 14, 2013--The state Senate in California passed SB564, a bill that would require ski resorts in that state to prepare an annual safety plan and to post those reports on their websites. The bill by Senator Bill Monning (D), which was passed by a 24-8 partisan vote, is the third attempt in California to legislate safety procedures, ...

SAM Magazine--May 14, 2013--The sale of the beleaguered Snö Mountain, Pa., to a group of investors that will bring back the area's original name, Montage Mountain, was finalized last Friday. Montage first opened in 1983 and was run by Lackawanna County until 2006, when it was purchased by a group that renamed the ski area Snö Mountain...

SAM Magazine--May 14, 2013--According to the Times-Tribune, a judge ruled that a mountainside community can restrict water access to Elk Mountain, Pa. At issue is a 10-acre lake that is connected to the resort's 4-acre snowmaking pond. In 2011, the Village of Four Seasons revoked Elk's right to draw water from the lake and filed suit later ...

SAM Magazine—McLean, Va., May 10, 2013—For the season, August through March, winter sports retail sales grew 3 percent over the prior year to $3.4 billion, according to RetailTRAK data released by SnowSports Industries America and Leisure Trends Group. As has been the case for several years, accessories and apparel led the way. Acces...

SAM Magazine—Aspen, Colo., May 9, 2013—The Environment Foundation, with primary funding provided by Aspen Snowmass employees, has made the largest grant in its 16-year history, donating $50,000 to protect 220,000 acres of Federal land from oil and gas development. The land is at Thompson Divide, outside of Carbondale, Colo. The grant is...

SAM Magazine--May 9, 2013--Whistler Blackcomb Holdings, Inc., the corporation that holds a 75% interest in the entities that operate Whistler Blackcomb, announced its second quarter numbers, as well as numbers for the six months ended March 31, 2013 (all numbers are in Canadian dollars). Total revenue for the six-month period was $182.5 million, 4....

SAM Magazine--May 9, 2013--Summit, the producer of the leadership conference Summit Series, finalized its purchase of Powder Mountain, Utah. Plans for the 7,000-acre resort include a sustainable residential community called Summit Eden, which will become the home base for the organization and its leadership and cultural events. Over the years, Powd...

SAM Magazine—Telluride, Colo., May 9, 2013—In a sign of changing priorities, Telluride Ski and Golf Company will no longer host a pre-Christmas FIS World Cup Ski and Snowboard event, and has bought a boutique hotel in town. Telluride executive vice president Jim Mikula said that the World Cup event consumes a lot of resources and ene...

SAM Magazine—Whistler, B.C., May 7, 2013—Resorts spokespersons are pushing back against a ruling by WorkSafeBC that mandates helmet use for employees at Whistler Blackcomb and Mount Seymour whenever staff are skiing or riding. The rule covers any employee who is on skis while working, such as lift operators and ski patrol, and even empl...

SAM Magazine—Concord, N.H., May 7, 2013—Six years after the operators of Mount Sunapee ski area sued the state for fraudulently obstructing the resort’s expansion plan, the suit finally will head to trial. A lower court had dismissed the suit, but the state Supreme Court overturned that ruling, saying that the resort’s claim...

SAM Magazine--May 7, 2013--Set your DVRs because starting on May 9, 2013, the National Geographic Channel will air Mountain Movers, a new series that features a behind-the-scenes look at the work that Chris “Gunny” Gunnarson and his team at Snow Park Technologies (SPT) do. The first episode of this reality-type series, "Stairway to...

SAM Magazine--May 4, 2013--The National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) announced two days ago that U.S. ski areas tallied an estimated 56.6 million skier and snowboarder visits during the 2012/13 season--the results represent an 11 percent increase over the previous season. The previous season was one of the worst in recent history, when visits total...

SAM Magazine--May 4, 2013--As of March 31, CNL Lifestyle Properties, Inc., saw a 16-percent increase over last season in revenues at its portfolio of 17 ski resorts during the 2012-13 ski season. Additionally, visits rose 10.4 percent as of April 29. “We have made substantial investments in our resorts to boost snowmaking capacity, add lif...

SAM Magazine--May 4, 2013--After six years at the helm, Tim White, the National Ski Patrol's (NSP) executive director, announced this week that he will not be extending his contract beyond July 31, 2013. He presented his intentions to the board of directors and his staff earlier this week. The NSP said, "His dedication and leadership have ...

SAM Magazine—June Lake, Calif., April 25, 2013—June Mountain is set to reopen next December after a year in mothballs. The resort will continue to target families and entry-level skiers and snowboarders, with tentative plans for lift and snowmaking upgrades down the road.  “Next winter we look forward to bringing skiers an...

SAM Magazine—Minneapolis, Minn., April 25, 2013—Vail Resorts has purchased longtime Twin Cities retailer Hoigaard’s, complementing it purchase last fall of Afton Alps. Hoigaard’s will be part of Vail’s retail division, Specialty Sports Venture, which includes more than 175 stores in Colorado, California, Nevada and ...

SAM Magazine—Hope, B.C., April 22, 2013—Sunshine Valley RV Resorts has purchased The Manning Park resort, which went into receivership four years ago. Manning Park manages Nordic and Alpine facilities in addition to campgrounds. The new owners, Kevin and Donna Demers, said the resort will keep its name, and they plan to reopen soon, ...

SAM Magazine--April 22, 2013--Vail Resorts, Inc., reported certain ski season metrics for the comparative periods from the beginning of the ski season through April 14, 2013 and for the prior year period through April 15, 2012. The reported numbers are adjusted as if Kirkwood, Calif., was owned in both periods, but exclude the newly-acquired Afton ...

SAM Magazine--April 22, 2013--Earl Holding, the owner of Sun Valley, Idaho, and Snowbasin, Utah, died on April 19 at the age of 86. Holding, who primarily made his fortune with Sinclair Oil, bought Sun Valley in 1977 and oversaw its transformation into an internationally-recognized four-season resort. Holding's Snowbasin underwent a similar tra...

SAM Magazine--April 19, 2013--Orville A. Slutzky, age 96, the beloved co-founder of Hunter Mountain, N.Y., passed away peacefully on April 18, 2013, in the company of loved ones. Orville was born in Hunter on February 13, 1917 and was raised on his parents’ farm in Jewett, N.Y. Slutzky is survived by three children (Carol Slutzky-Tenerowicz, ...

SAM Magazine—Vail, Colo., April 18, 2013—It’s a season for extended seasons. Following the postponed closing dates at many Northeastern areas this April, several Colorado resorts have extended their seasons, too. A late-season storm cycle has dropped several feet of snow on the mountains, and a couple of feet on the Front Range, c...

SAM Magazine—Catskill, N.Y., April 18, 2013—The Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) has proposed a five-year, $74 million expansion of the Belleayre ski center that could double the area’s annual visits. The plan, developed largely before ORDA took over control of Belleayre from the Department of Environmental Conservati...

SAM Magazine—Georgetown, Colo., April 16, 2013—The U.S. Forest Service has accepted the master development plan for Loveland Ski Area, setting the outline for expansion and improvement plans for the next decade or more. Specific projects included in the plan will still be required to undergo the usual environmental approval process, but...

SAM Magazine--April 11, 2013--U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell today announced a series of meetings in Colorado, Utah and California that will focus on the development of a ski area water rights clause impacting ski facility operations on national forests. “Skiing is an important recreational activity on our nation’s forests and...

SAM Magazine--April 10, 2013--Mt. Bachelor, Ore.'s Ski Area Improvement Project was given the green light after no appeals were filed with the Deschutes National Forest during the 45-day appeal period, which ended on April 1, 2013. The approval initiates the first updated master development plan for Mt. Bachelor in 32 years. The 10-year deve...

SAM Magazine--April 10, 2013--Jackson Hole Mountain Resort (JHMR) is reported that winter 2013 ended with the highest level of skier/rider visits in the resort’s history. The end of season total of approximately 502,222 visits surpasses the previous record set during the winter of 2008, a winter that saw significantly more in season snowfall ...

SAM Magazine—Woodbury, Conn., April 8, 2013—Ryan Bell of CNL Financial Group, Ross Boisvert of McIntyre Ski Area, Rob McSkimming of Whistler Blackcomb, and Justin Rowland of Ski Apache have earned the 2013 SAMMY Leadership Awards, given annually to individuals who will shape the future of the winter resort industry. This is the 14th yea...

SAM Magazine—Woodbury, Conn., April 8, 2013—The 13th annual SAM Magazine Cutter’s Camp West session at Timberline, Ore., May 13-17 has filled all available slots. “We urge would-be campers to get on the waiting list as soon as possible” by sending an email to liz@saminfo.com, said SAM publisher Olivia Rowan.

SAM Magazine—Hancock, Mass., April 5, 2013—Father and son team Brian and Tyler Fairbank have formed The Fairbank Group, LLC to manage and oversee its group of businesses that includes Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort, Cranmore Mountain Resort and Bromley Mountain, as well as EOS Ventures, Bullwheel Productions and other endeavors. As part of...

SAM Magazine—Washington, D.C., April 5, 2013—Snowsports retail sales reached $3.1 billion for the season through February, up 2 percent compared to August through February 2011-12, according to the SIA RetailTRAK retail audit conducted by Leisure Trends Group for Snowsports Industries America (SIA). Backcountry gear showed the greatest ...

SAM Magazine—Canton, Mass., April 4, 2013—Ski Blue Hills Management is seeking a longer-term lease for the state-owned Blue Hills Ski Area here so that it can make capital improvements to the area. Typically the state offers five-year leases, and Ski Blue Hills operated this past winter on a one-year extension to its former lease. Bl...

SAM Magazine—Scranton, Pa., Mar. 28, 2013—Local real estate group Jefferson-Werner, headed by developer Charlie Jefferson, is said to be close to buying Snö Mountain winter resort and water park. The group plans to restore the area’s original name, Montage, and bolster marketing efforts. Jefferson-Warner is expected to pay...

SAM Magazine—Park City, Utah, Mar. 28, 2013—Powdr Corp.’s new License 2 Ride season pass program gives youths six areas for the price of one. Passholders ages 17 and under (18 and under for Killington and Mt. Bachelor) at any one of six participating Powdr resorts receive lift privileges at all six. As an extra perk, passholder...

SAM Magazine--March 28, 2013--Following an inspection by the Department of Toxic Substances Control in September 2010, which found several violations relating to a used-oil tank, Heavenly Valley, Calif., settled the matter this week by agreeing to pay a civil penalty of $94,000, an adminstrative fee of $26,000, and another $30,000 to Western States...

SAM Magazine--March 28, 2013--New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli announced yesterday that he will launch a full financial audit of the Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) after a report by his office found that financial issues persist at a time when its operations have been expanded to include Belleayre Mountain. "ORDA...