SAM Magazine—Mentone, Calif., Feb. 4, 2013—At least eight people died and 38 were injured in a bus crash Sunday evening on Highway 38, one of the main access roads to Big Bear Lake and its ski areas in southern California.

SAM Magazine--February 4, 2013--Stevens Pass Mountain Resort, Wash., has unveiled capital plans for more than $4 million in lift and terrain improvements. A new high-speed detachable quad from Doppelmayr, which will replace a fixed-grip quad and cut the ride time in half, leads the list of improvements. In addition to the new chairlift, the resort will add new gladed terrain and expand existing gladed terrain.

SAM Magazine—Orlando, Fla., Jan. 25, 2013—CNL Lifestyle Properties reported significant increases in attendance and revenues at its 17 ski resorts over the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend. The resorts reported a 37 percent increase in paid visits and a 41 percent increase in revenue compared to the previous year. The Christmas holiday week saw a similar increase, too.

SAM Magazine—Londonderry, Vt., Jan. 25, 2013—Bromley GM Bill Cairns has been named the resort’s president.

SAM Magazine—Bariloche, Argentina, Jan. 25, 2013—The International Society for Skiing Safety (ISSS) and the International Society for Traumatology and Winter Sports Medicine (SITEMSH) have opened registration and are seeking abstract submissions for their joint 20th International Congress on Ski Safety

This meeting will be held in San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina, Aug. 4-10, 2013. This meeting brings together experts from around the world. Specific scientific sessions are planned relating to ski binding function and wrist guards for snowboarders.

SAM Magazine—Bear Valley, Calif., Jan. 24, 2013—Bear Valley Resort has received final approval for its Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and Master Plan, as well as approval of the Environmental Assessment (EA) for the ski area. These approvals clear the path for a long-planned renovation and expansion.

SAM Magazine—Mt. Crested Butte, Colo., Jan. 24, 2013—Crested Butte Mountain Resort has submitted a new Master Development Plan to the U.S. Forest Service. The plan incorporates previous approvals at the main mountain, along with adjacent private land development projects, new proposals for terrain outside the resort’s existing permit area on Crested Butte, and a much-reduced proposal for Snodgrass Mountain, which has been the source of controversy (and rejected proposals) in the past.

SAM Magazine—Windham, N.Y. Jan. 24, 2013—Electric vehicle drivers can now charge up at three ski resorts across the U.S. Windham Mountain, N.Y., and Mount Abram, Me., have joined first-mover Stevens Pass, Wash., by adding charging stations.

Windham unveiled its new ChargePoint charging station last weekend. It is the only one in Greene County, N.Y. As such it fills a large geographic gap in charging services, which are confined to more urban areas an hour from the resort. Windham offers the service free of, er, charge.

SAM Magazine—Billings, Mont., Jan. 23, 2013—Bridger Bowl ski area plans to invest $4.1 million in two new Skytrac triple chairs next summer. That’s a significant development, considering that the area has put a total of $11 million into improvements during the past 17 years.

SAM Magazine—Boyne Falls, Mich., Jan. 23, 2013—At around 8 a.m. Tuesday morning, a snowmaking pipe failed at Boyne Mountain. Water flooded the lower portion of the Superbowl trail, causing significant erosion and toppling a lift tower for the Superbowl lift.

The chair lift was not operating at the time of the collapse, and there were no persons on the slope.

SAM Magazine—Whistler, B.C., Jan. 21, 2013—Whistler Blackcomb has unveiled capital plans for an $18 million lift expansion. Whistler Mountain’s Harmony detachable quad chairlift will be replaced with a new Doppelmayr detachable six-pack. Blackcomb will replace a fixed-grip triple in the Crystal Zone with a high-speed quad.

SAM Magazine—Boulder, Colo., Jan. 21, 2013—Unit sales of outdoor equipment and apparel nudged up 1 percent over December 2011's disappointing snow-deprived results, and the average price rose 5 percent, lifting December sales above $1.1 billion for the first time ever, Leisure Trends Outdoor RetailTRAK data show. But winter equipment sales lagged, reflecting the hangover from last year’s low-snow year that damped sales at winter sports stores last fall.

SAM Magazine--January 20, 2013--Colorado Ski Country USA (CSCUSA) reported Friday that total skier/snowboarder visits at its 21 member resorts decreased 11.5 percent during the first period of the 2012/13 ski season, defined as opening day through December 31, 2012, compared to the same period last year. Vail Resorts' holdings are not included in these tallies as they are not members.

SAM Magazine--January 20, 2013--ESPN has announced that it is entertaining new venues for the coveted X Games with a final announcement due in April 2013. For 2013 and 2014, the X Games will be held in Aspen, Colo., where they have been held since 2002. After that, ESPN has announced a list of eligible winter destinations that include Lake Tahoe, Calif.; Park City, Utah; Le Massif, Quebec; and Aspen. The city that is chosen will host the games for three years.

SAM Magazine-Woodbury, Conn., Jan. 18, 2013--Cutter's Camp has opened registration for both of this year's sessions, at Mount Snow, Vt., April 1-3, and Timberline, Mt. Hood, Ore., May 13-17. Space will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Registration is processed on SAM's website at www.cutterscamp.com.

SAM Magazine—Park City, Utah, Jan. 17, 2013—Powdr Corp. is building out its new Powdr Enterprises staff quickly: Park City marketing director Krista Parry will become senior vice president and chief innovation officer when Enterprises launches this coming spring.

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., Jan. 16, 2013—Vail Resorts has reported the early-season performance of its seven destination resorts, and the news reflects the up-and-down season endured by its Colorado contingent. Overall, though, VR shows a slight uptick from last year, and projects net revenues to double from last year’s reduced level.

SAM Magazine—Denver, Jan. 16, 2013—Mid- to late-December snowstorms fueled a partial rebound in occupancy during the month, and boosted advance reservations for the remainder of the season, according to the Mountain Travel Research Program (MTRiP). Despite the snow, lodging properties in the 16 participating mountain resorts in Colorado, Utah, California, and Oregon posted a 7.9 percent decline in occupancy for the month of December—better than the 12.3 percent deficit in advance reservations at the beginning of the month, but still not great.

SAM Magazine—Park City, Utah, Jan. 15, 2013)—Powdr Corp. has created a new business, Powdr Enterprises, to focus on events, sponsorships and media opportunities. The aim is to help leverage the Powdr family of brands, including Powdr Resorts, Woodward Camps and Outside Television. Industry veteran Wade Martin will serve as president of Powdr Enterprises.

SAM Magazine--January 11, 2013--Squaw Mountain, Maine, is hoping to reopen over the Martin Luther King weekend after two years of being closed. The small ski area boasted an impressive 1,700-foot vertical when its summit lift was in operation, but an accident in 2004 that injured four skiers put the lift out of action and it has not operated since. Undeterred, The Friends of Squaw Mountain, a nonprofit organization,  signed a lease with the current owner to operate the lower portion of the mountain, which is serviced by a second lift. The lease terms were $1 for one year.

SAM Magazine—McLean, Va., Jan. 10, 2013—November 2012 was another difficult month for snow sports retailers, with double-digit declines in dollars sold compared to sales in November 2011, according to the SIA RetailTRAK. Specialty-store sales in the Midwest declined the least, about 9 percent; in the West, sales were off 27 percent from November 2011’s record sales level.

Season-to-date sales in all stores are less dire, with declines of 8 percent in units and 7 percent in dollars.

SAM Magazine--Girdwood, Alaska, January 10, 2013--On New Year's Eve, a powerful wind gust hit Alyeska's tram just as it was passing a tower, causing a collision. Thankfully, there were no major injuries. As a result, however, extensive repairs are required making the tram inoperable for several weeks.

SAM Magazine—Homewood, Calif., Jan. 8, 2013—Homewood Mountain Resort’s expansion plan has been put on hold temporarily. U.S. District Judge William B. Shubb ruled that Placer County and the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency approved the Homewood plan without considering whether a smaller (and less environmentally impactful) project would suffice, as required by law.

SAM Magazine—Teton Village, Wyo., Jan. 7, 2013—Jackson Hole Mountain Resort (JHMR) recorded above-average snowfall and unprecedented business levels for December and the holidays. The snowfall fueled record skier day numbers for the month of December and the best-ever holiday period for the Mountain Sports School, where business was driven by children's programs, guided skiing and private lessons.

SAM Magazine—Aspen, Colo., Jan. 7, 2013—Snowmass ski patroller Patsy Hileman, 49, triggered the avalanche that killed her Dec. 30 at Snowmass, in the same area where the ski patrol had performed control work three days before the accident, according to a report from the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.

SAM Magazine--January 2, 2013--Jim and Kim Engle, owners of Sunburst in Wisconsin, announced an agreement to sell their resort to Rob and Jennifer Friedl, who, according to the Engles, will "continue to focus on families and to take Sunburst to a new level, even better than what we know now."

The Engles plan to help with the transition to the new owners over the coming years.

SAM Magazine--December 26, 2012--Brian Head Resort in southern Utah, announced that as of December 20, the area is under new ownership. The resort was purchased for an undisclosed amount out of receivership from Zion's First National Bank. The new owners are Brian Head Acquisition Partners, LLC, formed out of two groups, one from California and one from Missouri.

SAM Magazine—Lakewood, Colo., Dec. 19, 2012—A federal district court in Colorado has struck down a U.S. Forest Service water policy that would have required resorts to transfer ownership of valuable water rights to the U.S. government without compensation.

SAM Magazine—Denver, Colo., Dec. 19, 2012—The Rental World, Backshop, and Uniform Gallery exhibits presented by SIA and SAM Magazine, along with a series of seminars and breakfast meetings, promise to give resort rental operators plenty to think about and see at the annual SIA Snow Show in Denver Jan. 31-Feb. 3.

SAM Magazine—Denver, Colo., Dec. 18, 2012—As of Nov. 30, advance reservations at 16 Western mountain resort destinations were down a sharp 12.3 percent for December 2012 compared to the same time last year, although the average daily rate rose 2.6 percent, according to the most recent data released by the Mountain Travel Research Program (MTRiP). “December’s holiday season [is] well behind historic levels,” said Ralf Garrison, director of MTRiP.

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., Dec. 18, 2012—Vail Resorts (VR) has closed on its acquisitions of Afton Alps, Minn., and Mount Brighton, Mich., making them the eighth and ninth resorts owned by the company. The price for the two family-owned resorts was a combined $20 million.

Vail officials now intend to upgrade both facilities and create season-pass products for the 2013-14 ski season. For the current season, pass holders at the two resorts will receive a 25 percent discount on tickets to VR’s seven other resorts, officials said.

SAM Magazine—Bear Valley, Calif., Dec. 18, 2012—Environmentalists, Bear Valley owners and Stanislaus National Forest officials have resolved issues that threatened to delay a planned expansion at the resort.

Central Sierra Environmental Resource Center said on Monday it was withdrawing its appeal of the Forest Service approval of the expansion after the parties agreed to an environmental monitoring and action plan.

SAM Magazine—McLean, Va., Dec. 13, 2012—The snow sports retail market declined 2 percent season-to-date (August through October) compared to last year. But it still reached $616 million in sales, despite significant disruptions in retail sales in the South and Northeast regions due to Hurricane Sandy, and lack of momentum from the snow-challenged 2011/2012 season.

SAM Magazine--December 13, 2012--Whistler Blackcomb Holdings Inc. (WBH) reported financial results for the three months and year ended September 30, 2012. The corporation, which has been publicly listed for two years now, holds a 75% interest in the entities that operate Whistler Blackcomb.

SAM Magazine--December 11, 2012--On December 7, ISB Community Bank took over ownership of the Highlands of Olympia ski area in Oconomowoc, Wisc., as well as a golf course, both of which had been operating in receivership. According to The Business Journal, ISB took over the 134-acre property and, in exchange, forgave a $2.3-million debt it held with previous owners. The Highlands of Olympia is slated to open for the season this Friday, and even has a new snow tubing area this year. GM Casey Bingham leases the ski hill, but the lease runs out in April 2013.

SAM Magazine—Glens Falls, N.Y., Dec. 11, 2012—To encourage skiing and riding in the state, New York areas are offering 10,000 lift tickets for just $10 each, valid for one day only—Jan. 10—at a host of the state’s resorts.

SAM Magazine--December 9, 2012--After filing for bankruptcy in mid-October, a federal bankruptcy judge has OKed the sale of Sno Mountain Ski Resort in Pennsylvania in order to recoup about $24 million in debt. According to the timesleader.com, documents filed by Sno Mountain show it has $171,562 in assets compared to $24.2 million debt. The debt is spread out among secured creditors, $14.7 million, and unsecured creditors, $9.4 million.

SAM Magazine—McHenry, Md., Dec. 6, 2012—The Kansas City-based REIT, EPR Properties, has completed its purchase of Wisp Resort for a final price of $23.5 million. That’s up $3 million from its initial bid of $20.5 million three weeks ago. In a separate transaction, National Land Partners acquired a nearby golf course and other real estate for $6.1 million. Both deals were approved by the bankruptcy judge handling the settlement and are expected to close this month.

SAM Magazine--December 6, 2012--A federal bankruptcy judge passed down a ruling finding Yellowstone Club, Mont., founder Tim Blixseth responsible for the financial collapse of the private club and ski area. According to the Bozeman Daily Chronicle, the judge said that "in a pattern of self-dealing," Blixseth used the Club for his own gain, siphoning off hundreds of millions of dollars and ordered him to repay $41 million.

SAM Magazine—Dec. 6, 2012—Vail Resorts, Inc., will create its own skiers in the Midwest, announcing today that it has entered into agreements to purchase Afton Alps in Minnesota and Mount Brighton in Michigan, for total cash consideration of $20 million. According to the release, both ski areas serve major snow sports markets in the Midwest with more than 468,000 active skiers and snowboarders in the nearby Minneapolis-St. Paul and Detroit metropolitan areas.

SAM Magazine--December 4, 2012--Whistler Blackcomb Holdings Inc. and KSL Capital Partners, LLC (KSL) announced that an affiliate of KSL has entered into a purchase agreement with Intrawest to acquire Intrawest's 9,092,500 common shares of the corporation, representing approximately 24% of the corporation's issued and outstanding common shares, for $12.75 per common share.

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., Dec. 4, 2012 —Vail Resorts (VR) reported a loss of $60.6 million for the quarter ended October 31, 2012, compared to a loss of $55.7 million in the same quarter a year ago. Revenues were flat at $166.4 million for the period, a traditionally slow time for the company’s resorts.

SAM Magazine—Washington, D.C., Dec. 4, 2012—Organizers of the Bring a Friend Challenge are asking all of the estimated 100,000 people working full-time in the snow sports industry, as well as the many thousands who are working part-time, to take the “Bring a Friend” campaign personally. That means, bring a non-skiing or –riding friend to the slopes and sign them up for a lesson.

SAM Magazine—Salt Lake City, Dec. 4, 2012— Utah officials have announced plans to bid for the 2026 Winter Olympics. The bid is contingent on an upcoming United States Olympic Committee decision regarding potential bidders, and could well face stiff competition from Reno-Tahoe and Denver. Both Reno-Tahoe and Denver had been pursuing a bid for the 2022 Games before the USOC decided to take a pass on that edition. Tahoe resorts have indicated a willingness to bid anew, and Nevada officials have said they will await a USOC decision before making a new bid.

SAM Magazine--December 4, 2012--Mt. Spokane, Wash., received an amendment to its existing concession lease with the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission to pursue opening seven new runs, which would be serviced by a new chairlift, on an 850-acre parcel. The proposal was originally submitted in 2010 and has undergone several reviews. The new amendment for the not-for-profit company that runs Mt. Spokane, Mt. Spokane 2000, was granted provided that the ski area provide plans for timber harvestation and vegetation management. The next stop for the expansion process is a county permit.

SAM Magazine--December 4, 2012--The Summit Series announced yesterday that the group has agreed to purchase Utah's Powder Mountain. Published reports claim the price tag for the deal was $40 million.

SAM Magazine—Mt. Hood, Ore., Nov. 21, 2012—Despite a relatively dry and warm start to the ski season nationwide, many resorts are opening as planned during the traditional Thanksgiving holiday period.

SAM Magazine--November 21, 2012--Peak Resorts Inc. announces the purchase of Alpine Valley Ski Area in Chesterland, Ohio. The northeast Ohio resort opened in 1962 and has two chairlifts, as well as four surface lifts. “Alpine Valley fits strategically with how we are trying to grow our business in a market that we are familiar with,” says Jesse Boyd, VP of Peak Resorts. “We feel the resort has been well maintained, and has a lot of potential.

SAM Magazine—Denver, Nov. 21, 3012—Occupancy at Western destination resorts was up 6.9 percent for the past spring and summer compared to year-earlier totals, and the daily rate rose 3.9 percent. But momentum has reversed for the upcoming winter, according to the Mountain Travel Research Program (MTRiP). As of Oct. 31, reservations for the coming season, November through April, were down 3.9 percent compared to last winter.

SAM Magazine—Vail, Colo., Nov. 16, 2012—Snowfall and snowmaking temperatures have spread across the country in the past week, enabling several more areas to open for the season.

Last Sunday, Nov. 11, Mountain High, Calif., joined the growing ranks. On Tuesday, Nov. 13, Brighton, Utah, followed, with several areas opening on Nov. 14: Winter Park, Colo., Solitude, Utah, along with Heavenly and Northstar, Calif. All were aided by a storm that dropped more than three feet in some locations.

SAM Magazine—McHenry, Md., Nov. 12, 2012—EPR Properties, the Kansas City-based REIT that owns most of the resorts managed and operated by Peak Resorts (and formerly known as Entertainment Properties Trust), has bid $20.5 million for Wisp Resort, kicking off what could become a competition to win the resort at a bankruptcy court hearing set for Dec. 4.

SAM Magazine—Washington, D.C., Nov. 9, 2012—Tahoe-based PSIA-AASI instructors Heidi Ettlinger (Heavenly Resort) and Allison Ace (Northstar) have been named ambassadors for the Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month (LSSM) Bring a Friend initiatives, joining fellow Tahoe skiers Glen Plake and Daron Rahlves. All four will help spread the message that taking lessons from professional instructors is the best way to learn how to ski and snowboard.

SAM Magazine—June Lake, Calif., Nov. 9, 2012—June Mountain Ski Area will be closed this winter, but will re-open for the 2013-14 winter season, Mammoth Mountain CEO Rusty Gregory said earlier this week.

SAM Magazine—Breckenridge, Colo., Nov. 8, 2012—Resorts across North America have opened or are opening this week, from Mont Saint-Sauveur, Quebec to Breckenridge, Colo. Some are launching daily operations, while others will shut down midweek. Among the recent and imminent openings:

SAM Magazine—McLean, Va., Nov. 8, 2012—Retail sales increased 2 percent in units and 1 percent in dollars in August and September, according to the SIA RetailTRAK. This put sales at a four-season high in both units and dollars, with notably strong sales in the alpine equipment and accessories categories. The report is based on information from more than 1,200 snowsports retailers.

SAM Magazine—Camden, Maine, Nov. 8, 2012—Jeff Kuller, the popular director of parks and recreation, including the Camden Snow Bowl, died Nov. 4. He was cutting a tree limb in his yard when he suffered a head injury and died.

SAM Magazine--November 6, 2012--Northstar, California, released its Mountain Master Plan (NMMP) today, outlining what the future holds with regard to on-mountain improvements and additional recreational opportunities at the resort. The plan, submitted to Placer County for environmental review, outlines mountain improvements proposed at Northstar over the next 10 to 15 years.

SAM Magazine—Boston, Mass., Nov. 6, 2012—Vermont’s ski resorts are launching a fundraising campaign this week in Boston, and online, to help residents of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut impacted by super storm Sandy. Dubbed Operation Mountains of Love, all of the funds raised will go to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund.

SAM Magazine—Frisco, Colo., Nov. 1, 2012—Copper Mountain and Keystone Resort will both open for the season on Friday, Nov. 2.

At Copper, the American Eagle chairlift starts turning as Copper launches its 40th season. Guests will be riding and skiing off of the American Eagle chairlift and access two Woodward at Copper terrain parks, with 20 features and several jumps serving all ability levels.