ISHPEMING, MI – Nov. 4, 2014 – Ten athletes and sport builders make up the Class of 2014 to be inducted into the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame in Steamboat Springs “Ski Town USA,” Colorado on April 11, 2015.

SAM Magazine – Woodbury, Ct., Oct. 31, 2014 ¬– The Halloween weekend saw a flurry of ski area opening activities as the result of a Nor’Easter making its way up the Atlantic Coast.

SAM Magazine – Woodbury, Ct., Oct. 31, 2014 – Organizers of the snow sports industry’s Learn to Ski and Snowboard (Month) and Bring a Friend initiative recently unveiled a new campaign called “First Day Faces” that will make its official consumer debut Dec. 1, 2014. The ads and social media campaign feature the happy faces of guests who just took beginner lessons.

SAM Magazine – Taylor Falls, Minn., Oct. 31, 2014

After tweeting a shot of a virtual blizzard via snowmaking last night, Wild Mountain in Taylor Falls, Minn., opened its Front Stage terrain park today serviced by a rope tow. This comes after just 14 hours of snowmaking.

“We’re doing it to let the kids come out and play,” says Amanda Frischmon, vice president.

SAM Magazine—Durango, Colo., Oct. 30, 2014—A Durango businessman, James Coleman, is buying Durango Mountain Resort (DMR) and Arizona Snowbowl. Further, he is teaming them with two New Mexico areas, Sipapu and Pajarito, to form a four-resort group that collectively tally 3,088 acres, 26 lifts, more than 200 trails and 13 terrain parks. Sipapu is scheduled to open Nov. 15.

SAM Magazine—Park City, Utah, Oct. 28, 2014—Powdr Enterprises, the sports marketing and entertainment division of Powdr, has forged a strategic brand partnership with Boyne Resorts. The two companies will pool corporate partnership rights to provide brand partners a diverse platform to reach mountain sports and active lifestyle consumers—and to raise the visibility of the two companies' resorts.

SAM Magazine—Tannersville, Pa., Oct. 24, 2014——SAM's sixth annual Summer Ops Camp, a hands-on educational and networking event, will head to Camelback, Pa., Sept. 9-11. The Camp gathers resort managers and operators from around North America to explore opportunities in four-season attractions at one of North America’s most successful summer operations.

SAM Magazine—Wildwood, Mo., Oct. 22, 2014—Peak Resorts has filed for an initial public offering of its common stock, seeking to raise up to $100 million.

Peak Resorts filed a prospectus with the Securities Exchange Commission Monday. This is its second attempt to go public: In 2011, Peak filed for an $85 million IPO that was eventually postponed. It withdrew that filing in late September.

SAM Magazine—Ludlow, Vt., Oct. 21, 2014—Okemo Mountain Resort and Snow Park Technologies (SPT) have partnered on a three-year plan to reimagine the terrain park experience at the resort.

SPT has a long history of designing and constructing courses for events including the ESPN Winter X Games, Dew Tour, Burton US Open. It also regularly consults with ski areas to develop some of the top-ranked terrain parks in the country.

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., Oct. 21, 2014—Vail Resorts’ new EpicDay Lift Tickets, an online and mobile platform to purchase daily lift tickets, in advance, offers convenience and the guaranteed lowest price (as much as 25 percent off the lead rate) at its U.S. resorts.

“The earlier you purchase your tickets prior to arriving at the resort, the more significant discount you’ll get,” said Kirsten Lynch, executive vice president and chief marketing officer of Vail Resorts.

SAM Magazine—Washington, D.C., Oct. 21, 2014—SnowSports Industries America (SIA) will host a first-ever Industry + Intelligence gathering Wednesday, Jan. 28, the day before its annual trade show opens. The event will include educational offerings, market intelligence, networking opportunities, keynote speakers, a job fair, and socializing.

SAM Magazine—Olympic Valley, Calif., Oct. 21, 2014—Squaw Valley plans to enhance skiable terrain through a month-long, ecological forest thinning project beginning this week. More than 5,000 dead or diseased trees will be removed to improve the natural habitat, reduce the risk of wildfire, and, just as importantly, provide unprecedented access to tree skiing and riding in the targeted area.

SAM Magazine—Vail, Colo., Oct. 20, 2014—The U.S. Forest Service has published a final record of decision regarding Vail’s comprehensive summer activities proposal, "Epic Discovery, a Summer Mountain." The decision is the first to stem from passage of the Ski Area Recreational Opportunities Act in 2011.

SAM Magazine—Denver, Oct. 17, 2014—The record-breaking summer for both occupancy and revenue among western mountain resorts is carrying into the winter booking season, according to Denver-based DestiMetrics, which tracks mountain lodging bookings at 19 western mountain resorts in six states.

SAM Magazine—Arapahoe Basin, Colo., Oct. 15, 2014—Arapahoe Basin Ski Area will kick off Colorado’s 2014-15 ski and snowboard season on Friday, Oct. 17. The Black Mountain Express high-speed quad chairlift will open at 9 a.m. to whisk riders to the top of the intermediate High Noon trail at mid-mountain.

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., Oct. 9, 2014—Vail Resorts has named Bill Rock, currently chief operating officer of Northstar California Resort, as the new chief operating officer of Park City Mountain Resort and Canyons Resort. Beth Howard, currently vice president of mountain dining and clubs, will become general manager of Northstar California Resort. Both appointments are effective Nov. 1, 2014.

SAM Magazine--Steamboat Springs, Colo., October 8, 2014--It seems that Utah can't stay out of the news. On the heels of the launch of a marketing campaign by Visit Salt Lake to promote Salt Lake City and its four member resorts (Brighton, Solitude, Alta and Snowbird) as Ski City USA, which appeared to be an effort to attract visitors away from places like Park City, Steamboat Springs, Colo., moved to protect its trademark Ski Town, U.S.A.

SAM Magazine—Park City, Utah, Oct. 3, 2014—Deer Valley Resort has entered into an agreement to purchase Solitude Mountain Resort and will begin operating the resort on May 1, 2015. No price was made public.

SAM Magazine--Donnelly, Idaho, October 3, 2014--The Idaho State Land Board authorized the transfer of Tamarack's lease yesterday to New TR Acquisition Co. LLC (NEWTRAC). NEWTRAC announced that it will be expanding operations to seven days a week--the resort has been operated by the Tamarack Municipal Association on a Thursday-to-Sunday schedule since 2010. To operate on a full-week basis, the resort anticipates adding about 40 additional employees, for a total of 150 and is targeting a mid-December opening.

SAM Magazine—San Francisco, Oct. 1, 2014—Liftopia, which operates a consumer marketplace and resort technology platform for ski lift tickets and other mountain activities, has introduced the industry’s first tiered, dynamic pricing system for lift tickets. The company’s Value, Value Plus and Flexible options are now available for the 2014-15 ski season.

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., Oct. 1, 2014—Vail Resorts (VR) is making it easier for skiers and snowboarders to plan their time on the mountain. A new slice of the EpicMix pie, called EpicMix Guide, generates a customized, step-by-step navigational guide to Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge or Keystone in Colorado, Canyons in Park City, Utah, or Heavenly, Northstar or Kirkwood at Lake Tahoe.

SAM Magazine—Hartford, Conn., Oct. 1, 2014—The Connecticut skier safety act has been amended to require restraining bars for all chairlifts; padding or other protection for lift towers; and padding or fencing for all onslope snowmaking equipment, including above-ground snowmaking pipe. The changes went into effect today.

The requirement for lift tower padding applies to any tower located on a trail or slope.

SAM Magazine--September 29, 2014--Season's passes continue to evolve this year, as resorts entice ever more skiers and riders to commit their time and money ahead of the season to come.

Intrawest has updated the options for its Intrawest Passport, a friends-and-family pass that allows up to 16 people to define their own family unit, in which children under 12 ski and ride for free. Mountain High, one of 13 resorts in the Powder Alliance, has begun touting the group's breadth and benefits as well. As, we assume, other members are, too.

SAM Magazine—Big Bear Lake, Calif., Sept. 24, 2014—Mammoth Mountain Ski Area, owner of Mammoth Mountain and June Mountain, has entered into an agreement to acquire Big Bear Mountain Resorts and its Bear Mountain and Snow Summit resorts, which host nearly 800,000 winter visits annually. The transaction will create one of the nation’s largest ski companies, with more than 2 million visitors per year.

SAM Magazine—Denver, Sept. 19, 2014—Wolf Creek ski area has been cited by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and fined $14,000 for failing to mitigate avalanche danger in the death patroller Colin Sutton last March 4, while Sutton was working outside the resort boundary.

SAM Magazine—Patterson, N.Y., Sept. 18, 2014—After 20 years of operating Thunder Ridge Ski Area, located in the suburban New York City area, lessee-operators Mary and Bob Conklin are retiring and relinquishing operations to the area’s current owners, Dean and Wayne Ryder.

The transition from the Conklins to the Ryders is already underway, and everyone involved anticipates a seamless opening and operation of the 2014-15 winter season.

SAM Magazine—Denver, Sept. 18, 2014—It’s almost a throwback in its simplicity: the Gems Card program features two-for-one lift tickets at eight Colorado Ski Country USA (CSCUSA) member areas, along with exclusive Flash Deal promotions throughout the season.

At any Gems resort, card holders can purchase one adult full-day lift ticket and receive another adult full-day lift ticket for free. Each Gems Card is good for one use per Gems resort, per season. A limited number of Gems Cards ($20) are available.

SAM Magazine—Denver, Sept. 18, 2014— As of Aug. 31, occupancy for May through October among Western lodging properties in 19 destination resorts was up 5.4 percent compared to the same time last year, according to DestiMetrics, despite a slight 1.1 percent decline in September. Revenues for the six-month May to October period are up 10.6 percent, with only forward-looking October showing a decline, down 2.8 percent compared to October 2013.

SAM Magazine—Collingwood, Ont., Sept. 12, 2014—Intrawest Resorts Holdings, Inc., which has held a 50 percent ownership in Blue Mountain since 1999, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the 50% interest in Blue Mountain Ski Resort that has been held by Blue Mountain Resorts Holdings Inc., for C$58 million. The resort has been operating as a joint venture between the two companies.

Intrawest does not anticipate significant changes to operations or resort personnel.

SAM Magazine—Park City, Utah, Sept. 11, 2014—Vail Resorts, Inc. has acquired Park City Mountain Resort (PCMR) for $182.5 million. The deal ends an epic legal battle over PCMR’s lease for most of the on-mountain terrain, and removes the uncertainty that had hung over the resort for the past few years after a court ruled that PCMR had failed to renew its lease and eviction loomed.

SAM Magazine—Park City, Utah, Sept. 9, 2014—Park City Mountain Resort (PCMR) will pay the $17.5 million bond amount ordered by the Court last Friday, thus ensuring the resort will open as planned this season, scheduled for November 22, 2014. Negotiations between PCMR and landlord Vail regarding the long-term resolution of ownership and operation of the terrain at Park City continue.

SAM Magazine--Tully, N.Y., September 3, 2014--Song Mountain and Labrador Mountain, both located in central New York, have announced a merger. According to published reports, the two mountains will consolidate operations, but management and staffing will remain largely the same. The two areas will offer a new Inter-Mountain Passport. Peter Harris, who bought Song in 2000, will retain the previous owners of Labrador, Bruce and Sue Wilson, for the upcoming season in their current management positions.

SAM Magazine—Park City, Utah, Aug. 27, 2014—District Judge Ryan Harris postponed until Sept. 3 a decision on the bond he would require Park City Mountain Resort to post if it wants to operate the resort for 2014-15. Harris cited the introduction of new information from both parties, and their continuing mediation effort, for the delay.

SAM Magazine--Woodbury, Conn., August 25, 2014--SAM's fifth annual Summer Ops Camp, to be held this year at Vail Mountain from September 3-5, 2014, has sold out. The event, which combines classroom learning and networking with hands-on experiences, provides attendees with the latest ideas and innovations in four-season recreation.

SAM Magazine--Vail, Colo., August 25, 2014--The U.S. Forest Service has published a draft record of decision regarding the Vail Resorts, Inc.’s summer activities proposal—Epic Discovery, a Summer Mountain Adventure—at Vail Mountain.

The primary activities and enhancements included in the draft record of decision are as follows:

SAM Magazine—Bear Valley, Calif., Aug. 21, 2014—Skyline International Development, Inc., is set to acquire Bear Valley Mountain Resort. The agreement comes after several weeks of discussion with the current ownership as well as local community leaders who had formed the Bear Valley Mountain Cooperative, which was also in the process of purchasing the resort. Closing is subject to U.S. Forest Service issuance of a permit to operate the resort, expected in 30 to 60 days.

SAM Magazine—Ashland, Ore., Aug. 18, 2014—Mt. Ashland Association, the non-profit 501(c)(3) that operates the Mt. Ashland Ski Area, has hired Hiram Towle as the ski area’s new general manager.

Over the past decade, Towle has held a variety of management positions at Sunday River, Maine, most recently as conference sales manager and, before that, lift maintenance manager.

SAM Magazine—Denver, Aug. 18, 2014—The Western mountain lodging business is poised to post record occupancy and revenue figures for the third consecutive year, according to the most recent results released by Denver-based DestiMetrics. Projections for the 2014 summer, May through October, call for occupancy to rise four percent and revenues 6.9 percent compared to last summer, the previous record year.

SAM Magazine—Park City, Utah, Aug. 17, 2014—Park City Mountain Resort and Talisker/Vail Resorts appear to be far apart on the value of the mountain underlying much of PCMR’s terrain. PCMR said that the appropriate rent for the 3,000 acre should be between $226,000 and $1 million a year, according to a report at Forbes.com. PCMR also said that Talisker, before it turned the lease administration over to VR, was seeking $7.7 million per year, according to Forbes.com. It is not known what rent VR, which has assumed responsibility for managing the leased land, is asking.

SAM Magazine—Park City, Utah, Aug. 15, 2014—Today, on the day their mediation effort was to end, Park City Mountain Resort (PCMR) and Talisker Land Holdings asked Third District Court judge Ryan Harris to extend the mediation deadline by nine days. The request to judge Harris was made in the form of a joint letter from the lead attorneys for both sides, Alan Sullivan for PCMR and John Lund for Talisker.

SAM Magazine—Banff, Alberta, Aug. 14, 2014—The Mountain Collective has added Ski Banff-Lake Louise-Sunshine to its roster for the 2014-15 winter season. The Canadian group joins Alta/Snowbird, Aspen Snowmass, Jackson Hole, Mammoth Mountain, Squaw Valley/Alpine Meadows and Whistler Blackcomb.

SAM Magazine—Park City, Utah, Aug. 13, 2014—With an Aug. 15 mediation deadline fast approaching, and no sign of movement in negotiations, Park City Mountain Resort (PCMR) has offered to pay rent equal to “greater than fair market value” for 2011-15, in return for a ceasefire in landlord Talisker’s efforts to evict PCMR until next spring. However, PCMR did not divulge what its proposed rent amount might be.

SAM Magazine—Washington, D.C., Aug. 13, 2014—Organizers of Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month (LSSM) and the Bring a Friend initiative (BAF) are introducing an updated toolkit for industry partners to use this fall and winter, and encouraging greater collaboration across the industry to bolster the recruitment effort. The program aims to increase participation over last year’s 100,000 newcomers.

SAM Magazine—Flagstaff, Ariz., Aug. 13, 2014—Arizona Snowbowl will have access to reclaimed wastewater for snowmaking for the next 20 years now that the city of Flagstaff has approved an extension of Snowbowl’s agreement with the city.

Snowbowl had requested the extension to ensure its water supply before the resort borrowed and invested in additional snowmaking and other improvements.

SAM Magazine—Park City, Utah, July 30, 2014—The ongoing maneuvering by the two sides in the PCMR lease dispute has left the Park City community unsettled. The resort is the major economic engine for the town, and the status of the resort for the coming season remains uncertain. Legal proceedings currently underway may not conclude before the season arrives, prompting community leaders to urge the two sides to publicly guarantee the resort will operate.

SAM Magazine—Copper Mountain, Colo., July 29, 2014—In step with the trend toward multi-area pass privileges, Copper Mountain is sweetening its 2014-15 season pass deals, offering passholders three free days at Taos, N.M., and free skiing at Grand Targhee with a purchase of accommodations through Grand Targhee Lodging.

SAM Magazine—Hancock, Mass., July 22, 2014—A year ago, Killington and Elan surprised the resort industry by offering free skis to beginners who completed a multi-day learning program. Now, the Fairbank Group’s Bromley, Vt., and Cranmore, N.H., are following suit.

The two, along with Group mate Jiminy Peak, Mass., are also offering free terrain-based learning days on three dates this winter.

SAM Magazine--July 22, 2014--A British Columbia Supreme Court ruled in favor of a sale of Mount Baldy in a foreclosure case brought by a secured creditor. G-Force Real Estate Inc., is the marketing agent and has received a conduct of sale to sell substantially all of the assets of Mount Baldy Ski Corporation and related companies.

SAM Magazine—Los Angeles, July 17, 2014—U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) Olympic snowboard slopestyle gold medalists Jamie Anderson and Sage Kotsenburg won three 2014 ESPY Awards last night. Anderson was named Best Female Action Sports Athlete and Best Female U.S. Olympian, while Kotsenburg was chosen as Best Male U.S. Olympian.

SAM Magazine—Denver, July 16, 2014—Occupancy and revenue for the month of June rose compared to year-ago levels, up 9 and 14 percent, respectively, according to DestiMetrics. This marks the 13th year-over-year monthly increase in occupancy during the past 14 months; revenues have risen year-over-year for 14 months.

DestiMetrics data come from a sample of approximately 290 property management companies in 19 mountain destination communities across Colorado, Utah, California, Nevada, Oregon and Wyoming.

SAM Magazine—Concord, N.H., July 12, 2014 (updated July 16, 2014)—After a seven-year court battle, on Friday a state judge agreed with the operators of Mount Sunapee Resort that its leasehold boundary is the same as the state park’s north and west boundaries, as the resort has claimed. Sunapee can now consider terrain expansion options within this 175-acre portion of its leasehold and on 656 acres of adjacent land owned by the resort.

SAM Magazine--Los Alamos, N.M., July 11, 2014--The Los Alamos Ski Club announced that a 2/3 majority of voting members approved the transfer of Pajarito Mountain Ski Area to Los Alamos County and the management group that operates Sipapu Ski and Summer Resort. The partnership will ensure the future of skiing and year-round recreational activities at Pajarito, said outgoing Los Alamos Ski Club president Philip Rae. Sipapu is located 70 miles east of Pajarito.

SAM Magazine—Park City, Utah, July 11, 2014—Park City Mountain Resort (PCMR) took the first step on Thursday in appealing the district court’s ruling on PCMR’s eviction from land owned by Talisker, filing a notice of appeal that the resort wishes to take the case to the Utah Supreme Court.

In a prepared statement, PCMR attorney Alan Sullivan termed the notice of appeal a “precautionary measure taken to protect PCMR’s appellate rights” in case the upcoming mediation effort fails to resolve the land dispute.

SAM Magazine—Price Township, Pa., July 11, 2014—Alpine Mountain is offering a $10,000 reward after thieves hit the ski resort repeatedly over the past two weeks, taking nearly a mile’s worth of heavy-gauge copper wire. The thefts have slowed, but not deterred, new owners’ efforts to renovate the area ahead of the 2014-15 season.

SAM Magazine--Lakewood, Colo., July 11, 2014--The National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) announced that beginning in September 2014, ski resorts, companies, and brands will have the ability to reserve unique domain names that end in .SKI. NSAA, along with FIS and USSA, have been working in conjunction with the .SKI registry operators on the unique Internet domain extension program that caters directly to the industry.

SAM Magazine--Albany, N.Y., July 10, 2014--The New York State comptroller's office released an audit this week of the Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) that found some serious flaws and made some key recommendations. ORDA oversees the operation of Whiteface, Gore and, more recently, Belleayre. The audit spanned from April 2010 to September 26, 2013. Here were the key findings:

SAM Magazine—Park City, Utah, July 10, 2014—As the lawsuit between Park City Mountain Resort (PCMR) and Talisker Land Holdings heads toward two key August dates, the two sides have agreed to a series of steps aimed at resolving the case—or to deal with a failed effort at agreement.

Talisker attorneys have submitted a timeline for several of these steps, and PCMR agreed to them. Most of the timeline precedes the Aug. 15 mediation and a subsequent hearing scheduled for Aug. 27.

The steps outlined in the filing include:

SAM Magazine—Butler, Ohio, July 7, 2014—The main creditor for Clear Fork Resort here has begun foreclosure proceedings against the area. However, general operations manager Kelly Donaldson told SAM that the filing is only part of a broader effort to reorganize and consolidate the ownership group, Slater Run Land Development LLC, and that the resort continues to operate on a business-as-usual basis.

SAM Magazine--Tupper Lake, N.Y., July 5, 2014--After nearly 10 years, a ruling made by the appellate division of New York's Supreme Court on July 3 paves the way for the development of the Adirondack Club and Resort in Tupper Lake. Several environmental groups, including Protect the Adirondacks, the Sierra Club and some local landowners, filed a suit in early 2012 objecting to permits given to developers by the Adirondack Park Agency (APA).

SAM Magazine--June 30, 2014--Registration for SAM's 5th Annual Summer Ops Camp is officially open. The camp, which will take place at Vail Mountain, Colo., September 3-5, will explore the many benefits of the growing opportunities in summer recreation in the mountains.