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.

SAM Magazine—Truckee, Calif., Nov. 7, 2013—Several Western areas are adding value to their pass offerings. Sugar Bowl Resort has partnered with Sun Valley Resort, complementing a similar deal with Grand Targhee, Wyo., to give Sugar Bowl’s unrestricted and slightly restricted season passholders free skiing at both partner resorts (and vice versa). Similarly, Mt. Bachelor, Ore., Grand Targhee and Whitefish Mountain Resort, Mont., are offering a new multi-resort Mountain West 6-Pack.

SAM Magazine--Salt Lake City, Utah, November 7, 2013--Ski Utah is bringing its message to Coloradans this weekend during the Denver Ski & Snowboard Expo, held from November 8-10 at the Colorado Convention Center. This marks the first time that any Utah resort will be represented at the show. Ski Utah will represent its 14 member resorts in a 20-foot by 20-foot booth.

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., Nov. 6, 2013—SAM Magazine and Snow Operating LLC, are joining forces to host the first annual Conversion Camp at Jiminy Peak, Mass., March 4-6, 2014. The Conversion Camp will be a total immersive experience for resort operators that examines the complete trial and conversion process for beginners—from the parking lot to the slopes.

SAM Magazine—Telluride, Colo., Nov. 7, 2013—Telluride Ski Resort has brought in four industry veterans to fill out its management team, headed by president and GM Greg Pack, who assumes his new role Nov. 19.

SAM Magazine—Ishpeming, Mich., Nov. 6, 2013—Six athletes and sport builders have been elected to the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame for their contributions to the sport. Honorees include big mountain skier Scot Schmidt, freestyle pioneer and world champion John Clendenin, 2006 Olympic moguls bronze medalist Toby Dawson, freestyle aerials champion Kris Feddersen, globally acclaimed ski film producer Joe Jay Jalbert, and ski show pioneer Jerry Simon.

SAM Magazine—Copper Mountain, Colo., Oct. 31, 2013—Several resorts are opening for the season on Friday, Nov. 1, as the season begins to pick up steam. The resorts include Copper Mountain and Keystone in Colorado, Boreal, California, and Mt. Norquay, Alberta.

SAM Magazine—Frisco, Colo., Oct. 31, 2013—In an attempt to ease housing pressures for employees of the resorts that populate the I-70 corridor in Colorado, the U.S. House of Representatives has approved a bill to convey 40 acres of White River National Forest to Summit County, Colo., so that the county can establish affordable housing on the site. The land is between Dillon and Frisco, near I-70. Proceeds from home sales could be used to fund maintenance and improvements to Forest Service facilities.

SAM Magazine--October 30, 2013--Foreclosures, bad economy and more have taken their toll on all industries worldwide, and the mountain resort industry is no different. But, let's start with some good news. In New Hampshire, Whaleback Ski Area announced its closure this year after the owners were foreclosured on. In August, the bank tried to auction the area, but failed to attract any bidders. Enter the Upper Valley Snow Sports Foundation, a nonprofit group set up to reopen Whaleback this season.

SAM Magazine—Breckenridge, Colo., Oct. 24, 2013—Breckenridge Ski Resort will offer an exclusive perk for guests staying in resort-owned lodging properties this winter: First Tracks Fridays. This program will allow guests staying at official Breckenridge Ski Resort lodging properties to access a designated chairlift on Peak 9 one hour before the resort opens to the general public on Friday mornings throughout the 2013-14 winter ski season.

SAM Magazine--Vancouver, B.C., October 24, 2013--Tourism British Columbia launched a new website this week called Ski It To Believe It. The site features comprehensive stats for 13 B.C. resorts, including Apex, Big White, Fernie, Kicking Horse, Kimberley, Mount Washington, Panorama, Red Mountain, Revelstoke, Silver Star, Sun Peaks, Whistler Blackcomb and Whitewater. Each area's page includes a trail map, videos, a description and stats such as annual snowfall, number of lifts, etc. The pages also include the resorts' Twitter feeds for the most up-to-date information.

SAM Magazine—Colorado Springs, Colo., Oct. 24, 2013—The U.S. Olympic Committee has named Ted Ligety 2012-13 Olympic SportsMan of the Year, its highest annual individual athlete honor. The 2006 Olympic gold medalist won three gold medals at the 2013 FIS Alpine World Ski Championship and six Audi FIS Alpine World Cup giant slalom victories en route to the fourth World Cup giant slalom title of his career.

SAM Magazine--Whitehorse, Yukon, October 23, 2013--After receiving news early this summer that the City Council of Whitehorse rejected a request for $400,000 to continue to operate Mount Sima, a community ski hill, a group called Friends of Mount Sima rallied and raised more than $200,000 through fundraising efforts and season pass sales and announced that the area will open its doors this season. According to CBC News, the ski area's financial difficulties were so bad that the previous board of directors all resigned and the hill was closed in July.

SAM Magazine—Georgetown, Colo., Oct. 18, 2013—Loveland Ski Area has became the second resort in Colorado to open for the 2013-14 season, with Wolf Creek set to become the third on Saturday.

SAM Magazine--Aspen, Colo., October 15, 2013--The Aspen Skiing Co. has thrown its hat in the ring to host the World Cup Finals at Aspen Mountain in 2017. According to the Aspen Daily News, Aspen has been hosting annual World Cup races for women and, on the men's side, last hosted a men's downhill in 2001. The last World Cup Finals held in North America were in 1997 at Vail. As of right now, Lenzerheide, Switzerland, is also bidding to host the Finals. FIS officials should reach a decision by June

SAM Magazine--Denver, Colo., October 15, 2013--As early snowstorms and cold weather fronts moved across the California, Utah and Colorado mountains, bookings among participating resorts continued their upward trend in pacing and revenues. In the most recent data released by the Denver-based DestiMetrics (formerly known as Mountain Travel Research Program-MTRiP) in their monthly briefing, on-the-books occupancy for October is up 7.4 percent compared to last October and revenues are up 13.9 percent.

SAM Magazine--Kansas City, Mo., October 14, 2013--EPR Properties announced that it is the entity that purchased Camelback Mountain Resort in Tannersville, Pa. for close to $70 million. The resort consists of 160 acres of skiable terrain and includes a waterpark, an outdoor adventure park, a 40-lane tubing facility and base lodge. The resort hosts 900,000 visitors annually.

SAM Magazine—Arapahoe Basin, Colo., Oct. 11, 2013—Arapahoe Basin Ski Area will open Sunday, Oct. 13, 2013, marking the official start to the Colorado ski and snowboard season. Early-season snow, low temperatures and snowmaking upgrades have made it possible for A-Basin to open four days earlier than last season.

The Black Mountain Express lift will start at 8:30 a.m. to shuttle guests to the top of the intermediate High Noon trail at mid-mountain.

SAM Magazine—Lakewood, Colo., Oct. 11, 2013—The National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) today released its 13th Sustainable Slopes Annual Report detailing the ski industry’s progress in implementing the principles of its Environmental Charter during the 2012-13 season.

Among the highlights:

SAM Magazine—Washington, D.C., Oct. 11, 2013—The 2013 Women's Snow Sports Market Intelligence Report reveals that 3.3 million women participated in snowsports last season, and made $1 billion in purchases of women-specific gear during the 2012-13 season. The report, a supplement to the full Market Intelligence Report produced by Snowsports Industries America (SIA), calls women critical to the snow sports market for their purchases and for their influence over family activities.

Select Highlights:

SAM Magazine--Tannersville, Pa., October 10, 2013--Spirit Realty Capital, Inc., the real estate investment trust (REIT) that owned Camelback Mountain Resort, announced that it has sold Camelback Mountain Resort for $69.25 million, representing a "significant gain on its original investment," says the press release. The REIT bought the area in 2005.

SAM Magazine--October 8, 2013--In a survey released last week by PhoCusWright, a New York based travel industry research group, and sponsored by Mountain Travel Symposium (MTS), the current data available on the travel behavior of skiers and snowboarders revealed new information about these specific destination travelers.

Here are some highlights: