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.

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 Gazette, the foundation needs to raise about $3 million to reopen the ski area, which includes work on the lodge, lifts and new equipment, and to do so they will have to delay the opening until the following 2014-15 season.

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 disappointing since the area had just come off of a great season that saw great snow and $15 lift tickets for the community.

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 during the 2012-13 ski season, and the balance of just over five million visits are attributable to Vail Resorts, who are not members of CSCUSA.

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 average. This number is the 5th best season on record for the state. Cross-country areas also had a very successful winter, hosting 151,276 visits, a 57.2% increase from the prior winter and a 14.8% increase over the ten-year average.

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, following the SIA Snow Show, which runs from Jan. 30 to Feb. 2 in Denver.

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 increase after the lackluster 2011-12 season, which was down 9.4 percent from the 2010-11 season.

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.

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 training, but it was unlikely the area would open up to the public because "it's too expensive to run and the market is too small."

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 reported $170 million in revenues for the state from the rooms and meals and sales taxes. The month of March accounted for a 14% increase in the rooms and meals tax revenue over the previous year.

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 wrangling. Under this lease, VR has assumed all of the resort operations while Talisker has retained its development rights for four million square feet of real estate at the resort.

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. Most recently, he was general manager of the Vail Mountain Children and Teen Ski & Ride School in Lionshead.

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.

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 terrain park, in the near future.

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 winter resorts.

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.

No sums were disclosed.

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 18.6 percent increase in occupancy, and a 16.8 percent increase in revenue, compared to the prior season.

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 throughout the winter and resulted in an aggregated 5.8 percent increase in actual occupancy and an 8.8 percent increase in total lodging revenues compared to the 2011-12 season. 

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 document interpreting the policy, all of which are posted on NSAA’s website (www.nsaa.org) in the USFS section.

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 Tourism Conference on May 2.

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, the other two attempts were vetoed by Gov. Schwarzenegger in 2010 and by Gov. Jerry Brown last year.

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. In October 2012, Snö Mountain declared bankruptcy, having racked up $24 million in debt thanks to huge infrastructure improvements.

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 that year after the ski area continued to draw water from the lake. The Village also requested in the suit that a  gate be reopened allowing the community access to the mountain.

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. Accessories sales increased 6 percent, to $1.1 billion; apparel was up 4 percent, to $1.46 billion; and equipment sales were flat compared to the 2011-12 season, at $841 million.

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 part of a total $118,000 in donations made this spring to 13 environmental projects.

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, 4.5% higher than the $174.6 million during the same period last year. Revenue for the three-month period was $132.2 million, an increase of 5.4% over the same period last year.

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, Powder Mountain has been targeted for large-scale development, with plans for 10,000 homes, golf courses and more than a dozen new chairlifts. Summit Eden, however, will focus on 500 sustainable homesites and a small residential village.

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 energy at a time when the resort is also trying to get ready for the holiday crowds, and that the event creates a relatively small return on that investment.

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 employees transporting food and beverages on the mountain.

Oddly, the new rule does not apply to any other winter resorts in the province.

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 claims of official misconduct and capricious dealing were genuine issues of material facts.

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 Hell," will air at 8 p.m. ET with two more episodes on May 16 and May 23, both at 8 p.m. ET.

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 totaled an estimated 51 million, a decline of 15.7 percent from the 2010/11 record total of 60.54 million, according to the Kottke National End of Season Survey. This season's numbers represent the largest year-over-year gain in 30 years.

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.

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 been valued by members, staff, and industry partners." Information about a search will be announced in the coming months.

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 and snowboarders a great on-mountain experience while also planning for June’s future, including the possibility of a new lift and enhanced snowmaking,” June Mountain general manager Carl Williams said in a release.

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.

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.

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 Alps and Mt. Brighton areas. Season-to-date total lift ticket revenue was up 10.2% and dining revenue and ski school revenue rose 13.1% and 11.6% respectively. Retail and rental revenue increased 8.9% over the same period last year.

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 transformation before hosting events during the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.

Holding is survived by his wife, Carol, and three children.

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.

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, closing golf courses and ballfields and leaving locals with few outdoor options other than skiing and riding.

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 Conservation in November 2012, will be open to public comment through late June.

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 the decision indicates that the proposed developments are aligned with the Forest Service’s resource management plan.

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.

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 development plan includes new year-round activities, services and infrastructure.

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 as this winter. The increase in skier visits of 5% over last year was achieved despite below average snowfall that was 60% of average at the base and 80% of normal at mid-mountain and only one inch above last season on the upper mountain.

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 year for the Awards.

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 the new structure, Tyler Fairbank becomes president of Jiminy Peak, supplanting his father.

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 growth.

Sales in January and February were healthy compared with the past four seasons, and that helped offset relatively lackluster sales earlier in the season.

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.

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 $8 million for the resort, which was recently bought out of bankruptcy by National Penn Bank, the largest creditor at the time, for $4.6 million.

Jessica Kalinoski is slated to be the new general manager.

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, passholders who currently have a 2012-13 youth/teen pass, or who purchase their 2013-14 season pass by May 1, 2013, will save $200 on a week at summer camp at one of Woodward’s four locations in the United States.

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 Project, which supports and enhances the environmental enforcement programs of its members.

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.

SAM Magazine--March 22, 2013--Thanks to improved snow conditions in January and February, skier visits among Colorado Ski Country USA's (CSCUSA) 21 member resorts partially rebounded from an early-season deficit, increasing 1.3 percent over the two months, compared to the same two months last year. From opening through December 31, 2012, CSCUSA resorts dropped 11.5 percent from the same period the season before. For the 2012-13 season to date (through February 29, 2013), CSCUSA member resorts are down a total of 4.2 percent compared to the same period last year.

SAM Magazine—Woodbury, Conn., Mar. 22, 2013—With the season winding down, it's time to look ahead and see how you can stay on top of your game for next year in the ever-changing world of freestyle terrain. Registration for SAM’s eastern Cutter's Camp at Mount Snow (Carinthia), Vt., closes on March 26 at 5 p.m., and there are only a few spots left.

SAM Magazine--March 21. 2013--According to the Star Gazette, a federal judge has approved the sale of Greek Peak, N.Y., after a private auction on Tuesday. The highest bid was $6.76 million by two local businessmen, John Meier and Marc Stemerman. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), which became the main lender and receiver after the ski area's main lender went under, did not register any objection.

SAM Magazine--March 18, 2013--Wisp Resort in Maryland announced the promotion of industry (and Wisp) veteran Jerry Geisler to GM today. Geisler has worked at Wisp Resort for 37 years beginning as a ski instructor in 1975. Geisler replaces Tim Prather.