SAM Magazine—Enfield, N.H., Mar. 15, 2013—Whaleback Mountain is shutting its doors for the year, and as a business, on Mar. 17. Owners Evan Dybvig, Frank Sparrow, and Dylan Goodspeed posted a message on their website Thursday that the mountain would be ceasing operations at the end of the coming weekend.

SAM Magazine--March 15, 2013--More consistent snowfall and stronger economic metrics combined to deliver impressive gains for the mountain lodging industry according to the most recent data released by the Mountain Travel Research Program (MTRiP). Actual occupancy for February 2013 was up 14.2 percent compared to last February and the Average Daily Rate (ADR) was up 2.6 percent. Further evidence of the demand for mountain vacations, the booking pace for reservations taken in February for arrivals in the next six months (February-July) was up a dramatic 20.4 percent.

SAM Magazine—Lakewood, Colo., Mar. 13, 2013—More than 153,000 children and adults from 34 states registered for beginner lessons during January 2013 as part of Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month/Bring a Friend (LSSM/BAF)—an increase of more than 50,000 compared to 2012, and an increase of more than 130,000 since the initiative’s first effort in January 2009.


SAM Magazine—Salida, Colo., Mar. 13, 2013—Monarch Mountain is teaming with fellow Colorado resorts Copper Mountain, Winter Park, and Steamboat in a reciprocal pass deal for 2013-14.

SAM Magazine—Missoula, Mont., Mar. 12, 2013—Tom Maclay, who has long sought to develop a destination resort at Lolo Peak in the Bitterroot Mountains, has lost control of his property to Met Life Agricultural Investments through foreclosure.

Missoula County Sheriff Carl Ibsen signed a sheriff’s deed over to Met Life on Feb. 27, five days after a one-year deadline for Maclay to redeem his loan from Met Life. Maclay’s 3,000-acre ranch and home were sold at a sheriff’s auction to Met Life on Feb. 22, 2012.

SAM Magazine—March 12, 2013—Today several joint pass promotions were released giving skiers and snowboarders more options than ever. First up, The Mountain Collective added three resorts to its 2013/14 offering: Mammoth Mountain, Snowbird and Whistler/Blackcomb. The Collective was created last year when Alta, Aspen/Snowmass, Squaw Valley/Alpine Meadows and Jackson Hole got together and offered up two days at each of its resorts, plus discounts, for $349. For next season, the price will remain at $349 for a limited pre-season sale, which starts today.

SAM Magazine—Lakewood, Colo., Mar. 12, 2013—SlopeXchange.com, which aimed to help skiers and riders re-sell their day lift tickets in resort parking lots, came to a swift end after NSAA threatened to sue the site.

Early this year, slopexchange.com hit the Internet with what its founders thought was a clever idea: help skiers and riders re-sell the unused time on their daily lift tickets. The site’s founder explained it thusly in an email to Ski Areas of New York (SANY):

SAM Magazine—Bartlett, N.H., Mar. 8, 2013—According to an on-line survey conducted by SAM Magazine, 33% of respondents say that summer opportunities will be the most important factor in the future growth of mountain resorts. To address this growing trend, SAM Magazine will hold its fourth annual Summer Ops Camp at Attitash, N.H., September 15 to 17. This hands-on educational and networking event gathers resort managers, operators and suppliers from across North America to explore the exciting opportunities in four-season attractions.

SAM Magazine—Virgil, N.Y., Mar. 8, 2013—Greek Peak is scheduled to be sold at auction in Syracuse, N.Y., on Mar. 19, either in its entirety or in various lots. The resort includes the winter resort as well as a year-round adventure center, hotel and indoor waterpark.

SAM Magazine—McLean, Va., Mar. 7, 2013—Snowfall over the December holidays and into January helped raise snowsport retail sales 7 percent in January 2013 compared to January 2012.

The latest data come from the SIA RetailTRAK, compiled by the Leisure Trends Group.

SAM Magazine--March 7, 2013--Vail Resorts, Inc. announced its second quarter results of fiscal 2013 ended January 31, 2013. Total net revenue of the mountain, lodging and real estate categories was $422.5 million compared to $373.3 million during the same period last year while total operating expenses went from $255.1 million in 2012 to $282.5 million for the same quarter in 2013. Resort reported EBITDA increased 17% to $142.6 million. Net income rose 30.5% to $60.6 million compared to $46.4 million in 2012.

SAM Magazine--March 5, 2013--According to published reports, Sunrise Park Resort in Arizona is being investigated for the Norovirus, a very contagious virus. The area has been cooperating with federal, state, county and tribal agencies (the area is owned by the White Mountain Apache Tribe) after several customers became ill after visiting over the weekend of February 23 and 24. Food and water sources have been ruled out as the cause. The virus was likely brought to the area by an individual or group and is spread by contact and can affect people of all ages.

SAM Magazine—Scranton, Pa., Mar. 1, 2013—Snö Mountain’s biggest creditor, National Penn Bank, was high bidder at a bankruptcy auction today in Philadelphia. The bank outbid an investment group that has also invested in the resort.

DFM Realty, an affiliate of National Penn Bank, Boyertown, bid $4.6 million, said trustee Gary Seitz. An investment group, calling itself Montage Mountain Resort LP, bid $4.5 million. A third bid, from Camelback owner Arthur Berry, was for $1 million.

SAM Magazine—Henniker, N.H., Mar. 1, 2013—Pats Peak Ski will launch Operation Cascade Basin this summer, a planned expansion that will add a new triple chairlift and 20-plus acres of new terrain encompassing up to six new trails and glades over the next three years.

SAM Magazine—Palmerton, Pa., Mar. 1, 2013—Blue Mountain Ski Area and Resort will start construction on a $20 million water park project this spring, with opening projected for May 2015.

The outdoor park, called Summit Splash, will include a wave pool, water slides and a lazy river. The themes for the various activities will reflect the region’s history, which includes mining, railroads, and canals.

In our latest installment of the SAM CAM, SAM Magazine visited Seven Springs Mountain Resort, Pa., for the opening of their new Pirates Riglet Park. The park, Burton's 27th Riglet park installation, is designed to introduce children between the ages of 3 and 6 to snowboarding in a mountain-like environment on a flat surface that allows quicker progression and more fun for the kids.

SAM Magazine—Windham, N.Y., Feb. 26, 2013—Windham Mountain Resort has entered into a memorandum of understanding with Windham Country Club to make the club part of the resort. A majority of the club’s shareholders have approved the sale to Windham Mountain Partners, the ownership group behind Windham Mountain.

SAM Magazine—Scranton, Pa., Feb. 26, 2013—Auction bids for Sno Mountain are due Thursday in Philadelphia, with several bidders said to remain interested in the facility. If a substantial bid is received, a sale could be completed at a Mar. 6 Bankruptcy Court hearing.

SAM Magazine—Kellogg, Idaho, Feb. 26, 2013—Silver Mountain Resort in Kellogg has extended an online auction deadline in hopes of receiving additional qualified bidders.

An original January deadline to sell parts of the resort, ski area, golf course and other properties was canceled and the deadline extended to March 19. Terms of the auction were restructured as well, to make it easier for potential bidders to choose which elements of the resort they wish to bid on.

To date, 20 potential buyers have reviewed the resort’s financial records.

SAM Magazine—Centennial, Wyo., Feb. 20, 2013—Downhilling and drinking, more or less in that order, have long gone hand in hand. But it’s still notable that Snowy Range Ski Area here has received final approval from the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) to operate a microbrewery as a part of its base lodge operations. This is believed to be the first microbrewery at a U.S. ski area.

The State of Wyoming and Albany County had approved the microbrewery permit in late 2012; the USFS permit was the last requirement.

SAM Magazine—Peninsula, Ohio, Feb. 21, 2013—Boston Mills/Brandywine Ski Resorts, Mad River Mountain, and the newest addition to Peak Resorts, Alpine Valley Ski Area, are offering the Ohio Pass—four resorts on one pass. Pricing for adults ages 13-69 will be $399, and $349 for a juniors ages 5-12.

SAM Magazine—North Conway, N.H., Feb. 19, 2013 —With the addition of Cranmore, the White Mountain Superpass now encompasses four resorts—Bretton Woods, Cannon Mountain, Waterville Valley, and Cranmore. The unrestricted passes go on sale next week.

SAM Magazine—Albuquerque, N.M., Feb. 19, 2013—Sandia Peak closed for the season yesterday, President’s Day, a month earlier than usual, after receiving just 32 inches of snow this winter.

Managers said they would keep the lifts and other equipment ready to reopen if the weather cooperates in the next few weeks, but they didn’t hold much hope for that. A storm was expected to sweep through the northern part of New Mexico later this week, but it’s not expected bring more than three inches of snow.

SAM Magazine—Dillon, Colo., Feb. 19, 2013—A group of 15 skiers emerged mostly without injury after they were caught by an inbounds avalanche last Saturday afternoon at Arapahoe Basin Ski Area. One skier was evacuated by toboggan with a knee injury.

SAM Magazine—Park City, Utah, Feb. 19, 2013—Between the Alpine successes at the FIS World Championships and several podium finishes at the pre-Olympic World Cup competitions at Sochi, Russia, last week, U.S. competitors achieved several noteworthy results.

SAM Magazine—Denver, Feb. 15, 2013—As the economy improved and snow piled up at many western resorts during January, so did occupancy, as well as reservations for the coming six months. That’s the latest news from the Mountain Travel Research Program (MTRiP).

Data come from 260 lodging properties in sixteen destinations across Colorado, Utah, California, Nevada, and Oregon.

SAM Magazine--February 14, 2013--Mt. Bachelor, Ore., received the go-ahead from the Forest Service for an improvement project that will take place over the next 10 years. According to ktvz.com, Mt. Bachelor originally submitted the proposal in 2010, and after the Deschutes National Forest completed an environmental impact statement, which was put out for public comment, the Forest Service signed off on the master plan on February 13.

SAM Magazine—Boreal, Calif., Feb. 14, 2013—A new terrain-based instructor training program, the USASA Experience / Level 100 Coaches clinic, launched at Boreal Feb. 11-12. The project developed from a partnership between Burton and the U.S.A. Snowboard and Freeski Association (USASA), an organizing body for recreational and competitive snowboarding and freeskiing as well as coach training.

SAM Magazine—Las Vegas, Nev., Feb. 14, 2013—The Association for Challenge Course Technology (ACCT) held its 20th annual conference at the Red Rock Resort Casino and Spa outside Las Vegas, Nev., Feb. 7-10. In addition to showcasing new products and innovations, the conference hosted its first-ever certification test for individual inspectors, and spent a good deal of time reviewing the new ASTM standards that will govern the industry going forward.

SAM Magazine—Girwood, AK, Feb. 11, 2013—Alyeska's Tram reopened to the public this past Saturday, which had been closed for over a month after a wind-related accident damaged one of its cabins. The tram will operate with a specially-designed car to serve as ballast on one side while the damaged cabin is repaired.

SAM Magazine—Big Bear, Calif., Feb. 7, 2013—A fired police officer who threatened to bring "warfare" to the Los Angeles Police Department has killed three people, including two policemen, and launched a manhunt that led pursuers to his burned-out truck in the Bear Mountain ski area parking lot. The resort closed for the day Thursday in response to the potential threat.

SAM Magazine--June Lake, Calif., Feb. 5, 2013-—Residents and visitors can now access backcountry skiing, snowboarding and snowshoeing in and around June Mountain Ski Area for the rest of the winter season. The Forest Service approved a plan this week that outlines how Mammoth Mountain Ski Area (MMSA), owner of June Mountain, will manage the ski area this season, even though June Mountain is not in operation.

SAM Magazine—San Francisco, Calif., Feb. 5, 2013—The self-proclaimed California Ski and Snowboard Safety Organization (CSSSO), headed by individuals critical of resort safety practices, has released a "Family Safety Report Card" in an effort to prod California areas to become more proactive regarding skier/rider safety. The report card rated 36 safety features at 25 resorts and graded them for safety. Overall grades ranged from B to F.

SAM Magazine—Schladming, Austria, Feb. 5, 2013—U.S. ski racing champion Lindsey Vonn fell hard during the women’s super G event at the World Championships earlier today and was flown by helicopter to a hospital. According to U.S. Ski Team medical director Kyle Wilkens, Vonn suffered a torn ACL and MCL in her right knee and a lateral tibial plateau fracture. She will be out for the remainder of this season but may heal in time to compete during the 2013-14 World Cup season and the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, according to her medical team.

SAM Magazine—Denver, Feb. 4, 2013—The mood and attendance at the annual SIA Snow Show were better than many suppliers, and perhaps retailers as well, had anticipated. Final figures aren’t available, but traffic appeared at least as strong as last year, and showgoers expressed optimism about the current season and future prospects.

As always, the show provided a peek at the trends and new gear that will excite customers in 2013-14.

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.