SAM Magazine—Telluride, Colo., July 28, 2016— Commercial air service to Telluride Airport will resume Dec. 17 following a two-year hiatus, now that Colorado Flights has completed a deal with Great Lakes Airlines to reinstate its service from Denver.

SAM Magazine—Olympic Valley, Calif., July 21, 2016—Industry veteran Casey Blann will be taking the reigns as vice president of mountain operations for Alpine Meadows, as well as overseeing risk management and loss prevention for both Alpine and Squaw Valley.

SAM Magazine—Park City, Utah, July 21, 2016—Vail Resorts abandoned its effort to trademark the name “Park City” on July 16 in the face of opposition from a long line of critics.

SAM Magazine—Newry, Maine, July 20, 2016—Investigators think they may have discovered why the upper terminal of the Spruce Peak Triple seemed to uproot from the ground at Sunday River on July 10.

SAM Magazine—Taos, N.M., July 14, 2016—Resort industry veteran David Norden has been appointed chief executive officer of Taos Ski Valley and will begin work on July 25. He will oversee all existing Taos Ski Valley resort operations including The Blake, a new slopeside hotel, which is slated to open this winter.

SAM Magazine—Newry, Maine, July 13, 2016—In one of the more unusual lift failures to occur in recent memory, the upper terminal of the Sunday River, Maine, Spruce Peak Triple chairlift “detached” from the ground underneath it.

SAM Magazine—Centennial, Colo., July 11, 2016—Reviving an old concept, the Snöbahn indoor ski and snowboard center in suburban Centennial hopes to entice both new and veteran skiers and snowboarders to its revolving-deck facility. It’s the first of its kind in the Denver area, and it has the backing of some impressive skiing athletes: Bode Miller, Eric Schlopy, and Chris Anthony.

Welcome to this month’s update on happenings about people in the ski industry. Two former colleagues at the Tecnica Group return to the ski biz, inside and outside the Group, and two managers with Vail Resorts ties take on new jobs, inside and outside VR.

SAM Magazine—Northeast Kingdom, Vt., July 8, 2016—There have been several developments and goings on at Jay Peak and Burke Mountain in Vermont since the SEC came to town. Some relate to the SEC’s case against the resorts’ operators for alleged EB-5 fraud, some relate to general operations.

SAM Magazine—Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, July 8, 2016—Ski resorts have been built in war zones (Syria/Israel, Iraq, and Pakistan, for example), or in areas that have become war zones (Bosnia), and some war movies have been filmed at ski areas, but a plan to build a “war themed” ski resort is believed to be a first.

SAM Magazine—Vail, Colo., July 1, 2016 —Vail Mountain unveiled its new Epic Discovery summer mountain experience at a ribbon cutting ceremony June 28. Epic Discovery immerses guests in “learn-through-play” activities that provide big-time thrills, challenge guests physically, and guide them to explore and better understand their natural surroundings. Vail Mountain and Heavenly, Calif., are implementing the concept this summer, and in 2017, Breckenridge will follow.

SAM Magazine—Oliver, B.C., June 30, 2016—Mt. Baldy in British Columbia is about to get new owners, who plan to revive the ski area after several years of financial instability. The area was placed under receivership in 2014 and did not open for the 2015-16 season. The court approved the sale of Mt. Baldy to an investment group led by Vancouver-based lawyer Victor Tsao for $3.4 million, plus $300,000 for one serviced lot—a steal considering the booming real estate market in the province. The property will now do business as Baldy Mountain Resort.

SAM Magazine—Snowshoe, W.Va., June 28, 2016—Snowshoe Mountain and the Snowshoe Foundation have established a disaster relief fund to assist those affected by the devastating flooding in nearby parts of West Virginia. The resort and the foundation have each committed $5,000 to the cause, and are accepting donations through July 8, 2016. All contributions will be donated to the American Red Cross of West Virginia.

SAM Magazine—Park City, Utah, June 24, 2016—Registration for SAM's seventh annual Summer Ops Camp opens today. The camp will take place at Park City Sept., 14-16, 2016, one week later than originally planned. Please make a note of the change! It's the ideal time and place to pursue this year's theme, "play. discover. profit."

SAM Magazine—Denver, June 21, 2016—Following a record-breaking winter, summer bookings at Western destinations are continuing at the same torrid pace. According to DestiMetrics, which compiles data from 290 property management companies in 19 western mountain destination communities, aggregated summer occupancy and reservations are up 10.5 percent and revenues are up a whopping 17.9 percent compared to the same time last year. Numbers are for the six months from May through October, tallied as of May 31.

SAM Magazine—Park City, Utah, June 21, 2016—Powdr Corp has submitted plans to build a 52,000-square-foot indoor action sports center at Gorgoza Park outside of Park City that would be called Woodward Park City. This would be the fifth Woodward location in the U.S.

Welcome to this month’s update on important happenings about prominent people in the ski industry. The July issue of SAM will have a full list of people, awards, and obituaries in the Industry Report department.

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., June 10, 2016—Vail Resorts (VR) saw net income rise to $157.6 million in its all-important third quarter, as visits jumped nearly 14 percent for the period. For the season overall, visits were up 18.2 percent from a year ago, to 9.7 million from 8.1 million. The company also reported very strong early season pass sales for 2016-17.

SAM Magazine—Mclean, Va., June 10, 2016—The staff at SnowSports Industries America (SIA) will all soon have skis hanging from the walls of their offices in Park City, Utah—a sight not necessarily seen at its current digs outside of Washington D.C. The decision to move SIA’s headquarters to one of the nation’s premier snow sports hubs came after a unanimous vote by the SIA board of directors in May, and an approval from the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development for a post-performance Industrial Assistance Fund grant. The relocation will happen in August.

SAM Magazine—Denver, June 10, 2016—The 21 member resorts of Colorado Ski Country USA (CSCUSA) recorded a record 7.4 million skier visits during the 2015-16 winter season, up five percent year-over-year and 10 percent over the five year average. Combined with Vail Resorts’ areas, which are not included in CSCUSA figures, visits for all Colorado resorts likely topped the 12.5 million statewide record set two seasons ago.

SAM Magazine—Wrightwood, Calif., June 8, 2016—The unique reciprocal program known as the Powder Alliance has partnered with Kiroro Snow World in Japan to offer three free days of skiing to anytime season passholders from the other 14 member resorts.

SAM Magazine—Las Vegas, Nev., June 7, 2016 —Dan Hooper has assumed the title of general manager at Powdr Corp-owned Lee Canyon outside of Las Vegas.

SAM Magazine—Lakewood, Colo., June 7, 2016—The Professional Ski Instructors of America and the American Association of Snowboard Instructors (PSIA-AASI) will welcome Nicholas Herrin as their new chief executive officer starting July 18. Herrin succeeds longtime PSIA-AASI CEO Mark Dorsey, who stepped down in August 2015, and PSIA-AASI CFO Tom Spiess, who has served as interim CEO since.

SAM Magazine—Boulder, Colo., June 6, 2016—Powdr Corp. has purchased Eldora Mountain Resort here, it was announced today, completing a long-rumored move. This amplifies Powdr’s presence in Colorado and serves as a strategic complement to Powdr’s other Colorado resort, Copper Mountain.

SAM Magazine—Dover, Vt., June 2, 2016—Mountain resorts nationwide opened for summer operations over the long Memorial Day weekend, kicking off the warm season with a growing number of attractions aimed at boosting the bottom line.

SAM Magazine—Washington, D.C., June 2, 2016—Snowsports Industries America (SIA) has informed its staff that the organization’s headquarters will be relocating out west. The organization said the move will put it in better proximity to partner brands, like-minded organizations, and the winter sports environment as a whole.

SAM Magazine—Salt Lake City, June 2, 2016—Prolific early season snow set the tone for a record-setting winter at Utah’s ski areas. The state tallied 4,457,575 skier visits during the 2015-16 season, up 5 percent from the previous record set in 2007-08. According to Ski Utah, visits were up 13 percent compared to last season, and beat the ten-year average by 10.4 percent.

SAM Magazine—Northeast Kingdom, Vt., June 2, 2016—Recent developments in the Securities and Exchange Commission’s case against Jay Peak owner Ariel Quiros include presentation of a preliminary injunction by the SEC and additional financial implications for Quiros, according to local news website VTDigger.org.

SAM Magazine—Denver, June 1, 2016— The Colorado Supreme Court ruled that avalanches are an inherent risk of skiing and fall under the state’s liability-limiting Ski Safety Act. In a 5-2 decision, the court agreed that avalanches result from changing snow conditions, changing weather, and variations of steepness and terrain, all of which are specifically noted in the Ski Safety Act.

SAM Magazine—Perisher, Australia, May 27, 2016—With the start of Australia’s ski season a fortnight away, there’s been consistent snow across the country’s main ski areas, which forecasters say should continue for most of the coming week.

SAM Magazine—Bloomfield, Colo., May 27, 2016—Vail Resorts’ CEO Rob Katz said that the company is looking to expand its portfolio of resorts, with possible acquisitions in Canada and Japan “a higher priority,” according to Snow Hunter’s World Weekly Snow News. The strength of the dollar has increased Vail’s buying power in recent years.

SAM Magazine—Zhangjiakou City, China, May 27, 2016—In a move aimed at tapping into the growing Chinese tourist market, Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows has entered into a “strategic alliance” with China’s Genting Secret Garden Resort, one of the host areas for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. California is currently the top U.S. destination for Chinese travelers, who spent $2.5 billion in California in 2015, according to research by Visit California.

SAM Magazine—Wildwood, Mo., May 26, 2016—Peak Resorts has gained approval from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for its $52 million project at Mount Snow, Vt., providing a shot of good news for the recently maligned EB-5 immigrant investor program.

SAM Magazine—Lakewood, Colo., May 26, 2016—At the 2016 NSAA National Convention and Trade Show, several resorts and individuals were honored with annual awards. The various awards recognize environmental efforts, marketing acumen, safety, bringing new skiers and riders to the sport, and more.

SAM Magazine—Denver, May 24, 2016—Western resort destinations set all-time records for occupancy and revenue during the 2015-16 winter season, according to DestiMetrics. As of April 30, occupancy was up 4.4 percent and revenues were up 5.2 percent compared to last season. That surpassed the previous record set in 2007-08.

SAM Magazine—Nashville, Tenn., May 20, 2016—U.S. ski areas tallied an estimated 53.9 million skier and snowboarder visits during the 2015-16 season, up slightly from last season’s 53.6 million total, according to the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA). A record year in the Pacific Northwest and the Rockies was offset by steep declines in visitation in the eastern half of the country.

SAM Magazine—Nashville, Tenn., May 20, 2016—Judy Dorsey, the principal and founder of Brendle Group, a sustainability engineering and planning firm based in Colorado, received the Industry Impact Award from the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA).

SAM Magazine—Nashville, Tenn., May 20, 2016—Soda Springs, Calif., Gore Mountain, N.Y., and Aspen Skiing Co., Colo., earned the 2016 Golden Eagle Awards for Environmental Excellence, presented by SKI Magazine. Additionally, SKI named Kristyn Lingenfelter of Squaw Valley/Alpine Meadows in California as the “Hero of Sustainability” honoree for 2016.

SAM Magazine—Nashville, Tenn., May 19, 2016—Since his first day on the job four months ago, SnowSports Industries America (SIA) president Nick Sargent has had to address the decision to shift the organization’s longtime Snow Show and On-Snow Demo from late January to early December, starting in 2017. Following comprehensive meetings with stakeholders, Sargent and the SIA board of directors unanimously decided to abandon the December time shift and maintain the January dates moving forward.

More than 500 lift mechanics, operations staff, managers, suppliers, and instructors attended the 45th annual Rocky Mountain Lift Association (RMLA) Spring Conference May 2-5 in Grand Junction, Colo. The theme was “Expanding Winter into Summer” but focus was clearly on lift maintenance training and winter operations. There were fewer sessions on risk management and guest service this year, and more about how to keep older lifts healthy.

It was 40 years ago that Jake Burton Carpenter began testing his early snowboards at Stratton Mountain, Vt., and launched snowboarding’s love/hate affair with winter resorts. Ironically, it was resorts’ initial wariness of snowboarding that set Burton on a course that has made the company Jake founded one of the best partners winter resorts have known.

SAM Magazine—Santa Fe, N.M., May 16, 2016—New Mexico’s nine alpine and four Nordic ski areas saw 938,000 skier visits during the 2015-16 season, up 3 percent year-over-year and 20 percent above the previous five-year average of 783,000. Ski area visitation contributed $524 million to the local economy, almost $17 million more than in 2014-15, according to Ski New Mexico.

SAM Magazine—Lakewood, Colo., May 16, 2016—The National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) has named Crystal Mountain, Mich., and Taos Ski Valley, N.M., as recipients of its annual Sustainable Slopes Grant Program. Funds from the program target carbon emission reductions, snowmaking improvements, and climate adaptation at U.S. ski areas.

SAM Magazine—Boulder, Colo., May 16, 2016—The process of booking, organizing, and managing ski school reservations could get an upgrade thanks to a partnership between SNOW Operating and software firm SnowCloud.

SAM Magazine—Portage, Wis., May 16, 2016—Cascade Mountain is working on a $9 million expansion project that includes two new lifts, seven new trails, additional snowmaking, an expanded main lodge, paved parking, and base area improvements. And that is just the first part of what will be a three-phase expansion plan.

SAM Magazine—Pacific Palisades, Calif., May 11, 2016—Burton Snowboards has made a $50,000 contribution to Protect Our Winters (POW), which the organization says will be used “to invest in its operational capacity and ongoing advocacy efforts on behalf of the snow sports community.” Burton and POW have worked together since 2011, with POW l...

SAM Magazine—Bend, Ore., May 11, 2016—Powdr has appointed John McLeod as president and general manager of Mt. Bachelor, Ore. A longtime Bend resident, McLeod served as

A monthly roundup of the latest news about industry people and personalities.

SAM Magazine—Salzburgerland, Austria, May 9, 2016—The jury has always been out as to whether new lifts attract more people, but according to usage figures recently released by the Kitzsteinhorn glacier in Austria’s Salzburgerland, there may be evidence they do.

SAM Magazine—Denver, May 9, 2016—Strong numbers at Intrawest’s Colorado resorts and Canadian Mountain Holidays helped balance the challenging winter its eastern properties endured. Total revenue decreased 1.9 percent, to $314.2 million, for the three months ended March 31, compared to the same prior-year period.

SAM Magazine—Park City, Utah, April 29, 2016—Lee Canyon president and general manager Kevin Stickelman has resigned from Lee Canyon, Nev., to become chief operating officer of the National Ability Center in Park City, Utah. Stickelman had been in the Powdr organization for 15 of the last 20 years, leading Lee Canyon (formerly Las Vegas Ski and Snowboard Resort) for the last six.

SAM Magazine—Grand Junction, Colo., April 28, 2016—Leitner-Poma has acquired Salt Lake City-based chairlift builder and retrofitter Skytrac, a company established by legendary liftbuilder Jan Leonard and former CTEC employees, with roots in aerial lift technology that extend back nearly five decades. The purchase was completed this week.

SAM Magazine—Bellefontaine, Ohio, April 27, 2016—After losing its base lodge to a fire last September and operating out of temporary Sprung Structures this past winter, Mad River Mountain, Ohio, plans to break ground on a new $6.5 million, 46,000-square-foot base lodge in May.

SAM Magazine—Palmer, Alaska, April 27, 2016—Silverton Mountain Guides Alaska Heli has named lifelong Alaskan and 25-year ski industry veteran Di Whitney as its new vice president of operations. Most recently, Whitney was general manager and VP at Alyeska Ski Resort.

SAM Magazine—Stevens Pass, Wash., April 26, 2016—Stevens Pass wrapped up its season on April 24 with 132 percent more skier visits than 2014-15 and the most since it started digitally capturing that data in 2008-09.

SAM Magazine—Denver, April 22, 2016—DestiMetrics’ most recent Monthly Market Briefing tells a very positive story for the Far West and Rocky Mountain regions. As of March 31, actual occupancy combined with on-the-books reservations for April were nudging the 2015-16 season to a likely record, with winter occupancy up 4.3 percent and revenues up 5.2 percent over last year. Boosted by an early Easter, March occupancy was up 5.2 percent and revenues up 7.9 percent compared to March 2015.

SAM Magazine—Woodbury, Conn., April 20, 2014—There are still a few spots available for Cutter’s Camp at Timberline, Mt. Hood, May 9-13, but registration closes on April 29. Now in its 14th year, Cutter's Camp continues to be the industry’s only open-forum educational gathering of terrain park professionals.

SAM Magazine—West Dover, Vt., April 21, 2016—Until the department of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services releases the $52 million Mount Snow has raised through the EB-5 foreign investor program, the resort’s West Lake and Carinthia Base Lodge projects are on hold.

SAM Magazine—Woodstock, Vt., April 20, 2016—Grooming technique and hospitality were emphasized at this year’s Cross Country Ski Areas Association (CCSAA) annual conference at Snow Mountain Ranch, Colo, April 5-6.

SAM Magazine—Kelowna, B.C., April 20, 2016—Canada West Ski Areas Association (CWSAA) has named ski industry veteran Christopher Nicolson as its new president and CEO. He succeeds David Lynn, who left the organization in January to establish a business consultancy.