SAM Magazine—Park City, Utah, July 30, 2015—Let the rebranding begin: Officials at Vail Resorts unveiled a new brand campaign that combines Park City Mountain Resort and Canyons into one name, Park City. A new logo combines the Canyons’ insignia with the existing color palette of Park City Mountain Resort, with the tag line “There is only one. Park City.”

SAM Magazine—Snowbird, Utah, July 27, 2015—Richard Daniel “Dick” Bass, partner and chairman of Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort and the first person to climb the highest point on each of the seven continents, died Sunday, July 26, 2015 at the age of 85 surrounded by family in Dallas, Texas. Bass suffered from pulmonary fibrosis.

SAM Magazine—Denver, Colo., July 21, 2015—Summer revenues among lodging properties at 19 mountain destinations in six mountain states are up 12.5 percent over last year, while future reservations are up 6.8 percent. The figures, compiled by DestiMetrics, are based on occupancy and bookings for the six months from May through October.

SAM Magazine—McLean, Va., July 15, 2015—The SnowSports Industries America (SIA) Board of Directors has chosen Nick Sargent, former vice president of global business alliance at Burton Snowboards, as its incoming president. Sargent will begin in a transitional role Aug. 24 before succeeding David Ingemie as president following the 2016 SIA Snow Show in Denver.

SAM Magazine—Vancouver, B.C, July 15, 2015—SBC Media has filed for bankruptcy and closed its 10 magazine titles, including Snowboard Canada, SBC Skier, SBC Business, SBC Skateboard, and SBC Wakeboard. Officials at SBC said investors that stepped in 2014 to help support the media group made the decision to cut additional funding.

SAM Magazine—Santiago, Chile, July 14, 2015—A heavy storm that dumped more than five and a half feet of snow on Portillo, and nearly three feet of new snow in other areas of the central Chilean Andes and parts of Argentina, has allowed several ski resorts to open after a delayed start to the season.

Valle Nevado opened today, July 15, thanks to 31 inches of snow that fell there. Valle Nevado operated most of its lifts along with several restaurants, and all equipment rental outlets and retail stores. The resort's hotels are set to open Friday, July 17.

SAM Magazine—Sydney, Australia, July 13, 2015—After what local ski area operators described as the worst start to a season in 50 years, a cold winter storm system continues to deliver freezing air across southeast Australia and new snow to the mountains. Meteorologists are calling it the “Antarctic vortex,” and in Sydney, it resulted in nearly two weeks of cold temperatures not seen since 1978.

SAM Magazine—Mt. Hood, Ore., July 13, 2015—This summer Mt. Hood Meadows is growing its presence in Portland by expanding an existing office in the city into an “alpine lifestyle center,” called Altitude. The space, which is set to open Labor Day Weekend, will include a mountain retail store and après bar, a ski and snowboard service center, and a lift ticket and season pass office.

SAM Magazine—West Windsor, Vt., July 10, 2015—An eight-member committee is working to form a non-profit organization that would manage and maintain the assets of the West Windsor Town Forest, including reopening Mt. Ascutney ski area.

SAM Magazine—Lakewood, Colo., July 7, 2015—Mark Dorsey, CEO of the Professional Ski Instructors of America and the American Association of Snowboard Instructors (PSIA-AASI), is stepping down to assume a similar role with another association outside of the ski and snowboard industry.

“This is a terrific opportunity for Mark, and we wish him the best in his new venture,” said Ed Younglove, PSIA-AASI chairman of the board.

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., July 2, 2015—Vail Resorts is increasing its minimum wage for entry-level positions to $10 an hour. Effective Sept. 26, the pay hike will affect nearly 7,500 of Vail’s 25,000 employees in eight states, including workers in housekeeping, lift operations, food preparation, and retail sales.

Currently, the federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour, but 29 states and Washington, D.C., have minimum wages above that level.

SAM Magazine–Donnelly, Idaho, July 2, 2015–Tamarack Resort will restart its mountain bike operation, which hasn’t been running since 2007, on July 4. But instead of providing uphill access via chairlift, Tamarack will offer a shuttle service and bike rentals. The services will begin July 4.

SAM Magazine—Athena, Ore., June 29, 2015—The listings of ski areas for sale recently grew by two, as Spout Springs, Ore., went on the market for $1.25 million and Marshall Mountain, located seven miles northeast of Missoula, Mont., is also for sale for $2.95 million.

SAM Magazine—Sheridan, Wyo., June 29, 2015—The board of directors of the Antelope Butte Foundation (ABF) signed a purchase and sale agreement with the U. S. Forest Service on June 19, paving the way for the purchase of the ski area located in the Bighorn Mountains near Dayton, Wyo.

Mark Weitz, ABF board president, said the Foundation is purchasing the property, lifts, lodge, and outbuildings for $275,000. A first payment of 20 percent of the purchase price will be due within 45 days. Two more payments of 40 percent each will be due in March and November, 2016.

SAM Magazine—Truckee, Calif., June 29, 2015—In a move to dampen the danger of accidental fires, the Tahoe Donner Association has implemented a smoking ban on all its properties. The ban, effective through the end of the year, prohibits smoking at all amenities, common areas, and other association-owned properties. The Truckee Fire Protection District has recently issued Red Flag warnings due to the risks of lightning and strong winds amid extreme fire danger in the region.

SAM Magazine—Steamboat Springs, Colo., June 26, 2015—Rob Perlman has been named president and chief operating officer of Steamboat Ski & Resort Corporation effective July 1, 2015, by parent company Intrawest Holdings.

SAM Magazine—Mt. Ashland, Ore., June 24, 2015—Mt. Ashland has launched a $650,000 public fundraising campaign, primarily to help fund operation and maintenance costs until the end of November. The campaign, billed as the 2015 Local Mountain Fund, has already brought in $275,000, including $68,000 donated by Mt. Ashland Association board members and employees of the ski area.

SAM Magazine–Santiago, Chile, June 24, 2015–The 2015 ski season is off to a slow start for some ski areas in the Southern Hemisphere, including those in Chile, where six ski areas remain closed due to lack of snowfall. Traditionally skiers and riders in the Southern Hemisphere start hitting the slopes by early to mid June.

However, Francisco Sotomayor, director of Chile’s ski area association, said there have been about 20 seasons in the past 50 that have started after June 25, and 10 seasons have started after July 1.

SAM Magazine—Lincoln, N.H., June 16, 2015—Ski NH’s 33 alpine and cross-country resorts hosted more than 2.57 million alpine, X-C, and tubing visits during the 2014-15 season, according to Ski NH. Abundant snowfall in February and March resulted in numerous record-breaking spring skiing days for many New Hampshire ski areas. That helped offset sporadic weather challenges from Christmas through the Presidents Day vacation period.

SAM Magazine—Whistler, B.C., June 16, 2015—This coming winter, Whistler Blackcomb will conduct a snowmaking pilot project aimed at preserving the Horstman Glacier on Blackcomb Mountain. The area will operate four low-energy guns in the Horstman Hut area to determine if a full-scale snowmaking system is an option to prevent further recession of the glacier.

SAM Magazine—Denver, June 16, 2015—Following a record season across much of the West, summer occupancies and revenues are continuing that momentum, according to the most recent data released by Denver-based DestiMetrics. As of May 31, summer occupancy and reservations were up 8.5 percent compared to the May through October period a year ago. Revenue booked for arrival during the summer season has already reached 70 percent of last summer’s total, a 14 percent increase.

SAM Magazine—Jay Peak, Vt., June 12, 2015—Ski areas in Vermont tallied a record-breaking 4,670,903 million visits during the 2014-15 season. The visit totals were released during the Vermont Ski Areas Association’s (VSAA) 46th Annual Meeting here on Thursday.

Early openings at ski areas, recent capital investments in new snowmaking equipment, and a series of snowstorms that left Vermont leading continental U.S. in total snowfall were all credited for boosting overall skier and snowboarder visitation.

SAM Magazine—Boulder, Colo., June 12, 2015 – Skier and snowboarder visits at the 21 member ski resorts of Colorado Ski Country USA (CSCUSA) totaled 7.1 million during the 2014/15 season, about one-half of 1 percent fewer than last year’s record season and 6.5 percent more than the five-year-average. The figures were released during the association’s 52nd Annual Meeting here yesterday.

SAM Magazine—Santa Fe, N.M., June 9, 2015—New Mexico’s 11 ski areas saw a 19.4 percent increase in skier and snowboarder visits in 2014-15 compared to 2013-14, to 909,357, contributing to a $98 million increase in local economic activity, according to Ski New Mexico.

SAM Magazine—Calgary, Alberta, June 9, 2015—While final skier and snowboarder visits to Canadian ski areas have not yet been released, resorts in Western Canada had a poor to average season. The winter's warm temperatures, below average snow, and decreased days of operation have led a few ski areas to offer dramatically reduced rates on 2015-16 season passes.

SAM Magazine—Lausanne, Switzerland, June 8, 2015—The International Olympic Committee (IOC) approved big air snowboarding and an alpine team event as new event inclusions for the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea.

SAM Magazine—Dresser, Wis., June 8, 2015—Ski areas across the country are ramping up their summer operations with new aerial adventure parks, zip lines, canopy tours, water parks, mountain bike parks and more. With the slew of new year-round activities being offered (too many to report on here) it’s clear that ski areas have a bullish outlook on summer’s potential to significantly add to their overall revenue.

Here’s a sampling:

SAM Magazine—Vernon, N.J., June 8, 2015—The Koffman family, one of four partners that purchased New Jersey’s Mountain Creek from Intrawest in 2010, became the sole owner of the resort on June 4. The Koffman family was also a partner in the original Great Gorge ski area in the 1970s. The transaction provides for improvement and expansion capital as the resort enters its 50th anniversary year, Mountain Creek president Bill Benneyan told SAM.

SAM Magazine—June 5, 2015, Tannersville, PA—Registration for SAM's 6th Annual Summer Ops Camp officially opens today. The camp, which will take place at Camelback Mountain Resort Sept. 9-11, will explore the many benefits of and growing opportunities in summer recreation at winter resorts.

SAM Magazine—Terrebonne, Qué., June 5, 2015—Ski areas in Quebec tallied 5,887,000 skier and snowboarder visits this season, down 2.7 percent over last year ,according to the Quebec Ski Areas Association (ASSQ). The news was announced during the association’s annual meeting in the Laurentians at Manoir St-Sauveur, with more than 300 industry executives in attendance.

SAM Magazine—Kensington, Minn., June 2, 2015—Under the strain of tighter profit margins, two ski areas in the Midwest are looking for local government funding to continue operations.

SAM Magazine—Nagano, Japan, May 28, 2015 —Hakuba Valley in the Japanese Alps has joined the Mountain Collective for the 2015-16 season. The Collective now provides access to 18 mountains in five countries that combined have more than 41,000 skiable acres of terrain and 244 lifts.

SAM Magazine – Salt Lake City, Utah, May 20, 2015 – The Utah ski and snowboard industry closed the 2014-15 winter season with a total of 3,946,762 skier days, down 4.9% from the previous season's 4,148,573. This year's number represents a 2.2% decrease vs. Utah's 5-year average of 4,037,349.

SAM Magazine – Butler, Ohio, May 18, 2015 – Clear Fork Resort will go on the market via a sheriff’s sale in early June after a judge ordered foreclosure on the property to recover nearly $2.5 million in loan debt.

On Feb. 13, Richland County Common Pleas Judge James DeWeese signed a foreclosure paving the way for five land parcels at 341 Resort Drive to be sold, after finding that the current owner, Slater Run Land Development LLC, of Columbus, failed to pay installments due on the loan.

SAM Magazine – Whistler, B.C., May 18, 2015 – Whistler-Blackcomb announced it will roll out a new smoke-free policy May 31 coinciding with World No Tobacco Day. The policy will prohibit smoking anywhere on Whistler-Blackcomb property including lift lines, chairlifts, gondolas, ski runs, hiking trails, valley base areas, parking lots, the bike park trails on Whistler Mountain, and all Whistler-Blackcomb bar and restaurant locations including outdoor patios.

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., May 15, 2015—A number of leadership changes first detailed by Vail Resorts last fall are currently underway.

John Buhler, current COO of Keystone, is transitioning to COO of Breckenridge. Buhler joined Vail Resorts in 1994 as manager of the Breckenridge ski school. He became ski school assistant director in 1996, director of the ski school in 2000, and then the director of skier services in 2007. He became vice president and general manager of Keystone Resort in 2010, and then vice president and COO of Keystone in 2013.

SAM Magazine—South Lake Tahoe, Nev., May 15, 2015—The Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board added the final stamp of approval to an extensive expansion of on-mountain summer activities at Heavenly Mountain Resort. Billed as Epic Discovery, new attractions will include multiple zip line canopy tours, a ropes course, an alpine coaster, a mountain bike park, additional multi-use trails, and interpretive and educational tours. Work is set to begin this summer.

SAM Magazine—Mill Valley, Calif., May 13, 2015—The California Ski Industry Association (CSIA) board of directors has chosen Michael Reitzell, an experienced attorney representing the ski and outdoor recreation industries, to be the new president of CSIA. Reitzell succeeds longtime CSIA chief Bob Roberts, who retires this month. Reitzell begins his new job in July 2015.

Reitzell will be responsible for providing leadership and overseeing the organization’s strategy, operations and finances.

SAM Magazine—Denver, Colo., May 13, 2015—Bolstered by last fall's aquisition of 100 percent interest in Blue Mountain, Ontario, Intrawest reported consolidated revenue increased $36 million, or 12.6 percent, to $321.8 million, for the quarter ended Mar. 31, 2015. On a same-store basis, treating Blue Mountain as if it was fully owned in both years, the revenue increase was 4.8 percent. Net income attributable to Intrawest Resorts Holdings, Inc. improved $19.2 million, or 17.6%, to $128.7 million.

SAM Magazine—Whistler, B.C., May 13, 2015—Skier and snowboarder visits to Whistler Blackcomb fell 9.3 percent, to 1.52 million compared to last season, according to Whistler Blackcomb Holding’s second quarter financial report, for the season through Mar. 31, 2015. Revenues, though, rose 1.5 percent, to $191.4 million, as the decline in visits was offset in part by an 11.1 percent increase in revenue per visit. Whistler Blackcomb Holdings has a 75 percent interest in and manages the entities that operate Whistler Blackcomb.

SAM Magazine—San Francisco, May 6, 2015—NSAA handed out a variety of awards at the National Convention here.

SAM Magazine—San Francisco, May 6, 2015—The U.S. ski industry tallied an estimated 53.6 million skier and snowboarder visits this past season, making 2014-15 the second-worst since 2000-01, according to the National Ski Areas Association. The results represent a 5 percent decrease from 2013-14, and are down 3.8 percent from the five-season industry average of 55.7 million.

The only year of the past 15 that was worse was 2011-12, when there were 50.97 million skier and rider visits.

SAM Magazine—San Francisco, May 6, 2015—The U.S. Ski Team is assuming operational control of NASTAR through a partnership with the program’s owner, Active Interest Media (AIM). NASTAR is featured at 115 resorts nationwide, with more than 165,000 racer days each year.

SAM Magazine—San Francisco, May 6, 2015—Thredbo, Australia, has joined The Mountain Collective as a full resort partner for the 2015-16 season, making it the first resort outside of North America to be added to the multi-resort pass. The news comes on the heals of Vail Resorts’ purchase of Perisher last month and further indicates that North American ski areas see opportunity in the ski and ride market Down Under.

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., April 28, 2015—Vail Resorts has reported that for the 2014-15 season, total lift revenues, including an allocated portion of season pass revenue, were up approximately 8.5 percent, while total skier visits for the company's nine mountain resorts were down 2.8 percent compared to 2013-14.

Additionally, ancillary spending for the season outpaced skier visitation, with ski school revenue up 3.4 percent, and dining revenue up 3.3 percent. Retail and rental revenue for resort store locations was up 3.8 percent.

SAM Magazine—Rossland, B.C., April 27, 2015—Don Thompson has been promoted to president at Red Mountain. Thompson is the former vice president of operations and development and is now in charge of all aspects of resort operations, as well as project and property management.

SAM Magazine—Donnelley, Idaho, April 23, 2015—Brad Larsen is set to become the new general manager for Tamarack Resort. He is joining the team of Replay Resorts, which was chosen last month to run Tamarack by the resort’s owner, New TR Acquisitions Co. (NEWTRAC). Replay is taking over management on May 1 from the Tamarack Municipal Association (TMA), the homeowners’ association that stepped in to manage day-to-day ski operations in 2010.

In his new role, Larsen will be responsible for resort operations and real estate development and marketing.

SAM Magazine—Lakewood, Colo., April 23, 2015—The National Ski Patrol (NSP) has bestowed its Minnie Dole Award on Ed McNamara, chair of the NSP board of directors. The award is given to patrollers who exemplify a spirit of service, dedication, and sacrifice that was epitomized by the organization's founder, Charles Minot "Minnie" Dole.

"This was a total surprise, and it is an absolute honor to be placed in the same category as the other incredible recipients," said McNamara. "I am grateful to all who made this possible."

SAM Magazine—Denver, April 14, 2015—Despite mercurial temperatures and sporadic snowfall throughout the Rocky Mountain and Far West mountain resorts in February and March, resort lodging posted double-digit increases in revenue for the third straight winter, with summer reservations following a similar track, according to Denver-based DestiMetrics.

As of March 31, data collected by DestiMetrics for 19 mountain destinations in six western states showed actual occupancy for the winter season up 5.9 percent and revenues up 11.7 percent compared to the prior year.

SAM €ˆMagazine—Natick, Mass., April 14, 2015—SAM Magazine is proud to announce the 2015 SAMMY Leadership Award winners: Beth Howard, Ryan Locher, and Hiram Towle. The awards, now in their 19th year, are given each year to individuals who will shape the future of the mountain resort industry. This year saw a record number of nominations, and almost 3,000 votes were tallied for our 12 finalists. Winners will be presented with an award on May 3 at the SAMMY Awards event at the National Ski Areas Association conference in San Francisco, CA.

SAM Magazine—Squaw Valley, Calif., April 13, 2015—After years of negotiating, Squaw Valley has reached an agreement with private land owner Troy Caldwell to build a base-to-base gondola connecting Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows. The linkage traverses White Wolf, Caldwell’s land, and has been at the top of both parties’ wish list for years.

“Connecting Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows through White Wolf is literally bringing my long-time dream to fruition, I’ve waited years for this to happen,” said Caldwell.

SAM Magazine—Denver, Colo., April 9, 2015—New snow that swept California, Utah, and parts of the Northeast have allowed some ski areas to tack on a few more days to their seasons. Squaw Valley reset its closing date to April 19 thanks to 20 inches of new snow in the past week. The area has four lifts running on a 45-inch base, and officials said they might stay open longer if conditions permit.

SAM Magazine—Jackson, Wyo., April 6, 2015—Mountain bike riders in North America have crowned the top bike parks as part of the second annual "Best Bike Parks Riders' Choice Awards" produced by MTBparks.com, a comprehensive online guide to North American bike parks.

More than 3,000 riders cast votes this year on the top lift-served mountain-bike parks in eight separate regions: Western Canada, Eastern Canada, Northeast, Mid-Atlantic/Southeast, Midwest, Southwest, Northwest, and the Rocky Mountains.

SAM Magazine—Donner Summit, Calif., April 4, 2015—Rob Kautz, president and CEO of Sugar Bowl Resort, is retiring after nearly four decades at Sugar Bowl Resort. Kautz will stay on as president and CEO until Sugar Bowl Resort finds and trains a replacement, and will continue to work at the resort through June 2016. He will also remain on Sugar Bowl Corporation’s board of directors.

SAM Magazine—Carrabassett Valley, Maine—On the heels of the King Pine lift rollback two weeks ago, Sugarloaf has taken a second, similar lift out of service. The Timberline lift, the most similar to the design of the King Pine, was found to have abnormal wear on the driveshaft, which was the component that failed and initiated the King Pine incident.

SAM Magazine—Monarch, Colo., April 2, 2015—Monarch Mountain CEO Rich Moorhead is retiring effective April 30 following a 39 year career at the ski area. He was appointed manager and CEO in 2002 after PowderMonarch LLC purchased the ski area’s assets, and Moorhead obtained an ownership stake in the ski area. He will continue to serve an advisory role and maintain partial ownership of the ski area.

SAM Magazine—Mill Valley, Calif., April 2, 2015—This week, California Gov. Jerry Brown ordered mandatory water use reductions for the first time in California’s history, saying that the state’s four-year drought had reached “near-crisis proportions.” Nonetheless, ski industry officials in California told SAM that ski areas are not likely to be hit hard by water restrictions, though they caution that the final language of the mandate is still forthcoming.

SAM Magazine--Broomfield, Colo.—March 30, 2015—Vail Resorts (VR) has agreed to acquire its first international mountain resort, Perisher Ski Resort in New South Wales, Australia, for AU$176.6 million (approximately US$136 million). The acquisition is expected to close in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2015 following the satisfaction of certain conditions.

SAM Magazine—Red Lodge, Mont., March 30, 2015—Red Lodge Mountain Resort resumed operations Sunday after a wildfire about three miles west forced officials to evacuate its slopes on Saturday. About 650 skiers were evacuated from the ski area, and residents were evacuated from nearby subdivisions as 60 mph winds fanned the West Fork fire in Custer National Forest.