SAM Magazine—Woodbury, Conn., Nov. 13, 2014—A strong cold front that continues to sweep through most of the country this week blanketed some ski areas with nearly two feet of fresh snow, allowing snowmaking crews to piggyback off of Mother Nature’s graces as they work to open for the 2014-15 season. The National Weather Service...

SAM Magazine—Denver, Nov. 7, 2014—Three Colorado resorts headline this weekend’s openings, along with resorts in California, Nevada, and Michigan, as the winter season slowly gets underway. The pace could well pick up soon, though: With an extended cold snap forecast next week for much of the nation east of the Rockies, more resor...

SAM Magazine — Broomfield, Colo., Nov. 5, 2014 — Vail Resorts, Inc. today announced that Patricia Campbell, executive VP and COO of Breckenridge Ski Resort, will become president of the company's mountain division effective Aug. 1, 2015. At that time, Blaise Carrig, current mountain division president, will step down but remain w...

SAM Magazine – Aspen Snowmass Village, Colo. Nov. 4, 2014 – Today Aspen Skiing Company announced an internal reorganization that is says is aimed at enhancing the guest experience through improved operational efficiencies, developing a more collaborative environment among employees, and allowing the company to keep up with the pace of t...

ISHPEMING, MI – Nov. 4, 2014 – Ten athletes and sport builders make up the Class of 2014 to be inducted into the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame in Steamboat Springs “Ski Town USA,” Colorado on April 11, 2015. Among the inductees are Olympic champion snowboarder Ross Powers, World Alpine Championship medalist Eri...

SAM Magazine – Woodbury, Ct., Oct. 31, 2014 ¬– The Halloween weekend saw a flurry of ski area opening activities as the result of a Nor’Easter making its way up the Atlantic Coast. On Sunday, North Carolina’s Sugar Mountain realized the second earliest opening in its 38-year history, thanks to an arctic blast that dro...

SAM Magazine – Woodbury, Ct., Oct. 31, 2014 – Organizers of the snow sports industry’s Learn to Ski and Snowboard (Month) and Bring a Friend initiative recently unveiled a new campaign called “First Day Faces” that will make its official consumer debut Dec. 1, 2014. The ads and social media campaign feature the happy f...

SAM Magazine – Taylor Falls, Minn., Oct. 31, 2014 After tweeting a shot of a virtual blizzard via snowmaking last night, Wild Mountain in Taylor Falls, Minn., opened its Front Stage terrain park today serviced by a rope tow. This comes after just 14 hours of snowmaking. “We’re doing it to let the kids come out and play,&rdqu...

SAM Magazine—Durango, Colo., Oct. 30, 2014—A Durango businessman, James Coleman, is buying Durango Mountain Resort (DMR) and Arizona Snowbowl. Further, he is teaming them with two New Mexico areas, Sipapu and Pajarito, to form a four-resort group that collectively tally 3,088 acres, 26 lifts, more than 200 trails and 13 terrain parks. S...

SAM Magazine—Park City, Utah, Oct. 28, 2014—Powdr Enterprises, the sports marketing and entertainment division of Powdr, has forged a strategic brand partnership with Boyne Resorts. The two companies will pool corporate partnership rights to provide brand partners a diverse platform to reach mountain sports and active lifestyle consumer...

SAM Magazine—Tannersville, Pa., Oct. 24, 2014——SAM's sixth annual Summer Ops Camp, a hands-on educational and networking event, will head to Camelback, Pa., Sept. 9-11. The Camp gathers resort managers and operators from around North America to explore opportunities in four-season attractions at one of North America’s mo...

SAM Magazine—Wildwood, Mo., Oct. 22, 2014—Peak Resorts has filed for an initial public offering of its common stock, seeking to raise up to $100 million. Peak Resorts filed a prospectus with the Securities Exchange Commission Monday. This is its second attempt to go public: In 2011, Peak filed for an $85 million IPO that was eventual...

SAM Magazine—Ludlow, Vt., Oct. 21, 2014—Okemo Mountain Resort and Snow Park Technologies (SPT) have partnered on a three-year plan to reimagine the terrain park experience at the resort. SPT has a long history of designing and constructing courses for events including the ESPN Winter X Games, Dew Tour, Burton US Open. It also regular...

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., Oct. 21, 2014—Vail Resorts’ new EpicDay Lift Tickets, an online and mobile platform to purchase daily lift tickets, in advance, offers convenience and the guaranteed lowest price (as much as 25 percent off the lead rate) at its U.S. resorts. “The earlier you purchase your tickets prior to a...

SAM Magazine—Washington, D.C., Oct. 21, 2014—SnowSports Industries America (SIA) will host a first-ever Industry + Intelligence gathering Wednesday, Jan. 28, the day before its annual trade show opens. The event will include educational offerings, market intelligence, networking opportunities, keynote speakers, a job fair, and socializi...

SAM Magazine—Olympic Valley, Calif., Oct. 21, 2014—Squaw Valley plans to enhance skiable terrain through a month-long, ecological forest thinning project beginning this week. More than 5,000 dead or diseased trees will be removed to improve the natural habitat, reduce the risk of wildfire, and, just as importantly, provide unprecedented...

SAM Magazine—Vail, Colo., Oct. 20, 2014—The U.S. Forest Service has published a final record of decision regarding Vail’s comprehensive summer activities proposal, "Epic Discovery, a Summer Mountain." The decision is the first to stem from passage of the Ski Area Recreational Opportunities Act in 2011. Epic Discovery ...

SAM Magazine—Denver, Oct. 17, 2014—The record-breaking summer for both occupancy and revenue among western mountain resorts is carrying into the winter booking season, according to Denver-based DestiMetrics, which tracks mountain lodging bookings at 19 western mountain resorts in six states. As of Sept. 30, winter bookings for Novemb...

SAM Magazine—Arapahoe Basin, Colo., Oct. 15, 2014—Arapahoe Basin Ski Area will kick off Colorado’s 2014-15 ski and snowboard season on Friday, Oct. 17. The Black Mountain Express high-speed quad chairlift will open at 9 a.m. to whisk riders to the top of the intermediate High Noon trail at mid-mountain. “Conditions have b...

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., Oct. 9, 2014—Vail Resorts has named Bill Rock, currently chief operating officer of Northstar California Resort, as the new chief operating officer of Park City Mountain Resort and Canyons Resort. Beth Howard, currently vice president of mountain dining and clubs, will become general manager of Northstar ...

SAM Magazine--Steamboat Springs, Colo., October 8, 2014--It seems that Utah can't stay out of the news. On the heels of the launch of a marketing campaign by Visit Salt Lake to promote Salt Lake City and its four member resorts (Brighton, Solitude, Alta and Snowbird) as Ski City USA, which appeared to be an effort to attract visitors away from ...

SAM Magazine—Park City, Utah, Oct. 3, 2014—Deer Valley Resort has entered into an agreement to purchase Solitude Mountain Resort and will begin operating the resort on May 1, 2015. No price was made public. “Solitude is an incredible resort and provided a huge opportunity for us to expand our offerings right here in Utah,&rdquo...

SAM Magazine--Donnelly, Idaho, October 3, 2014--The Idaho State Land Board authorized the transfer of Tamarack's lease yesterday to New TR Acquisition Co. LLC (NEWTRAC). NEWTRAC announced that it will be expanding operations to seven days a week--the resort has been operated by the Tamarack Municipal Association on a Thursday-to-Sunday schedule...

SAM Magazine—San Francisco, Oct. 1, 2014—Liftopia, which operates a consumer marketplace and resort technology platform for ski lift tickets and other mountain activities, has introduced the industry’s first tiered, dynamic pricing system for lift tickets. The company’s Value, Value Plus and Flexible options are now availabl...

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., Oct. 1, 2014—Vail Resorts (VR) is making it easier for skiers and snowboarders to plan their time on the mountain. A new slice of the EpicMix pie, called EpicMix Guide, generates a customized, step-by-step navigational guide to Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge or Keystone in Colorado, Canyons in Park City...

SAM Magazine—Hartford, Conn., Oct. 1, 2014—The Connecticut skier safety act has been amended to require restraining bars for all chairlifts; padding or other protection for lift towers; and padding or fencing for all onslope snowmaking equipment, including above-ground snowmaking pipe. The changes went into effect today. The requirem...

SAM Magazine--September 29, 2014--Season's passes continue to evolve this year, as resorts entice ever more skiers and riders to commit their time and money ahead of the season to come. Intrawest has updated the options for its Intrawest Passport, a friends-and-family pass that allows up to 16 people to define their own family unit, in which...

SAM Magazine—Big Bear Lake, Calif., Sept. 24, 2014—Mammoth Mountain Ski Area, owner of Mammoth Mountain and June Mountain, has entered into an agreement to acquire Big Bear Mountain Resorts and its Bear Mountain and Snow Summit resorts, which host nearly 800,000 winter visits annually. The transaction will create one of the nation&rsquo...

SAM Magazine—Denver, Sept. 19, 2014—Wolf Creek ski area has been cited by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and fined $14,000 for failing to mitigate avalanche danger in the death patroller Colin Sutton last March 4, while Sutton was working outside the resort boundary. OSHA’s citation, which was obtained...

SAM Magazine—Patterson, N.Y., Sept. 18, 2014—After 20 years of operating Thunder Ridge Ski Area, located in the suburban New York City area, lessee-operators Mary and Bob Conklin are retiring and relinquishing operations to the area’s current owners, Dean and Wayne Ryder. The transition from the Conklins to the Ryders is alread...

SAM Magazine—Denver, Sept. 18, 2014—It’s almost a throwback in its simplicity: the Gems Card program features two-for-one lift tickets at eight Colorado Ski Country USA (CSCUSA) member areas, along with exclusive Flash Deal promotions throughout the season. At any Gems resort, card holders can purchase one adult full-day lift t...

SAM Magazine—Denver, Sept. 18, 2014— As of Aug. 31, occupancy for May through October among Western lodging properties in 19 destination resorts was up 5.4 percent compared to the same time last year, according to DestiMetrics, despite a slight 1.1 percent decline in September. Revenues for the six-month May to October period are up 10....

SAM Magazine—Collingwood, Ont., Sept. 12, 2014—Intrawest Resorts Holdings, Inc., which has held a 50 percent ownership in Blue Mountain since 1999, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the 50% interest in Blue Mountain Ski Resort that has been held by Blue Mountain Resorts Holdings Inc., for C$58 million. The resort has be...

SAM Magazine—Park City, Utah, Sept. 11, 2014—Vail Resorts, Inc. has acquired Park City Mountain Resort (PCMR) for $182.5 million. The deal ends an epic legal battle over PCMR’s lease for most of the on-mountain terrain, and removes the uncertainty that had hung over the resort for the past few years after a court ruled that PCMR had failed to renew its lease and eviction loomed.

SAM Magazine—Park City, Utah, Sept. 9, 2014—Park City Mountain Resort (PCMR) will pay the $17.5 million bond amount ordered by the Court last Friday, thus ensuring the resort will open as planned this season, scheduled for November 22, 2014. Negotiations between PCMR and landlord Vail regarding the long-term resolution of ownership and ...

SAM Magazine--Tully, N.Y., September 3, 2014--Song Mountain and Labrador Mountain, both located in central New York, have announced a merger. According to published reports, the two mountains will consolidate operations, but management and staffing will remain largely the same. The two areas will offer a new Inter-Mountain Passport. Peter Harris, w...

SAM Magazine—Park City, Utah, Aug. 27, 2014—District Judge Ryan Harris postponed until Sept. 3 a decision on the bond he would require Park City Mountain Resort to post if it wants to operate the resort for 2014-15. Harris cited the introduction of new information from both parties, and their continuing mediation effort, for the delay. ...

SAM Magazine--Woodbury, Conn., August 25, 2014--SAM's fifth annual Summer Ops Camp, to be held this year at Vail Mountain from September 3-5, 2014, has sold out. The event, which combines classroom learning and networking with hands-on experiences, provides attendees with the latest ideas and innovations in four-season recreation. From risk ...

SAM Magazine--Vail, Colo., August 25, 2014--The U.S. Forest Service has published a draft record of decision regarding the Vail Resorts, Inc.’s summer activities proposal—Epic Discovery, a Summer Mountain Adventure—at Vail Mountain. The primary activities and enhancements included in the draft record of decision are as follows:...

SAM Magazine—Bear Valley, Calif., Aug. 21, 2014—Skyline International Development, Inc., is set to acquire Bear Valley Mountain Resort. The agreement comes after several weeks of discussion with the current ownership as well as local community leaders who had formed the Bear Valley Mountain Cooperative, which was also in the process of ...

SAM Magazine—Ashland, Ore., Aug. 18, 2014—Mt. Ashland Association, the non-profit 501(c)(3) that operates the Mt. Ashland Ski Area, has hired Hiram Towle as the ski area’s new general manager. Over the past decade, Towle has held a variety of management positions at Sunday River, Maine, most recently as conference sales manager...

SAM Magazine—Denver, Aug. 18, 2014—The Western mountain lodging business is poised to post record occupancy and revenue figures for the third consecutive year, according to the most recent results released by Denver-based DestiMetrics. Projections for the 2014 summer, May through October, call for occupancy to rise four percent and reve...

SAM Magazine—Park City, Utah, Aug. 17, 2014—Park City Mountain Resort and Talisker/Vail Resorts appear to be far apart on the value of the mountain underlying much of PCMR’s terrain. PCMR said that the appropriate rent for the 3,000 acre should be between $226,000 and $1 million a year, according to a report at Forbes.com. PCMR al...

SAM Magazine—Park City, Utah, Aug. 15, 2014—Today, on the day their mediation effort was to end, Park City Mountain Resort (PCMR) and Talisker Land Holdings asked Third District Court judge Ryan Harris to extend the mediation deadline by nine days. The request to judge Harris was made in the form of a joint letter from the lead attorney...

SAM Magazine—Banff, Alberta, Aug. 14, 2014—The Mountain Collective has added Ski Banff-Lake Louise-Sunshine to its roster for the 2014-15 winter season. The Canadian group joins Alta/Snowbird, Aspen Snowmass, Jackson Hole, Mammoth Mountain, Squaw Valley/Alpine Meadows and Whistler Blackcomb. A limited number of Mountain Collective pa...

SAM Magazine—Park City, Utah, Aug. 13, 2014—With an Aug. 15 mediation deadline fast approaching, and no sign of movement in negotiations, Park City Mountain Resort (PCMR) has offered to pay rent equal to “greater than fair market value” for 2011-15, in return for a ceasefire in landlord Talisker’s efforts to evict PCMR...

SAM Magazine—Washington, D.C., Aug. 13, 2014—Organizers of Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month (LSSM) and the Bring a Friend initiative (BAF) are introducing an updated toolkit for industry partners to use this fall and winter, and encouraging greater collaboration across the industry to bolster the recruitment effort. The program aims to ...

SAM Magazine—Flagstaff, Ariz., Aug. 13, 2014—Arizona Snowbowl will have access to reclaimed wastewater for snowmaking for the next 20 years now that the city of Flagstaff has approved an extension of Snowbowl’s agreement with the city. Snowbowl had requested the extension to ensure its water supply before the resort borrowed an...

SAM Magazine—Park City, Utah, July 30, 2014—The ongoing maneuvering by the two sides in the PCMR lease dispute has left the Park City community unsettled. The resort is the major economic engine for the town, and the status of the resort for the coming season remains uncertain. Legal proceedings currently underway may not conclude befor...

SAM Magazine—Copper Mountain, Colo., July 29, 2014—In step with the trend toward multi-area pass privileges, Copper Mountain is sweetening its 2014-15 season pass deals, offering passholders three free days at Taos, N.M., and free skiing at Grand Targhee with a purchase of accommodations through Grand Targhee Lodging. Those benefits ...

SAM Magazine—Hancock, Mass., July 22, 2014—A year ago, Killington and Elan surprised the resort industry by offering free skis to beginners who completed a multi-day learning program. Now, the Fairbank Group’s Bromley, Vt., and Cranmore, N.H., are following suit. The two, along with Group mate Jiminy Peak, Mass., are also offer...

SAM Magazine--July 22, 2014--A British Columbia Supreme Court ruled in favor of a sale of Mount Baldy in a foreclosure case brought by a secured creditor. G-Force Real Estate Inc., is the marketing agent and has received a conduct of sale to sell substantially all of the assets of Mount Baldy Ski Corporation and related companies. Mount Baldy is...

SAM Magazine—Los Angeles, July 17, 2014—U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) Olympic snowboard slopestyle gold medalists Jamie Anderson and Sage Kotsenburg won three 2014 ESPY Awards last night. Anderson was named Best Female Action Sports Athlete and Best Female U.S. Olympian, while Kotsenburg was chosen as Best Male U.S. Olympian...

SAM Magazine—Denver, July 16, 2014—Occupancy and revenue for the month of June rose compared to year-ago levels, up 9 and 14 percent, respectively, according to DestiMetrics. This marks the 13th year-over-year monthly increase in occupancy during the past 14 months; revenues have risen year-over-year for 14 months. DestiMetrics data ...

SAM Magazine—Concord, N.H., July 12, 2014 (updated July 16, 2014)—After a seven-year court battle, on Friday a state judge agreed with the operators of Mount Sunapee Resort that its leasehold boundary is the same as the state park’s north and west boundaries, as the resort has claimed. Sunapee can now consider terrain expansion op...

SAM Magazine--Los Alamos, N.M., July 11, 2014--The Los Alamos Ski Club announced that a 2/3 majority of voting members approved the transfer of Pajarito Mountain Ski Area to Los Alamos County and the management group that operates Sipapu Ski and Summer Resort. The partnership will ensure the future of skiing and year-round recreational activities a...

SAM Magazine—Park City, Utah, July 11, 2014—Park City Mountain Resort (PCMR) took the first step on Thursday in appealing the district court’s ruling on PCMR’s eviction from land owned by Talisker, filing a notice of appeal that the resort wishes to take the case to the Utah Supreme Court. In a prepared statement, PCMR at...

SAM Magazine—Price Township, Pa., July 11, 2014—Alpine Mountain is offering a $10,000 reward after thieves hit the ski resort repeatedly over the past two weeks, taking nearly a mile’s worth of heavy-gauge copper wire. The thefts have slowed, but not deterred, new owners’ efforts to renovate the area ahead of the 2014-15 sea...

SAM Magazine--Lakewood, Colo., July 11, 2014--The National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) announced that beginning in September 2014, ski resorts, companies, and brands will have the ability to reserve unique domain names that end in .SKI. NSAA, along with FIS and USSA, have been working in conjunction with the .SKI registry operators on the unique I...

SAM Magazine--Albany, N.Y., July 10, 2014--The New York State comptroller's office released an audit this week of the Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) that found some serious flaws and made some key recommendations. ORDA oversees the operation of Whiteface, Gore and, more recently, Belleayre. The audit spanned from April 2010 to Se...