SAM Magazine—Truckee, Calif., Nov. 7, 2013—Several Western areas are adding value to their pass offerings. Sugar Bowl Resort has partnered with Sun Valley Resort, complementing a similar deal with Grand Targhee, Wyo., to give Sugar Bowl’s unrestricted and slightly restricted season passholders free skiing at both partner resorts (and vice versa). Similarly, Mt. Bachelor, Ore., Grand Targhee and Whitefish Mountain Resort, Mont., are offering a new multi-resort Mountain West 6-Pack.

SAM Magazine--Salt Lake City, Utah, November 7, 2013--Ski Utah is bringing its message to Coloradans this weekend during the Denver Ski & Snowboard Expo, held from November 8-10 at the Colorado Convention Center. This marks the first time that any Utah resort will be represented at the show. Ski Utah will represent its 14 member resorts in a 20-foot by 20-foot booth.

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., Nov. 6, 2013—SAM Magazine and Snow Operating LLC, are joining forces to host the first annual Conversion Camp at Jiminy Peak, Mass., March 4-6, 2014. The Conversion Camp will be a total immersive experience for resort operators that examines the complete trial and conversion process for beginners—from the parking lot to the slopes.

SAM Magazine—Telluride, Colo., Nov. 7, 2013—Telluride Ski Resort has brought in four industry veterans to fill out its management team, headed by president and GM Greg Pack, who assumes his new role Nov. 19.

SAM Magazine—Ishpeming, Mich., Nov. 6, 2013—Six athletes and sport builders have been elected to the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame for their contributions to the sport. Honorees include big mountain skier Scot Schmidt, freestyle pioneer and world champion John Clendenin, 2006 Olympic moguls bronze medalist Toby Dawson, freestyle aerials champion Kris Feddersen, globally acclaimed ski film producer Joe Jay Jalbert, and ski show pioneer Jerry Simon.

SAM Magazine—Copper Mountain, Colo., Oct. 31, 2013—Several resorts are opening for the season on Friday, Nov. 1, as the season begins to pick up steam. The resorts include Copper Mountain and Keystone in Colorado, Boreal, California, and Mt. Norquay, Alberta.

SAM Magazine—Frisco, Colo., Oct. 31, 2013—In an attempt to ease housing pressures for employees of the resorts that populate the I-70 corridor in Colorado, the U.S. House of Representatives has approved a bill to convey 40 acres of White River National Forest to Summit County, Colo., so that the county can establish affordable housing on the site. The land is between Dillon and Frisco, near I-70. Proceeds from home sales could be used to fund maintenance and improvements to Forest Service facilities.

SAM Magazine--October 30, 2013--Foreclosures, bad economy and more have taken their toll on all industries worldwide, and the mountain resort industry is no different. But, let's start with some good news. In New Hampshire, Whaleback Ski Area announced its closure this year after the owners were foreclosured on. In August, the bank tried to auction the area, but failed to attract any bidders. Enter the Upper Valley Snow Sports Foundation, a nonprofit group set up to reopen Whaleback this season.

SAM Magazine—Breckenridge, Colo., Oct. 24, 2013—Breckenridge Ski Resort will offer an exclusive perk for guests staying in resort-owned lodging properties this winter: First Tracks Fridays. This program will allow guests staying at official Breckenridge Ski Resort lodging properties to access a designated chairlift on Peak 9 one hour before the resort opens to the general public on Friday mornings throughout the 2013-14 winter ski season.

SAM Magazine--Vancouver, B.C., October 24, 2013--Tourism British Columbia launched a new website this week called Ski It To Believe It. The site features comprehensive stats for 13 B.C. resorts, including Apex, Big White, Fernie, Kicking Horse, Kimberley, Mount Washington, Panorama, Red Mountain, Revelstoke, Silver Star, Sun Peaks, Whistler Blackcomb and Whitewater. Each area's page includes a trail map, videos, a description and stats such as annual snowfall, number of lifts, etc. The pages also include the resorts' Twitter feeds for the most up-to-date information.

SAM Magazine—Colorado Springs, Colo., Oct. 24, 2013—The U.S. Olympic Committee has named Ted Ligety 2012-13 Olympic SportsMan of the Year, its highest annual individual athlete honor. The 2006 Olympic gold medalist won three gold medals at the 2013 FIS Alpine World Ski Championship and six Audi FIS Alpine World Cup giant slalom victories en route to the fourth World Cup giant slalom title of his career.

SAM Magazine--Whitehorse, Yukon, October 23, 2013--After receiving news early this summer that the City Council of Whitehorse rejected a request for $400,000 to continue to operate Mount Sima, a community ski hill, a group called Friends of Mount Sima rallied and raised more than $200,000 through fundraising efforts and season pass sales and announced that the area will open its doors this season. According to CBC News, the ski area's financial difficulties were so bad that the previous board of directors all resigned and the hill was closed in July.

SAM Magazine—Georgetown, Colo., Oct. 18, 2013—Loveland Ski Area has became the second resort in Colorado to open for the 2013-14 season, with Wolf Creek set to become the third on Saturday.

SAM Magazine--Aspen, Colo., October 15, 2013--The Aspen Skiing Co. has thrown its hat in the ring to host the World Cup Finals at Aspen Mountain in 2017. According to the Aspen Daily News, Aspen has been hosting annual World Cup races for women and, on the men's side, last hosted a men's downhill in 2001. The last World Cup Finals held in North America were in 1997 at Vail. As of right now, Lenzerheide, Switzerland, is also bidding to host the Finals. FIS officials should reach a decision by June

SAM Magazine--Denver, Colo., October 15, 2013--As early snowstorms and cold weather fronts moved across the California, Utah and Colorado mountains, bookings among participating resorts continued their upward trend in pacing and revenues. In the most recent data released by the Denver-based DestiMetrics (formerly known as Mountain Travel Research Program-MTRiP) in their monthly briefing, on-the-books occupancy for October is up 7.4 percent compared to last October and revenues are up 13.9 percent.

SAM Magazine--Kansas City, Mo., October 14, 2013--EPR Properties announced that it is the entity that purchased Camelback Mountain Resort in Tannersville, Pa. for close to $70 million. The resort consists of 160 acres of skiable terrain and includes a waterpark, an outdoor adventure park, a 40-lane tubing facility and base lodge. The resort hosts 900,000 visitors annually.

SAM Magazine—Arapahoe Basin, Colo., Oct. 11, 2013—Arapahoe Basin Ski Area will open Sunday, Oct. 13, 2013, marking the official start to the Colorado ski and snowboard season. Early-season snow, low temperatures and snowmaking upgrades have made it possible for A-Basin to open four days earlier than last season.

The Black Mountain Express lift will start at 8:30 a.m. to shuttle guests to the top of the intermediate High Noon trail at mid-mountain.

SAM Magazine—Lakewood, Colo., Oct. 11, 2013—The National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) today released its 13th Sustainable Slopes Annual Report detailing the ski industry’s progress in implementing the principles of its Environmental Charter during the 2012-13 season.

Among the highlights:

SAM Magazine—Washington, D.C., Oct. 11, 2013—The 2013 Women's Snow Sports Market Intelligence Report reveals that 3.3 million women participated in snowsports last season, and made $1 billion in purchases of women-specific gear during the 2012-13 season. The report, a supplement to the full Market Intelligence Report produced by Snowsports Industries America (SIA), calls women critical to the snow sports market for their purchases and for their influence over family activities.

Select Highlights:

SAM Magazine--Tannersville, Pa., October 10, 2013--Spirit Realty Capital, Inc., the real estate investment trust (REIT) that owned Camelback Mountain Resort, announced that it has sold Camelback Mountain Resort for $69.25 million, representing a "significant gain on its original investment," says the press release. The REIT bought the area in 2005.

SAM Magazine--October 8, 2013--In a survey released last week by PhoCusWright, a New York based travel industry research group, and sponsored by Mountain Travel Symposium (MTS), the current data available on the travel behavior of skiers and snowboarders revealed new information about these specific destination travelers.

Here are some highlights:

SAM Magazine--Los Angeles, Calif., October 3, 2013--ESPN issued the following statement today: ESPN today announced it will not continue with X Games events in Barcelona, Munich, Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil and Tignes, France. We are proud to have run world-class competitions for both the athletes and spectators; however the overall economics of these events do not provide a sustainable future path.

SAM Magazine--October 3, 2013--In a clever move, Arizona Snowbowl and Aspen/Snowmass are spinning lifts for tourists who are shut out of national parks. Thanks to the government shutdown, national parks are closed across the country, so the ski areas decided to offer alternatives for tourists.

SAM Magazine--Vernon, N.J., October 2, 2013--UPDATE: After announcing an auction for October 1, Hidden Valley remains unsold after no-one bid on the resort. According to The Star-Ledger, bidding was expected to start at $2.75 million (an amount that would cover debts and fees). The auction house is still hopeful that someone will make an offer. In the meantime, it is researching other uses for the 140-acre parcel.

SAM Magazine--Greenwood, Maine, October 1, 2013--Building on an existing partnership, Mt. Abram, Maine, has hired Mountain Rider’s Alliance (MRA) to manage the ski area. MRA is a grassroots organization whose mission is to create sustainable mountain playgrounds. Led by GM Dave Scanlan, MRA personnel will fill other key positions of Mt Abram’s leadership team.

Loveland, CO

SAM Magazine—Denver, Oct. 1, 2013—Colorado resorts have begun snowmaking operations for the 2013-14 season. Loveland Basin cranked up its guns at 6 p.m. on Sept. 27, and Arapahoe Basin followed five hours later. Copper Mountain began early today.

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., Sept. 27, 2013—Vail Resorts (VR) rebounded nicely in 2012-13 from a very poor 2011-12 season, and early indicators, such as pass sales, suggest the coming winter will be strong. That’s the big picture presented by VR’s year-end financial report, released today.

For the year ended July 31, total net revenue was $1.121 billion, a 9.4 percent increase from the prior year. Net income of $37.7 million more than doubled the $16.5 million from 2012.

SAM Magazine--Covington Township, Pa., September 26, 2013--The following is a statement released by The Renaissance Auction Group: "We are pleased to announce that the high bid submitted at the Sealed Bid auction for Alpine Mountain Ski Area was accepted by the sellers.

SAM Magazine—Missoula, Mont., Sept. 25, 2013—The Bitterroot and Lolo national forests have, for the third time, rejected Tom Maclay’s proposal for a ski resort on the national forest above his family’s former ranch.

“Based on review of your proposal, we have concluded that your proposal is not consistent with all of the initial screening criteria, and therefore the proposal will not receive further evaluation and processing,” forest supervisors Deborah Austin and Julie King of the Lolo and Bitterroot forests said.

SAM Magazine—Aspen, Colo., September 24, 2013—Summer gave way to snow on the first few days of fall across parts of the West. From Colorado to California and Oregon, resorts reported the first significant snow of the season. It was significant enough at Silverton, Colo., where two to three feet of snow fell, that a few patrollers rode the lift and claimed first tracks for the 2013-14 season.

In the Colorado Rockies, several resorts reported several inches of snow: Aspen/Snowmass, Loveland, Arapahoe Basin, Vail, Beaver Creek, and Breckenridge among them.

SAM Magazine—Ludlow, Vt., Sept. 24, 2013—The state of Vermont has given the go-ahead to a $200 million development at Okemo Mountain. The development will be led by Timber Creek at Okemo, a private investment group, but it will connect to the existing resort. Okemo will operate the development’s two planned lifts and snowmaking on the project’s seven trails and integrate them into the area.

SAM Magazine—West Dover, Vermont, Sept. 24, 2013—New England areas are competing hard for core customers, especially college-age and post-college skiers and riders.

SAM Magazine--Mount Spokane, Wash., September 20, 2013--A proposed lift, which would have accessed 279 more acres at Mt. Spokane Ski and Snowboard Park, was halted by a ruling this past Tuesday from the state appeals court. According to The Spokesman-Review, the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission made a mistake by not requiring a detailed study of how a new chairlift would impact old-growth forest, meadows and wetlands. The appeal was filed by The Lands Council.

SAM Magazine--Park City, Utah, September 19, 2013--Yesterday, a district county judge in Summit County, Utah, ruled that Park City Mountain Resort (PCMR) can ammend its complaint against Talisker Land Holdings LLC and argue that it had "first right of refusal" to buy the terrain that Talisker owns and leases to PCMR. The terrain does not include PCMR's base area, but a large part of its slopes.

SAM Magazine--Denver, Colo., September 18, 2013 – Colorado Ski Country USA (CSCUSA) announced  that Christy Sports, a family owned and Colorado-based ski and snowboard retailer, is partnering with CSCUSA in support of the 5th and 6th Grade Passport Programs.

SAM Magazine--Denver, Colo., September 17, 2013--Lodging properties in 17 western mountain resort destinations wrapped up the summer through August with a 5.5 percent increase in actual occupancy and a six percent increase for the past six months compared to 2012 according to the most recent data released by DestiMetrics. The results are through August 31 and the data is collected from mountain lodging properties in five western states to track the impact of destination visitors on tourism economies.

SAM Magazine--Tupper Lake, N.Y., Sept. 17, 2013--After not opening last season, the entity that runs the Big Tupper ski area, ARISE (Adirondack Residents Intent on Saving their Economy), has decided to open up the community area for the coming winter. According to the Adirondack Daily Enterprise, the ski center will be completely volunteer-run this winter and lift tickets will cost $25.

SAM Magazine—Park City, Utah, Sept. 12, 2013—District Judge Ryan Harris has ruled that a series of emails between Park City Mountain Resort (PCMR) officials and attorneys shows no evidence of an attempt to commit fraud as part of PCMR’s actions to renew its land lease, and he barred the emails from depositions that began yesterday. Nonetheless, he acknowledged it’s possible PCMR executives did attempt fraud when they backdated a letter to renew their land lease with Talisker Land Holdings.

SAM Magazine—Littleton, N.H., Sept. 12, 2013—After being shuttered for more than 20 years, the Mt. Eustis Ski Tow will reopen to skiers and local school ski programs after Jan. 1. The town is planning to offer the non-profit Mt. Eustis ski Hill Group a three-year lease for $1 a year. Voters approved the plan at a town meeting last March.

SAM Magazine—Woodbury, Conn., Sept. 5, 2013—Registration for SAM’s fourth annual Summer Ops Camp—a series of seminars, workshops, and site visits that explore the state of the art in summer operations—closes Monday. A few spots are still available for the camp, which takes place Sept. 15 to 17 at Attiash and Cranmore, NH.

SAM Magazine—Bear Valley, Calif., Sept. 5, 2013—Bear Valley Resorts, which has been seeking a buyer to put Bear Valley’s recently approved development plan into effect, has said that a deal to sell the resort has collapsed. Managing partner Greg Finch told Stockton, Calif.-based The Record that the complexity of the deal, particularly involving real estate in the town, and the fast-approaching winter season allowed too little time for a buyer to prepare for the season.

SAM Magazine—Durango, Colo., Sept. 3, 2013—A coalition of Olympic and X Games gold medalists and world champions has launched a $300,000 crowdfunding campaign to complete development of Ski Nation, a mobile application and independent skier network that will debut during the 2013-14 winter season in time for the 2014 Olympic Winter Games.

SAM Magazine—Seven Springs, Pa., Sept. 3, 2013—Seven Springs Mountain Resort has reached an agreement to buy its neighbor, Hidden Valley, from The Buncher Company. Located 13 driving miles from Seven Springs, Hidden Valley consists of approximately 1,200 acres encompassing 29 ski slopes and trails, as well as an 18-hole golf course.

SAM Magazine—Park City, Utah, Aug. 30, 2013—Following news of the eviction notice that Talisker Land Holdings delivered to Park City Mountain Resort (PCMR) earlier this week, Vail Resorts (VR) has said in a prepared statement that VR, which in handling lease negotiations in Talisker's stead, will not interfere with PCMR’s operations this season. The statement also predicts a lengthy series of legal actions before the lease dispute between PCMR, Talisker, and VR is resolved.

SAM Magazine--Park City, Utah, August 29, 2013--Another shot has been fired in the on-going lease battle between Talisker Land Holdings and Park City Mountain Resort (PCMR), this time in the form of an eviction notice. Yesterday, Talisker filed a notice saying that PCMR is a tenant and they have five days to vacate the land it leases from Talisker (60 days for equipment not attached to the land), which does not include the base area, but most of the on-mountain terrain.

SAM Magazine--Broomfield, Colo., August 29, 2013--Vail Resorts, Inc. (VR) today announced a partnership with the largest ski area in the world, Les 3 Vallées, France, home to the legendary mountain resorts of Courchevel, La Tania, Méribel, Brides-les-Bains, Les Menuires, Saint Martin de Belleville, Val Thorens and Orelle, France. The Epic Season Pass now features five free days of skiing and riding in Les 3 Vallées, bringing the total access to 26 mountains in four countries.

SAM Magazine—Park City, Utah, Aug. 28, 2013—The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) has named Olympian Tiger Shaw as chief operating officer, effective Oct. 1. Shaw, a native of Stowe, Vt., and a former U.S. Alpine Ski Team athlete, will transition in the spring of 2014 to succeed Bill Marolt as president and chief executive officer of USSA. Marolt previously announced his intention to retire after leading the USSA for 18 years.

SAM Magazine--Jay, Vt., August 22, 2013--Jay Peak Resort announced that it has signed an agreement to host the 2016 Porsche Club of America's Porsche Parade. The event will bring more than 2,000 Porsche owners from around the country, and reps from the Porsche factory to Jay Peak for 10 days in mid-June 2016. The parade represents the largest piece of single-group business in the resort's history.

SAM Magazine--Newry, Maine, August 22, 2013--Sunday River Resort announced that it has added 75 acres of terrain, becoming the second largest mountain resort in New England (behind Sugarloaf), with a total of 820 acres. Included in the new terrain is T72, a 15-acre terrain park trail, and five new gladed areas, all set to open for the 2013-14 season.

SAM Magazine--Queensbury, N.Y., August 19, 2013--As of August 15, West Mountain, N.Y., will be operated by Apex Capital and will open this winter. According to the Post Star, the group parted ways with the former ski area owner, Mike Barbone, but will now have full control over the resort. Barbone filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in June and, rather than seeing the bankruptcy process through, Apex Capital initiated a reorganization plan. Apex has so far invested more than $1 million to pay off back taxes and mortgages.

SAM Magazine--Denver, Colo., August 19, 2013--At the halfway point of summer, lodging properties from 17 participating western mountain resorts are seeing steady crowds this summer and are on pace to be the busiest ever according to the most recent data released by Destimetrics. The measurements are from data collected through July 31 and reflect overall summer occupancy for May to October, which is currently up 7% compared to last year.

SAM Magazine—Rutland, Vt., Aug. 15, 2013—Okemo Mountain Resort, Killington Resort, Pico Mountain at Killington and Mount Sunapee Resort have partnered to introduce 4.0 The College Pass for undergraduate and graduate students. For $369 (plus tax) students get unlimited skiing and riding at all four areas. The deal is available for purchase through Dec. 15.

SAM Magazine—Big Sky, Mont., Aug. 15, 2013—Yellowstone Club owner CrossHarbor Capital Partners, in partnership with Boyne Resorts, which operates Big Sky Resort, are acquiring Moonlight Basin from Lehman Brothers Holdings, which owned Moonlight through a 2012 bankruptcy sale. The deal is expected to close within the next several weeks.

SAM Magazine--Terreboone, Que., August 9, 2013--After 18 years at the helm of the Québec Ski Areas Association (ASSQ), Claude Péloquin will be leaving his position on September 6 to become the CFO at Ski Bromont. Under Péloquin's leadership, the ASSQ established an insurance program, developed a range of professional support services, created several best practices manuals, developed funding solutions and constructed new headquarters.

SAM Magazine--Whistler, B.C., August 8, 2013--Whistler Blackcomb Holdings Inc. reported financial results for the three months and nine months ended June 30, 2013. The corporation holds a 75% interest in Whistler Blackcomb. The company reported a 25% drop in skier visits for the third quarter, which went from 332,000 to 249,000, and a 4% decrease for the nine month period to 2.04 million. The main reason for the drop was that Easter fell in the second quarter as opposed to the third.

SAM Magazine--Vail, Colo., August 8, 2013--Intouch Technology Group, formed in 1993 to develop the Ultima product suite for the wintersports industry and recreational facilities, has joined forces with Trojan Holdings, a New Zealand-based tourism company that operates three ski areas in the southern Alps. As a result of the merger, Intouch appointed Alex Morcom as group CEO and Casey Parliament as GM North America, who will work alongside InTouch founders Klaas Sybranda and Chris Heberle.

SAM Magazine--Utah, August 8, 2013--On the heels of the annoucement by Alta, Snowbird, Deer Valley and Park City that each of their season pass holders can enjoy priveleges at any of the four areas, Brighton Resort and Solitude teamed up to offer the Big Cottonwood Pass for $999. The joint pass is valid at both resorts with no blackout dates. The two areas are connected by the SolBright trail.

SAM Magazine—Mars Hill, Maine, Aug. 6, 2013—The nonprofit Maine Winter Sports Center (MWSC), which has owned the Bigrock Mountain community ski area here since 2000, hopes to turn over the area to the community of Bigrock supporters. MWSC expects the community will fund operations and establish a new non-profit to operate the area, much as has happened with Black Mountain, which MWSC also owned until recently.

SAM Magazine—Aspen, Colo., Aug. 5, 2013—The Mountain Collective, an alliance of independent mountain resorts—Aspen/Snowmass, Whistler, Alta, Snowbird, Squaw Valley/Alpine Meadows, Jackson Hole, and Mammoth—and Protect Our Winters (POW) are partnering in an effort to unite the winter sports community on climate change.