SAM Magazine--February 16, 2012--Peak Resorts has announced its plan to build a new 48,000-square-foot main base lodge at Brandywine Ski Resort, Ohio. The new lodge is estimated to be a capital investment of upwards of $5 million that will replace three existing buildings resulting in all skier services being combined in one location. The lodg...

SAM Magazine--February 13, 2012--Two unfortunate incidents took place this past weekend in the ski industry. First, on February 11, three people were injured at Coffee Mill Ski and Snowboard Resort, Minn., when a chair fell from the rope thirty feet to the ground. The ski area was hosting a racing tournament when the accident happened around 1 p.m....

SAM Magazine-San Francisco, Calif., Feb. 9, 2012-Arizona Snowbowl and the U.S. Forest Service gained another court victory today as the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth District affirmed a district court decision upholding the Forest Service's 2005 Record of Decision regarding snowmaking at the Snowbowl, rejecting a suit brought by the Save the ...

SAM Magazine-Amherst, Va., Feb. 8, 2012-Wintergreen Resort is cutting expenses, collecting 2013 membership dues early, and asking its 1,800 members for a $6 million cash infusion to help the resort meet financial challenges stemming from this winter's warm weather and below-average snow, according to several news sources. Wintergreen Partners In...

SAM Magazine--February 3, 2012--Last night, February 2, the Cache County Planning Commission granted a conditional use permit for the proposed Cherry Creek ski area in northern Utah. The proposal for the new ski area includes 203 acres of terrain, base area and mid-mountain facilities, four lifts, a terrain park, a zipline, three water storage ...

SAM Magazine--February 3, 2012--Peak Resorts, the parent company of Crotched Mountain, N.H., announced the acquisition of the high speed detachable quad at Ascutney Mountain, which has closed its doors. Crotched will install the 5,000+-foot lift this coming summer. The Garaventa CTEC lift will replace a fixed grip lift and access an additional 2...

SAM Magazine--January 28, 2012--Yesterday marked the start of the 2011-12 winter season for Utah's newest ski resort Eagle Point. The opening signifies that every Utah ski and snowboard resort is open for the season. A fresh blanket of snow during the past 24 hours added two to eight inches to resort snow totals. This snowfall, in addition to the p...

SAM Magazine-Denver, Jan. 25, 2012-The meeting of the terrain park task force of the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) F27 Snow Skiing Committee at the Denver Convention Center yesterday failed to produce the anticipated fireworks. There was general agreement that most of the variables in terrain park jumps are user-generated, and t...

SAM Magazine--January 25, 2012--After filing for bankruptcy two years ago, the assets of Moonlight Basin, Mont., were sold last week to the estate of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. According to the Wall Street Journal, Lehman began lending to Moonlight in 2007 under a $100 million credit agreement between the area and the Lehman Brothers Commercial ...

SAM Magazine-Denver, Jan. 24, 2012-What a difference a week makes. Winter returned across most of the U.S. in the past seven days, bringing several feet of snow to the snow-starved Lake Tahoe areas and padding snow depths across the Rockies. Eastern areas also received fresh snow, adding to base depths there as well. Clearing the decks at Mt. Ro...

From January 17-19, ski areas and suppliers alike descended on Squaw Valley, Calif., for the NSAA Western Conference and Trade Show. Understandably, the number of attendees was off by about 150 over previous years, but that didn't stop those who did attend from taking part in informative sessions and a little trade show shopping. Sixty-two resorts ...

SAM Magazine--January 20, 2012--Colorado Ski Country USA's (CSCUSA) 22 member resorts reported a decrease in skier visitation for the beginning of the 2011/12 ski season. Skier visits at CSCUSA resorts were off by 10.65 percent during the first period of the ski season, defined as opening day of the season through December 31, 2011, compared to the...

SAM Magazine-Woodbury, Conn., Jan. 18, 2012-Terrain parks have come a long way over the past decade and Cutter's Camp has been at the forefront of this movement by creating a program where best practices are shared, technology discussed, and ideas exchanged. But freestyle terrain is ever-changing and improving, so we still have much to discuss. To ...

SAM Magazine-Boulder, Colo., Jan. 13, 2012-Unseasonably warm and dry weather cooled off snowsport retail sales in November, and more broadly, curbed sales of overall outdoor products in December. Preliminary Outdoor RetailTRAK data from Leisure Trends Group indicate that outdoor retail sales declined a little more than 2 percent from December 2010....

SAM Magazine--January 11, 2012--SIA and SAM Magazine are partnering again at the upcoming SIA Snow Show in Denver, Colorado, January 26-29, 2012, to deliver a comprehensive program for rental buyers and suppliers. The Backshop + Rental + Uniform exhibit will provide a close-up look at the latest rental equipment and backshop innovations. Additi...

SAM Magazine-Denver, Jan. 11, 2012-With a below-average snow year leaving many areas short of their usual snow coverage and trail count, resorts are taking a variety of measures to lure customers-mostly by offering a variety of package deals and ticket discounts. And some of those areas blessed with good snow are seeking to profit from the snow ...

SAM CAM checked out Jay Peak's impressive new indoor water park in December. From aqua loops to lazy rivers, Jay has officially entered a whole new world in guest options. And the grand opening couldn't have been more timely-despite a slow start to the season, Jay Peak has been at peak capacity since opening. Move over snow, water has come to town!...

SAM Magazine--January 10, 2012--The National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) filed a lawsuit in Federal court in the district of Colorado today against the U.S.D.A. Forest Service (USFS) to challenge a new water rights clause that results in "an unconstitutional taking of property." At issue is a new water rights clause enacted by the USFS late las...

SAM Magazine--According to published reports, a federal lawsuit was filed late last week against Homewood Mountain Resort, Calif., by The Sierra Club and Friends of the West Shore. The suit was filed against the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) and Placer County for approving, in their words, "an ill-conceived, inadequately studied, and enviro...

SAM Magazine--January 9, 2012--Oak Mountain Ski Area in the Adirondacks is for sale. The 230-acre area, which is owned by the Hamilton County Industrial Development Agency (IDA), has a 650-foot vertical drop, 14 trails serviced by a CTEC quad and two T-Bars, a base lodge, tubing facilities, and 50 percent snowmaking coverage. Oak Mountain is also h...

SAM Magazine--January 4, 2012--The operators for the past two years of Swain Resort, N.Y., have announced the purchase of the area, completing a lease-to-own agreement that was reached in August 2009 with the owners of Swain Recreation Center, LLC. The purchase was made by Denton Hill Family and Ski Resort Inc. whose officers are Scott and Jodi...

SAM Magazine-Slinger, Wisc., Jan. 1, 2011: After months of negotiation, Schmitz Brothers, LLC has purchased Little Switzerland Ski Area from Wayne Erickson. Schmitz Brothers consists of veteran resort owner/manager Rick Schmitz and two siblings, all of whom grew up skiing at Little Switzerland. They plan to invest heavily and open for the 2012-13 s...

SAM Magazine-Red Lodge, Mont., Dec. 29, 2011-A chair on the Willow Creek chairlift detached from the cable and fell to the ground at Red Lodge Mountain Resort yesterday afternoon. Two guests riding the chairlift at the time were injured and taken off the mountain. The chairlift was safely unloaded and shut down. The chairlift will remain closed unt...

SAM Magazine-Golden, B.C., Dec. 29, 2011-Resorts of the Canadian Rockies (RCR) has completed its purchase of Kicking Horse Mountain Resort, buying the area from Ballast Nedam, the initial owner and developer. RCR is one of the largest private ski resort owner/operators in North America. The two companies first revealed they were in negotiations reg...

SAM Magazine--December 26, 2011--Peak Resorts Inc. has purchased Jack Frost Mountain and Big Boulder Ski Area from Blue Ridge Real Estate Company. Peak Resorts has leased and managed the ski resorts since 2005, the contract has a purchase price of 9 million dollars for the two resorts. Peak Resorts operates 12 ski areas through the Midwestern, N...

SAM Magazine--December 17, 2011--Calgary-based, Resorts of the Canadian Rockies have entered into discussions to potentially acquire Kicking Horse Mountain Resort, based in Golden, B.C. Subject to certain regulatory approvals, the transaction is expected to be completed by the end of this year. Kicking Horse Mountain Resort is the first, four-se...

SAM Magazine--December 16, 2011--Homewood Mountain Resort, Calif., got approval of its redevelopment plan by the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) on December 14. Homewood, which is owned by JMA Ventures, a minority investor in Alpine Meadows and Squaw Valley, will undergo a transformation to an "upscale boutique resort" with a five-star hotel,...

SAM Magazine-Denver, Dec. 11, 2011-A first-ever winter concert, Winter on the Rocks, will add a new wrinkle to the SIA Snow Show in Denver Jan. 27. Hip-hop dynamo Atmosphere headlines the event, along with actor-rapper Common, Grieves & Budo and Get Cryphy. Local boutique ski manufacturer Icelantic helped bring the show to fruition, along with its ...

SAM Magazine-Los Angeles, Dec. 11, 2011-The L.A. Ski Dazzle wrapped up a successful season for the nation's consumer ski and snowboard shows. The event drew 90,000 Dec. 1-4. Once La Nina kicks in and starts to deliver snow and colder temperatures across the U.S., resorts, too, should see evidence of pent-up demand. The Ski Dazzle was "above aver...

SAM Magazine--December 8, 2011--Nova Scotia's government plans to pass legislation introduced on December 6 that would require all skiers and snowboarders to wear helmets. The proposed law, which would not go into effect until next season, would fine individuals CDN$250 each time they are caught without protective headgear. The bill would requir...

SAM Magazine--December 8, 2012--Peak Resorts, Inc., announced that it has postponed its Initial Public Offering that was expected to price and close this week, due to volatile market conditions. Peak Resorts owns and manages 12 resorts in the East and Midwest. A registration statement relating to these securities has been filed with the Securiti...

SAM Magazine-Lakewood, Colo., Dec. 6, 2011-Several new product suppliers and a growing list of organizations are backing Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month (LSSM) this January. The support broadens the program's outreach to newcomers and adds to the promotional possibilities. LSSM executive director Mary Jo Tarallo anticipates that this growing suppo...

SAM Magazine-McLean, Va., Dec. 6, 2011-Snowsports retail sales jumped 14 percent in dollars during the pre-season sales period, August through October, compared to very strong sales in the same period in 2010, according to SnowSports Industries America (SIA) and The Leisure Trends Group. Total snow sports pre-season sales increased from $565 millio...

SAM Magazine-Denver, Dec. 2, 2011-Colorado-based Eco-Groomer is initiating production of its first 60 energy-efficient snow processing units. These units add two additional "outrigger" tillers to a standard snowcat and increase the coverage area by 200 percent. The units are said to increase the fuel efficiency of grooming operations by 35 percent ...

SAM Magazine--December 2, 2011--Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows, Calif., have commenced a pilot study to determine the possibility of creating backcountry access gates that would allow on-snow travel between the two resorts. During the upcoming season, the management and ski patrols at the two ski areas, along with the U.S. Forest Service, will inv...

SAM Magazine-Lincoln, N.H., Nov. 22, 2011-Big snow in the Northwest, up to 28 inches at Whistler Blackcomb, has helped some areas in the region open earlier than planned. In the East, a warm spell forced several areas to delay openings last weekend. But with colder evening temperatures and with up to a foot of snow forecast for northern New England...

SAM Magazine--November 21, 2011--The Wall Street Journal reported that Peak Resorts announced today that it is offering 5 million common shares and expects the initial offering price to be between $16 and $18 per share. The company hopes to raise $85 million in the IPO and command a market value of $152 million. In addition, Peaks Resorts plans to ...

SAM Magazine-Boulder, Colo., Nov. 18, 2011-In a sign of health for outdoor sports, preliminary Outdoor RetailTRAK data from Leisure Trends Group indicate that outdoor retail sales gained 14 percent over October 2010, spurred by especially strong apparel sales. Sales continued on pace with September's record total, as outdoor stores posted largest-e...

SAM Magazine-Orlando, Fla., Nov. 18, 2011-CNL Lifestyle Properties, Inc.,has acquired Stevens Pass from New Stevens, LLC for $20.5 million. Stevens Pass Mountain Resort, LLC, an affiliate of Mountain High Resort Associates, LLC, in California, will operate the area under a long-term lease agreement. Karl Kapuscinski of Mountain High will serv...

SAM Magazine-Leavenworth, Wash., Nov. 18, 2011-Recent cold temperatures and periods of heavy snowfall combined with a strong winter weather outlook have led Stevens Pass, Schweitzer, Mt. Hood Meadows, Mission Ridge, and Summit West at Snoqualmie to open Nov. 19. Stevens Pass is reporting a base of 25-32 inches, and will have its third-earliest o...

SAM Magazine--November 17, 2011--Bookings for the upcoming winter season continue a positive trend upward at participating mountain destinations throughout the western U.S., despite mixed economic news and indicators, according to the most recent report by the Mountain Travel Research Program (MTRiP) released yesterday. As of Oct. 31, on-the-books ...

SAM Magazine-Park City, Utah, Nov. 17, 2011-Canyons is proposing a groundbreaking gondola to connect Canyons and Solitude resorts and reduce auto traffic between the two. The SkiLink gondola would tie together 6,000 acres of existing terrain. "Studies have reported that SkiLink would decrease canyon traffic by providing an alternative to the 45-...

SAM Magazine-Lutsen, Minn., Nov. 16, 2011-Lutsen Mountains recently gained a variance from the state's department of natural resources (DNR) to draw snowmaking water from the nearby Poplar River, even though the waterway has dropped below minimum flow levels. The decision, which the DNR says only applies for the next three years, has drawn criticis...

SAM Magazine-Frisco, Colo., Nov. 16, 2011-The U.S. Ski Team Speed Center, a long-term partnership between the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) and Copper Mountain Resort, officially opened Tuesday. The early-season facility provides the only full-length downhill training available anywhere in the world during late October and early Nove...

SAM Magazine-Park City, Utah, Nov. 16, 2011-A slew of Western resorts are opening this weekend, along with several in the Northeast and a smattering of areas in Canada and the rest of the U.S. Park City is one of four areas in Utah that are starting up the lifts. It will operate three lifts and seven runs, as well as its all-season mountain coas...

SAM Magazine-Lebanon, N.H., Nov. 16, 2011-SnoCountry Ski Areas Association is launching SnoNews, a weekly consumer eNewsletter featuring original news and features on skiing, snowboarding, mountain resorts, travel, and lift ticket deals, on Nov .23. SnoNews will email weekly to a list of more than 50,000-and growing-subscribers every week, givin...

SAM Magazine--November 16, 2011--The previously announced transaction between KSL Capital Partners and JMA Ventures, which joins Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows under one operating company, has officially closed. The two resorts will be connected by complimentary shuttles that will provide transportation between the two resorts. Andy Wirth, Squ...

SAM Magazine-San Diego, Calif., Nov. 14, 2011-The Active Network, Inc., a provider of organization-based cloud computing applications, has acquired enterprise computer services provider RTP. For Active, which has focused primarily on helping organizers manage summer events, RTP "is an excellent complement to our mission of connecting people with th...

Opening Day at Mammoth Mountain  SAM Magazine-West Vancouver, B.C., Nov. 10, 2011-Cypress Mountain, B.C., opened Nov. 8, its earliest date ever, highlighting a week in which several Western areas are launching the season, along with a few others around the country. La Nina has brought early natural snow to the West Coast, from B.C. down to sou...

SAM Magazine-McLean, Va., Nov. 9, 2011-The Winter Trails program of Snowsports Industries America (SIA) is hosting educational workshops, animal tracking and a variety of fun activities at its nine anchor site locations on Winter Trails Day, Jan. 7. Winter Trails offers children and adults new to snow sports a chance to try snowshoeing and/or cr...

SAM Magazine-Red Lodge, Mont., Nov. 9, 2011-The installation of the Magnestick system on the Miami Beach chair lift makes Red Lodge the third U.S. resort to adopt it. The system uses an electromagnetic seatback and corresponding vest. The vest, which will be worn by children enrolled in ski and snowboard programs, contains a metal plate that secure...

SAM Magazine-Homewood, Calif., Nov. 9, 2011-The multi-area season's pass concept, which gives customers access to other resorts that are not corporately related, has been catching on in recent years. The strategy has been most aggressively pursued by Monarch, with its 26 partners, but many other areas East and West are following Monarch's lead, and...

SAM Magazine--November 8, 2011--Senator Mark Udall from Colorado announced that President Obama signed the summer recreation bill into law yesterday, November 7. The bipartisan Ski Area Recreational Opportunity Enhancement Act makes a small change to the National Forest Ski Area Permit Act of 1986 to allow the Forest Service to permit ski areas t...

SAM Magazine--November 4, 2011--Cockaigne Ski Area, N.Y., recently announced on its website that it would not open this year and is actively looking for a buyer. "For the first time since 1965 Cockaigne Ski Area will not be open for skiing this winter!," says the area's website. "The search for a new owner who will operate Cockaigne next year...

SAM Magazine--November 4, 2011--Sno Mountain, Pa., (formerly Montage) has defaulted on a $5 million loan according to published reports. The ski area has not made a payment on its state loan in almost a year, and county records show the resort owes at least $1.55 million in unpaid bills, a third of which are real estate taxes. The Times-Tribu...

SAM Magazine-Denver, Nov. 3, 2011-In the latest variation on the multi-area ticket, Aspen/Snowmass, Steamboat and Winter Park have unveiled a new Colorado Triple Play pass, good for two days at each of the three resorts during the 2011-12 season. Cost is $299 for adults, $249 for children 12 and under. The passes go on sale Nov. 4 at the Colorado S...

SAM Magazine-Aspen, Nov. 2, 2011-Aspen Skiing Company (ASC) is instituting a new employee helmet policy tas an integral part of its commitment to safety. ASC currently recommends that all snowsport participants wear a properly fitted snowsports helmet whenever they are skiing or riding. To further instill that habit this season, all ASC employees w...

SAM Magazine-Denver, Nov. 2, 2011-Copper Mountain and Keystone Resort join the ranks of open areas in North America this Friday, Nov. 4, bringing the total in Colorado to five, and the North American total to roughly a dozen. At Copper, The American Eagle and Excelerator chairs will be running; the area has hosted race teams and the PSIA fall tr...

SAM Magazine-Rutland, Vt., Oct. 28, 2011-Early snow and cold temperatures have encouraged several areas across North America to begin operations this weekend. Among them are Killington, Vt., and Sunday River, Me., in New England; Boreal, Calif.; and Nakiska, in Alberta. They join perennial early-operators Timberline, Ore., Loveland and Arapahoe Bas...

SAM Magazine--October 27, 2011--Powder Ridge, Conn., has once again lost the opportunity to reopen. Last week, Alpine Ridge LLC withdrew its offer to purchase the ski area for $1 million. The deal was first approved last spring and the summer was spent getting permitting and surveys in place and going through the mandatory 90-day due diligence p...