SAM Magazine--October 18, 2011--This afternoon, the Senate passed the Ski Area Recreational Opportunity Act and the bill will now head to President Obama for his signature. The bill, which will allow ski areas on Forest Service land more freedom to offer activities year-round, passed the House earlier this month. Colorado Senator Mark Udall, one...

SAM Magazine--October 18, 2011--The owners of Wisp Ski Resort in Maryland, DC Development LLC, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on October 15. As we reported in late August (www.saminfo.com/news/article.php?tid=5237), Wisp's parent company was struggling to refinance a $28.5-million loan used to fund the development of a golf community. T...

SAM Magazine--October 13, 2011--Arapahoe Basin, Colo., is set to open its doors today, October 13. With an 18-inch base, the area is opening one intermediate trail and its terrain park with four features. Nearby, Loveland will open its doors Friday, October 14, at 9 a.m. The area's website didn't offer any further details. The two areas j...

SAM Magazine--October 13, 2011--Spanish Peaks, Mont., a swanky private ski and golf community on Lone Peak, closed its doors and laid off its staff on October 10. According to the "Bozeman Daily Chronicle," the 5,700-acre resort cited the troubled real estate market and substantial operating losses for its closure. The beleaguered club attem...

SAM Magazine-Jackson, Wyo., Oct. 11, 2011-Snow King Resort in downtown Jackson is for sale after a non-profit community group tried but failed to step in and run the area. Operations at the resort have been running $500,000 and $1 million in the red. Summer activities, including an alpine slide and miniature golf course, help offset winter losse...

SAM Magazine-Denver, Oct. 11, 2011-Having spun off its flagship Whistler/Blackcomb resort, and with its largest remaining resorts located in Colorado, Intrawest is relocating its headquarters here from Vancouver. The new office opened Sept. 26, and the transition from Vancouver will be completed by the end of the year. In the meantime, both offices...

SAM Magazine-Pagosa Springs, Colo., Oct. 7, 2011-Wolf Creek Ski Area is opening this Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 8-9, after receiving 36 inches of new snow over the past few days. This early opening is a record breaker for Wolf Creek, with the prior earliest opening being Oct. 27, 2006. It also makes Wolf Creek the first to open for the season in Col...

SAM Magazine-Boulder, Colo., Oct. 7, 2011-Active Americans plan to increase spending on sports, recreation and fitness gear by 11 percent in 2011, according to a mid-September survey by Leisure Trends Group (LTG). Its Most Active Americans Panel (MAAP) estimated it would spend an average of $584, 11 percent above the $526 Active Americans estimated...

SAM Magazine-Incline Village, Nev., Oct. 5, 2011-Diamond Peak Ski Resort has named Brad Wilson as its new general manager, effective Nov. 1. Wilson returns to the ski industry after a stint with California's Catalina Island Resort, where he was COO. Wilson is very familiar with the Lake Tahoe ski resort market, having worked at both Alpine Meado...

SAM Magazine-Evergreen, Colo., Oct. 4, 2011-Max Dercum, co-founder of both Arapahoe Basin and Keystone, died last Friday at a retirement home here, just a few days before his 99th birthday. A champion skier and forestry professor, Dercum was part of a group of seven, including his wife, Edna, who founded A-Basin in 1946. He helped found Keystone...

SAM Magazine-Washington, D.C., Oct. 4, 2011-A measure that would explicitly allow and encourage a wide range of summer activities on Forest Service land leased by winter resorts passed the House this week. The Ski Area Recreational Opportunity Enhancement Act of 2011 (H.R.765) updates the National Forest Ski Area Permit Act of 1986 to outline a ...

SAM Magazine-Aspen, Colo., Sept. 30, 2011-The Aspen Skiing Co. is seeking a new structure to replace the snowsport school's Team Leader system and maintain open lines of communication within the school. The Team Leader system was developed 18 years ago as part of management's efforts to derail a move to unionize the school. However, the National La...

SAM Magazine-Oconomowoc, Wisc., Sept. 30, 2011-Highlands of Olympia ski and snowboard area will open for the 2011-2012 season with new management: Casey Bingham and Brent Milkey. The two plan to make improvements to the terrain park, focus on beginner lessons, and offer some of the best rates and prices in the area. "We are very anxious to ma...

SAM Magazine-Monarch, Colo., Sept. 30, 2011-Monarch Mountain season's passes are now valid for skiing on two continents, in four countries, and in six states-at a total of 26 areas, including the latest to join the Monarch fold: Hochfelln, Kampenwand, Wendelstein and Oberaudorf, Germany and Hochkossen, Austria,. The five European ski areas are part...

SAM Magazine--September 27, 2011--Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows Ski Resort, Calif., announced today that the two North Lake Tahoe ski resorts have agreed to combine operations under common ownership and offer season passes and lift tickets that will allow guests to enjoy skiing and riding on both mountains. The transaction is expected to close p...

SAM Magazine--September 25, 2011--According to The Morning Call, a 49-year-old man working for an excavation company at Blue Mountain Ski Area in Pennsylvania was killed when the truck he was operating overturned on a ski slope last Wednesday morning, September 21. The accident victim, Victor Bortz, was an employee of Livengood Excavating & Pavi...

SAM Magazine--September 25, 2011-- The venerable 40-year-old Royal Gorge Ski Resort at Donner Summit, Calif., is in receivership after defaulting on its loan. The area's lender, Armed Forces Bank, first issued a default notice in June on a $16.7 million loan, according to published reports. For the time being, the bank will not assume ownership ...

SAM Magazine, September 16, 2011--The most recent data released by the Mountain Travel Research Program (MTRiP)* revealed that despite a dramatic drop in consumer confidence, wide fluctuations in the stock market and the the weather wreaking havoc, reservation activity for western mountain destinations remained solid. August occupancy continued the...

UPDATE TO BLOG: This week's Blog Patrol is brought to you by John Rice, General Manager, Sierra-at-Tahoe. Dear SAM, In my original Speak Out I made a few assumptions that were factually 
incorrect, and I would like to apologize to USTPC and founding member Jim McNeil about them. To set the record straight: In my first...

SAM Magazine--September 13, 2011--Eaglecrest Ski Area in Alaska had tapped Ray Gardner to be GM, but due to an unexpected family emergency, Gardner was unable to fill the position. So, the board went back to its findings in the original search process and offered Matt Lillard the role, which he accepted. Lillard is currently the assistant GM and ma...

In late July, SAM paid a visit to Wisp Resort in Maryland to check out the area's wide range of summer activities. From water sports to high-flying challenges, Wisp keeps its doors open year-round and has posted some impressive numbers as a result. Check out our latest SAM CAM from Wisp. >> View the full SAM CAM library...

SAM Magazine-Sacramento, Calif., Sept. 8, 2011- Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed California's winter sports helmet law yesterday, calling the bill overbearing and expensive. The bill, passed by the state legislature earlier this year, would have mandated helmets for all youths ages 17 and under at winter resorts. The veto signals that the governor, a Dem...

SAM Magazine-Denver, Colo., Sept. 2, 2011-Vail Resorts' (VR) next generation EpicMix ski and snowboard app expands and simplifies how guests take and share photos at the company's six resorts, and broadens the app's reach to nearly everyone who visits the areas, not just season's passholders. EpicMix will deliver photos to guests' computers and mob...

Windham, N.Y., Aug. 30, 2011-Resorts across the Northeast continue to investigate and catalog the impacts from Hurricane Irene, which dumped more than 10 inches of rain across much of the high terrain in southern Vermont and the Catskills, with similar totals across much of northern New England. In the Catskills, both Hunter and Windham mountain...

SAM Magazine-Rutland, Vt., Aug. 29, 2011-The remnants of Hurricane Irene drenched northern New England and caused extensive flood damage to resorts, from Okemo and Killington in Vermont to Attitash, N.H., and Sugarloaf, Me. Flooding in many locations was the worst on records dating to the 1930s. The Superstar Pub attached to the K-1 Lodge partia...

SAM Magazine-McHenry, Md., Aug. 26, 2011-The owners of Wisp Resort are considering a variety of options, including the sale of the area as a last resort, to help pay or refinance a $28.5 loan that funded construction of a golf course and infrastructure for a resort community at Wisp. Wisp's ownership group operates three corporations involved in...

SAM Magazine--August 25, 2011--Peek 'n Peak Resort & Spa, N.Y., was bought out of bankruptcy yesterday by Scott's Development Co. for $11.3 million. The previous owners, Kiebler Recreation, first filed for bankruptcy in May 2010 as they tried to reorganize, but were unsuccessful in the effort, forcing the court to auction off the ski area. The ...

SAM Magazine-Salt Lake City, Utah, Aug. 24, 2011-Marc Jenson, one of the principal players in the scheme to transform Elk Meadows ski area into the upscale Mount Holly Club, was found in violation of an unrelated fraud case and jailed yesterday after he failed to make any payments toward a $4.1 million court-ordered restitution. Later in the day...

SAM Magazine-Denver, Aug. 22, 2011-According to the most recent data released by the Mountain Travel Research Program (MTRiP), reservation activity in July was up 8.2 percent compared to July 2010, thanks in part to the 4th of July holiday falling on a Monday, creating a three-day weekend. The strong results continued the trend of the past six mont...

SAM Magazine traveled to Gunstock Mountain Resort in Gilford, N.H., for another installment of the SAM CAM series. The resort recently invested $2.1 million in off-season attractions, all of which debuted this summer, with great success. First up on SAM's tour was the Aerial Treetop Adventure, which includes 91 different challenges and is consi...

SAM Magazine--August 17, 2011--Vail Resorts announced a worldwide multi-year partnership with Olympic gold medalist Shaun White. White will represent all six of Vail's ski areas (Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone, Heavenly and Northstar-at-Tahoe), with Northstar acting as his home mountain and primary training venue. In fact, White will de...

SAM Magazine--August 15, 2011--The Whistler Mountain Bike Park hosted the millionth unique rider Friday, August 12. In its twelfth season of operation, Whistler's park is the first lift-accessed mountain bike park to reach this number. The lucky guest, Ryan Domm, was greeted by confetti guns and walked away with a season pass for the remainder o...

SAM Magazine--August 11, 2011--Whistler-Blackcomb released its third quarter results yesterday and the news was good and bad. The first thing to note about the numbers is that on November 9, 2010, Whistler Blackcomb Holdings Inc. (the corporation) completed an initial public offering and concurrently acquired a 75% interest in both Whistler and Bla...

SAM Magazine-Burlington, Vt., Aug. 5, 2011-Members of the ASTM F27 Committee on Snow Skiing met in mid-July to consider expanding the committee's scope to include terrain park jumping features (ASTM stands for the American Society for Testing and Materials). The move, which is expected to be approved, would put ASTM in the business of considering s...

SAM Magazine--August 5, 2011--Some big names are behind the auction of Powderhorn yesterday: Former Vail exec Andy Daly, along with Ken and Tom Gart (formerly of Gart Bros.), were behind the new corporation that bought Powderhorn Resort and a 700-acre parcel for $1.4 million. The new company is called Powderhorn Partners. We will report more det...

SAM Magazine visited Highland Mountain Bike Park in Northfield, N.H., for another installment of the SAM CAM series. Highland Mountain Bike Park, formally Highland Ski Area, was purchased by businessman Mark Hayes in 2003. He transformed the 200-acre area into a state-of-the-art, lift-serviced mountain biking facility with a 9,100-square-foot indoo...

SAM Magazine-Windham, N.Y., Aug. 4, 2011-Windham Mountain has named David "Chip" Seamans general manager and chief operating officer, effective Sept. 1. Seamans replaces president and general manager Tim Woods, who is assuming ownership of Woods Valley, a ski area in central New York that was created by his late father. Woods will continue to wo...

SAM Magazine--August 4, 2011--According to published reports, Powderhorn Resort, Colo., was sold at a live auction today for $2,083,950. The auction consisted of six lots--two sold to one bidder and the other four to separate buyers. The first lot was the ski area, including lifts, day lodge, parking areas, office, two maintenance shops, rolling st...

SAM Magazine--August 3, 2011-- Spirit Mountain, Minn., was set to debut its latest addition to the area's Adventure Park, the "Timber Flyer" zipline, but the weather had different plans. Thanks to a lightning strike on August 1 during severe storms, the August 4 grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony for the 700-foot ride will be delayed. The...

SAM Magazine--August 1, 2011--Telluride Ski Resort is inviting fans to be a part of the area's marketing effort. The resort has created a survey whereby participants will view a compilation of ads targeted to different demographic groups with different images, styles and text, and choose their favorites. Once the results are in, Telluride will adju...

SAM Magazine--August 1, 2011--The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a federal judge's ruling in favor of Copper Mountain, Colo., which dismissed a lawsuit brought against the ski area after a 2006 accident. According to the AP, the lawsuit was filed by Dr. Rajeev Kumar and claimed the resort was negligent in not expressly labeling a corni...

SAM Magazine-Bozeman, Mont., July 27, 2011-Lehman Brothers will take ownership of Moonlight Basin under a plan the bank and the resort submitted Friday to U.S. bankruptcy court. The agreement calls for Lehman to supply funds sufficient to satisfy in full the claims of Moonlight Basin's administrative creditors and provide a recovery for Moonligh...

SAM Magazine-Aspen, Colo., July 27, 2011-Aspen Skiing Company has appointed Christian Knapp as vice president of marketing. Knapp received a SAMMY Award last May as one of the future leaders of the ski industry, and has held a variety of marketing positions within Vail Resorts since 1998. Knapp got his start in the ski/snowboard industry in 199...

SAM Magazine-Salt Lake City, July 27, 2011-Olympic silver medalist Jeret "Speedy" Peterson was found dead on Monday from what police are calling a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Police found a suicide note near Peterson's car, but refused to reveal its contents. Peterson's "Hurricane," a five-twist, three-flip aerial maneuver, propelled him to se...

SAM Magazine-Squaw Valley, July 27, 2011-Squaw Valley USA has detailed the first two years of a five-year, $50 million capital improvement plan that will impact the on-mountain and base village experience. Plans include everything from new food and hospitality offerings to new beginner and advanced high-speed chairlifts, trail improvements and a st...

SAM Magazine-Boise, Idaho, July 26, 2011-Resort founders Alfredo Miguel of Tamarack Resort, Idaho, and Tim Blixseth of the Yellowstone Club, Mont., are hoping to recoup money lost at their failed resorts from lender Credit Suisse Group. The two men hope to join a $2.5 billion suit claiming that Credit Suisse engaged in predatory lending. The ori...

SAM Magazine-Lakewood, Colo., July 26, 2011-A newly revised website for Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month (LSSM) officially launched today with features that make it easy for consumers to find information on how to get involved in skiing and snowboarding. Built by nxtconcepts.com, the site serves as a key communications tool for the national Janu...

SAM Magazine--July 19, 2011-- The Las Vegas Ski and Snowboard Resort (LVSSR), owned by Powdr Corp., announced that the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest Service has accepted its Master Development Plan (MDP). The news comes after many years of examining the extensive multiphase project, which will take several years to complete. Included in the MDP ...

SAM Magazine-Augusta, Maine, July 19, 2011-The Maine Elevator and Tramway Safety Board has voted to recommend that the state legislature create licensing standards for ski lift mechanics in the wake of the lift deropement last winter at Sugarloaf USA, in which eight people were injured. The licensing proposal, if acted upon by the legislature, woul...

SAM Magazine-Denver, July 19, 2011-In the most recent data compiled by the Mountain Travel Research Program (MTRiP),* analysts found that despite current economic uncertainties, lodging occupancy in western mountain destinations continues to rise while nightly room and lodging rates remain flat, according to the most recent data compiled by the Mou...

SAM Magazine-Washington, D.C., July 15, 2011- The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee unanimously recommended passage of the Ski Area Recreation Opportunity Enhancement Act of 2011, which would amend the National Forest Ski Area Permit Act of 1986 to explicitly allow a much wider array of winter and summer activities within resort permit ...

SAM Magazine--July 15, 2011--Registration for SAM's Second Annual Summer Ops Camp is officially open. The camp, which will take place at Jiminy Peak, Mass., from October 3-5, 2011, will explore the many benefits of the growing opportunities in summer recreation in the mountains. From ziplines to waterparks, we will cover the wide range of summer at...

SAM Magazine--July 14, 2011--- July 14, 2011 - The National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) announced today that U.S. ski areas set a new all-time record of 60.54 million skier/snowboarder visits during the 2010/11 season, according to the final Kottke End of Season Survey. The association announced preliminary figures in May projecting that, at an es...

SAM Magazine kicks off the 2011 Summer SAM CAM series with a visit to Amesbury Sports Park in Amesbury, MA., on June 26th, 2011 to take part in the resort's first Warrior Dash event. Amesbury is no stranger to large scale events like these, having done the Sparton Race Series the last couple of years, but the Warrior Dash Race attracted off-th...

SAM Magazine-Donner Summit, Calif., July 12, 2011-Boreal Mountain Resort will expand its presence in action sports with the opening of Woodward Tahoe, an action sports freeride and freeski instructional center and camp program, in the summer of 2012. The local planning commission recently approved Boreal's plans for a 33,000 square foot facility...

SAM Magazine-Lakewood, Colo., July 8, 2011-The 11th Sustainable Slopes Annual Report from the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) highlights the latest environmental implementations at ski areas including the use of electric vehicles, composting, local purchasing programs, efforts to reduce carbon footprints, water conservation efforts, and emplo...

SAM Magazine-Broomfield, Colo., July 7, 2011-Specialty Sports Venture (SSV), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Vail Resorts, has acquired the assets of Outdoor Outlet, LLC, which operates O2GearShop.com, an online outdoor/snowsports retailer that drew more than 2 million total visits last year. "The addition of O2GearShop.com is a significant opportu...

SAM Magazine-Greenwood, Maine, July 7, 2011-Fire severely damaged the lodge at Mt. Abram Family Resort Wednesday evening after it was struck by lightning. The fire began on the third floor of the west wing, which housed the administrative offices; the roof collapsed onto the third floor, and parts of some walls collapsed or were consumed by the ...

SAM Magazine-Durban, South Africa, July 6, 2011-The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has awarded the 2018 Winter Olympics to Pyeongchang, South Korea, the first time the Winter Olympics has been hosted in the country and the third time for the Winter Games to take place in Asia. Pyeongchang has been campaigning for the honor for a decade. I...

SAM Magazine--July 5, 2011--The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced Monday evening that slopestyle skiing and snowboarding would make their Olympic debut at the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi. Snowboarding parallel slalom was also added, while the proposed Alpine team event was not. The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association played a key role i...