SAM Magazine - Bretton Woods, NH., August 22, 2008 - With winter just around the corner, a variety of summits, expos and seminars have finalized their programs. The Northeast Winter Sports Summit is scheduled for September 2 - 4, 2008, at Bretton Woods. This event will include the NSAA Fall Educational Series a four-session track which will be fo...

SAM Magazine--August 20, 2008--Seven Springs Mountain Resort, Pa., has entered into an agreement with the Somerset Trust Company that, when finalized, will revive the currently dormant Laurel Mountain Ski Resort located on the Westmoreland and Somerset County border. The Seven Springs management team will work closely with the Pennsylvania D...

SAM Magazine-Park City, Aug. 15, 2008-Rossignol is recalling approximately 3,500 pairs of the company's HC Snowboard bindings due to the potential for failure of the t-nuts that attach the straps to the binding. According to the company, the t-nuts can detach, creating a fall hazard for users. The recall involves 2007 model year Rossignol snowbo...

SAM Magazine-Ludlow, Vt., Aug. 15, 2008-Okemo has added approximately eight acres of expert terrain, bringing the resort's total to 632 acres. The new terrain consists of two runs, White Lightning and Rolling Thunder, the final two trails of the original Jackson Gore layout. White Lightning measures about 1,000 feet long and Rolling Thunder is abou...

SAM Magazine-Denver, Aug. 15, 2008-The 2008-09 Colorado Gems Card, available in limited quantities for $10, provides access to special deals, discounts, programs and promotions at the nine Gem resorts. The benefits include one day of free skiing at three areas (restrictions apply), two-for-one lift tickets at four areas, and discounted tickets at s...

SAM Magazine-Frisco, Colo., Aug. 11, 2008-Copper will host the first U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix halfpipe series stop this Dec. 12-13, followed by Boreal and Killington. NBC and Versus will be broadcasting each leg of the tour, which will serve as a tune up for the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. Both Copper and Boreal are hosting tour stops for the f...

SAM Magazine-Flagstaff, Ariz., Aug. 9, 2008-Arizona Snowbowl's previous approvals for snowmaking are valid, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on Friday. In a statement, the resort said that "the Snowbowl community is very pleased that the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals decided to rehear the case and affirm the original District Court opin...

SAM Magazine-Washington, D.C., Aug. 7, 2008-As most resorts know, the H-2B visa cap has been reached. The "final receipt date" for H-2B visa applications was July 29. However, there's still a chance that Congress, when it reconvenes in September, will pass an exemption for returning H-2B workers, as existed in recent years. Resorts with application...

SAM Magazine-Golden, B.C., Aug. 7, 2008-British Columbia ski area Kicking Horse has presented its new draft master plan. It proposes adding a signature 18-hole golf course, a densification of the resort base, and major improvements to the ski area. These include several new lifts, from detachable quads to conveyor lifts for the ski school beginner ...

SAM Magazine-Vancouver, B.C., Aug. 7, 2008-The competition schedules for the 2010 Paralympic and Winter Olympic ski and snowboard events is coming into focus. Both schedules are available online at www.vancouver2010.com, giving spectators two months to review the event plan before tickets go on sale on Oct. 3. Notable alpine skiing schedule high...

SAM Magazine-Red Lodge, Mont., Aug. 7, 2008-Operations are winding down on the Cascade Wildfire, which at one time threatened Red Lodge Ski Area. The fire has burned more than10,000 acres but is now 85 percent contained. Currently, crews staffing the fire are mopping up and securing fire lines. Dozer lines along the controlled perimeter are being r...

SAM Magazine-Lakewood, Colo., Aug. 5, 2008-The U.S. ski industry totaled a record 60.5 million visits in 2007-08, up 2.7 percent from previous record of 58.9 million visits set in 2005-06, according to the final Kottke End of Season Survey. Improved winter weather conditions and abundant snowfall in all regions except the Southeast contributed to t...

SAM Magazine - Red Lodge, Mt., August 5, 2008 - With the Cascade wildfire 66-percent contained, crews are starting mop up operations at Red Lodge. The Cascade wildfire continued to burn overnight toward natural barriers to the west and south, but crews were pulled off the blaze at midnight on Sunday. Helicopters have also flown out 11,200 pounds of...

SAM Magazine-Red Lodge, Mont., Aug. 3, 2008-The Cascade Wildfire that has been threatening Red Lodge Ski Area is currently 33 percent contained, with crews solidifying fire lines around the resort and making progress in battling the blaze. The fire has burned more than 10,000 acres and is still active, with moderate rates of spread and mid-range...

SAM Magazine-Red Lodge, Mont., Aug. 2, 2008-Crews are making progress on the Cascade Wildfire, which has been threatening Red Lodge Ski Area. Currently the fire has burned 9,701 acres and is 31 percent contained. It appears that Red Lodge Ski Area will escape serious damage from the wildfire, but the situation on the ground remains fluid. Fire c...

SAM Magazine--August 1, 2008--All non-essential staff have been evacuated from Red Lodge Ski Area. Mont., in the face of a fast-moving wildfire that is threatening the resort. The Forest Service has approximately 700 firefighters and support staff battling the blaze. But with high winds expected and only 10-percent of the conflagration contained, t...

SAM Magazine - Squaw Valley, Ca., July 31, 2008 - Squaw Valley has come to a lease agreement with local resident Troy Caldwell to lease land owned by Caldwell at the top of the ski area's KT-22 lift. The 57-year lease will preserve access for Squaw skiers and potentially marks the end of a stewing disagreement with Caldwell, who owns 460 acres adja...

SAM Magazine-Boulder, Colo., July 31, 2008-Two mergers have changed the face of snowsports media this week. Storm Mountain Publishing (SMP), the owners of Snowboard and Freeskier Magazines have announced that the company has acquired the assets, including websites and subscribers of recently defunct Future Snowboarding magazine. And, Ski Press has ...

SAM Magazine - Calgary, AB., July 31, 2008 - While the airline industry has been rocked by high fuel prices and consumers tightening their belts when it comes to vacation travel, several Canadian resorts got a bit of good news with the announcement that Delta Air Lines will commence direct jet service from Salt Lake City (SLC) to Canadian Rockies I...

SAM Magazine - Lynchburg, Va., July 31, 2008 - The Christian institution of higher learning founded by Jerry Falwell, Liberty University, has announced plans to install a dry ski slope on the campus. The University is working in conjunction with the English dry slope manufacturer, Snowflex, and the facility will be named the Mountain Snowflex Cente...

SAM Magazine - Denver, Co., July 31, 2008 - A Denver jury has found Vail Resorts not liable in a lawsuit claiming that the company was negligent in hiring ski instructor David Lorenzen, who was found not guilty of rape last year in a case involving a 17 year old woman who Lorenzen was instructing. The victim claimed she was raped in January 2006...

SAM Magazine-Hidden Valley, Pa., July 23, 2008-Scott Bender has joined the Buncher Resort & Hospitality Group, LLC as vice president of resort operations and will lead the management team at Hidden Valley Four Seasons Resort. Bender was formerly the president and CEO of neighboring Seven Springs Mountain Resort, where he worked for more than 25 yea...

SAM Magazine-Mammoth Lakes, Calif., July 23, 2008-Joining the growing number of airlines to offer resort access, Horizon Air will inaugurate daily nonstop flights from Los Angeles to Mammoth Mountain for the 2008/2009 season, starting Dec. 18 and running through Apr. 12. "The addition of commercial air service to Mammoth represents a big step to...

SAM Magazine-Vail, Colo., July 21, 2008-It's a long way from being a lift op to becoming a senior VP. But Derek Koenig, who spent a year in the early 1990s working as a Beaver Creek lift op, has done just that, having been named VR's new senior vice president and chief marketing officer. Koenig will assume responsibilities for VR's corporate mar...

SAM Magazine-Donnelly, Idaho, July 21, 2008-Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf, tennis stars and Tamarack Resort fans, and their investment group have decided against building a proposed Fairmont luxury hotel at the fledgling resort. The group cited Tamarack's uncertain future as the reason for its decision. Originally, the investment group planned to...

SAM Magazine - Aspen, Co., July 15, 2008 - Four years ago, Aspen hosted the first Meeting. The eclectic cast of filmmakers, media types and professional athletes spent the inaugural sessions charting a course for the future: bigger events, more exposure, and riches for all. While not everyone has gotten rich in the ensuing four years, there's n...

SAM Magazine - Vail, Co., July 15, 2008 - Vail Resorts' stock closed $1.23 down on Tuesday after analysts at Bank of America and Thompson Financial downgraded the stock from "buy" to "neutral." The "difficult domestic economic environment" and the threat of softer spending at the top end of the luxury market were cited as concerns. Analysts also ci...

SAM Magazine-Crested Butte, Colo., July 15, 2008-Crested Butte Mountain Resort (CBMR) hired Chris Corliss, formerly mountain manager at Mount Sunapee, N.H., as mountain manager. The resort has been conducting a nationwide search since May to fill several top executive positions in the company, and kept within the ranks of Triple Peaks (owned by Tim...

SAM Magazine - Kirkwood, Ca., July 17, 2008 - Kirkwood ski resort is partnering with its utility provider, Mountain Utilities, to build a 20-turbine wind energy farm for the resort and local residents. "Our goal is for Kirkwood to become the renewable energy leader in the ski resort industry," said Tim Cohee, Chief Marketing Officer of Mountai...

SAM Magazine-Crested Butte, Colo., July 14, 2008-Crested Butte will have enhanced air service next season, with new direct flights from Salt Lake City, Chicago and Atlanta via Delta and American Airlines. In addition, American will continue to offer daily, non-stop flights from Dallas/Forth Worth, and United will offer three daily, non-stop flights...

SAM Magazine-Rossland, B.C., July 14, 2008-Red Mountain will spend approximately $1 million on capital improvements this summer. Upgrades include a comprehensive lift-service audit that features upgrades to chairlift components on Red's Motherlode, Paradise and Red chairlifts to ensure maximum reliability for the upcoming season. According to R...

SAM Magazine-Boulder, Colo., July 14, 2008-U.S. Rep Mark Udall has developed a draft bill to update the federal 1986 Ski Area Permit Act. The bill would expand the act to recognize winter sports beyond alpine and nordic skiing and include summer recreational activities such as mountain biking and concerts. "My bill would make it clear that activ...

SAM Magazine-Ascutney, Vt., July 14, 2008-Orange Lake Resorts has acquired 26 villas at Ascutney Mountain Resort and assumed management responsibilities for the condo hotel, fitness center, and food and beverage at the resort. Ascutney remains responsible for mountain operations, marketing, and future resort development. Financial terms of the deal...

Snow Hunter-Chile, July 8, 2008-Llaima ski area in Chile's Conguillio National Park was evacuated last week as the Llaima Volcano on which the ski area is located spewed out lava flows up to two kilometres long above the ski runs and lifts. The 3,125 metre high volcano is 78km (49 miles) from regional capital Temuco and 700km (435 miles) sout...

Snow Hunter-New Zealand, July 8, 2008-Most of New Zealand's ski areas are basking in deep powder as heavy snowfall and some extreme weather conditions forced some resorts to close temporarily until the storm passed. Cardrona was typical reporting 60 cm (two feet) of natural snow falling over the three days to Saturday but with high winds and poor v...

Snow Hunter-Russia, July 8, 2008-Russia's former president Vladimir Putin, a keen skier and personally instrumental in winning the 2014 Olympics for the Black Sea resort of Sochi, is reported to have bowed to growing pressure from environmental campaigners regarding the location of some of the venues for the Games. The ski area borders a national p...

Snow Hunter-Australia, July 8, 2008- The first week of July has seen the 'real' start of winter at many Australian resorts after poor natural snowfall in June. Mount Hotham has reported 29cm (12 inches) of snow in the past week, with an additional 13cm (seven inches) in the past 24hrs, enough to open Heavenly Valley for skiing and riding tomorrow...

SAM Magazine-Bozeman, Mont., July 9, 2008-Founder Tim Blixseth has agreed to transfer his 50 percent interest in the private Yellowstone Club ski and golf resort in Montana to his wife, Edra, as part of an impending divorce settlement, according to the Wall Street Journal. This will give Edra full ownership of the resort. Neither of the Blixeths ar...

SAM Magazine-Seven Springs, Pa., July 8, 2008-Seven Springs Mountain Resort has appointed Eric Mauck as its new CEO. Mauck, formerly the resort's COO, replaces Scott Bender, who stepped down from the position after 25 years to lead the management team at Hidden Valley, Pa. Mauck's appointment will ensure a smooth leadership transition, said Seve...

SAM Magazine-Boulder, Colo., July 7, 2008-Skiing and Ski magazines, both from Bonnier Corp., are reducing their rate bases, starting with their September issues. Skiing will move from a rate base of 400,000 to 300,000, and Ski is going from 450,000 to 400,000. The circulation reductions will accomplish two things, according to company executives...

SAM Magazine-Montreal, Que., July 7, 2008-In a bid to jumpstart capital improvements at ski resorts in Quebec, the Canadian government has developed a loan program to enable private ski areas presenting a sound business plan for modernization and equipment replacement projects to access loans up to $4 million, repayable over a maximum period of 15 ...

SAM Magazine-Jay, Vt., July 1, 2008-After nearly 25 years of leading Jay Peak as president and CEO, Bill Stenger, along with a group of private investors, has purchased Jay Peak from Mont Saint Sauver International (MSSI). Stenger has been working on the sale and transition since last fall. MSSI owns and operates several Canadian-based resorts and ...

SAM Magazine-Big Cottonwood Canyon, Utah, June 26, 2008-Utah's Solitude has long been known as a sleepy backwater, with slow, fixed grip chairs, plenty of powder and no crowds. Next winter, however, life will become a little faster at the resort, with the summer installation of two high-speed quads in a $7 million lift upgrade. Less than three y...

SAM Magazine-Mt. Crested Butte, Colo., June 26, 2008-Crested Butte Mountain Resort (CBMR) is investing to enhance the guest experience through ncreased and expanded airline service, expanded services and amenities in the base-area hotels, upgrades and remodel of the Treasury Center, a new "Kids Base Camp" replacing Kids World, and expanded terrain....

SAM Magazine-Deer Valley, Utah, June 25, 2008-Deer Valley will double the ski resort's seasonal employee housing for the 2008-2009 winter. Given the pricy real estate surrounding the ski area, where many homes are valued at more than $1 million, the resort won't build slopeside accommodations for its seasonal workforce. Rather, the ski resort will ...

SAM Magazine-Snow Park, New Zealand, June 25, 2008-In a scenario which will be familiar to some Northern Hemisphere resort operators, the 2008 season Down Under has been delayed due to unseasonably warm weather. Snow Park, New Zealand's only dedicated terrain park resort, was scheduled to open on June 18, but had to delay operations, as did The Rem...

SAM Magazine--Grand Junction, Colo., June 13, 2008--Thomas W. Richardson, 71, died on June 5, 2008. Richardson started his industry career in 1964, when he was hired by the Aspen Skiing Company as a management trainee. From there, he rose through the ranks to president and CEO, a position he held for three years until his retirement in 1982. Bet...

SAM Magazine--June 12, 2008--Both Vermont and New Hampshire reported their 2007-008 skier visit numbers, and the news was good. First, the Vermont Ski Areas Association announced that 4,354,621 visits took place on Vermont slopes last season, which is a 14 percent increase over the prior season and well ahead of the 10-year average. Next up,...

SAM Magazine-Crested Butte, Colo., June 12, 2008-Melanie Mills, director of public affairs for Colorado Ski Country USA (CSCUSA), has become the group's new president. She replaces Rob Perlman, who is leaving to join Steamboat Ski Resort as VP of sales and marketing. Mills' appointment came at the annual CSCUSA meeting here today. The organizati...

SAM Magazine-Bend, Ore., June 10, 2008-After a nationwide search, Mt. Bachelor has named Dave Rathbun president and general manager, succeeding Matt Janney. Rathbun, who moves to Bachelor from its sister resorts Killington and Pico, Vt., where he served as director of marketing, sales, reservations and golf, starts his new position immediately. ...

SAM Magazine-New York, June 11, 2008-According to a new study on injuries and recreational sports, more snowboarders are sent to the emergency room than participants in any other sport. The study, headed by researchers associated with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, was reported in the journal Wilderness and Environmental Medicine. The ...

SAM Magazine-West Dover, Vt., June 11, 2008-Vermont's Mount Snow has announced that the ski resort will dedicate the entire Carinthia area as a freeride zone, transforming 95 acres of trails into a massive park system. The new freeride terrain will feature rails, jumps and halfpipes and will cover approximately five miles of terrain at Carinthia...

SAM Magazine-Portland, Ore., June 11, 2008-The Pacific Northwest Ski Areas Association has named Gary Larsen its 2008 Forest Service Partner of the Year. This honor recognizes environmental stewardship, knowledge of ski area operations, and contributions to administration of special use permits for ski areas. Larsen, the forest supervisor on the...

SAM Magazine-Aspen, Colo., June 9, 2008-Aspen Skiing Company will open the top of Aspen Mountain for skiing this weekend, June 13-15. The top of the mountain still sports three feet of snow as the traditional summer operating season begins. The resort will offer seven runs and about 45 acres of mostly intermediate terrain served by the Ajax Express...

SAM Magazine-Will this season ever end? Willamette Pass will begin summer gondola operations Saturday and Sunday, June 14 and 15, with sightseeing to the top of Eagle Peak and skiing and snowboarding on the Peak 2 lift. Due to all the snow covering the slopes, Willamette is unable to offer its usual summer fare of mountain biking, hiking, and do...

SAM Magazine - Wolf Creek, Colo., June 5, 2008 - Wolf Creek ski area has settled a lawsuit with an adjacent property owner who plans to develop the land next to the ski area out of court. The ski area was opposed to the development. The project, headed by Billy Joe "Red" McCombs, one of the founders of Clear Channel Communications, consists of a...

SAM Magazine - Broomfield, Colo., June 5, 2008 - Vail executives are smiling after the company posted strong results in the third quarter. For 2008, the company posted record third quarter resort revenues of $369.3 million, 4.8 percent over 2007's record results. Net income was a record $87.3 million, 11.3 percent over 2007. Strong snowfall thr...

SAM Magazine-Park City, Utah, June 5, 2008-Nick Badami, a visionary leader who helped make Park City Mountain Resort a world-class resort, died June 4 at his house in Tucson, Ariz., surrounded by family. He was 87. "We are deeply saddened to lose such an inspirational mentor and strong leader who made significant contributions to the ski indu...

SAM Magazine-Vancouver, B.C., June 3, 2008-Intrawest's selection of Bill Jensen as CEO, announced last January, becomes effective today. In addition, the company has named Brian Collins president, with initial responsibility for the company's real estate operations. Jensen brings to Intrawest 35 years of ski industry experience and a demonstrate...

SAM Magazine-Mt. Crested Butte, Colo., June 2, 2008-Crested Butte Mountain Resort (CBMR) is making several changes in key management positions as part of a restructuring of the company, including the departure of vice president and general manager Randy Barrett. "Randy will step down as general manager as we look to make changes in our managemen...