SAM Magazine-Los Angeles, Apr. 30, 2007-Mountain sports are poised to become TV stars. Steve Bellamy, founder and former president of The Tennis Channel, will launch The Ski Channel-a "TV destination for the mountain lifestyle," he told SAM-as early as winter 2008. To help make this a reality, The Ski Channel has entered into a long-term affilia...

SAM Magazine-Scranton, Pa., Apr. 27, 2007-As part of a $13 million statewide package of grants and low-interest loans, the State of Pennsylvania has awarded a $5 million Machinery and Equipment Loan Fund (MELF) loan to Sno Mountain to assist with the development of snowmaking at the resort. Sno Mountain, formerly known as Montage Mountain, was purc...

SAM Magazine-Vashon Island, Wash., Apr. 27, 2007-As any local fueling up at the local java joint on a powder day will tell you, coffee and skiing go together like Vegas and drive-through weddings. The caffeine-skiing connection just became a bit closer as the Jarden Company, owner of such brands as Mr. Coffee, has announced the acquisition of K2 in...

SAM Magazine-Aspen, Colo., Apr. 25, 2007-RockResorts, owned by Vail Resorts, will manage Aspen's venerable Hotel Jerome for Elysian Worldwide and Lodging Capital, once this investment group completes its purchase of the 92-room icon. The Jerome sits in the heart of downtown Aspen and is recognized as one of the finest small hotels in ski country...

SAM Magazine-Brand, Austria, Apr. 25, 2007-The Austrian resort Brand has announced the biggest lift upgrades to date of any European resort for the summer of 2007. The improvements include a massive tram, akin to the Whistler/Blackcomb project, which will link Brand with neighboring resort Burserberg. The new Gulmabahn lift crosses a valley between...

SAM Magazine-Bridgton, Me., Apr. 25, 2007-Shawnee Peak Ski Area received the Red Cross Real Hero award for Environmental Service and Outreach for being the first Maine area to purchase renewable-energy certificates to offset 100 percent of its electrical energy use. Shawnee Peak's wind energy purchase powers everything electrical on the mountain, f...

SAM Magazine-Copper Mountain, Colo., Apr. 25, 2007-In an aggressive move to build upon its freeride programs, Copper plans to build an indoor training facility for athletes who are interested in improving their terrain park skills. Current proposals include trampolines, bungee systems, synthetic snow ramps and foam crash pits. The resort will co...

SAM Magazine-Broomfield, Colo., Apr. 25, 2007-Vail Resorts (VR) and the National Forest Foundation (NFF) raised more than $225,000 for local conservation projects, thanks to the generosity of Vail guests. Starting in September 2006, VR asked guests at its five mountain resorts to contribute $1 on purchases of season passes, online lift tickets, and...

SAM Magazine-Sugarloaf, Me., Apr. 20, 2007-Following three major April snowstorms, several eastern areas have pushed their closing dates into the latter half of April. Among those open until Apr. 29 are Sugarloaf, Le Massif, Que., and Stowe, and (possibly) Sugarbush, Jay Peak, Vt., and Wildcat, N.H.; the last of these had previously extended its...

SAM Magazine-Lyndonville, Vt., Apr. 19, 2007-Facing a shortage of qualified middle managers, a group of senior managers in the Northeast have helped create the first-ever Resort Industry Leadership Institute (RILI), a management training program for mid- and senior-level managers. The Institute will take place at Lyndon State College, Vt., June 13-...

SAM Magazine--Woodbury, Ct., April 18, 2007--In recognition of the accomplishments of up-and-coming personnel in the winter sports industry, SAM Magazine has chosen Chris Bates (Cataloochee Ski Area), Chris Jarnot (Vail Resorts), and Jeff Summers (Wolf Mountain) as the winners of the 10th Annual SAMMY Future Leadership Awards. Winter Park's Bob Hol...

SAM Magazine-Breckenridge, Colo., Apr. 17, 2007-The National Brotherhood of Skiers (NBS) will host its 35th anniversary get-together at Breckenridge January 12 to 19, 2008. The organization's Annual Meeting and Challenge Cup (AMCC) is expected to attract more than 1,000 individuals representing 77 clubs from across the country. Since its foundin...

SAM Magazine-Whistler, B.C., Apr. 17, 2007-Whistler Blackcomb will unite its two mountains with the ambitious Peak to Peak Gondola, which will set world records for length and height. Construction is scheduled to begin in May, with completion by December 2008. The state-of-the-art gondola will be similar to a pioneering lift installed at Kitz...

SAM Magazine-Stowe, Vt., Apr. 16, 2007-With the high-elevation resorts of the Rocky Mountains shuttering winter operations for the season, it seems almost counterintuitive that Eastern resorts are extending their seasons. But plentiful snowfall and continued cold weather have sparked a slew of extended-season announcements, with Stowe being the lat...

SAM Magazine-Petite-Rivière-Saint-François, Que., Apr. 16, 2007-Lack of snow at the start of the ski season led to a 16.7 decrease in skier visits for Le Massif. "Cold snaps, rain and unusually late snowfalls always greatly affect our urban clientele's commitment to slide sports," says Pierre Raymond, general manager of the ski area. "When...

SAM Magazine-Vail, Colo., Apr. 16, 2007-Vail, which hosted the 1989 and 1999 World Alpine Championships, may be heading for a threepeat. A local group is considering submitting a bid for the 2013 FIS World Championships, which would be held at Vail and Beaver Creek ski areas. The non-profit Vail Valley Foundation will spearhead the bidding proce...

SAM Magazine-Aspen, Colo., Apr. 16, 2007-It's the kind of happy ending story that you don't expect when a bad thing happens to a chairlift with customers on board. A chair on Aspen Mountain's Ruthie's Express failed due to metal fatigue on Apr. 15 and broke, spilling one skier to the ground. The modest fall of 10 feet didn't faze the rider, who ski...

SAM Magazine-Pinkham Notch, N.H ., Apr. 13, 2007-It came in with a whimper, but it's leaving with a roar. That's the reality of an extremely mixed Eastern ski season, which saw resorts delay openings due to unseasonably warm weather in November and December, and now extend their seasons in April due to wintery conditions. The latest two ski areas t...

SAM Magazine-Aspen mountain has long been known for hidden locals' shrines to folks as diverse as Bob Marley to John Denver. But while the resort has accommodated the funky tributes, hidden in the woods off of some of the ski resort's most popular trails, the story at the mountain's sister resort, Snowmass, is a bit different. Unlike the shrines...

SAM Magazine - Carrabassett Valley, ME., April 11, 2007 - Sugarloaf is a great place to ski, but it sure isn't bad when it comes to golf, either. According to Golf Digest, the resort's Robert Trent Jones, Jr.-designed course clocks in at number 45 on the magazine's 100 Greatest Public Golf Courses for 2007-2008. In addition, Sugarloaf took the "bes...

SAM Magazine-Kent, Wash., Apr. 11, 2007-A skier, Kenny Salvini, was awarded $14 million last week as the result of becoming paralyzed after he outjumped the landing on a tabletop feature and crashed in the terrain park at The Summit at Snoqualmie. The incident took place Feb. 11, 2004, at 8:30 p.m. A jury found that the operator, Ski Lifts Inc.,...

SAM Magazine - Teton Village, WY., April 11, 2007 - Jackson Hole Mountain Resort had a good year. In fact, it was a very good year. The ski area wrapped up the 2006-2007 season by posting its second best year ever, with just over 400,000 skier visits. The grand total clocked in at a whopping 402,400 skier visits on the year, impressive, given th...

SAM Magazine--April 10, 2007--Chris Nyberg is stepping down from his VP position at Prinoth to pursue other opportunities. As a result, the company has restructured its staff. Jim Coughlin, the Northeast USA regional manager has been promoted to director, Eastern North America sales and after sales support. Peter Craig, Mid Atlantic product represe...

SAM Magazine-St, Louis, Mo., Apr. 5, 2007-Peak Resorts has closed on the purchase of Mount Snow and Attitash resorts from American Skiing Company. The sale agreement, announced on Feb. 16, includes all properties and assets of Mount Snow and Attitash resorts, for a purchase price of $73.5 million. In addition, Peak Resorts assumed approximately $2 ...

SAM Magazine-Tahoe City, Calif., Apr. 4, 2007-Powdr Corp. has agreed to sell Alpine Meadows ski resort to JMA Ventures, the owner of Homewood Mountain Resort. The transaction is expected to become final in June, pending Forest Service approval and the usual closing considerations. The purchase price has not been disclosed. If completed, the sale...

SAM Magazine-Valle di Fassa, Italy, Apr. 4, 2007-It's probably too late to save the European ski season, which suffered through some of the worst opening months in history, but snow is finally falling in many parts of the Alps, including Italy. The Trentino region in particular is scoring late-season storms, which have dropped between 20 and 50 cen...

SAM Magazine-Revelstoke, B.C., Apr. 4, 2007-Real Estate is hot at Revelstoke Mountain Resort, and the boom seems to be just starting. The mountain, based outside of the logging and mining town of Revelstoke, will feature North America's longest vertical drop, over 6,000 feet, upon completion. In addition to the skiing, the resort will have a compre...

SAM Magazine-Flagstaff, Ariz., April 4, 2007-The battle over snowmaking continues at Arizona Snowbowl, where resort operators have proposed to use reclaimed water to make snow. A recent 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling overturned a previous decision that would have allowed Snowbowl to move forward with its upgrade proposal. The Court's decision ...

SAM Magazine-Breckenridge, Colo., Apr. 3, 2007-Roger McCarthy, chief operating officer of Vail Resorts' Breckenridge mountain resort and co-president of VR's mountain division, has resigned effective May 4, 2007. McCarthy will be joining the Russian private investment company, Interros, to develop a new ski resort, Rosa Khutor, located near the cit...

SAM Magazine-Whistler, B.C., Mar. 30, 2007-The Mountain Travel Symposium (MTS) has named Patrick O'Donnell, former president of Aspen Skiing Company, the winner of its first Mountain Travel Industry Achievement Award for his long-time activism and leadership in environmental protection in the ski industry and his "unique and especially meaningful c...

SAM Magazine - Copper Mountain, CO., March 23, 2007 - Three local conservation groups have been chosen by Copper Mountain and the National Forest Foundation (NFF) as the first ever recipients of the Ski Area Contribution Program (SCP) grants. The program raises funds through a partnership with Copper's lodging guests and matching donations from the...

SAM Magazine-McLean, Va., Mar. 23, 2007-Snowsports retail sales at specialty stores declined 3 percent for the August through January period this year compared to the prior season, according to the SnowSports Industries America (SIA) Retail Audit. Sales totaled $1.37 billion compared to $1.41 billion in 2006 as an 8 percent gain in apparel sales he...

SAM Magazine-Killington, Vt., Mar. 20, 2007-What a difference a month or two can make. With consistent late spring snowstorms coating the East Coast, conditions are finally up to par after a miserable early and middle of the season. In fact, conditions are so good that some resorts are extending the season. One of these is Pico Mountain. "With s...

SAM Magazine - Perisher Valley, Australia, March 20, 2007 - Australian ski resort Perisher Blue has pumped $6.6 million (AUD) into improvements for the 2007-2008 season. Highlights include a $3.6 million (AUD) investment in snowmaking and water supply infrastructure and the purchase additional grooming equipment including a Kassbohrer Pisten Bully ...

SAM Magazine-Arapahoe Basin, Colo., Mar. 20, 2007-Not much has changed at Colorado's Arapahoe Basin since the resort opened in 1946. A few runs cut, some new lifts, a revamped base lodge. But the Basin is about to become a lot bigger. Last week the resort received approval for a 400-acre expansion that will substantially improve the intermediate te...

SAM Magazine -Vail, Colo., Mar. 20, 2007-As local bumpers will no doubt lament, Vail Resorts is replacing yet another vestige of the past, Vail's fixed-grip Chair 10, with a high-speed quad this summer. The new lift will provide a faster way to reach China Bowl and thus increase traffic in what has been a mogul skier's paradise. The old chair, w...

SAM Magazine - Broomfield, CO, March 13, 2007 - Vail Resorts has posed a strong second quarter, with a 23% gain in net income and a 21% increase per earnings per diluted share over their 2006 numbers. The company racked up a second quarter net income of $53.0 million ($1.35 per diluted share) to post those gains. "We are very pleased with our...

SAM Magazine - Lee Canyon, NV, March 14, 2007 - Las Vegas Ski and Snowboard Resort has announced that the mountain will be temporary closed as of Sunday, March 18 due to record high temperatures and a below average snowpack. The small resort, which features three chairlifts and is a mere 45 minutes from the strip is a Las Vegas anomaly. Situa...

SAM Magazine - Denver, Co., March 14, 2007 - Colorado Ski Country USA has announced that statewide skier visits are on pace to meet or exceed last winter's record breaking year. Last season, Colorado's resorts set an all-time record for visitation with more than 12.53 million skier visits, representing more than 21 percent of the nation's 58.9 mi...

SAM Magazine, Sella Ronda, Italy, March 12, 2007 - It's a bet that most ski areas would shy away from: guarantee your opening and closing dates for the next three years. Even with snowmaking, most Eastern resorts in North America missed scheduled opening dates this year, and while Rocky Mountain resorts like Vail have announced that they are extend...

SAM Magazine - Queenstown, New Zealand, March 12, 2007 - American park and pipe jauggernaught Snow Park Technologies has been tapped to redesign the park and pipe offerings at New Zealand's The Remarkables resort. The company, which became a wholly owned subsidiary of Booth Creek Ski Holdings in 2003, is one of the premiere park builders and co...

SAM Magazine - Ragged Mountain, NH, March 11, 2007 - With Bankruptcy looming, the owners of Ragged Mountain, NH got a some breathing room as the seek to sell the resort. The mountain, owned by Al and Walter Endriunas was on the brink of filing for Bankruptcy last week after defaulting on a $4.75 million loan from Endeavor Financial Services LLC las...

SAM Magazine--Park City, Utah, March 7, 2007--American Skiing Company (ASC), today announced that its Board of Directors has authorized the Company to conduct a strategic review of options for its Sunday River and Sugarloaf resorts, both in Maine, including the potential sale of the resorts. "As a result of our recently announced resort sales, w...

SAM Magazine--Park City, Utah, March 7, 2007--American Skiing Company (ASC), today announced that its Board of Directors has authorized the Company to conduct a strategic review of options for its Sunday River and Sugarloaf resorts, both in Maine, including the potential sale of the resorts. "As a result of our recently announced resort sales, w...

SAM Magazine-Trysil, Norway, Mar. 6, 2007-It sounds like something you'd expect one of those private "members only" ski resorts to install: a heated chairlift so the moneyed set doesn't have to endure the indignity of a cold bum. And it's certainly not the kind of "improvement" you'd find at most major North American resorts, as they review their e...

SAM Magazine-Queenstown, New Zealand, Mar. 6, 2007-While the ski season heads toward its conclusion in North America and Europe after a wild winter that saw deep snows come late to the Eastern region, epic snowfall in the Pacific Northwest and a rough season for Europe, resorts in the Southern Hemisphere are dusting off the summer blues and finaliz...

SAM Magazine-Broomfield, Colo., Mar. 5, 2007-Vail Resorts is planning one of the most ambitious "green" development projects in the North American resort industry, to be called "Ever Vail." The $1 billion project will transform the 9.5-acre West LionsHead site into a green multi-use resort village consisting of residences, a hotel, offices, retail ...

SAM Magazine-Park City, Utah, Mar. 1, 2007-American Skiing Company (ASC) and Intrawest completed the sale of Steamboat Ski & Resort Corporation today. Purchase price at the time the deal was announced in December was $265 million. But after preliminary adjustments for working capital and debt assumed by the buyer, and income realized by ASC from th...

SAM Magazine-Bejing, China, Mar. 1, 2007-Asia is seeing a boom in skiing that could provide opportunities for European and North American resort companies and equipment manufacturers. In the last decade, more 300 ski areas have opened in China, complemented by three indoor ski centers. The majority of the areas are very basic: a run or two, served ...

SAM Magazine-Krasnaya Polyana, Russia, Mar. 1, 2007-Russian president Vladimir Putin made a surprise visit to Krasnaya Polyana during the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) Evaluation Commission for the XXII Winter Olympics inspection tour of the resort and nearby city, Sochi. "Sochi is the only place in Russia with a combination of develop...

SAM Magazine-Park City, Utah, Mar. 1, 2007-American Skiing Company founder Leslie B. Otten has resigned from the company's board of directors, effective as of late February. "I leave the board with mixed feelings," Otten said in a prepared statement. "It's been a pleasure to serve and help guide the company and I wish everyone well. I truly enjo...

SAM Magazine - Bansko, Bulgaria. February 21, 2007 - Eastern Europe is experiencing a boom in skiing, lead by the Bulgarian resorts of Pamporovo and Bansko. Most of the action in Bansko has been in real estate, with a property boom fueled by an influx of buyers from the UK. Increasing development has led to criticism from the World Wildlife Federat...

SAM Magazine-McLean, Va., Feb. 22, 2007-Overall sales for both specialty and chain stores were down 3 percent to $1.46 billion for the August through December period of 2006, compared to $1.50 billion reported last year, according to the SIA Retail Audit. Unit sales were down 9 percent. "Strong sales in the Rockies, California and the Pacific North...

SAM Magazine-Vancouver, BC., Feb.21, 2007-Intrawest has made three executive management team appointments in the Intrawest Mountain Resorts Division, with one long-time employee departing in conjunction with the changes to the corporate structure. The new structure will serve to align management with the strategic direction and growth objectives of...

SAM Magazine--Park City, Utah, February 20, 2007--American Skiing Company (ASC) announced today that it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its Killington and Pico resorts in Vermont to SP Land Company, a major area land owner, for $83.5 million. SP Land Company, which has been in partnership with Killington since 2004 on a large develo...

SAM Magazine--Santa Fe, New Mexico, February 20, 2007--What a difference a year makes. New Mexico is enjoying great ski conditions with more than 15 feet of snow so far this year. Thanks to strong El Nino storms, New Mexico has seen a 60 percent increase in ski visits over last season, which was a season the region would rather forget. A storm l...

SAM Magazine-Park City, Utah, Feb. 16, 2007-Following weeks of speculation, Peak Resorts has entered a purchase agreement for Mount Snow and Attitash with American Skiing Company for $73.5 million. When completed, the deal will leave Peaks with 11 resorts in Missouri, Indiana, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Ohio. The agreement comes on ...

SAM Magazine-Aspen, Colo., Feb. 6, 2007-Aspen Skiing Company (ASC) has promoted John Rigney to vice president, sales and events and Connie Hamlin to director of sales. Also promoted are Auden Schendler, to executive director, community and environmental responsibility, and Matt Hamilton, to manager of community and environmental responsibility and ...

SAM Magazine-Lakewood, Colo., Feb. 2, 2007-The American Snowsports Education Association (ASEA, doing business as PSIA and AASI) and the National Ski Patrol (NSP) are ending their 17-year agreement for joint management, and will each have their own separate, dedicated management teams by July 1. Mark Dorsey, currently executive director for both...

SAM Magazine - Keystone, Colo., January 24, 2007 - Keystone resort has named Doug Lovell as the new director of mountain operations. Lovell makes the move to Keystone from Beaver Creek, and brings more than 13 years of mountain operations and guest services experience in the ski and snowboard industry to his new position. Lovell started at Beav...