November  2023

 Late October Snow Primes the Pump for More Ski Area Openings. More North American ski areas are opening for the season after late-October snowstorms pummeled various regions this past week and cooler temps allowed other areas to fire up their snowmaking systems. Here is a rundown of some recent and soon-to-come opening dates. More. SAM

Windham (NY) Unveils Rebranding, New Master Plan. The Windham Mountain Club, formerly known as Windham Mountain, unveiled its rebranding and capital upgrades for the 2023-24 winter season and beyond. More. SAM

Mountain Capital Partners Inks Joint Venture with Sandia Peak, NM. Mountain Capital Partners (MCP) and Sandia Peak Ski Company have entered a joint venture agreement for the operation of Sandia Peak Ski Area, located 35 miles northeast of Albuquerque, N.M. This is MCP’s third New Mexico ski area.  More. SAM

California Mountain Resorts Company Buys Bear Mountain. California Mountain Resorts Company (CMRC) has acquired Bear Valley. It’s the third acquisition in three years for the growing Golden State conglomerate, which is headed by CEO Karl Kapuscinski. CMRC, which has owned Mountain High since 1997, purchased California’s Dodge Ridge in 2021 and China Peak in 2022. More. SAM

Smugglers’ Notch and Stowe Connector Lift Plans Withdrawn. Plans for a proposed gondola connecting Smugglers’ Notch Resort and Stowe Mountain Resort have been withdrawn following initial disapproval from the Agency of Natural Resources, according to reporting by the News & Citizen. Stowe, owned by Vail Resorts, and privately held Smugglers’ Notch have reportedly been in discussions with Vermont state officials about building the 2,600-foot lift since 2017. More. SAM

Alterra Purchases Mike Wiegele Heli Ski Operation. Alterra Mountain Company has initiated the purchase of Mike Wiegele Helicopter Skiing (MWHS) in Blue River, BC, Canada. Officials at Alterra said the addition will complement the company’s BC-based CMH Heli-Skiing and Summer Adventures operation, and is expected to be completed late this year, pending closing conditions that include regulatory approvals. More. SAM

Black Mountain (NH) to Open, Assisted by Indy Pass. A week after announcing that it would not open for the 2023-24 season, owners of New Hampshire’s Black Mountain have reconsidered after reaching an operating agreement with Indy Pass and its parent company Entabeni. Black Mountain officials announced on Oct. 11 that the ski area would remain closed due to “circumstances beyond our control,” citing soaring energy costs, staffing shortages, and unpredictable weather among other factors. More. SAM

New Owners for Alberta, Canada’s Rabbit Hill. Rabbit Hill Snow Resort, founded in 1955, has transitioned to new ownership—business partners Chuck and Lara Amerongen and Derek and Anna Look. The independently owned ski area is located about 20 miles southwest of Edmonton. More. Ed. Note: Although not of general interest, I just love the resort name.

June  2023

 Alterra Mountain Company to Acquire Schweitzer. Alterra Mountain Company has entered into an agreement to purchase Schweitzer, Idaho, from owner and developer MKM Trust. The transaction is expected to close later in 2023 and is subject to closing conditions such as regulatory approvals. More. SAM

Little Cottonwood Gondola Gains Conditional Approval. The Wasatch Front Regional Council (WFRC) has voted to approve a long-term regional transportation plan from the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) that includes the widely-debated Little Cottonwood Canyon gondola. More. SAM

 Smugglers’ Notch and Stowe Consider Connector Gondola. The owners of Stowe Mountain Resort and Smugglers’ Notch Resort are in talks to install a connector gondola between the two properties. The proposed lift would link Spruce Peak at Stowe to Sterling Mountain at Smugglers’ Notch. More. SAM

Will Utah’s Newest Ski Area Be the Next to Ban Snowboarding? When completed, Mayflower Resort will be the first new ski area in the U.S. since 2004. Here’s the latest on the massive project. More. Outside

U.S. Ski Areas Set New Record for Skier Visits. U.S. ski areas recorded record visitation for the 2022-23 season with a total of 64.7 million skier visits, according to preliminary data from the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA). That is a 6.6 percent increase over last year’s record season. More. SAM

Winter Park Resort, CO, Donates All Proceeds From Uphill Armband Sales to Local Non-Profits. More than $70,000 will help outdoor organizations provide equipment and resources to help serve the thousands of people who adventure in Winter Park’s backyard every year. More. SnowBrains

NSAA Honors Best in Ski Industry at Annual Awards Ceremony. National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) named the winners of its annual awards in sustainability, safety, marketing, and beginner conversion (growth). The awards were presented to ski area members with the most innovative and successful programs in each category at the association’s National Convention and Tradeshow in Savannah, Ga. More. SnowBrains

US Ski & Snowboard Bring Paralympic Alpine and Snowboard Teams Back Under Umbrella. U.S. Ski & Snowboard (USSS) will add the Paralympic Alpine ski and snowboard teams back under its umbrella effective immediately. The U.S. Paralympic Alpine and snowboard teams have been under the management of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee since 2010. More. Salt Lake City Tribune via Google Alerts

Season Pass Plays. The 2023-24 season pass sale is underway with lots of new offerings and more multi-area passes than ever before. More. SAM Magazine

The Onlys. Meet the three ski areas that are the only ones in their respective states. Tennessee, Maryland, and Rhode Island boast only one ski area each. More. SAM Magazine

Crested Butte Lift Mechanics, Electricians Look to Unionize. Lift mechanics and electricians at Crested Butte Mountain Resort (CBMR) have signed union authorization cards initiating a process to unionize. Resort management and leaders at ownership group Vail Resorts now have the option to voluntary recognize the union, a move that would bypass the need for the petitioners to vote in a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) union election. More. SAM

Mike writes and draws cartoons for the Albany Times-Union Ski Blog. This one is about Smuggler’s Notch’s Doc Dempsey’s run.