Snow sports industry leaders and resort executives have said it for years: instead of competing for the same customers, we need to grow the pool. That’s what Burton Snowboards and Jay Peak plan in their new partnership with the Disney Corporation.

Bertie Holland, Snowsports School director at New Hampshire’s Pats Peak has been named the 2012 recipient of the Einar Aas Award for Excellence in Snowsports School Management given by the Professional Ski Instructors of America (PSIA) and the American Association of Snowboard Instructors (AASI) Eastern Division.

The last thing you need when frantically searching for your best bud in an avalanche is for your beacon to switch out of search mode. Ortovox is recalling a small group of its brand new 3+ beacons when testing revealed that they switched to transmit mode after two minutes.

USANA Health Services is presenting the Ski and Snowboardcross Cup at Telluride, Colo. starting Wednesday, Dec. 12 with Audi FIS Ski Cross World Cup qualifiers and running through Sunday, Dec. 15, with USANA Snowboardcross Team SBX finals.

Much has been made of the rising cost of airline flights to the mountains this winter, so three Idaho resorts have linked with Alaska Airlines to ease the cost of that seat.

A couple of old Midwest standbys, Wilmot Mountain in southern Wisconsin, and Caberfae Peaks in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula, celebrate turning 75 this winter.

Ski resorts across Canada are planning a number of fun-filled events for every member of the family. Here is just a sampling. 

The name changed at the top of the U.S. Ski Team headlines from Lindsey Vonn to Sarah Hendrickson as the reigning overall champ won the first FIS Ski Jumping World Cup on the 2014 Olympic jumps in Krasnaya Polyana outside Sochi Saturday. 

A massive winter storm that blew through the Northwest dropped a historic amount of snow on Stevens Pass, Wa. – 39 inches in 12 hours.

What was described as a tactically perfect run in the weather-shortened super G at St. Moritz, Switzerland brought American Lindsey Vonn her 57th Audi World Cup victory – her fourth this season. 

Vail Resorts announced Thursday they are expanding into the Heartland with the purchase of Afton Alps, near the Twin Cities, and Mt. Brighton near Detroit. The news caught many Midwest ski industry people by surprise.

Flat light in St. Moritz, Switzerland failed to bother Slovenia’s Tina Maze as she pulled off a super combined victory Friday. It was her third win of the season. Austrians Nicole Hosp and Kathryn Zettel finished second and third.

A bankruptcy court judge in Greenbelt, Md., approved the sale of Wisp, the state’s only ski resort, for $23.5 million. The buyer was Entertainment Properties Trust (EPT) Ski Properties. Wisp plans a Dec. 14 opening.

Ski areas across the U.S. are hardly standing by on the sidelines when it comes to climate change. They are taking action to combat it by reducing their greenhouse gas emissions through significant investments in energy efficiency and renewable energy.

A ceremony at Pico Mountain Dec. 15 at noon will mark the official announcement that the new $1.3 million home for Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports will be named in honor of the late skiing icon Andrea Mead Lawrence. 

Do you ever feel like you need a little inspiration to get the kids motivated to ski?

More and more ski areas are becoming venues for activities appealing to a cross-section of the populace, not just skiers and riders. Nashoba Valley  has a Holiday Festival of Lights, where nothing is needed other than an appreciation of the season.

Visitors to Lake Tahoe area resorts know that traffic jams and high gas prices can put a crimp in making the trip to the mountains. Lake Tahoe has fostered a number of shuttle services around the lake that allow skiers and riders to share a seat. 

KSL affiliate KSL Capital Partners has acquired 24 percent of Whistler Blackcomb Holdings Inc. by purchasing 9,092,500 common shares of the corporation for $12.75 each. 

Many ski resorts across the Midwest were able to open this past weekend, even as far south as southern Indiana where Perfect North Slopes was open.