May 29, 2010 --Broomfield-based Vail Resorts Inc. is stepping into the publishing and information business through the acquisition of Mountain News Corp., a provider of snow sports news and snow reports to more than 1,200 Web sites, officials announced Friday.

Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. Vail officials said Mountain News Corp.'s offices and 40-person staff will remain at the firm's Orinda, Calif.-based locale and that the operations -- including editorial content -- will remain independent.

Kelly Ladyga, a Vail spokeswoman, said the company enacted a number of "stringent policies" to ensure the editorial independence and credibility at Mountain News Corp.'s OnTheSnow.com and MountainGetaway.com sites that offer resort information and snow reports. Information provided to the Mountain News Corp. operation will be kept confidential, she said.

Mountain News Corp.'s publisher, Rob Brown, will retire after assisting with the transition. Managing Director Craig Dyer and OnTheSnow.com's Editor in Chief Craig Altschul will remain with the company, officials said.

Vail has advertised with Mountain News Corp. for the past three years and filed snow reports for 15 years.

The impetus for the acquisition was to drive a greater interest in the snow sports industry, Ladyga said.

"We have much to gain driving the broader industry-wide promotion," she said.

Ladyga noted industry precedence to Vail's decision. In late 2006, the Resort Sports Network -- soon to be renamed Outside TV --was acquired by investors including the CEO of ski resort operator Powdr Corp.

-----

To see more of the Daily Camera, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.thedailycamera.com./

Copyright (c) 2010, Daily Camera, Boulder, Colo.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. NYSE:MTN,