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  • SAM Taps Whistler Blackcomb to Host 2025 Summer Ops Camp

    SAM Magazine—Whistler, British Columbia, March 18, 2025—SAM’s Summer Ops Camp will be held at Whistler Blackcomb, Sept. 2-4, 2025, offering three days of education, networking, and hands-on learning focused on the future of summer operations at mountain resorts. This year’s camp will also feature a partnership with the Canada West Ski Areas Association (CWSAA), bringing together a dynamic mix of resort professionals from across North America.   Whistler Blackcomb has been at the forefront of year-round recreation development, balancing business innovation with environmental sustainability. With a robust lineup of summer attractions—including the Whistler Mountain Bike Park, Peak...

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Ski Career Event Seeks Industry Support

SAM Magazine—Henniker, N.H., July 14, 2025—In less than 24 hours, more than 120 students in career and technical education (CTE) programs around New Hampshire pre-registered for The. Pipeline Project’s first-ever Ski Career Exploration event, scheduled for Oct. 15 at Pats Peak, N.H. The event is designed to help students explore career option...

Local Groups Agree to End Longtime Opposition of Palisades Tahoe Development Plan

SAM Magazine—Olympic Valley, Calif., July 10, 2025—The massive planned base area development at Palisades Tahoe appears to be moving forward after the resort and two Tahoe-area environmental conservation groups agreed to various reductions in scope, ending a 14-year legal battle that has delayed the project from breaking ground. Prior to the a...

Town of Nederland to Acquire Eldora

SAM Magazine—Nederland, Colo., July 9, 2025—The Town of Nederland has signed a letter of intent to buy Eldora Mountain Resort from Powdr following months of negotiations that began in fall 2024. The two entities will continue negotiating based on the rules set forth in a mutually agreed upon term sheet and could close by early October, accordin...

Ski Area Leaders to Convene at Arapahoe Basin Ahead of MT2030 Summit

SAM Magazine—Keystone, Colo., July 7, 2025— Ski area representatives attending the Mountain Towns 2030 Climate Summit this October are invited to arrive early for a special pre-Summit gathering hosted at Arapahoe Basin Ski Area on Monday, Oct. 6. The event is a collaboration between Mountain Towns 2030, the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA)...

J-1 Seasonal Worker Program Proceeding Smoothly—For Now

SAM Magazine—Longmont, Colo., July 7, 2025—While Washington has been focused on Trump's megabill, the administration has continued to pursue its anti-immigration policies and efforts to downsize the bureaucracy. The J-1 cultural exchange program, which many resorts tap for seasonal workers, could fall victim to this effort in a year or two, eve...

MCP to Acquire Controlling Stake in Chilean Resort Company Andacor

SAM Magazine—Durango, Colo., July 3, 2025—Mountain Capital Partners (MCP) plans to acquire a controlling stake of Andacor S.A., the longtime owner and operator of El Colorado and Parque Farellones near Santiago and majority shareholder of Pillán (Villarrica) and Volcán Osorno ski areas in southern Chile. Photo credit: El ColoradoIf all corpo...

Oregon Liability Waiver Reform Dies in Legislature

SAM Magazine—Salem, Ore., July 2, 2025 — Bipartisan efforts to restore the enforceability of recreational liability waivers in Oregon failed to advance before the close of the state legislative session June 29, leaving the state’s ski areas and other recreation providers facing an escalating insurance and liability crisis.Oregon State House ...

Idaho Supreme Court Reverses Course in Sun Valley Liability Case

SAM Magazine—Boise, Idaho, June 30, 2026—The Idaho Supreme Court has reversed its precedent-breaking December 2023 ruling in Milus v. Sun Valley Co., reinstating a lower court’s summary judgment in favor of Sun Valley Resort in a wrongful death lawsuit brought by the widow of a skier who died after colliding with snowmaking equipment. The De...

Outside Festival and Summit Draws 35,000, Aims to Get More People Outside

SAM Magazine—Denver, June 30, 2025—Outside’s second-annual Festival and Summit, May 29–June 1, drew roughly 35,000 visitors to Denver’s Civic Center Park. Attendance was nearly double that of the inaugural event in 2024, a sign the concept has room to grow and could yet become a meaningful way to promote participation in a wide range of ...

Amanda Buswell Promoted to Regional GM of Hoyt Family Businesses

SAM Magazine—Madison, N.H., June 26, 2025—Longtime team member Amanda Buswell has been promoted by the Hoyt family—owners of King Pine Ski Area, Danforth Bay Camping & RV Resort, and Purity Spring Resort, among other businesses—to the role of regional general manager in charge of strategic operations and planning across the portfolio. ...

ISAA Welcomes New Leadership, Conference at Grand Targhee Sets Attendance Record

SAM Magazine—Alta, Wyo., June 26, 2025—The Intermountain Ski Areas Association (ISAA) hosted its annual conference atAward Winners, Paul Etcheverry, Tim Hendrickson, and Bill Cheney. Courtesy of Emma Calder with Thunderbird Enterprise. Grand Targhee Resort, June 9-11, drawing more than 320 participants from ski areas across Idaho, Montana, U...

Mt. Buller Ski Patrol Adds Therapy Dog in Emotional Support Pilot

SAM Magazine—Victoria, Australia, June 24, 2025—Mt. Buller added a new staff member to its ski patrol, 5-month-old Nova Scotia Duck Tolling retriever Chilli, who is poised to pioneer a therapy dog program at the resort. Her handlers are experienced patrollers and married couple Tess Hoinville and Campbell Allen-Craig.  Hoinville was a driver ...

PGR Names New GMs at Wintergreen and Mount Washington (B.C.)

SAM Magazine—Park City, Utah, June 24, 2025—Pacific Group Resorts (PGR) has promoted Zach Marlowe and Mike Manara to serve as general managers of Wintergreen, Va., and Mount Washington, British Columbia, respectively, effective July 1.Zach Marlowe and Mike Manara “These internal promotions reflect our ongoing commitment to cultivating leader...

Taos Ski Valley Promotes John Kelly to CEO, Norden to Become Board Chair

SAM Magazine—Taos Ski Valley, N.M., June 20, 2025—Taos Ski Valley named longtime executive John Kelly as its new chief executive officer, with current CEO David Norden transitioning to chairman of the board in a planned leadership succession.John Kelly and David Norden “Since the resort was built 70 years ago by Ernie and Rhoda Blake, it’s...

Safehold Pulls Out of Oregon as Waiver Bill Progresses

SAM Magazine—Salem, Ore., June 19, 2025—Safehold Special Risk will no longer insure ski area clients in Oregon due to the state’s legal climate that has resulted in outsized losses over the past decade. The move appears to have, in part, helped advance a bill that would protect outdoor activity providers from legal action for ordinary neglige...