First of all, we would like to wish you all a Happy New Year! If the early conditions are any indication about the season to come, we can’t help but to be excited. As I write this, I am sitting in the beautiful Jackson Gore Inn at Okemo, Vt., after a great first day on snow. Thanks to cold snowmaking temps and a few strategic deliveries from Mother Nature, Okemo is providing a great product.

So, before we head back out for more “research,” we wanted to fill you in on a couple of things. In the November issue of SAM, we ran a terrain park contest that was chockful of innovative features for beginners, experts and everyone in between. We asked you, our readers, to vote for the jib or idea that you would most like to rip off, and here are your top three choices: the see-through wall ride from Liberty Mountain, Penn.; the multi-directional box from Railbuilders.com and Heavenly Valley; and the Teter, from Bear Valley, Calif., which was featured on the cover. Congrats to the winners and we hope you like your bag of schwag from SAM, Burton (anon/R.E.D.), Prinoth, PistenBully and Zaugg (and, no, it doesn’t include a pipe cutter or snowcat).

Co-sponsored by SIA, we ran another contest in the November issue that targeted rental operations. Called the “Perfect 10” contest, we asked rental departments to send in their best ideas for making the rental experience a “Perfect 10.” The winners this year were Carolyn Stimpson, VP operations at Wachusett Mountain, and Christine Carner, rental/repair manager at Okemo Mountain—two rental operations that epitomize the ideal experience. From the moment a new customer steps foot on the property, Okemo and Wachusett strive to inform and educate and, above all, nurture that person, and they do so successfully. Kudos to them both. In fact, we hate to take them out of the shop, but Carolyn and Christine each won five nights at the Excalibur Hotel in Las Vegas during the SIA ‘06 SnowSports Trade Show from January22 to 26, along with free admission to the show, a subscription to SAM and $50 pocket (gambling) money. Their ideas will also be featured in the Rental World showcase. In fact, we urge all areas to join Okemo and Wachusett out in Vegas and take advantage of the Rental World Showcase and Uniform Center. We are also creating a new section called Backshop Garage. The SIA ‘06 Snowsports Trade Show truly is a one-stop shopping experience for both products and ideas that will improve the customer experience.

Finally, we’d like to draw your attention to the SAMMYs. It is time to look around and identify your future leaders, people who, at mid-career, show the promise and the innovation to take us into the future. You will find a nomination form on page 77. We would also like to welcome two new sponsors of the SAMMY program: American Express and Mellonhead Interactive Marketing and Media. They join long-time sponsors Acordia and Leitner/Poma.

Speaking of SAMMY recipients, we are pleased to bring you this issue’s SAMMY Guest Editor—Ron Nova, the GM and VP at Schweitzer Mountain, Idaho. We hope you’ll enjoy Ron’s insights into snowmobile safety, mountain biking and used lifts as much as we did.

Now, we really must sign off. The sun is up, the slopes are white and the laptop is, thankfully, rapidly losing its charge.