• Grooming
• Trail Maintenance
• Marketing

SAM Magazine—Denver, Colo., June 11, 2021—Alterra Mountain Company named Ron Cohen president and COO of Mammoth Mountain and June Mountain, Calif., effective immediately. He will oversee all operations at both resorts, and will lead significant developments planned for Mammoth, Alterra’s largest and most visited destination. Cohen has served ...

• Racing
• Area Management

SAM Magazine—Denver, Colo., June 3, 2021—Alterra Mountain Company named Rob Rohn president and COO of CMH Heli-Skiing & Summer Adventures, effective immediately. Rohn will oversee operations and be responsible for driving growth at the Banff-based outlet, which includes 11 luxury lodges, a fleet of helicopters, and 140 guides. He will repor...

• Miscellaneous

  RESORTS NICK LAMBERT, BOYNE RESORTS  Boyne Resorts, Mich., named Nick Lambert chief marketing officer, effective June 1, 2021. He succeeds Ian Arthur, who is retiring after six years with the team. Lambert was the vice president of sales and marketing for the company’s Sunday River Resort, Maine, and Gatlinburg SkyLift Park, Tenn. In h...

• Lifts
• Racing

SAM Magazine—Denver, June 1, 2021—Jared Smith will serve as president of Alterra Mountain Company, effective June 7, 2021. Smith, who will report to CEO Rusty Gregory, will be responsible for overseeing and developing Alterra’s 15 mountain destinations.  Smith comes to Alterra from Live Nation Entertainment. There, he most recently served a...

• Rental
• Miscellaneous

SAM Magazine—Big Cottonwood Canyon, Utah, May 20, 2021—Amber Broadaway has been selected as the new president and chief operating officer of Solitude Mountain Resort in Utah, beginning June 1. She succeeds Kim Mayhew, who is retiring after holding Solitude’s top spot since 2015. Broadaway currently serves as vice president of guest services ...

• Lifts

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., May 7, 2021—Vail Resorts (VR) has named new senior leaders to three of its Colorado resorts: Jody Churich, VP and COO of Breckenridge; Tara Schoedinger, VP and GM of Crested Butte; and Chris Sorensen, VP and GM of Keystone. All three will assume their new roles June 7. Jody Churich, Tara Schoedinger, and Chri...

• Miscellaneous
• Ski Patrol

SAM Magazine—White Pass, Wash., May 6, 2021— Kevin McCarthy is stepping down as White Pass GM on July 1 after 36 years at the helm. Former COO Rikki Cooper will succeed McCarthy as GM.  “Trying to fill Kevin McCarthy's shoes is an impossible task,” said Cooper. “He has faithfully led this company since the year I was born, and his deter...

• Lifts

SAM Magazine—Montville, N.J., April 21, 2021—SNOW Operating has appointed Jeff Boliba chief operating officer for its SnowCloud technology company. Boliba spent the last 21 years with Burton Snowboards, most recently as its global marketing vice president of sport and participation. In his role with SnowCloud, he’ll be responsible for helping...

• Lifts

SAM Magazine—East Rutherford, N.J., April 14, 2021—Big SNOW American Dream named Mark Dobrowolski as its new general manager. Dobrowolski has been serving as interim GM since former general manager Jim Haas died in March.  Dobrowolski joined Big SNOW, a year-round, indoor snowsports venue, as the guest experience manager in October 2019, prio...

SAM Magazine—Denver, Colo., April 5, 2021—Alterra Mountain Company has promoted Mark Brownlie from regional chief operating officer (RCOO) for the company’s Western Region to chief operating officer of resorts. Working with the COO of hospitality to drive profitability and growth, Brownlie will oversee all of the company’s 15 destination op...

• Miscellaneous
• Lifts

Resorts Maggie Murray and Jesse True, Arapahoe Basin, Colo.  Arapahoe Basin welcomed Maggie Murray as its new finance director and Jesse True as its new marketing director.  Murray began her career at Morgan Stanley in Boston before realizing that office towers were not her natural habitat. Her background includes top finance roles in local n...

• Trail Maintenance
• Grooming
• Miscellaneous

RESORTS Sarah Sherman, Snowbird Sarah Sherman has been appointed communications manager at Snowbird, working within the marketing team to oversee the resort’s public and media relations and communications. Originally from Los Angeles, Sherman began her career as a snow reporter at Mammoth Mountain after graduating from the University of Souther...

• Snowmaking
• Racing

In SAM’s monthly Snow People, we highlight recent personnel moves that have been made in the mountain resort industry. STEVE KRUSE, TIMBERLINE LODGE After 31 years at Timberline Lodge, Ore., longtime GM Steve Kruse has retired. Kruse was a World Cup technician in the 1980s and started at Timberline as the rental and repair m...

• Grooming
• Trail Maintenance

SAM Magazine—Wausau, Wis., July 8, 2020—Granite Peak Ski Resort has hired industry veteran Greg Fisher as its new general manager and marketing director. Fisher will be responsible for the overall operations of Granite Peak, including overseeing mountain operations, skier services, food and beverage, ski school operations, facilities, and resor...

• Ski School

• Miscellaneous
• Lifts

"I just wanted to thank you for all that you have done to foster such vibrant and helpful collaboration between industry leaders. It is truly inspiring to be on a call knowing that our smallest mountains and largest resorts are wrestling with the same issues and working together to solve them." – Tom Butler, Sugarloaf The pandemic is behind u...

• Lifts

Snow People is our monthly roundup of happenings to the people of and around the mountain resort industry. Send any personnel news to: news@saminfo.com. CHRIS JARNOT, MAYFLOWER MOUNTAIN VILLAGE, UTAH Industry veteran , and former SAMMY winner, Chris Jarnot has accepted a consulting role with Extell Development Company (EDC), focusing on Extell’...

• Racing
• Ski Patrol

SAM Magazine—Killington, Vt., Feb. 7, 2020—Following a strong western meeting in Squaw Valley, the 2020 National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) Eastern Winter Conference and Trade Show was held at Killington Resort, Feb. 4 and 5. A big crowd of 677 ski area operators, suppliers, and speakers gathered for informative sessions, great skiing and rid...

• Grooming
• Trail Maintenance
• Ski Area Profiles

Snow People is our monthly roundup of happenings to the people of and around the mountain resort industry. Send any personnel news to: news@saminfo.com.Longtime lift mechanic and operations manager Jeff Harvey Sr., right, stands with his son, Jeff Jr., at Ski Butternut. Jeff Harvey, Sr., and Jeff Harvey, Jr., Ski Butternut, Mass.Jeff Harvey Sr., o...

• Miscellaneous
• Snowmaking

SAM Magazine—Olympic Valley, Calif., Jan. 17, 2020—A variety of important topics and current issues were presented, pondered, and discussed at the 2020 National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) Western Winter Conference and Trade Show, held at Squaw Valley, Calif., Jan. 14 and 15. A crowd of 687 ski area operators, suppliers, and speakers were full...

• Summer

Snow People is our monthly roundup of happenings to the people of and around the mountain resort industry. Send any personnel news to: news@saminfo.com. SAMMIE LUKASKIEWICZ, CRYSTAL MOUNTAIN, MICH. Longtime communications professional Sammie Lukaskiewicz has joined Crystal Mountain as public relations director. Since 2017, Lukaskiewicz had been w...

• Area Management
• Miscellaneous

Snow People is our monthly roundup of happenings to the people of and around the mountain resort industry. Send any personnel news to: news@saminfo.com.RICK HERLIHY, WINTER PARK, COLO.Rick Herlihy has transitioned within Alterra Mountain Company from senior revenue manager at Snowshoe Mountain, W.Va., to director of sales at Winter Park, Colo. Herl...

• Ski School
• Racing

CRANMORE, N.H.Cranmore Mountain Resort, N.H., announced several staffing updates. In resort operations, Tricia Garcia has been promoted to director of base area operations. She brought on Gregg Ludvigson as the resort’s new mountain bike and ski rental shop manager. Linda Dean, former member services supervisor at the rec...

• Ski Area Profiles
• Lifts

SAM Magazine—Jay Peak, Vt., Oct. 11, 2019—The third annual Mountain Technology Symposium, held Oct. 2-4 at Jay Peak Resort, Vt., drew more than 130 ski industry tech leaders and suppliers to discuss the future of technology in the ski industry. A pre-conference survey highlighted that, according to attendees, the biggest resort challenge and th...

• Marketing

SAM Magazine—Montville, N.J., Sept. 27, 2019— Four-decade industry veteran Jim Haas has been hired as the general manager of Big SNOW America, the new real-snow, indoor, year-round ski and snowboard center at the American Dream retail complex. Haas started his career with Snowshoe Mountain, where he held several management positions in risk, h...

• Ski School
• Marketing

resorts SARAH JONES, STEAMBOAT SKI RESORT, COLO.  Sarah Jones has been named the first ever director of sustainability and community engagement at Steamboat Ski Resort. Starting Sept. 30, Jones will be responsible for furthering the resort’s policy goals on climate and energy and developing and driving the resort’s sustainability practic...

• Marketing

SAM Magazine—Lake Geneva, Wis., Aug. 26, 2019—The Midwest Ski Areas Association (MSAA) Summer Meetings & Trade Show drew a large crowd of 424 attendees—including supplier reps and personnel from 55 different ski areas—to the Grand Geneva Resort, Aug. 18-21. The first-time location, a former Playboy Hotel, was well received. Grand Geneva...

• Miscellaneous

In SAM’s monthly Snow People, we highlight recent happenings to people who are part of the mountain resort industry. This time around, we’ve combined July and August. For even more updates on industry people, be sure to read News & Views in each and every issue of SAM Magazine. TESS HOBBS, SNOWBIRD, UTAHTess Hobbs Tess Hobbs has been pr...

• Miscellaneous
• Resort Development

In SAM’s monthly Snow People, we highlight recent personnel moves that have been made in the mountain resort industry. For even more updates on industry people, be sure to read News & Views in the upcoming July issue of SAM.  DON MACASKILL, WHITETAIL RESORT, MERCERSBURG, PA.Long-time vice president and general manager Don...

• Resort Development
• Miscellaneous

SAM Magazine—June 7, 2019, Jay Peak, Vt.—The Vermont Ski Areas Association (Ski Vermont) held its annual meeting at Jay Peak Resort, June 5-6, 2019, a gathering that welcomed 190 attendees from resorts, brands, and tourism. Ski Vermont revealed 2018-19 total skier visits in the state reached 4.1 million, up 5.2 percent year-over-year. “From ...

• Miscellaneous
• Lifts

SAM Magazine—Conway, N.H., June 7, 2019—Ski New Hampshire hosted its annual conference and trade show in Meredith, N.H., June 4-5. At the conference, Ski NH president Jessyca Keeler reported that total visits—including alpine, cross country, and tubing—for winter 2018-19 were an estimated 2.3 million, up more than 100,000 over last year, or...

• Grooming
• Trail Maintenance
• Miscellaneous

By Dave ZookThe California mountain resort industry gathered in Squaw Valley for the Lift Maintenance and Operations Education Conference (LMOE) for the second year running on June 4-6, 2019. The underlying theme of the content-rich conference was working together to create a safer, better industry. Topic areas were addressed through three days of ...

• Marketing
• Lifts

In SAM’s monthly Snow People, we highlight recent personnel moves that have been made in the mountain resort industry. MIKE FERGUSON, ALTERRA MOUNTAIN COMPANYAlterra Mountain Company named Mike Ferguson as chief human resources officer. Ferguson will lead the development and implementation of attracting and retaining talent. His responsibil...

• Marketing
• Lifts

SAM Magazine—San Diego, Cali., May 6, 2019 - More than 950 members of the winter resort industry descended on the Hilton Bayfront Hotel in San Diego, Calif., April 29–May 2 for the NSAA National Convention and Tradeshow. It was the most highly attended national convention since 2008. Conventioneers reveled in the aftermath of the fourth-greates...

• Marketing

In SAM’s monthly Snow People, we highlight recent personnel moves that have been made in the mountain resort industry.MARK SEITER and GREG RALPH, Angel Fire Resort, N.M.Mark Seiter was named Angel Fire Resort’s new CFO, and Greg Ralph was named the new director of marketing. Both Seiter and Ralph will report to Angel Fire CEO John Kitts. Seite...

• Ski Area Profiles
• Rental

Special Report by Steven Threndyle What do China, shopping malls, and snowball fights have in common? All three were floated as possible ideas for increasing skiing and snowboarding participation during the Mountain Travel Symposium (MTS) at Whistler-Blackcomb in early April. From the cavernous convention space of the Whistler Conference Centre t...

• Lift Maintenance
• Miscellaneous

The combined forces of Ski Areas of New York (ISKINY) and Pennsylvania Ski Areas Association (PSAA) once again staged an informative, lively, and entertaining expo, this time at Peek’n Peak in western New York. A total of 324 ski area personnel and suppliersNSAA's Mike Lane uses props to demonstrate ski lift functions with the help of Doppelmayr'...

• Lift Maintenance

Nearly 450 resort staff, industry partners, and exhibitors attended the 2018 New England Summit Sept. 11-12 at Sunday River Resort, Maine.Wintry Mix's Alex Kaufman helps us develop PodSAM at NES (Photo courtesy of Dave Gibson) The event kicked off with seminars on topics ranging from web trends to climate change and ended with multiple sessio...

More than 450 ski area and supplier members attended the Midwest Ski Areas Association Summer Meetings and Trade Show, Aug. 19-22, at Boyne Highlands Resort in northern Michigan.MSAA president Amy Reents with two-time Olympic medalist, and Midwesterner, Nick Goepper. Photo: Dave Gibson, Propeller Mediaworks The event was NSAA president Kelly Pawla...

• Lifts

Lift Maintenance and Operations Education Conference Brings Consortium of Experience to Squaw ValleyBy Dave ZookInterest in progressing lift safety is sky high, if the attendance at the 2018 Lift Maintenance and Operations Education Conference (LMOE) at Squaw Valley, Calif., June 5-7, was any indication. Event planner and Ski California president M...

• Snowmaking

The annual conference of the Ski Area Vehicle Maintenance Institute (SAVMI), held May 14-17, drew 316 attendees to Grand Junction, Colo., including 179 resort employees. The schedule was heavy with company-specific classes as well as broader classes on hydraulics, lubricants, welding, rigging, and safety.

• Grooming
• Trail Maintenance
• Miscellaneous

The 878 attendees at the NSAA National Convention and Tradeshow in Marco Island, Fla., May 2-5 enjoyed four days of stimulating and thought-provoking presentations, seminars, keynotes, and networking. Strong March visitation at resorts nationwide muted the impact of a trying winter for many, and combined with the energy brought by new NSAA president Kelly Pawlak to create an upbeat gathering. The throng included 442 ski area representatives from 115 resorts, and 436 supplier personnel from 168 companies. 

• Ski Area Profiles

If it seemed that there were a lot of folks attending the NSAA Winter Conference and Trade Show at Snowbird, Utah, Jan. 15-18, well, there were. The official tally was 793 attendees, including 423 resort personnel and 370 supplier reps. A total of 88 resorts attended. It was a disappointing snow season through early January for many, but that didn’t depress attendance.

• Industry Reports
• News

The inaugural Mountain Technology Symposium, held Sept. 28 – Oct. 1 at Telluride Ski and Golf Resort, Colo., drew 82 ski industry tech leaders and suppliers, including 50 ski area personnel from 35 resorts. They discussed the IT state of the art and ways to improve upon it down the road.

• History
• Business
• Area Management
• Customer Service

It was Pennsylvania’s turn to host the annual joint-expo that gathers member resorts from both the Ski Areas of New York and the Pennsylvania Ski Areas Association, with Camelback Resort the chosen venue for this year. Hundreds of ski area operators, suppliers, and speakers attended the three-day event Sept. 18-20. The days were packed with networking opportunities, educational sessions, and, of course, plenty of fun.

• History
• Business
• Area Management

This year's New England Summit, Sept. 12-14, drew a large crowd over three beautiful fall days to Sunday River, Maine. On tap were 35 educational sessions, including NSAA's Fall Education Series. Show organizer Bo Bigelow of the Ski Maine Association said the Summit drew a total attendance of more than 450 ski area personnel, suppliers, and speakers, with 54 resorts represented.

• Rental
• Retail
• New Products
• Customer Service
• Mountain Spy
• Weather
• Snowmaking

The 2017 MSAA Summer Meetings & Trade Show, held Aug. 20-23 at Devil’s Head, Wis., was memorable for several reasons. For one, this was the final convention attended by retiring NSAA head Michael Berry. His keynote speech touched on familiar themes of growth, succession planning, and environmental action. It was followed by a second brilliant keynote the next day, in which SNOW Operating chief Joe Hession implored resorts to seek and find new ways to fuel growth. Throughout, the program focused on these themes, as well as the practical issues of running successful resorts.

• Summer
• Finance
• Resort Development
• Research

“Summer does NOT equal winter,” declared SE Group’s Claire Humber at SAM’s eighth annual Summer (Ops) Camp, held Sept. 5-7, at Vermont’s Killington Resort. Roughly 170 resort-industry professionals from the U.S., Canada, and Japan gathered for three days to discuss the opportunities, choices, trends, and pitfalls in developing a summer activities program.

• Lifts

CUTTER'S CAMP 2017— MOUNT SNOW

More than 70 terrain park builders and industry experts gathered for Cutter’s Camp Fall Refresher at Mount Snow, Vt., Nov. 6-8 for a deep dive into season preparation and best practices for terrain park operation. More than 40 resorts from across North America were represented—including major destinations and small community operations. And with the winter season knocking on everyone’s door, the discussions were focused on actionable lessons attendees could apply right away.

• Snowmaking
• Computers & Automation
• Weather

The NSAA National Convention and Tradeshow drew a total of 880 ski industry operators and suppliers to the Fairmont Princess Resort in Scottsdale, Ariz., May 5-7. The focus this year was clearly on developing and retaining new skiers and riders, a fitting aim for soon-to-retire NSAA president Michael Berry’s final act. 

• Conversion
• NSAA
• Research

Celebrating its 40th year of educating ski area personnel, the Lift Maintenance Seminar (LMS) welcomed the biggest crowd in its history at this year’s event, held April 18-20 at Jiminy Peak, Mass. More than 420 participants from about 70 different ski areas came to expand their knowledge about chairlift and surface lift operation, maintenance, safety, risk management, and more, as well as sessions that covered snowmaking, staffing, and other mountain operations subjects.

Compared to last year, the tone was decidedly different among operators and suppliers at this year’s NSAA Eastern Conference and Tradeshow, Jan. 31 and Feb. 1 at Mount Snow, Vt. Normal snowfall and strong visitation had the robust group of attendees singing a more positive tune than a year ago. 

Short-Term Optimism, Long-Term Concerns

There was a general air of enthusiasm and optimism at the NSAA Western Winter Conference, Jan. 16-19 at Steamboat, Colo., thanks to a strong season to date for resorts across most of the country. But the long-term outlook is clouded by challenges ranging from the need to attract and retain more new skiers and riders to the rigors of training and retaining lift mechanics—challenges that the conference tried to address head on.

• People
• Events
• Conferences / Trade Shows

More than 160 summer operations managers, vendors, and schemers gathered at the Canyons Grand Summit in Park City, Utah, to explore the state of the art in summer activities at SAM’s Summer Ops Camp, Sept. 14-16. They experienced flow trails, hiking trails, mountain coasters, zip lines, aerial parks, and a variety of other activities at Canyons, Park City, Snowbird, Deer Valley, Sundance, and the Utah Olympic Park. And they heard plenty about how to implement these activities—financially and conceptually. 

• Opinion
• Conversion
• Weather

More than 160 summer operations managers, vendors, and schemers gathered at the Canyons Grand Summit in Park City, Utah, to explore the state of the art in summer activities at SAM’s Summer Ops Camp, Sept. 14-16. They experienced flow trails, hiking trails, mountain coasters, zip lines, aerial parks, and a variety of other activities at Canyons, Park City, Snowbird, Deer Valley, Sundance, and the Utah Olympic Park. And they heard plenty about how to implement these activities—financially and conceptually. 

The annual ISKINY-PSAA Expo, Sept. 19-21, 2016, at Holiday Valley, N.Y., attracted more than 345 ski resort, vendor, and guest attendees from across North America. The program kicked off with the annual golf tournament and opportunity to demo Holiday Valley's aerial adventure parks.

You can tell that winter is right around the corner when ski industry operators and suppliers gather at the annual New England Summit. This year’s event attracted nearly 420 ski industry personnel, exhibitors, and speakers at Sunday River in Newry, Maine, Sept. 13-15.

About 400 ski area and supplier members attended the 2016 Midwest Ski Areas Association Annual Meeting and Trade Show, Aug. 21-24, at Shanty Creek Resorts in northern Michigan. The event addressed a wide range of issues, from beginner trial and conversion to leadership succession, lift maintenance and safety.

The Eastern Canada Ski Areas (ECSA) Conference and Trade Show May 31-June 2 drew resort operators from Ontario, Quebec, and the maritime provinces to Bromont, Quebec. The bi-lingual, quadrennial event addressed the state of the ski industry in eastern Canada and put an eye toward what the Canadian ski industry will look like in 2020. More than 450 attendees representing the Association des Stations de Ski du Quebec (ASSQ), Ontario Ski Resorts Association, and Atlantic Ski Areas Association attended.

The National Ski Areas Association drew a typically large crowd to the National Convention and Tradeshow, May 17-21 in Nashville, Tenn. Attendees enjoyed the usual mix of inspirational keynotes and educational seminars, as well as the musical melting pot that is Nashville. But the lingering impact of a boom-or-bust season kept the audience focused on business.