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  • Pacific Group Resorts, Inc. Submits Top Bid for Jay Peak at $76 Million

    PGRI president and CEO Vern Greco shares his thoughts on the acquisition with SAM. SAM Magazine—Jay, Vt., Sept. 8, 2022—Pacific Group Resorts, Inc. (PGRI) made the highest and best final bid to buy Jay Peak, $76 million, following an auction with multiple bidders. PGRI president and CEO Vern Greco told SAM that after three years spent pursuing the acquisition, PGRI is poised to bring renewed stability to the resort and its staff, and tap into its passion and energy. The prevailing bid remains subject to approval by the United States District Court in Southern Florida during a final hearing scheduled for Sept. 16. Judge Darrin P. Gayles, who has presided over the receivership in federal...

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Six Resorts Selected for 2023 Rise Up Challenge

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., May 30, 2023—Six lift maintenance teams have been chosen to participate in the third annual Rise Up Challenge, which is supported by Leitner-Poma of America (LPOA). Arapahoe Basin, Colo., Deer Valley, Utah, Killington Resort, Vt., Mansfield Ski Club, Ont., Mt. Hood Meadows, Ore., and Powder Ridge, Minn., were select...

Winter Ended Strong, Summer Looks Weak at Western Destinations

SAM Magazine—Winter Park, Colo., May 25, 2023—The winter 2022-23 ski season ended on a high note courtesy of extraordinary snowfall across the West. But the upcoming months are showing considerable slowing from previous summers. Data collected by DestiMetrics, part of the business intelligence division of Inntopia, through April 30 show notab...

Historic Snow in the West to Delay Some, Not All Summer Activities

SAM Magazine—Bear Valley, Calif., May 23, 2023 – Several ski areas in the West are reporting that their summer operations and activities will move forward mostly as scheduled despite receiving historic snowfalls and extending their winter operating seasons late into the spring.Courtesy of Bear Valley Resort In many cases, hiking and biking trai...

East Peak Resort Gains Initial Approval for 800-Acre Land Lease

SAM Magazine—Valdez, Alaska, May 17, 2023—Alaska’s Southcentral Regional Land Office (SCRO) has given preliminary approval to East Peak Resort (EPR) for a 20-year, 800-acre state land lease that may signify a small step forward for what company officials say could one day be a four-season resort. A final decision is expected by the end of Jun...

Confidence Reigns at CCSAA Conference

SAM Magazine—West Yellowstone, Mont., May 12, 2023—Cross Country Ski Areas Association (CCSAA) held its first in-person spring conference since 2019 on April 3-5, 2023, at West Yellowstone, Mont., where snowpack was on the order of four feet and drifted-in roofs were still on the edge of collapse. Attendance was slightly below the 2019 confere...

Ski Industry Celebrates Success, Shares Cautious Optimism at NSAA National Convention

SAM Magazine—Savannah, Ga., May 12, 2023—The 2023 National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) National Convention and Tradeshow drew more than 840 mountain resort professionals, suppliers, and speakers to Savannah, Ga., for three days of networking, learning, and celebrating what the numbers show was a successful 2022-23 winter season for U.S. ski ar...

U.S. Ski Areas Set New Record for Skier Visits

SAM Magazine—Lakewood, Colo., May 9, 2023—U.S. ski areas recorded record visitation for the 2022-23 season with a total of 64.7 million skier visits, according to preliminary data from the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA). That is a 6.6 percent increase over last year’s record season. A skier visit is recorded every time an individual us...

Vail Resorts Appoints Murphy VP and COO of Beaver Creek

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., May 4, 2023—Vail Resorts named industry veteran Bobby Murphy vice president and COO of Beaver Creek, effective June 1. He has served as VP and general manager of Stowe Mountain Resort in Vermont since 2017, with oversight of Attitash and Wildcat Mountain in New Hampshire, as well. “I am thrilled to have Bobby ...

New Ski Co. CEO Buchheister Talks Leadership, Role Ahead

SAM Magazine—Aspen, Colo., May 4, 2023—Geoff Buchheister has a very big job ahead of him. Aspen Skiing Company named him chief executive officer of Aspen Snowmass on March 1, succeeding longtime CEO Mike Kaplan. While there are larger resort operators in North America, none combine the history, prestige, cachet, and environmental leadership tha...

John Merriman Appointed as Mt. Bachelor President and GM

SAM Magazine—Bend, Ore., May 2, 2023—Powdr has named John Merriman the new president and general manager of Mt. Bachelor Ski & Snowboard Resort, starting May 22. Merriman is the current vice president of finance and sales at Powdr-owned Copper Mountain Resort in Colorado, a role he has held since 2016.   “Working with [John] for the p...

Gregory to Receive NSAA Lifetime Achievement Award

SAM Magazine—Lakewood, Colo., May 2, 2023—The National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) will recognize former Alterra Mountain Company leader Rusty Gregory with a 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award at its National Convention and Tradeshow in Savannah, Ga., May 9.   NSAA’s Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes individuals whose commitment and cont...

Windham Mountain Gains New Majority Owners, Multi-Year Capital Investment

SAM Magazine—Windham, N.Y., April 27, 2023—Windham Mountain ownership has secured new investment from two hospitality and resort development families that will provide growth capital for a multi-year development and renovation plan at the resort. The Beall family and Kemmons Wilson family through its investment arm Kemmons Wilson Hospitality Pa...

DeBerry Named Snow Partners President

SAM Magazine—Montville, N.J., May 1, 2023—SNOW Partners named Frank DeBerry, former president of Crystal Mountain, Wash., and COO of Alterra Mountain Company’s four West Coast resorts, as its new president, effective June 1. New Jersey-based SNOW Partners is the parent company of growth and conversion program SNOW Operating, technology provid...

Jay Peak Seeks Savings, Sustainability with New 3-Megawatt Boiler

SAM Magazine—Jay Peak, Vt., April 26, 2023—Jay Peak Resort plans to install a 3-megawatt (MW) electric boiler capable of providing 100 percent of the heating for the 176-room Hotel Jay and Conference Center and the Pump House indoor water park, as well as numerous resort restaurants and retail spaces.  The $1 million project, reportedly one o...

Accesso Acquires Paradocs

SAM Magazine—Twyford, United Kingdom, April 26, 2023—Enterprise technology provider accesso Technology Group has acquired Paradocs Mountain Software. Paradocs' mountain management solution, MtnOS, will join accesso’s existing product portfolio as accesso Paradox.  "Adding this contemporary and powerful solution to our offering supports acc...