Crystal Ridge general manager Riley May at the Midwest Ski Areas Association show.SAM Magazine—Franklin, Wis., Aug. 14, 2024—Rock Snowpark has rebranded as Crystal Ridge, which was the ski area’s original name when John Kaishian first opened it in 1987. The new name goes into effect immediately and the rebrand includes a new Crystal Ridge log...

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., Aug. 7, 2024—SAM has partnered with the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA), Taos Ski Valley, N.M., and Mountain Towns 2030 to welcome key stakeholders in the mountain resort community to the 2024 Climate Solutions Summit in Jackson, Wyo., Oct. 15-16 with a free arrival-day program at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort....

SAM Magazine—Londonderry, Vt., Aug. 7, 2024—Magic Mountain has promoted mountain operations director Paul Maitland to general manager. Maitland will report directly to Geoff Hatheway, president of Magic Mountain and managing member of Ski Magic, LLC. “Paul has earned the respect of our staff in not only successfully managing the mountain ope...

SAM Magazine—White Haven, Pa., Aug. 5, 2024—The Pennsylvania Ski Areas Association (PSAA) is rebranding as the Pennsylvania Outdoor Recreation Association (PORA). The new entity will welcome a broad scope of outdoor-focused businesses to its membership and support the state’s outdoor recreation economy by expanding employee education, promoti...

SAM Magazine—Canton, Mass., Aug. 5, 2024—Local investor Geoff Homer has acquired the five-year operating lease for state-owned Blue Hills Ski Area, with plans to grow the Boston-region operation in the coming years. The ski area was previously operated by the management of Campgaw Mountain in New Jersey under the LLC Ski Blue Hills Management....

• Lift Operations News

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., Aug. 5, 2024—Voting is now open for the fourth annual Rise Up Challenge, a video contest highlighting a handful of skilled young lift mechanics who will keep chairs spinning at resorts for decades to come. This year, six resorts were chosen to submit a video, each featuring an up-and-coming mechanic from the reso...

SAM Magazine—Jasper, Alberta, Aug. 1, 2024—In an update shared to social media, Marmot Basin confirmed that its infrastructure was left undamaged by the Jasper Complex Wildfire.  While the fire still rages uncontained in Jasper National Park, the ski area reassured patrons that it intends to operate this coming winter.  “This will take mu...

In SAM’s Snow People, we highlight personnel moves in the mountain resort industry. From resort hires, promotions, and retirements to awards, obits, and supplier news, we celebrate the people that make this industry thrive. PEOPLE:  Gardner BeougherGARDNER BEOUGHER, WHITEFISH MOUNTAIN RESORT, MT Gardner Beougher has been appointed as the moun...

• Summer Operations News

SAM Magazine—Rossland, B.C., July 29, 2024—Red Mountain Resort has begun construction on the first phase of the new Red Mountain Bike Park. The resort partnered with Gravity Logic to design and develop the multimillion-dollar lift-accessed bike park. Red Mountain CEO and owner Howard Katkov said the bike park marks "not just a pivotal moment i...

• Technology Headline News

SAM Magazine—Denver, July 29, 2024—Longtime tech industry executive Will Treves has been appointed as the new CEO of Aspenware, effective today.  Treves brings 20 years of experience to the role at Aspenware, an e-commerce and digital guest-experience solutions provider for the ski industry that’s co-owned by Alterra Mountain Company and As...

SAM Magazine—Jasper, Alberta, July 25, 2024—A fast-moving wildfire complex blazed through popular resort town Jasper Wednesday evening. More than 5,000 residents and 20,000 tourists were evacuated from the town and surrounding area earlier this week. Among the many businesses at risk from the fires is Marmot Basin, Jasper National Park’s onl...

SAM Magazine—Salt Lake City, Utah, July 24, 2024—The Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games will return to Salt Lake City in 2034.  After awarding the city exclusive negotiating rights for the games last year, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) officially ratified Salt Lake City as the host of the 2034 Winter Games following a Wednesday m...

• Technology Headline News

SAM Magazine—Stockholm, Sweden, July 23, 2024—Swedish locking and security systems manufacturer Assa Abloy Group has entered into an agreement to purchase Skidata from Swiss business technology firm the Kudelski Group.  Skidata provides access management solutions to mountain resort operations and others in the sport and entertainment industr...

• Summer Operations News

SAM Magazine—Cambridge, Vt., July 17, 2024—While it’s hard for many to believe we’ve passed the 4th of July mile marker, the classic (and historically lucrative) summer holiday has now come and gone, leaving many operators grateful for water-based amenities and a continued interest in live music events.  For example, Snow King Mountain, W...

SAM Magazine—Sandpoint, Idaho, July 15, 2024—Schweitzer has acquired Selkirk Powder’s resort-based backcountry operation, which offers guided snowmobiling and cat skiing in the terrain off the backside of the resort. The outfit has operated from the summit of Schweitzer for 21 years through a long-term concession agreement with the resort and...