SAM Magazine—Portland, Maine, Sept. 29, 2023—The New England Summit’s first year in Portland, Maine, drew 375 attendees, including representatives from 75 suppliers and 39 ski areas, for two days of educational sessions, meetings, and networking events, Sept. 18 and 19. 

Dirk Gouwens, executive director of Ski Maine, the state trade association that organizes the event, said while attendance was a little off from last year, he was happy with the new venue in Portland. 

There were 25 educational sessions, including NSAA’s FES (Fall Education Seminars) lineup on risk and liability topics. In addition, sessions covered AI and ChatGPT, how smaller resorts can afford RFID ticketing, and a workshop presented by Uphill New England, a new program aimed at “unifying the uphill community and growing ski resort revenue,” among others. 

The GM roundtable, moderated by Sunday River general manager Brian Heon, discussed some of the challenges and opportunities for the upcoming season, including the use and procurement of electrical energy. With rates on the rise, some resorts can pre-buy while others hedge their bets and deal with fluctuating rates during the season. Operators noted that training their teams to know when to offload energy at the right time can save tens of thousands of dollars by season’s end.

Leaders also discussed educating guests and staff about sustainability efforts. Questions were asked about whether the consumer uses that education in their purchasing decisions, and the panel agreed that we have more work to do to make that connection for them. Some operators are beginning to electrify their vehicle fleet, including Middlebury Snowbowl, which just purchased its first electric snowmobile, according to GM Mike Hussey. Others said they are working toward it, but needed the infrastructure in place to service and maintain electric vehicles first. 

Uphill traffic continues to be a major topic of discussion. More people are uphilling at ski areas, and many areas have evolved their policies to better manage risks. 

The new company Uphill New England launched an app-based platform that offers a pass to participating resorts. Feelings were mixed, but 10 resorts have signed up to be on the $200 pass, each getting a share of the sales revenue. SAM will report further on this topic soon.

Berkshire East, Mass., is one of the participating resorts, said GM Melissa Roberts. “Our mountain is the ‘town park’,” she said. “They are coming anyway, so we look at it as a way to communicate with the uphill community.”

Others said the uphill trend is a challenge. For some operators with limited parking, for example, it becomes a problem when the lifts open, because they run out of parking quicker, with many spots taken by uphillers paying $10 compared to a day guest who is paying $100 for a lift ticket. 

The New England Summit will move back to Sunday River, Maine, for 2024 (Sept. 9-11).