SAM Magazine—Winter Park, Colo., Aug. 19, 2020—At the midpoint of the summer, occupancy and revenues at western mountain destinations continue to be dramatically lower than last summer, according to the latest DestiMetrics monthly Market Briefing by Inntopia. However, the month of July saw pent-up demand bring a return of some overnight stays.V...

SAM Magazine—Warren, Vt., August 13, 2020—Sugarbush Resort president and COO Win Smith is retiring from his post. John Hammond, Sugarbush vice president of mountain operations and recreational services, has been named as Smith’s successor, effective Sept. 1. Smith will stay on as a senior adviser to the current leadership team. Win Smith...

SAM Magazine—Jacksonville, Fla., Aug. 12, 2020—A new study shows that the odds of catching COVID-19 on a flight are less than most travelers think. House leaders in Congress are open to including some relief for the hotel industry in any stimulus deal. Massive Airbnb house parties in New Jersey have led to more restrictions on rentals. Why th...

SAM Magazine—Telluride, Colo., Aug. 13, 2020—Bill Jensen has stepped down from his position as CEO of Telluride Ski & Golf Resort, effective Aug. 7. Jensen had joined Telluride as CEO and partner in December 2015.  In a prepared statement, Chuck Horning, the majority owner of Telski, said, “Given the current situation, man...

SAM Magazine— Duluth, Minn., Aug. 12, 2020—Spirit Mountain executive director Brandy Ream and her husband, general manager Jody Ream, have both resigned their positions and will be leaving at the end of August. Spirit Mountain is an authority of the City of Duluth, Minn., and the resignations come just ahead of the first meeting of a newly est...

SAM Magazine—Victoria, Australia, Aug. 10, 2020—The Victorian government last week ordered Mt. Buller and Mt. Stirling—the last two operating alpine ski areas in the state—to close to the public as part of stage 3 coronavirus restrictions. As of 5 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 6, visitors were not allowed to enter the resorts, and any violation...

SAM Magazine—Fairfield, Idaho, Aug. 10, 2020—Soldier Mountain Ski Area in Idaho was supposed to celebrate the grand opening of its new bike park Aug. 7 and 8. Instead, resort staff had to evacuate and close the access road on Aug. 6 due to a nearby wildfire that marched across the property over the weekend.  The Phillips Fire destroyed th...

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...

SAM Magazine—Jacksonville, Fla., Aug. 7, 2020—Schoolchildren could become COVID-19 superspreaders. Resorts that open with a laissez-faire approach to masking and distancing could face a major media backlash. And tourism organizations—including resorts—are facing increased political pressure from local residents.  These are among the i...

SAM Magazine—Lakewood, Colo., Aug. 6, 2020— As discussions take place on Capitol Hill about a new round of funding to combat the impacts of COVID-19, NSAA is urging resorts to contact their U.S. Senators and request support for the RESTART Act. With Congress set to leave Washington for its August recess next week, immediate action is required. ...

SAM Magazine—Boulder, Colo., Aug. 4, 2020—In a measure of pent-up demand, more than three-quarters of mountain visitors are eager to travel once conditions are safe again, according to a recent Mountain Traveler Sentiment Survey conducted in July by RRC Associates. The survey was one of several data sources highlighted by members of the Insight...

SAM Magazine—Victoria, Australia, Aug. 4, 2020—Vail Resorts (VR) will not reopen lift operations for skiing and snowboarding in 2020 at Falls Creek and Hotham in Australia following the Victorian government’s introduction of Stage 4 restrictions for Melbourne and Stage 3 restrictions for regional Victoria, which will be in place for six weeks...

SAM Magazine—Kelowna, British Columbia, Aug. 3, 2020—The Canada West Ski Areas Association (CWSAA) has submitted a proposal for specific carve-outs in the province’s CAN$1.5 billion recovery plan to support resort communities. Revelstoke, Credit: Hywel Williams The Mountain Resort Community Emergency Funding Program (MRCEFP) asks the pr...

SAM Magazine—Spokane, Wash., July 30, 2020— Mt. Spokane Ski & Snowboard Park, a 501(c)3 non-profit ski area, has named Jim van Löben Sels as its new general manager, effective Aug. 3. Van Löben Sels succeeds longtime GM Brad McQuarrie, who is retiring after 18 years at the helm.  Van Löben Sels was the general manager at Arbor Cres...

SAM Magazine—Aspen, Colo., July 30, 2020—In open letters published this week, Aspen Skiing Company CEO Mike Kaplan and Vail Resorts CEO Rob Katz discuss the reality that the pandemic will be ongoing throughout this winter, operational changes are immanent, and everyone must do their part to ensure there can be a safe winter season. Rob Kat...

SAM Magazine—Park City, Utah, July 23, 2020—In response to the ongoing pandemic, the 2020 Snowbound Festivals in Boston and Denver have been cancelled and organizers are working on new ways to digitally connect with the events’ audiences as winter approaches.  Snowsports Industries America (SIA) acquired the Boston and Denver Ski & ...

SAM Magazine—Jacksonville, Fla., July 23, 2020—As summer business returns to mountain resorts, road trips, mask wearing, second-home use, and proactive health programs headline the key trends, according to the weekly briefing sheet from the recently formed Insights Collective (IC), a destination travel think tank. Most means of trans...

SAM Magazine—Winter Park, Colo., July 22, 2020—For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began shutting down mountain destinations, lodging properties at Western mountain destinations are seeing an appreciable uptick in bookings and occupancy for the summer months—although they remain at levels well below previous years, according to the...

SAM Magazine—Lakewood, Colo., July 22, 2020—The Professional Ski Instructors of America and the American Association of Snowboard Instructors (PSIA-AASI) have partnered with the Professional Mountain Bike Instructors Association (PMBIA) to bring year-round educational opportunities to ski, snowboard, and mountain bike instructors. The par...

Wintersteiger, and its BootDoc and Hotronic division, have prepared detailed suggestions for rental operations and retail bootfitting to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 among staff and customers. Here are links to documents for rental and retail: Best Practices for Rental Best Practices for Retail Want more on rental? Li...

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., July 14, 2020—A handful of state and regional trade organizations have cancelled their scheduled in-person conferences and trade shows in response to safety concerns amid the ongoing pandemic. Trade Show floor from SANY/PSAA Expo 2019. The Midwest Ski Areas Association (MSAA) board of directors voted to cancel ...

SAM Magazine—Hotham Heights, Vic., Australia, July 9, 2020—Vail Resorts is suspending operations at Hotham and Falls Creek Ski Resorts in Victoria, Australia, due to a new restrictions related to a recent COVID-19 outbreak. The suspension is effective July 9, 2020 and follows the stay-at-home order for the Melbourne metro area. Reopening will b...

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., July 9, 2020—Mountain resorts in North America that are open for summer operations didn’t really know what visitation would be like over the typically busy 4th of July weekend due to limited/modified operations and rising COVID-19 concerns. As it turns out, several areas were pleasantly surprised with how loud the ...

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...

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., July 1, 2020—Vail Resorts (VR) took a major step toward its 100 percent renewable electricity goal as a new large-scale wind farm, enabled in part by VR, has come online. VR will purchase 310,000 megawatt hours (MWh) of wind energy annually from the new 82-turbine Plum Creek Wind project, which will address more ...

SAM Magazine—Boulder, Colo., July 1, 2020—Active Interest Media (AIM) has sold SKI, Warren Miller Entertainment, Nastar, and SNEWS to Pocket Outdoor Media (POM). The winter sports-related properties are part of a much larger package of three divisions of AIM—fitness, outdoor, and healthy living—purchased by POM. Both AIM and POM are based i...

SAM Magazine—Washington D.C., June 23, 2020—President Trump issued a proclamation Monday that extends a freeze on several types of immigration visas—including J-1 cultural exchange visas and H-2B temporary worker visas, both vital to the mountain resort industry—through December. The administration cites the pandemic and resulting high unem...

SAM Magazine—Denver, June 22, 2020—As stay-at-home restrictions ease, and lodging properties throughout the western mountain region are gradually opening up more capacity, demand has ticked up slightly. However, according to the monthly DestiMetrics* Market Briefing from Inntopia, aggregated summer occupancy is still limping along, down 85.4 pe...

SAM Magazine—Lakewood, Colo., June 17, 2020—Skier visits in the U.S. totaled 51.1 million in the pandemic-shortened 2019-20 season, according to the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA). That represents a 13.9 percent decline from 2018-19, which was the fourth-best season on record. NSAA projected that 2019-20 would have topped the previous ye...

SAM Magazine—Aspen Snowmass, Colo., June 12, 2020—The Mountain Collective pass now includes Sun Peaks Resort in British Columbia, bringing the total number of resorts on the pass to 23. Passholders get two days access to each resort on the pass, and 50 percent off daily lift tickets on all additional days, plus a bonus third day at one destinat...

Snowsports Organizations Commit to Diversity, Inclusivity and Equity SAM Magazine—Denver, June 12, 2020—Snowsports organizations continue to rally in support of the global call to end racial injustice and inequity. Schone Malliet, CEO and president of Winter4Kids, which introduces thousands of people of color to snowsports each winter at its ...

SAM Magazine—Queenstown, New Zealand, June 10, 2020—Ski Areas Association New Zealand (SAANZ) has shared its coronavirus-mitigating operations protocols with resorts worldwide so that they can benefit from the group's work. Paul Anderson, CEO of NZSki, which owns The Remarkables, Coronet Peak, and Mt. Hutt, provided the document to SAM followi...

SAM Magazine—Aspen, Colo., June 10, 2020—The leaders of two of the biggest players in the mountain resort industry have responded to the worldwide movement to end racial inequality and injustice. Vail Resorts CEO Rob Katz published an open letter titled ,“We Are Part of the Problem,” and Aspen Skiing Company CEO Mike Kaplan and Skico owner...

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., June 4, 2020—Vail Resorts' third-quarter report showed the impact of the pandemic shutdown on business at its 37 resorts worldwide, including 34 in North America. Overall mountain division revenues for the first nine months of VR's fiscal year, through April 30, fell by 7.6 percent. Third-quarter results, which w...

SAM Magazine—Lakewood, Colo., June 4, 2020—The National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) presented awards in sustainability, safety, growth and marketing during the association’s virtual awards ceremony June 3. The online fête was Halley O'Brienhosted by “The Snow Report Show” and “SnoCountry Snapshot” star Halley O'Brien.   On t...

SAM Magazine—Pittsfield, Mass., June 1, 2020—Bousquet Mountain ski area in western Massachusetts has been acquired by Mill Town community impact fund, a local Pittsfield-based private investment group. Mill Town bought the ski area from the Tamarack Ski Nominee Trust and owners Sherry and PJ Roberts for an undisclosed amount. Sherry Roberts ac...

SAM Magazine—May 29, 2020—Multi-phase opening plans abound as resorts across the nation aim to get summer operations rolling. Memorial Day weekend saw a smattering of ski areas opening a limited range of activities, all with state approval and strict new guidelines. As stay-at-home orders continue to be rolled back, many resorts are looking at ...

SAM Magazine—Lakewood, Colo., May 29, 2020—The National Ski Patrol (NSP), in partnership with Jones & Bartlett Learning (JBL), published its sixth edition of Outdoor Emergency Care: A Patroller’s Guide to Medical Care (OEC). The latest edition has been reformatted for greater accessibility, includes updates on new medical best practices a...

SAM Magazine—Dillon, Colo., May 26, 2020—Arapahoe Basin’s variance request to partially reopen for skiing and snowboarding was approved by the state of Colorado, so the ski area will restart limited operations on Wednesday, May 27. A-Basin will host a maximum of 600 guests per day, all of whom must register online in advance. The demand for ...

SAM Magazine—Boulder, Colo., May 21, 2020—The Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) is working with a national coalition of nonprofits, outdoor businesses, and land managers to launch the Recreate Responsibly campaign. The program presents guidelines and best practices for enjoying the outdoors amid the COVID-19 pandemic. With stay-at-home restri...

SAM Magazine—Wilmington, Vt., May 20, 2020—Industry veteran Bill Benneyan has been appointed executive director and general manager of The Hermitage Members Club, the private membership club on the former Haystack Mountain ski area in Wilmington, Vt. Benneyan previously served as president and COO of Mountain Creek Resort, N.J. In his new role ...

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., May 20, 2020—Four of Vail Resorts’ properties in the East and Midwest will have new general managers starting as soon as June 1. The new GMs are: Peter Disch, Mount Sunapee, N.H.; Josh Klevans, Wildcat, N.H.; Shannon Buhler, Snow Creek, Mo.; and Scott Leigh, Wilmot, Wis. All four were promoted from within the c...

SAM Magazine—Portland, Ore., May 20, 2020—The Indy Pass has implemented a pass assurance program, lowered prices, and added new resorts in an effort to “get America skiing” post COVID-19. After a successful inaugural season, Indy Pass added another seven independent resorts to its roster: China Peak, Calif., Crystal Mountain, Mich., Granit...

SAM Magazine—Lakewood, Colo., May 19, 2020—Following a campaign led by NSAA’s Dave Byrd, state ski associations, and the governors of 18 ski states, the Small Business Administration (SBA) released new guidance on Payroll Protection Program (PPP) loan forgiveness, which should expand ski area benefits through the program. Sixteen of the stat...

SAM Magazine—Denver, May 19, 2020—Six weeks after the winter season was abruptly ended on March 15 by the Covid-19 pandemic, the 2019-20 ski season arrived at its traditional end. Lodging occupancy for the year through April 30 declined 21 percent, while the average daily rate (ADR) rose 7.1 percent, according to DestiMetrics in its monthly Mar...

SAM Magazine—May 18, 2020—Across the country, government officials are easing restrictions enacted to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, allowing many mountain resorts to resume operations. Some resorts are reopening with snow, while others are looking toward Welcoming passholders during reopening at Mt. Bachelor. Credit: Mt. Bachelor, Ore.summer...

SAM Magazine—May 15, 2020, Lakewood, Colo.—On Wednesday, May 13, the Outdoor Business Climate Partnership (OBCP) joined LEAD on Climate 2020. The event, facilitated by Google Hangouts and sustainability-focused NPO Ceres, brought together more than 330 business leaders for the largest ever call-to-action on climate change. OBCP is an alliance ...

SAM Magazine—Government Camp, Ore., May 13, 2020—Following an executive order by Oregon Gov. Kate Brown specifically allowing several outdoor recreation activities to reopen, including the state’s ski areas, Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood will reopen for skiing and riding with modified operations on Friday, May 15. In its outline of the reopen...

SAM Magazine—Newry and Carrabassett Valley, Maine; Lincoln, N.H., May 11, 2020—After a winter cut short and looming uncertainties about the pandemic’s impact on next winter, the New England Pass—which includes Sunday River Resort, Sugarloaf, and Loon Mountain Resort—has unveiled the 2020-21 New England Pass Promise program for winter seas...

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., May 6, 2020—As focus shifts to the prospect of opening for summer business, we’ve had several organizations from different industries share with us the guidance they’ve carefully put together, with steps to ensure a reasonably safe environment for both staff and guests when operations resume. These resources are ...

SAM Magazine—Killington, Vt., May 1, 2020—In response to COVID-19 impacts, Powdr has launched the Passholder Promise at Killington Resort in Vermont. The Promise provides 2019-20 season passholders with discounts on 2020-21 passes or K-Tickets, a refund guarantee and extended spring pricing on 2020-21 season passes, and a guarantee for the reso...

SAM Magazine—Kelowna, British Columbia, April 30, 2020—The Canada West Ski Areas Association (CWSAA) named the 2020 recipients of its annual awards, which recognize extraordinary leaders in the western Canadian ski industry: Pat Boyle, Lars Fossberg Excellence Award; Rob McSkimming, Jim Marshall Leadership Award; and Mike Wiegele, Jimmie Spence...

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., April 30, 2020—Vail Resorts is raising $600 million through a bond offering, according to a report from Bloomberg news. A group of lenders granted a two-year waiver on some of the company's debt covenants to make the bond offering possible. The waiver applies until January 2022, making it one of the longest bank...

SAM Magazine—Denver, April 28, 2020—Alterra Mountain Company’s Ikon Pass will include access to two additional resorts beginning the 2020-21 season: Mt. Bachelor, Ore., and Windham Mountain, N.Y. The pass now includes access to 43 mountain destinations worldwide. Ikon Pass holders will have access to seven days each at Mt. Bachelor and Windh...

SAM Magazine—Seven Springs, Pa., April 28, 2020—The man behind the development of Seven Springs Resort, Pa., and HKD Snowmakers, Herman Dupré, died April 25 at his Seven Springs home. He was 87. Dupré took over managing Seven Springs Resort at age 23 upon the death of his father. He transformed the hunting and fishing camp into one of the to...

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., April 27, 2020—Vail Resorts (VR) is granting its 2019-20 season pass holders credits of at least 20 percent, and up to 80 percent if they weren’t able to use their passes at all. It is also offering free “Epic Coverage” for the 2020-21 season, which will provide cash refun...

SAM is providing frequent updates, guidance, and ways to connect about the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. Visit our Coronavirus Update page for more resources and special reports. For email updates, sign up to receive Headline News, and, if possible, help support the voice of the mountain industry, SAM Magazine, with a subscription or gift su...

SAM is providing frequent updates, guidance, and ways to connect about the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. Visit our Coronavirus Update page for more resources and special reports. For email updates, sign up to receive Headline News, and, if possible, help support the voice of the mountain industry, SAM Magaz...

SAM is providing frequent updates, guidance, and ways to connect about the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. Visit our Coronavirus Update page for more resources and special reports. For email updates, sign up to receive Headline News, and, if possible, help support the voice of the mountain industry, SAM Magaz...