SAM Magazine—Wilmington, Vt., March 20, 2018—The members-only Hermitage Club, which until yesterday operated a ski area on Haystack Mountain in southern Vermont, was closed by the Vermont Department of Taxes on Monday for failure to pay a “progress payment” on taxes it owes to the state. Last Thursday the state took the same action, but the club made a payment of $112,000 for unpaid meals, rooms, and sales taxes in time for it to be allowed to open for the weekend.

Welcome to the March edition of Snow People, where we highlight happenings to prominent ski industry and supplier personnel.

SAM Magazine–Denver, March 16, 2018­–The snowfall throughout the month of February boosted lodging numbers for resorts throughout the West. However, it was not enough to deliver a year-over-year increase in occupancy compared to the 2016-2017 season according to Inntopia’s monthly DestiMetrics Market Briefing.

SAM Magazine—Park City, Utah, March 15, 2018—Snow Park Technologies (SPT) founders Chris and Genevieve Gunnarson are joining the leadership at POWDR—Chris as the senior vice president of youth development, and Genevieve as vice president of Woodward brand and marketing. Both will focus on the evolution and integration of the company’s Woodward brand and experiences.

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., March 14, 2018—Vail Resorts launched sales for its 2018-19 Epic Pass products last week, but that didn’t stop it from entering a “long-term alliance” this week with Triple Peaks, LLC, adding the portfolio of Okemo, Vt., Mount Sunapee, N.H., and Crested Butte Mountain Resort, Colo., to next season’s Epic Pass.

SAM Magazine—Boyne Falls, Mich., March 13, 2018—Boyne Resorts has entered an agreement to acquire six mountain resorts and a scenic chairlift attraction that the company currently leases from Ski Resort Holdings, LLC, an affiliate of Och-Ziff (Oz) Real Estate.

SAM Magazine—Denver, Colo., March 12, 2018—Alterra Mountain Company will invest $555 million across its portfolio of 12 mountain resorts over the next five years, including $130 million for the 2018-19 winter season.

SAM Magazine—Aspen, Colo., March 9, 2018—SAM's ninth annual Summer Ops Camp will be held at Aspen Snowmass, Sept. 4-6, 2018. The hands-on educational, networking, and demo event gathers mountain resort managers and operators from around North America and overseas to explore opportunities in four-season attractions and revenue growth. The format ensures a constant stream of insights from experts, manufacturers, colleagues, and personal experience.

SAM Magazine—Big Sky, Mont., March 8, 2018—Big Sky Resort plans to install North America’s first eight-passenger chairlift ahead of the 2018-19 winter season. The “Ramcharger 8” will be a deluxe Doppelmayr D-line high-speed lift, featuring heated seats and blue bubbles. The new lift will replace the existing Ramcharger high-speed quad.

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., March 6, 2018—Yesterday, Vail Resorts unveiled a partnership with Resorts of the Canadian Rockies (RCR) to include seven total days at RCR properties—Fernie, Kicking Horse, and Kimberly in B.C., Nakiska in Alberta, and Mont Sainte Anne and Stoneham in Quebec—on the Epic Pass. The pass went on sale today for the 2018-19 season, with the top tier priced at $899—the same price as Alterra Mountain Company’s Ikon Pass.

SAM Magazine—Killington, Vt., March 6, 2018—A variety of projects will be taking place at Killington for the 2018-19 season, including the installation of a new six-passenger high-speed bubble chairlift, relocation of an existing quad chairlift, upgrades to the K-1 gondola, trail work, new RFID gates, and the addition of a Woodward Wrecktangle ninja obstacle course to its summer operations—all to the tune of $16 million.

SAM Magazine—Gillingham, U.K., March 2, 2018—Chatham Ski and Snowboard Centre, an outdoor dry ski slope in the United Kingdom, was forced to close for two days at the end of February due to snowfall in Southern England. Yes—snow closed a ski slope. Oh, the irony.

SAM Magazine—Aspen Snowmass, Colo., March 2, 2018—The latest news in the dizzying world of season pass alliances is that the Mountain Collective—which includes a good number of resorts that are part of the new Ikon Pass from Alterra Mountain Company—will remain mostly the same for the 2018-19 season. The biggest change: Big Sky, Mont., replaces Telluride, which is included on next season’s Epic Pass.

SAM Magazine—Wilmington, Vt., Feb. 27, 2018—Last Friday, Berkshire Bank filed a foreclosure complaint against the Hermitage Club, which has been building a private club at Haystack Mountain in southern Vermont, following what the bank said was a series of missed mortgage and tax payments.

SAM Magazine—Heavenly, Calif., Feb. 27, 2018—The lineup of quality content at the forthcoming Mountain Travel Symposium keeps getting better, with the addition of legendary ski racer and NBC commentator Bode Miller. MTS is taking place at Heavenly – South Lake Tahoe, Calif., April 8-14, 2018. Miller will speak April 12 to wrap up the MTS Forum general sessions.

SAM Magazine—Denver, Feb. 22, 2018—After months of speculation by industry folk and consumers alike, we now know how much the Ikon Pass will be, where it provides access to, and how often.

SAM Magazine—Natick, Ma., Feb. 16, 2018—The nomination period for the 2018 SAMMY Leadership Awards is now open. SAM Magazine asks members of the winter sports industry to nominate leaders who deserve this recognition, and soon—nominations close March 15, 2018.

SAM Magazine—Jay, Vt., Feb. 16, 2018—The official opening of Jay Peak’s Clips & Reels, a $5 million indoor movie theater, climbing wall and arcade center, marks the end of nearly a decade of major development at the resort—and the beginning of the process to sell the property, along with sister resort Burke Mountain.

SAM Magazine—Denver, Feb. 16, 2018—Meager snowfall at many western ski resorts through January led to a decline in winter occupancy for the first time in six years, while lodging properties maintained a tenuous hold on revenues, according to Inntopia’s monthly DestiMetrics Market Briefing.

SAM Magazine—Washington, D.C., Feb. 16, 2018—The U.S. Forest Service has commenced a series of “Regional Partner Roundtables” to gather feedback to improve processes related to environmental analysis and decision making (EADM). The roundtables provide resorts that operate on Forest Service land the opportunity to make suggestions for improving the efficiency of the processes associated with every improvement project that resorts undertake, according to the most recent NSAA Capitol Watch.

SAM Magazine—Washington, D.C., Feb. 16, 2018—More than 60 ski areas and resort companies have now been sued for allegations over inaccessible websites for the visually and hearing impaired under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), according to the most recent NSAA Capitol Watch. To combat this trend, NSAA representatives went to Washington D.C. this month to meet with key lawmakers and Justice Department officials who can help move regulation and guidance along.

SAM Magazine—Washington, D.C., Feb 9, 2018—The opening ceremonies for the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang are tonight, kicking off nearly three weeks of winter sports coverage from NBC, with hundreds of millions of people expected to tune in around the world. In the U.S., viewers will be directed to NBC-owned SportsEngine.com to learn how to participate in competitive winter sports, and a link to learntoskiandsnowboard.org is included for those seeking recreational pursuits.

SAM Magazine—Denver, Feb. 7, 2018—Longtime Mammoth Resorts leader Rusty Gregory has been named Alterra Mountain Company’s chief executive officer. Gregory has been a member of Alterra’s board of directors since the company’s inception in August 2017. His 40-year ski industry career began as a lift operator at Mammoth Mountain, Calif., where he rose through the ranks to become an owner and the company’s chairman and CEO for more than 20 years.

SAM Magazine—Jackson, Wyo., Feb. 4, 2018—Snowbird majority owner and former Powdr Corp. owner Ian Cumming died Friday at his home in Jackson, Wyo. He was 77.

SAM Magazine—Durango, Colo., Feb. 2, 2018—Mountain Capital Partners has named industry veteran Elizabeth Howe its new director of operations for its collection of mountain resorts, including Purgatory Resort and Hesperus Ski Area, Colo.; Sipapu Ski & Summer Resort and Pajarito Mountain, N.M.; and Arizona Snowbowl.

SAM Magazine—Olympic Valley, Calif., Feb. 2, 2018—Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows is working with regional electricity provider Liberty Utilities to identify and develop new renewable energy generation, storage and energy efficiency projects, primarily solar, that will provide clean energy to the region. Subject to regulatory approval, the two companies intend to achieve the resort’s 100 percent renewable energy goal as early as December 2018.

SAM Magazine—Miami, Fla., Feb. 2, 2018—Jay Peak’s former owner who allegedly misused millions of dollars in EB-5 foreign investor funds has agreed to pay back $81 million as part of a settlement with the government. The SEC charged Quiros in 2016 with orchestrating a “ponzi-like” scheme.

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., Feb. 1, 2018—Registration is now open for 16th annual spring session of Cutter's Camp, May 14-18, 2018, at Timberline, Mt. Hood, Ore. The weeklong spring program for terrain park professionals features on-hill and classroom workshops, including the return of one-on-one customized operator coaching, Park Challenge workshops​,​ and terrain park operations check list.

SAM Magazine—Lakewood, Colo., Jan. 31, 2018—Resorts can now enroll to participate in the 2018 NSAA Climate Challenge. The Climate Challenge is a voluntary program dedicated to helping participating ski areas track, report, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions as well as reduce energy costs. The deadline for enrollment is May 18.

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., Jan. 29, 2018—Vail Resorts has entered into a “long-term alliance” with Telluride Ski Resort in Colorado, adding the resort to the Epic Pass starting in 2018-19. The Epic Pass now offers access and benefits to a total of 46 mountain resorts worldwide. 

SAM Magazine—Orcas Island, Wash., Jan. 25, 2018—The man who brought ski movies to the mainstream, Warren Miller, died Wednesday at the age of 93.

SAM Magazine—Denver, Jan. 25, 2018—Alterra Mountain Company, the recently-named joint venture that curated a dozen North American mountain resorts last year, unveiled the name of its highly anticipated season pass product and the mountains it will provide access to. The Ikon Pass will go on sale this spring, and passholders will get unlimited access to, and/or a set number of days at 23 different mountain resorts—Alterra’s 12 properties, and 11 partner mountains. The company said details on access, pass benefits, and pricing will be released in the coming weeks.

SAM Magazine—Denver, Jan. 24, 2018—The much-anticipated Outdoor Retailer + Snow Show kicks off tomorrow at the Denver Convention Center, with roughly 1,000 outdoor brands ready to engage about 11,000 retail buyers over the four-day event, Jan. 25-28. SAM will be there, once again co-presenting the Rental World + Backshop and Uniform Gallery, which showcases these all-important product categories. The exhibits provide a one-stop overview of the categories, and provide a quick way for buyers to survey their options.

SAM Magazine—Teton Village, Wyo., Jan. 18, 2018—Jackson Hole Mountain Resort (JHMR) has named Mary Kate Buckley to succeed Jerry Blann, effective June 1, 2018. Blann has served as president since 1995. JHMR, independently owned by the Kemmerer Family, conducted a search to fill the role, and is pleased to bring Mary Kate with her strong ties to Jackson Hole and her extensive business experience.

SAM Magazine—Lakewood, Colo., Jan. 12, 2018—The National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) has named Michael Lane as its new director of technical services, a position primarily focused on lift safety, education, operations, and maintenance. Lane is currently the national ropeway engineer for the USDA Forest Service. He will assume his role at NSAA in February 2018.

SAM Magazine—Lakewood, Colo., Jan. 12, 2018—In an important legal ruling, the Colorado Civil Rights Division sided in favor of Winter Park Resort over a recent disability discrimination claim against the resort regarding its restriction on service animals riding chairlifts. It’s the first legal challenge ever against a ski area over service animal restrictions on chairlifts.

SAM Magazine—Denver, January 13, 2018 –Skier visits at the 23 member resorts of Colorado Ski Country USA were down 13 percent compared to last year’s mediocre first period visit numbers, for the season through Dec. 31, 2017.

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., Jan. 13, 2018—Vail Resorts reported a 10.8 percent decline in visits across its major North American resorts through the early season, reflecting adverse weather and snow conditions across a broad swath of the U.S.

SAM Magazine—Denver, Jan. 11, 2018—The joint venture of affiliates of KSL Capital Partners and Henry Crown and Company that curated 12 mountain resorts across North America last year can now be referred to as something other than “yet-to-be-named entity” or “NewCo.” Meet the newly named Alterra Mountain Company.

SAM Magazine—Dover, Vt., Jan. 11, 2018—As usual, Mother Nature played a significant role in how successful mountain resorts were during the first major holiday period of the winter. Too warm, too dry, too cold, too windy—visits in many regions were dampened by the weather.

SAM Magazine—Denver, Jan. 15, 2018—The Rental World + Backshop and Uniform Gallery will continue to showcase these product categories during the Outdoor Retailer + Snow Show, Jan. 25-28 at the Denver Convention Center. The exhibits provide a one-stop overview of the categories, and provide a quick way for buyers to survey their options.

SAM Magazine—Heavenly, Calif., Jan. 3, 2018—More than 1,100 mountain travel buyers and suppliers from around the world are expected to attend this year’s Mountain Travel Symposium at Heavenly-South Lake Tahoe, Calif., April 8–14. The week’s agenda is packed with A-list speakers, networking opportunities, educational sessions, and business development exchanges.

SAM Magazine—Loveland, Colo., Jan. 2, 2017—On the morning of Thursday, Dec. 28, lift maintenance employee Adam Lee was killed while doing work on a conveyor lift at Loveland Ski Area. According to the chief deputy coroner, the preliminary cause of death is crushing chest injuries due to blunt force trauma. The resort said the incident happened around 11 a.m., and ski patrol was on-scene shortly after it happened. Lee was 40 years old.

SAM Magazine—Montpelier, Vt., Dec. 28, 2017—Industry veteran Molly Mahar is the new president of the Vermont Ski Areas Association (VSAA). This will be Mahar’s second stint with VSAA, having served as the association’s director of marketing from 1995 to 2001. She is currently the vice president of marketing and sales at Loon Mountain Resort, N.H. Her first day at VSAA will be Jan. 8.

SAM Magazine—Denver, Dec. 18, 2017—As of Oct. 31, winter season occupancy at mountain destinations in eight western states showed a slight decline year over year. But as of Nov. 30, that trend has reversed—despite mild weather and a general lack of early-season snowfall in the West, according Inntopia’s monthly DestiMetrics Market Briefing.

SAM Magazine—Burke, Vt., Dec. 18, 2017—An investigation is underway to determine what caused a 1986 LMC 1500 tracked vehicle to rollover Sunday evening on Burke Mountain, killing the driver after he was ejected from the cab. The passenger was treated for minor injuries at a local hospital and released.

SAM Magazine—Canton, Mass., Dec. 14, 2017—Blue Hills Ski Area, located just outside of Boston, has named Molly Ross as its new general manager. Ross has been at Blue Hills for six years, starting as a customer service agent and most recently serving as the ski area’s business manager, before being promoted to general manager. She was recognized as a 2017 SAM “10 Under 30.”

SAM Magazine—Denver, Dec. 14, 2017—Conditions leading into the Christmas holiday have been varied across the U.S. Up until the past few days, the West had been suffering from unusually warm temps and lack of snow, a situation some resorts have finally been able to remedy as cold nights have allowed for long-awaited snowmaking. Things haven’t been much wetter—or colder—in many parts of the Pacific Northwest or California. However, resorts in the East have been getting hammered for the past four or five days, and it looks like cold temps there will be sticking around for a while.

SAM Magazine—Val d’Isère, Savoie, France, Dec. 12, 2017—POMA has signed a €38 million (roughly $44.5 million) contract with The Compagnie des Alpes (CDA) to build five ropeways, one each at Val d’Isère, Tignes, Méribel, La Plagne, and Serre Chevalier ski areas. Construction for all will start this summer, and opening is planned for December 2018.

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., Dec. 12, 2017—In its most recent quarterly earnings report, Vail Resorts said it expects to sell a total of more than 740,000 Epic Passes this year, with sales up roughly 14 percent in units and 20 percent in sales dollars.

SAM Magazine—Teton Village, Wyo., Nov. 30, 2017—After a 47-year career in the ski and tourism industries, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort president Jerry Blann will retire after the 2017-18 winter season. He has spent the last 22 years as JHMR’s president. Prior to leading JHMR, Blann was president of Aspen Skiing Company, where he worked for 18 years, and also was president of Bear Mountain, Calif.

SAM Magazine—Denver, Nov. 21, 2017—The summer of 2017 set two all-time records for the six-month summer season—a strong seven percent gain in aggregated revenue among 20 mountain destinations in eight western states, and occupancy eked out a scant 0.1 percent increase over the summer of 2016. The month of October was up 9.7 percent in occupancy with a 14.1 percent gain in revenues compared to October 2016. This is the final summer report for 2017 released by Inntopia in its monthly DestiMetrics Market Briefing.

SAM Magazine—Castle Rock, Colo., Nov. 20, 2017—Developers will break ground this month on Miller’s Landing, a new 65-acre mixed-use project in Castle Rock, Colo., that is expected to include a year-round outdoor snowsports complex, aptly named Snowsports 365.

SAM Magazine—Hancock, Mass., Nov. 20, 2017—The Fairbank Group’s resorts—Jiminy Peak, Mass., Bromley, Vt., and Cranmore, N.H.—are now offering discounted advance purchase lift tickets through an online storefront on each resort’s website. The strategy follows the same concept of “airline-style” variable pricing employed by third-party lift ticket sellers. Discounts of 30- to 50-percent off the window rates represent the largest lift ticket savings ever offered by any of the resorts.

SAM Magazine—Dover, Vt., Nov. 17, 2017—A huge number of mountain resorts across North America—from small ski areas near urban centers to the biggest operations on the continent—have either already opened or plan to spin lifts by this weekend, marking an early start for most. However, a few operators are still waiting for sustained cold temps and natural snow, forcing them to push back previously announced opening dates.

SAM Magazine—Boston, Mass., Nov. 17, 2017—Longtime Rossignol sales rep Deno Dudunake was honored with the 32nd annual BEWI Award at a luncheon in Boston on Nov. 10, attended by more than 150 ski and snowboard industry executives. As a professional freestyle skier, Dudunake won the World Mogul Championship title at Heavenly, Calif., in 1977. He has been with Rossignol since 1978.

SAM Magazine—Wildwood, Mo., Nov. 17, 2017—Peak Resorts has unveiled a new program aimed at making learning to ski or ride more affordable and accessible. The Peak Discovery Program, valid for ages 13 and older, includes three visits complete with a group lesson, equipment rental and helmet, and a lift ticket at any combination of the company’s Northeast resorts, for just $99. Those resorts include Attitash, Wildcat, and Crotched, N.H., Mount Snow, Vt., Hunter Mountain, N.Y., and Jack Frost Big Boulder, Pa.

SAM Magazine—Seattle, Wash., Nov. 10, 2017—REI and POWDR have formed a strategic partnership that kicks off mid-November with new adventure lifestyle programs and events at Copper Mountain and Eldora, Colo. Full programming will begin by the holiday season.

SAM Magazine—Tannersville, Pa., Nov. 10, 2017—Brian Czarnecki has been promoted to the role of chief operating officer for Camelback Resort, Pa. Previously, he served as the resort’s vice president of sales and marketing.

SAM Magazine—Dover, Vt., Nov. 10, 2017—By Sunday morning, the number of ski areas open for skiing and riding in North America will just about triple, according to snocountry.com, thanks in large part to consistent cold weather and powerful snowmaking systems.