SAM Magazine – Olympic Valley, Calif., Feb. 6, 2020 – The Granite Chief Wilderness Protection League reached an agreement with Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows to dismiss the lawsuit against the approval of the Squaw’s Base-to-Base Gondola. The lawsuit originally challenged the adequacy of the environmental analysis and the County Board ...

SAM Magazine—New York City, Feb. 5, 2020—Roughly 15,000 people came out to play on the snow and ice for Winter Jam NYC, held Saturday, Feb. 1 in New York City’s Central Park. Presented by NYC Parks, the Olympic Regional Development Authority, I Love NY, and I Ski NY, the free event featured a variety of winter sports and activities for visito...

SAM Magazine—Denver, Feb. 4, 2020—The Outdoor Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Outdoor Industry Association (OIA), released its annual study of participation in outdoor recreation activities, and the results are sobering. According to the 2019 Outdoor Participation Report, Americans are staying inside more and more while engaging less frequ...

SAM Magazine—Denver, Feb. 4, 2020—After finalizing its acquisition of the Denver and Boston Ski and Snowboard Expos from BEWI Productions, Snowsports Industries America (SIA) has rebranded the events and unveiled the 2020 dates. The newly minted “Snowbound” consumer expos will take place Nov. 6-8, 2020 in Denver, and Nov. 19-22 in Boston, M...

SAM Magazine—Rangeley, Maine, Jan. 31, 2020—Boston investment firm Arctaris Impact Fund completed a reported $6.5 million acquisition of Saddleback Mountain ski area from the Berry family on Friday afternoon. The resort has been closed since 2015 when the Berrys couldn’t secure financing to replace the primary chairlift, and have been seeki...

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., Jan. 29, 2020—Registration is open for the 18th annual spring session of Cutter's Camp, May 11-15, 2020, at Timberline, Mt. Hood, Ore. The weeklong program for terrain park professionals features on-hill and classroom workshops, including the return of one-on-one customized operator coaching. Program highlights incl...

SAM Magazine—Denver, Jan. 29, 2020—The Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) unveiled its new climate and sustainability initiative, the Climate Action Corps, at its annual sustainability meetings in Denver ahead of the Outdoor Retailer + Snow Show. The aim of the Climate Action Corps is to support outdoor brands, retailers, manufacturers, and sup...

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., Jan. 28, 2020—The snowmaking crew from Bristol Mountain, N.Y., emerged as the winner in this year’s HKD and SAM “I AM a Snowmaker” contest. More than 10,000 votes were cast for the seven resort snowmaking crews in a close contest, with Bristol coming out on top by only a few hundred votes. The 13-day voting per...

The mountain resort industry sadly lost one of its true pioneers with the sudden, but peaceful, death of John Fry on Jan. 24, 2020, two days after celebrating his 90th birthday with his wife Marlies in Puerto Rico.  Fry devoted much of his life to ski journalism, serving on the staffs of SKI LIFE, SKI, Snow Country, Skiing Heritage (now Skiin...

SAM Magazine—Jackson, Wyo., Jan. 24, 2020—The 12th annual SAM Summer Ops Camp is headed to the Wild West. Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, Wyo., and the Tetons will serve as home base for Camp Sept. 8-10, 2020, and help bring the fast-changing state of summer operations into sharp focus. This fully immersive, hands-on educational event gathers re...

SAM Magazine—Burlington, Vt., Jan. 24, 2020—Fresh snow combined with the Martin Luther King Jr. Day long weekend made for a perfect storm at North American ski resorts, which saw a huge uptick in volume as skiers and snowboarders flocked to the mountains. Happy skiers at Gunstock over MLK weekend East In the Northeast, January’s dry st...

Snow People is our monthly roundup of happenings to the people of and around the mountain resort industry. Send any personnel news to: news@saminfo.com.Longtime lift mechanic and operations manager Jeff Harvey Sr., right, stands with his son, Jeff Jr., at Ski Butternut. Jeff Harvey, Sr., and Jeff Harvey, Jr., Ski Butternut, Mass.Jeff Harvey Sr., o...

SAM Magazine—Cody, Wyo., Jan. 22, 2020—The board of directors for Yellowstone Recreations Foundation, the not-for-profit that owns and operates Sleeping Giant Recreation Area, said it plans to suspend winter operations after this season due to an annual financial deficit of more than $200,000. “Sleeping Giant will continue operating through ...

SAM Magazine—Wilmington, VT., Jan. 22, 2020—The former Hermitage Club, a private ski area and golf club in southern Vermont that’s been shut down since 2018 due to foreclosure, has received two separate offers totaling roughly $7.5 million for its assets, possibly beginning an auction process that could happen as soon as late-February. Bankr...

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., Jan. 22, 2020—For the early portion of the winter season through Jan. 5, Vail Resorts (VR) has reported a 7.8 percent decline in skier visits across its portfolio of resorts compared to the prior winter, when early-season visits were very strong. Lift ticket revenues, including an allocated portion of season pass...

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., Jan. 21, 2020—The nomination period for the 2020 SAMMY Leadership Awards is now open. SAM invites members of the winter sports industry to nominate leaders who they believe deserve recognition. Nominations close March 13, 2020. The SAMMY Leadership Awards honor individuals who, at mid-career, demonstrate the innovati...

SAM Magazine—Gilford, N.H., Jan. 20, 2020—The Gunstock Area Commission (GAC) has hired former Waterville Valley general manager Tom Day as the new president and general manager of Gunstock Mountain Resort, effective Jan. 15. He succeeds longtime GM Greg Goddard, who will end his successful tenure at the resort Jan. 21.  Day was hired afte...

SAM Magazine—Boulder, Colo., Jan 17, 2020—Head USA has made a substantial donation to the Share Winter Foundation as part of the Snowsports Industries America (SIA) Generation Snow industry-match initiative. The program challenges winter industry companies to match or even exceed SIA’s previous $40,000 Share Winter donation. The Share Winter...

SAM Magazine—Lincoln, N.H., Jan. 17, 2020—Loon Mountain Resort will install a new Doppelmayr eight-passenger, high-speed bubble chairlift for the 2020-21 winter season—the first of its kind in the eastern U.S., and the second in North America after Big Sky debuted its Ramcharger 8 last season. Both properties are owned by Boyne Resorts. ...

SAM Magazine—Olympic Valley, Calif., Jan. 17, 2020—A variety of important topics and current issues were presented, pondered, and discussed at the 2020 National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) Western Winter Conference and Trade Show, held at Squaw Valley, Calif., Jan. 14 and 15. A crowd of 687 ski area operators, suppliers, and speakers were full...

SAM Magazine—Warren, Vt., Jan. 16, 2020— Alterra Mountain Company closed on its acquisition of Sugarbush Resort, Vt., on Jan. 14. The company now owns 15 year-round mountain destinations throughout North America. “With the acquisition of Sugarbush Resort, we are excited to expand our presence within the Northeast skier market,” said Alterr...

SAM Magazine—Denver, Colo., Jan. 16, 2020—Generous snowfall and good slope conditions throughout most Western resorts, along with less than ideal conditions in other regions, buoyed lodging rates even as occupancy figures continue to slip. The monthly Market Briefing from Inntopia’s DestiMetrics noted that rates are rising despite some consum...

SAM Magazine—Kellogg, Idaho, Jan. 16, 2020—The in-bounds avalanche that killed three skiers at Silver Mountain, Idaho, Jan. 7 was triggered by skiers and riders, despite ski patrol’s mitigation efforts prior to opening that area of the mountain, according to a preliminary report by Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center (IPAC) director Jeff Thompso...

SAM Magazine—Enumclaw, Wash., Jan. 14, 2020—In response to traffic, crowding, and parking issues, Crystal Mountain, Wash., will no longer sell walk-up full-day tickets on weekends and holidays. Instead, it will offer a limited number of tickets for online advance purchase. The resort will still honor Ikon passes and any other advance purchase p...

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., Jan. 9, 2020—The online voting for the HKD and SAM “I AM a Snowmaker” contest is now open, and continues through midnight (EST) on Tuesday, Jan. 21. Started in the winter of 2013-14, the annual I AM contest highlights the hard work, determination, and camaraderie of snowmakers, and recognizes how critical they ar...

By LINDA GOODSPEED SAM Magazine—Rutland, Vt., Jan. 7, 2020—Santa brought a mixed bag to North American ski resorts this holiday season, according to a spot survey conducted by SAM. The period included two Wednesday holidays, which stretched out the usual week-long Christmas/New Year’s holiday period into two solid weeks of business. The exce...

SAM Magazine—New South Wales, Australia, Jan. 7, 2020—Most of Australia’s ski resorts are threatened by the unprecedented bushfires that continue to ravage much of the country’s natural splendor. One historic ski hill—Selwyn Snow Resort located in the Snowy Mountain region of New South Wales—was directly in the path of the flames, with ...

SAM Magazine—North Vancouver, B.C., Jan. 3, 2020—Northland Properties Corporation has entered an agreement to acquire Grouse Mountain Resort from CM Asset Management. CM has only owned Grouse Mountain since summer of 2017, when it purchased the resort from the McLaughlin family, who owned it for 40 years. Northland is the largest privately-hel...

SAM Magazine—Greenwood, Maine, Dec. 31, 2019—Mt. Abram in Greenwood, Maine, has joined the Indy Pass for the 2019-20 season. The resort is the first Indy Pass member in the state, and will offer two unrestricted free days of access. This raises the number of participating Indy Pass areas to 47. The pass price rises from $219 to $239 on Jan. 1.&...

Snow People is our monthly roundup of happenings to the people of and around the mountain resort industry. Send any personnel news to: news@saminfo.com. SAMMIE LUKASKIEWICZ, CRYSTAL MOUNTAIN, MICH. Longtime communications professional Sammie Lukaskiewicz has joined Crystal Mountain as public relations director. Since 2017, Lukaskiewicz had been w...

SAM Magazine—Denver, Dec. 18, 2019—If lodging trends are any indication, the winter destination market is peaking as travelers balk at high prices. At 18 western mountain destinations spread over six states, a decline in occupancy and softening of daily rates are continuing a trend that has emerged over the past year. The most recent analysis r...

SAM Magazine—Virgil, N.Y., Dec. 17, 2019—John and Christine Meier have become the sole owners of Greek Peak Mountain Resort and Toggenburg Mountain in central New York. They acquired business partner Marc Stemerman’s 50 percent interest in the operations this November. The terms of the buyout have not been disclosed.John and Christine Meier ...

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., Dec. 9, 2019—Vail Resorts plans to invest approximately $210 million to $215 million across its portfolio of resorts ahead of the 2020-21 season. The plan includes new chairlifts, terrain expansions, facility expansions and improvements, and technology upgrades. Beaver Creek “We’re excited to share what...

SAM Magazine—Wachusett, Mass., Dec. 10, 2019—The second annual Northeast Weather Summit, held Sunday, Dec. 8 at Wachusett Mountain in central Massachusetts, was the result of a collaboration between the North American Snowsports Journalists Association (NASJA), Wachusett Mountain, Blue Hill Observatory Science Center, and regional meteorologist...

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., Dec. 10, 2019—Vail Resorts reported it expects to sell more than 1.2 million Epic Pass products for the 2019-20 season when it released its quarterly financial report yesterday. Season pass sales through Dec. 2 increased approximately 17 percent in dollars, and 22 percent in units compared to the prior year, incl...

SAM Magazine— Portland, Ore., Dec. 4, 2019—The Indy Pass continues to grow, adding Black Mountain in New Hampshire and Detroit Mountain in Minnesota for the 2019-20 season. With these additions, Indy Pass now has 46 participating resorts: 16 in the East, 15 in the Midwest, and 15 in the West. "We're excited to be a part of the inaugural season ...

SAM Magazine—Park City, Utah, Dec. 3, 2019—POWDR has acquired SilverStar Mountain Resort in British Columbia. SilverStar is the first Canadian property in POWDR’s portfolio, which includes 10 other resorts across California, Colorado, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Vermont, as well Woodward action sports company, heli-ski and river rafting outfitte...

Snow People is our monthly roundup of happenings to the people of and around the mountain resort industry. Send any personnel news to: news@saminfo.com.RICK HERLIHY, WINTER PARK, COLO.Rick Herlihy has transitioned within Alterra Mountain Company from senior revenue manager at Snowshoe Mountain, W.Va., to director of sales at Winter Park, Colo. Herl...

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., Nov. 21, 2019—Vail Resorts (VR) notified a variety of personnel across the 17 recently acquired former Peak Resorts properties that their employment with the company has an end date. Most will be terminated as of May 1, 2020, with some being asked to stay on longer—into October—to help with the integration. Affec...

SAM Magazine—Ludlow, Vt., Nov. 21, 2019—Temperatures dropped to record lows across the country last week, allowing resorts in many regions to fire up the snow guns ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday. A steady stream of ski areas in the Northeast and Midwest continue to open, often with top to bottom skiing and riding on multiple trails. Converse...

SAM Magazine—Philadelphia, Nov. 21, 2019—Perfect North Slopes has purchased the land and assets of Timberline Four Seasons Resort in a bankruptcy court auction at the Philadelphia offices of Timberline’s attorneys yesterday. The purchase price was $2.2 million. Members of the Perfect North Slopes management team will be forming a new managem...

SAM Magazine—Burlington, Vt., Nov. 21, 2019—Jake Burton Carpenter, the pioneer who popularized snowboarding and helped turn it into a sport, a billion-dollar business and Olympic showpiece, has died at 65.  Carpenter died Wednesday night in Burlington, Vt., from complications related to a return of testicular cancer, which was first diagn...

SAM Magazine—Park City, Utah, Nov. 18, 2019—Snowsports Industries America (SIA) has reached an agreement to acquire the Boston Ski and Snowboard Expo and the Colorado Ski and Snowboard Expo from BEWI Productions, Inc., which has produced the shows for more than 40 years. Terms of the deal have not been disclosed. SIA's Nick Sargent with Be...

SAM Magazine—Denver, Nov. 15, 2019—The six-month summer season, from May through October, finished with lackluster lodging results and the softest aggregated summer occupancy figures in a decade in western mountain destinations. A modest gain of 2.8 percent in the average daily rate (ADR) boosted overall summer revenues despite a 1.2 percent dr...

SAM Magazine—Denver, Nov. 13, 2019—Alterra Mountain Company has entered into an agreement to purchase Sugarbush Resort in Vermont, bringing the company’s portfolio up to 15 resorts throughout North America. Summit Ventures NE LLC, owner of the resort since 2001, agreed to sell the majority of its Sugarbush assets to Alterra. Summit Ventures ...

SAM Magazine—Burlington, Vt., Nov. 11, 2019—For many skiers and riders across North America, the long wait is finally over. Dropping temperatures, aggressive snowmaking, and early-season storms have provided the goods, and more ski resorts across the country are opening for business. Colorado led the way, with several resorts opening by Hallow...

SAM Magazine—Rangeley, Maine, Nov. 8, 2019—The owners of Saddleback, Maine’s third-largest ski area, have reached a new agreement to sell the mountain to Boston investment company Arctaris Impact Fund. The sale is expected to close in mid-December.  The resort went on the market in 2015, when current owners the Berry family determined t...

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., Nov. 7, 2019—Out of the dozens of talented mountain resort industry up-and-comers who were nominated this fall to participate in the third installment of the SAM Summit Series, 10 have been chosen and are already off and running. The 2019-20 mentees hail from resorts of all sizes located all over the country, and rep...

SAM Magazine—Lakewood, Colo., Nov. 7, 2019—The National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) has released its annual Sustainable Slopes report. Nine new resorts joined the NSAA Climate Challenge this past year, raising total participation to 45 resorts. The organization awarded more than $40,000 in grants to support sustainability initiatives. NSAA als...

SAM Magazine—Durango, Colo., Nov. 5, 2019—Mountain Capital Partners (MCP) has entered into an agreement to acquire Brian Head Resort in southern Utah. The resort will remain under the current management and control until the acquisition closes.  Brian Head will be the eighth resort in MCP’s portfolio of properties, which includes Nordic...

SAM Magazine—Oct. 30, 2019—October storms have dropped temps and several feet of snow in the Colorado Rockies, allowing resorts across the state to start spinning lifts. In other parts of the country, ski areas are mostly still shut and looking toward November to bring better snowmaking conditions and, hopefully, some of last year’s Snovember...

CRANMORE, N.H.Cranmore Mountain Resort, N.H., announced several staffing updates. In resort operations, Tricia Garcia has been promoted to director of base area operations. She brought on Gregg Ludvigson as the resort’s new mountain bike and ski rental shop manager. Linda Dean, former member services supervisor at the rec...

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., Oct. 23, 2019—SAM has launched year three of its successful Summit Series. The season-long program, aimed at developing future leaders in the mountain resort industry, creates a public dialogue between respected industry leaders and up-and-coming resort staffers. These important conversations will be shared in the pa...

SAM Magazine—Denver, Oct. 22, 2019—Strong bookings made during the month of September helped boost the overall outlook for the summer season and upcoming winter months, according to the most recent DestiMetrics Market Briefing. Through Sept. 30, aggregated occupancy for the month of September was up a slight 0.8 percent compared to last Septemb...

SAM Magazine—Salt Lake City, Utah, Oct. 21, 2019—Katharina Schmitz has been named the next president of Doppelmayr USA, Inc., effective March 31, 2020. Schmitz will replace Mark Bee, who retires in March after 30 years in the ropeway industry.Bee will continue to serve on the board of directors for Doppelmayr’s North American entities once he...

SAM Magazine—Portland, Maine, Oct. 18, 2019—Ski Maine executive director Greg Sweetser is retiring in May 2020 after 24 years leading the association that represents 16 alpine and 21 Nordic ski areas in the state. A search is already underway to find a suitable replacement.  Under Sweetser’s direction, Ski Maine has championed a healthy...

SAM Magazine—Brooklyn, N.Y., Oct. 16, 2019—The Share Winter Foundation has created new partnerships with Snowsports Industries America (SIA), the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA), the Professional Ski Instructors of America and the American Association of Snowboard Instructors (PSIA-AASI), and the National Ski Patrol (NSP) as part of its e...

 SAM Magazine—Burlington, Vt., Oct. 16, 2019—Burton is officially a certified B Corp: a company that meets high standards for sustainability, social responsibility, transparency, and accountability. One of 3,000 B Corporations worldwide, Burton is the first snowboarding company to reach these standards. “Now more than ever, companie...

SAM Magazine—Jay Peak, Vt., Oct. 11, 2019—The third annual Mountain Technology Symposium, held Oct. 2-4 at Jay Peak Resort, Vt., drew more than 130 ski industry tech leaders and suppliers to discuss the future of technology in the ski industry. A pre-conference survey highlighted that, according to attendees, the biggest resort challenge and th...

SAM Magazine—East Rutherford, N.J., Oct. 11, 2019—Big SNOW American Dream, North America’s first indoor, real-snow ski and snowboard center, has set its official grand opening for Dec. 5, 2019. The facility will offer year-round skiing and riding on four acres of snow-covered slopes inside the American Dream retail and entertainment complex, ...