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 Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., March 14, 2020—Vail Resorts is suspending the operations of all its North American mountain resorts and retail stores beginning Sunday, March 15, 2020 through Sunday, March 22, 2020 and will use that time to reassess its approach for the rest of the season. Excerpts from an open letter from Vail Resorts CEO Rob ...

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...

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...

SAM Magazine—Aspen, Colo., March 10, 2020—The Mountain Collective will include 22 destinations for the 2020-21 season with the addition of Sugarloaf, Maine; Panorama, B.C.; Grand Targhee, Wyo., and the Chamonix region of France. Passes go on sale today. “We are excited to bring The Mountain Collective back for the ninth season with the l...

SAM Magazine—Denver, March 10, 2020—Alterra Mountain Company unveiled plans to invest $223 million in capital improvements across its 15 North American mountain destinations ahead of the 2020-21 winter season. The plan includes $50 million for base area facility development, $48 million toward new lifts and upgrades, expanded terrain, and state...

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., March 10, 2020—For the three months ending Jan. 31, 2020, Vail Resorts (VR) total lift revenue increased 8.2 percent, driven by an 8.8 percent growth in skier visitation—including results from Peak Resorts—despite Stevens Pass and Whistler Blackcomb experiencing 14 percent decline in skier visits du...

SAM Magazine—Lincoln, N.H., March 10, 2020—The New England Pass kicked off its annual flash sale yesterday. The pass, which offers direct-to-lift access to Sunday River and Sugarloaf in Maine, and Loon Mountain, N.H., is available starting at $50 down until March 15, 2020. New England Pass has also extended its offerings for next season to incl...

By Skip King, Reputation StrategiesWhether you think the concern—even panic—over COVID-19 is warranted or not is immaterial. The fact is that it’s the leading worldwide story, and it’s likely to stay that way for a while.Part of that is because the news media attracts more ears and eyeballs when something big and alarming is happening. If y...

SAM Magazine—Flagstaff, Ariz., March 6, 2020—Arizona Snowbowl will be replacing its Agassiz chairlift with a state-of-the-art combination Telemix lift from Leitner-Poma. The new high-speed lift will feature six-person chairs interspersed with eight-person gondola cabins and will climb 2,000 vertical feet in less than seven minutes—less than h...

seven things to expect for destination travel businesses By Tom Foley, Senior Vice President of Business Operations and Analytics for Inntopia We’re providing this narrative as a proactive discussion about the potential impacts of the spreading Covid-19 virus, its economic consequences, and the potential impact on the destination travel industr...

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., March 4, 2020—Next season’s pass wars are off and running. Alterra announced several days ago that it will put its 2020-21 Ikon passes on sale March 5. Not to be outdone, Vail Resorts’ Epic, with a new Northeast Value Pass and mountain rewards, went on sale March 3. Other resorts beat the big two to the punch...

SAM Magazine—Portland, Maine, March 3, 2020—Ski Maine Association has hired Dirk Gouwens as the organization’s new executive director. Gouwens will replace Greg Sweetser, who is retiring in May after 24 years leading the association. Ski Maine represents 16 alpine ski areas and 21 Nordic ski centers in the state. Gouwens has been the U....

SAM Magazine—Burlington, Vt., Feb. 27, 2020—Many resorts saw the usual uptick in crowds over Presidents' Day weekend and into the midweek, despite some experiencing a mixed bag of weather prior to the holiday. The weekend, and the holiday week in the Midwest and Northeast, was strong all along the northern tier and in the Rockies.At Cannon Moun...

SAM Magazine—Burlington, Vt., Feb. 26, 2020—Burton Snowboards has organized “A Day for Jake,” Friday, March 13, 2020, to honor the memory and legacy of the company’s founder, Jake Burton Carpenter, who died in November. Thirteen mountain resorts around the world are celebrating by offering free lift tickets to snowboarders of all ability ...

SAM Magazine—Denver, Feb. 20, 2020—Despite widely-reported exceptional skiing and riding, lodging occupancy is slipping year-over-year at many Western resorts, according to the most recent Market Briefing released by DestiMetrics from Inntopia. However, rates continue to creep up, allowing lodging properties to maintain healthy revenue results....

SAM Magazine—Marquette, Mich., Feb. 20, 2020—A staple of the Upper Michigan ski scene is changing hands. Peter and Lois O’Devero have sold Marquette Mountain and its surrounding 330 acres to Eric and Sarah Jorgensen of Hartland, Wis., owners of transportation company JX Enterprises Inc. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.Founded in 1...

by Tom WinterWhat has been billed as “Colorado’s first new ski area in nearly 20 years” looks suspiciously like a backcountry ski guide operation. The “ski area,” Bluebird Backcountry, plans to open approximately 1,500 acres of skiable terrain with 2,200 feet of vertical drop to the general public on Feb. 15. Three hundred acres of this i...

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. CHRIS JARNOT, MAYFLOWER MOUNTAIN VILLAGE, UTAH Industry veteran , and former SAMMY winner, Chris Jarnot has accepted a consulting role with Extell Development Company (EDC), focusing on Extell’...

SAM Magazine—Killington, Vt., Feb. 7, 2020—Following a strong western meeting in Squaw Valley, the 2020 National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) Eastern Winter Conference and Trade Show was held at Killington Resort, Feb. 4 and 5. A big crowd of 677 ski area operators, suppliers, and speakers gathered for informative sessions, great skiing and rid...

SAM apologizes for a previous rendition of this article that had inaccuracies. Please note this was updated on Febuary 9, 2020 to reflect requested changes.  SAM Magazine—Sublette County, Wyo., Feb. 7, 2020—The White Pine Ski Area and Resort outside Pinedale, Wyoming, is being put up for sale by the majority owners of Citizens to Save Whi...

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...