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, ...

SAM Magazine—Park City, Utah, Oct. 1, 2019—Several Powdr Corp resorts will incorporate Woodward Mountain Parks starting this winter. Woodward Mountain Parks include different elements that, combined, “reimagine the way snowsports enthusiasts [of all ability levels] experience on-mountain adventure,” according to the company. Woodward Mount...

SAM Magazine—Newbury, N.H., Oct. 1, 2019—Keystone Resort (Colo.) senior director of mountain operations Tracy Bartels will assume the role of general manager at Mount Sunapee, N.H., effective Nov. 18. She will replace Bruce Schmidt, who has been in the role for less than a year, and is now transitioning back to Okemo—where he’ll again serve...

SAM Magazine—Portland, Ore., October 1, 2019—The Indy Pass has added eight more resorts to its coalition of independent ski areas, bringing its total number of participating resorts up to 44. As a result, the Indy Pass now includes access to more ski areas in North America than any other multi-resort pass product on the market. Back in Septemb...

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., Sept. 30, 2019—Vail Resorts, Inc. (VR) reported a 14.6 percent increase in EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) for its fiscal year 2019, ending July 31, to $706.7 million. However, net income dropped 20.7 percent, to $301.2 million for fiscal 2019, as 2018 results were positiv...

SAM Magazine—Montville, N.J., Sept. 27, 2019— Four-decade industry veteran Jim Haas has been hired as the general manager of Big SNOW America, the new real-snow, indoor, year-round ski and snowboard center at the American Dream retail complex. Haas started his career with Snowshoe Mountain, where he held several management positions in risk, h...

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., Sept. 27, 2019—Vail Resorts (VR) has appointed two new GMs following a summer of operational growth and change. Jody Churich, previously senior director of skier services at Park City Mountain Resort, will serve as vice president and general manager at Keystone Resort, Colo. Matt Jones, previously VP of human res...

resorts SARAH JONES, STEAMBOAT SKI RESORT, COLO.  Sarah Jones has been named the first ever director of sustainability and community engagement at Steamboat Ski Resort. Starting Sept. 30, Jones will be responsible for furthering the resort’s policy goals on climate and energy and developing and driving the resort’s sustainability practic...

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., Sept. 24, 2019— Vail Resorts has closed on its acquisition of Peak Resorts, Inc. for a purchase price of $11 per share. With the acquisition, Vail Resorts adds 17 U.S. ski areas to its portfolio—all located in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Midwest—and now owns and operates 37 resorts worldwide.  "We ...

SAM Magazine—Wildwood, Mo., Sept. 20, 2019—Peak Resorts, Inc., shareholders approved the merger agreement for the acquisition of Peak's 17 areas by Vail Resorts, Inc. at a special meeting on Sept. 20. Under the terms of the merger agreement, Peak Resorts’ common shareholders will be entitled to receive $11 per share in cash at the closing of ...

SAM Magazine—Steamboat Springs, Colo., Sept. 20, 2019—Steamboat Ski & Resort Corporation is donating $100,000 per year over the next five years to the newly launched Yampa River Fund, a local water fund created through partnerships with The Nature Conservancy and local partners. The $500,000 donation is the largest single cash commitment in...

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., Sept. 20, 2019—There is just one week left to enter the 15th annual SAM Terrain Park Contest, sponsored by Burton Learn to Ride. Enter one (or all) of three categories: terrain park feature, terrain park event, and bread and butter. Mountain resorts from around the world are invited to submit entries from the 2018-19...

The annual Ski Areas of New York (ISKINY) and Pennsylvania Ski Areas Association (PSAA) Expo, held at Hunter Mountain, N.Y., Sept. 16-18, welcomed a large crowd of 386 attendees. Personnel from 50 different ski areas attended, and the 79 exhibitors at the trade show represented what ISKINY president Scott Brandi termed “a record level of sponsors...

SAM Magazine—Newry, Maine, Sept. 19, 2019—This year’s New England Summit at Sunday River Resort introduced a revamped schedule and a new multi-session Communicators Camp in addition to its traditional mix of high-quality educational sessions, networking events, and trade show. The two-day event, held Sept. 10 and 11, attracted roughly 250 ski...

SAM Magazine—Warren, Vt., Sept. 18, 2019—Since 2012, Rumble’s Kitchen restaurant at Sugarbush has been a member of 1% for the Planet—a global organization that helps facilitate and accelerate giving to support environmental nonprofits. The Kitchen has pledged more than $60,000 to various local and regional organizations through this members...

SAM Magazine—Big Cottonwood Canyon, Utah, Sept. 18, 2019—For the 2019-20 winter season, Solitude Mountain Resort is launching a number of initiatives to address traffic and parking congestion in Big Cottonwood Canyon and worsening air quality in Salt Lake County. “We are using every tool at our disposal to encourage our staff and guests to us...

SAM Magazine—Jackson, Wyo., Sept. 18, 2019—On Sept. 17, all Jackson Hole Mountain Resort (JHMR) year-round electricity needs—lifts, facilities, and base area operations—transitioned to Lower Valley Energy’s (LVE) 100 percent Green Power program. The program directly sources wind power from Horse Butte Wind Farm in Idaho, the closest wind ...

SAM Magazine—Choteau, Mont., September 17, 2019—Former Teton Pass Ski Resort general manager Charles Hlavac has purchased the resort from Nick Wood for $375,000 after it had been on the market for two years. Wood, a New Zealand native, bought the ski area back in 2010. He and his partners invested in substantial upgrades, including three new li...

SAM Magazine—Portland, Ore., Sept. 12, 2019—Indy Pass has added two more resorts to its lineup for the 2019-20 season: Caberfae Peaks in Cadillac, Mich., and Sunrise Park in Greer, Ariz. With these additions, the $199 Indy Pass now has a total of 36 participating ski areas. Passholders get two days at each.  SAM covered the launch of the ...

The essentials for summer business success showed clear and strong as moonshine during SAM's Summer Ops Camp in Gatlinburg, Tenn., Sept. 3-5.

SAM Magazine—Wildwood, Mo., Sept. 11, 2019—A lawsuit has been brought against Peak Resorts by one of its own investors, who seeks to halt the company’s acquisition by Vail Resorts even as Peak has been urging shareholders to submit their proxy votes on the $463.6 million buyout of Peak's stock and debt. The vote is scheduled to take place at ...

SAM Magazine—Park City, Utah, Sept. 10, 2019—POWDR is set to open the first year-round action sports resort in the country this winter, called Woodward Park City. The resort will boast state-of-the-art indoor and outdoor venues for snowboarding, skiing, mountain biking, skateboarding, tubing, BMX, parkour, and trampolining.  The 66,000sf ...

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., Sept. 6, 2019—SAM has launched an open call for nominations to become a mentee for the third year of the successful Summit Series for future leaders. The season-long program, aimed at developing the next generation of industry leaders, creates a public dialogue between established and respected industry leaders and u...

SAM Magazine¬—Natick, Mass., Sept. 6, 2019—Mountain resorts from around the world are invited to submit entries for SAM’s 15th annual Terrain Park Contest, sponsored by Burton Learn to Ride. The November issue of Ski Area Management (SAM) magazine will showcase entries from the 2018-2019 season in three categories: terrain park feature, terr...

SAM Magazine—Washington, D.C., Sept. 2, 2019—The National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, and other public lands administered by the Interior Department will now allow pedal-assisted e-bikes on all approved bike trails following an order issued by Interior Secretary David Bernhardt on Thursday. The order opens approximately 400 nationa...

SAM Magazine—Denver, Aug. 28, 2019—Zermatt Matterhorn, Switzerland, has become the first European destination partner on the Ikon Pass, expanding the Ikon resort and partner network to 41 destinations on five continents. Ikon Pass holders will have seven-day access to Zermatt and the interconnected Matterhorn ski paradise network, which encomp...

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., Aug. 26, 2019—SAM Magazine has partnered with High Peaks Group—a consulting firm specializing in leadership and team development—to offer the Professional Enrichment and Knowledge (PEAK) Navigator program, a leadership workshop designed to help mountain resort leaders tune their leadership style, get teams engage...

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., August 26, 2019—Vail Resorts (VR) has made significant leadership changes in in the wake of executive vice president Chris Jarnot's retirement and in anticipation of closing its Peak Resorts acquisition this fall. Jarnot will be Chris Jarnotstepping down at the end of 2019, and VR has created three new senior lea...

SAM Magazine—Lake Geneva, Wis., Aug. 26, 2019—The Midwest Ski Areas Association (MSAA) Summer Meetings & Trade Show drew a large crowd of 424 attendees—including supplier reps and personnel from 55 different ski areas—to the Grand Geneva Resort, Aug. 18-21. The first-time location, a former Playboy Hotel, was well received. Grand Geneva...

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., Aug. 23, 2019— Registration for SAM’s 11th annual Summer Ops Camp—a series of site visits, seminars, on-hill workshops, demos, and networking events that explore the current state of mountain resort summer operations—closes Wednesday, Aug. 28. Only a few spots remain before the attendee roster is full for this ...

SAM Magazine—Steamboat Springs, Colo., Aug. 23, 2019—Chris Diamond, the former president of Steamboat Resort, has written a blockbuster follow-up to his acclaimed memoir, Ski Inc. His latest effort, Ski Inc. 2020, serves up a sharply defined perspective on the current and future resort scene. To give industry insiders the first look at this fut...

SAM Magazine—Gilford, N.H., Aug. 21, 2019—After a 39-year career at Gunstock Mountain Resort, including the last 21 years serving as general manager, Greg Goddard will retire from the resort in August 2020. He is the longest tenured GM in Gunstock’s history. Goddard began his career at Gunstock in the winter of 1981-82 as a bartender at the ...

In SAM’s monthly Snow People, we highlight recent happenings to people who are part of the mountain resort industry. This time around, we’ve combined July and August. For even more updates on industry people, be sure to read News & Views in each and every issue of SAM Magazine. TESS HOBBS, SNOWBIRD, UTAHTess Hobbs Tess Hobbs has been pr...

SAM Magazine—Squamish, B.C., Aug. 16, 2019—The haul rope of the Sea to Sky Gondola in Squamish, B.C., was reportedly cut in what police are calling a “deliberate act” at around 4:30 a.m. PST on Saturday, Aug. 10. Most of the 30 gondola cabins on the line fell to the ground. No one was injured in the incident. The Royal Canadian Mounted Poli...

SAM Magazine—Denver, Aug. 16, 2019—At the halfway point of summer, lodging properties in mountain destinations are enjoying a strong overall seasonal performance, largely even with a year ago. The year-over-year growth figures of the past decade, though, are gone, according the monthly DestiMetrics Market Briefing. The 18 destinations across s...

SAM Magazine—Lakewood, Colo., Aug. 16, 2019—President Trump postponed the 10 percent tariffs on Chinese-made goods, set to take effect on Sept. 1, for many categories of goods—but not winter sports gear. As a result, ski gear made in China will be subject to the 10 percent tariff. The list of gear subject to the tariff includes skis, ski and...

SAM Magazine—Park City, Utah, Aug. 13, 2019—Extell Development Company is building a new mountain resort located right next to Deer Valley Resort outside of Park City, Utah. Extell has purchased roughly 5,600 acres of private land in recent years, including the 2,300-acre Mayflower property where Mayflower Mountain Resort and Village will be bu...

SAM Magazine—Aspen, Colo.,Aug. 7, 2019—As the labor pool shrinks and competition for employees increases, Aspen Snowmass has responded by raising entry-level pay to $15 an hour and increasing pay for other positions across the company as well. The resort has also launched a new employment website, www.aspensnowmass.com/jobs, and posted al...

SAM Magazine—Woodbury, Conn., Aug. 2, 2019—The SAM Summer Ops Camp in Gatlinburg, Tenn., is taking a new approach to seminars: it incorporates “pop-up discussions” into hands-on visits to a variety of summer operations. This format, along with new pre- and post-Camp tours and demos, expand the already chock-full program. Local “connectivi...

SAM Magazine—Denver, Aug. 2, 2019—Arapahoe Basin’s ski season ended July 4, so it was officially unaffiliated with any other resorts or resort groups for less than a month before today, when it joined the Ikon Pass as a partner resort. Starting this winter, Ikon Pass holders will have seven days of access to A-Basin with no blackout dates, an...

SAM Magazine—Washington, D.C., Aug. 2, 2019—President Trump said yesterday that the U.S. will impose a 10 percent tariff on $300 billion worth of Chinese imports, including a great percentage of snowsports products, starting Sept. 1. The move followed two days of trade negotiations with China, which produced little movement. The tariffs will pr...

SAM Magazine—Olympic Valley, Calif., July 24, 2019—After years of environmental reviews, permit hearings, and opposition from conservation groups, the base-to-base gondola that will connect Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows was approved by Placer County officials. The gondola will begin at Squaw Valley, traverse over privately owned property, and...

SAM Magazine—Davis, W.Va., July 24, 2019 —Timberline Four Seasons Resort is initiating the sale process for substantially all of the resort's assets. Timberline commenced voluntary Chapter 11 proceedings in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania on April 30, 2019, and expects to sell the company’s assets pursuant t...

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., July 22, 2019—Vail Resorts (VR) has entered into a definitive merger agreement to acquire 100 percent of the outstanding stock of Peak Resorts, Inc., at a purchase price of $11.00 per share, or an estimated aggregate purchase price of approximately $264 million, subject to certain conditions, including regulatory...

SAM Magazine—Santa Fe, N.M., July 18, 2019—A U.S. Forest Service (USFS) review concluded that Taos Ski Valley, N.M., followed proper safety procedures in the days and weeks leading up to a Jan. 17 inbounds avalanche that killed two skiers. The review said the avalanche was trigger by a skier. According to reports, the Forest Service reviewed d...

SAM Magazine—Lakewood, Colo., July 17, 2019—The 2018-19 Kottke End of Season Survey, the most comprehensive analysis of the winter resort industry, is now available from the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA). Produced in conjunction with RRC Associates, the report examines the relationship between skier visits and other variables such ...

SAM Magazine—Dover, Vt., July 10, 2019—After many regions of ski country experienced wet—and even snowy—weather through much of the spring, a hot summer Fourth of July holiday period was a welcome change for several resorts. With Independence Day landing on a Thursday, travelers took advantage of the long weekend and made their way to the m...

SAM Magazine—Deep Creek Lake, Md., July 10, 2019—Wisp Resort has hired ski industry veteran Ron Hawkes as its new general manager. He succeeds Jerry Geisler, who is retiring after 45 years at the year-round western Maryland resort. In addition to skiing and riding, the area offers a variety of summer activities, including 36 holes of golf, and ...

SAM Magazine—Mt. Hood, Ore., July 3, 2019—Industry veteran Greg Pack is the new general manager of Mt. Hood Meadows. Pack brings more than 20 years of mountain resort industry experience to the role, most recently serving as general manager of Telluride Ski and Golf Resort in Colorado. He will begin his new role at the end of July.  Pack ...

SAM Magazine—Davis, W.Va., July 1, 2019—Timberline Four Seasons Resort in West Virginia filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on April 30, with debts totaling more than $2.8 million to nearly 50 creditors. The owners now plan to sell the ski resort portion of their holdings, and last week filed a petition in U.S. Bankruptcy Court seeking p...

SAM Magazine—Wildwood. Mo., June 27, 2019—Peak Resorts reported record revenue and strong year-over-year growth in both its fiscal 2019 fourth quarter (Q4) ending April 30 and fiscal year. Q4 revenue grew 53 percent to $85.5 million. Fiscal 2019 revenue was a record $184.4 million, up from $131.6 million in fiscal 2018. These results include th...

SAM Magazine—Denver, June 18, 2019—The short-term summer outlook for lodging properties is showing continued healthy gains in daily rate despite nearly flat year-over-year occupancy, according to the most recent DestiMetrics monthly Market Briefing released by Inntopia.Occupancy slipped 4.2 percent in May compared to a year ago, while the avera...

In SAM’s monthly Snow People, we highlight recent personnel moves that have been made in the mountain resort industry. For even more updates on industry people, be sure to read News & Views in the upcoming July issue of SAM.  DON MACASKILL, WHITETAIL RESORT, MERCERSBURG, PA.Long-time vice president and general manager Don...

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., June 10, 2019—Vail Resorts (VR) reported net revenue increased 13.8 percent, to $957.7 million, in its fiscal third quarter ended April 30. VR attributed the increase primarily to increased visitation and spending at its U.S. resorts, strong North American pass sales growth for 2018-19, and incremental revenue fr...

SAM Magazine—June 7, 2019, Jay Peak, Vt.—The Vermont Ski Areas Association (Ski Vermont) held its annual meeting at Jay Peak Resort, June 5-6, 2019, a gathering that welcomed 190 attendees from resorts, brands, and tourism. Ski Vermont revealed 2018-19 total skier visits in the state reached 4.1 million, up 5.2 percent year-over-year. “From ...

SAM Magazine—Conway, N.H., June 7, 2019—Ski New Hampshire hosted its annual conference and trade show in Meredith, N.H., June 4-5. At the conference, Ski NH president Jessyca Keeler reported that total visits—including alpine, cross country, and tubing—for winter 2018-19 were an estimated 2.3 million, up more than 100,000 over last year, or...

SAM Magazine—Park City, Utah, June 7, 2019—Pacific Group Resorts, Inc. (PGRI) has joined the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) Climate Challenge. The voluntary program has been helping ski areas inventory, target, reduce and report greenhouse emissions since 2012. “The health of the environment is something I have been sensitive to for a...

By Dave ZookThe California mountain resort industry gathered in Squaw Valley for the Lift Maintenance and Operations Education Conference (LMOE) for the second year running on June 4-6, 2019. The underlying theme of the content-rich conference was working together to create a safer, better industry. Topic areas were addressed through three days of ...

SAM Magazine—Denver, June 6, 2019—Total skier visits to the 23 member ski resorts of Colorado Ski Country USA (CSCUSA) increased 13 percent over last year, finishing nearly 12 percent above the state’s five-year average. The numbers reflect the current makeup of the association, adjusted for the departure of Crested Butte Mountain Resort in 2...

SAM Magazine—Sun Peaks, B.C., June 5, 2019— Sun Peaks Resort and SilverStar Mountain Resort have partnered in a season passholder reciprocal program that benefits both winter and summer passholders. The resorts are located about two hours apart in interior British Columbia. Through the new program, winter alpine season passholders from each de...