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...

SAM Magazine—Bromont, Quebec, June 5, 2019—Preliminary results for the 2018-19 winter season show the 75 member resorts of the Quebec Ski Areas Association (ASSQ) saw 6.4 million total skier visits, up 4.6 percent year over year. It’s also a 10-year high for visits in Quebec, beating the 2010-2019 average of 5.97 million visits by 7.2 percent...

SAM Magazine— Oliver, B.C., May 30, 2019—Baldy Mountain Resort is the latest ski area to join the Enhanced Reciprocal Agreement (ERA), an alliance in southern British Columbia that gives passholders access to four other independent ski areas in the region: Apex Mountain Resort, Manning Park, Mt. Seymour, and Mt. Washington. ERA offers passhold...

In SAM’s monthly Snow People, we highlight recent personnel moves that have been made in the mountain resort industry. MIKE FERGUSON, ALTERRA MOUNTAIN COMPANYAlterra Mountain Company named Mike Ferguson as chief human resources officer. Ferguson will lead the development and implementation of attracting and retaining talent. His responsibil...

SAM Magazine—Ludlow, Vt., May 23, 2019—The summer season at winter resorts is about to begin: Memorial Day Weekend openings abound. But Mother Nature seems to have missed the memo. May has seen unexpected snowfall across the country, particularly in the West, with recent dumps measuring in feet. As a result, several resorts are slated to open f...

SAM Magazine—May 23, 2019, Washington D.C.—A coalition of outdoor businesses and associations converged on Washington D.C. this week to advocate for climate legislation that will help protect the outdoor recreation economy.May 22 was the Lawmaker Education and Advocacy Day (LEAD) on carbon pricing. And the Outdoor Business Climate Partnership (...

SAM Magazine—Burlington, Vt., May 22, 2019—The U.S. attorney’s office in Vermont is levying federal criminal charges against four of the people allegedly involved in defrauding foreign investors as part of the EB-5 program, which funded significant infrastructure developments at both Jay Peak and Burke Mountain in Vermont. Those indicted incl...

SAM Magazine—Salt Lake City, Utah, May 21, 2019—Utah ski resorts recorded 5,125,441 skier visits during the 2018-19 season, breaking the previous record of 4.58 million set in 2016-17 by 12 percent. Visits were up 24 percent over last season. Consistent snowfall was a major contributor to the busy winter—every ski resort in the state recorde...

  SAM Magazine—Denver, May 21, 2019—Snow brings people, and this winter’s abundant snowfall resulted in a new all-time aggregated record for occupancy, rate, and revenue among participating destination mountain resorts in six western states. For the full winter—November through April—actual occupancy was up 5.6 percent compared to t...

SAM Magazine—Lakewood, Colo., May 15, 2019—According to a report in the latest NSAA Capitol Watch, recently released 2017 Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) data show “skiing facilities” have the third highest incidence rate of non-fatal occupational injuries among all industries in the U.S. The 2017 rate of 10.1 injuries...

SAM Magazine—Wildwood, Mo., May 10, 2019—Consolidated initial sales for Peak Resorts 2019-20 season pass products increased 20.8 percent on a unit basis and 19.8 percent on a dollar basis over the prior year through the springtime sales window, inclusive of Snow Time (Liberty, Roundtop, and Whitetail in Pennsylvania) pass sales in both periods....

SAM Magazine—Woodbury, Conn., May 7, 2019—Registration is open for SAM's 11th annual Summer Ops Camp—a three day, all-inclusive program of seminars, workshops, and site visits that explore the state of the art in summer operations. Attendees also get to experience a wide range of summer activities, and explore product offerings with a diverse...

SAM Magazine—San Diego, Cali., May 6, 2019 - More than 950 members of the winter resort industry descended on the Hilton Bayfront Hotel in San Diego, Calif., April 29–May 2 for the NSAA National Convention and Tradeshow. It was the most highly attended national convention since 2008. Conventioneers reveled in the aftermath of the fourth-greates...

SAM Magazine—Lakewood, Colo., April 30, 2019—The preliminary total skier-visit numbers at North American resorts reached 59.1 million for the 2018-19 winter season, up nearly 11 percent compared to the 2017-18 total of 53.3 million visits. It ranks as the fourth most total visits since NSAA began tracking visitation in 1978-79. Abundant snowfa...

SAM Magazine—Lakewood, Colo., April 30, 2019—The National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) has launched the Mountain Foundation, a 501(c)3 non-profit dedicated to providing educational opportunities to the next generation of snowsports industry leaders. The foundation will award grants to ski industry employees so they can experience educational op...

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., April 30, 2019—Vail Resorts (VR) named Deirdra Walsh, a 17-year travel and tourism industry veteran, the new vice president and general manager of Northstar California Resort on April 25, 2019. Walsh formerly served as the senior director of mountain dining at Park City Mountain in Utah. In her new role, Wal...

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., April 29, 2019—After a rough start to the season, Vail Resorts (VR) is up year-over-year at its North American mountains for the period from the beginning of the ski season through April 21, 2019. Rob Katz, chief executive officer, said, "We are pleased with our overall results as the 2018-19 North American ski...

In SAM’s monthly Snow People, we highlight recent personnel moves that have been made in the mountain resort industry.MARK SEITER and GREG RALPH, Angel Fire Resort, N.M.Mark Seiter was named Angel Fire Resort’s new CFO, and Greg Ralph was named the new director of marketing. Both Seiter and Ralph will report to Angel Fire CEO John Kitts. Seite...

SAM Magazine—Geneva, Switzerland, April 23, 2019—The eleventh “International Report on Mountain & Snow Tourism” has been compiled and published by the Geneva-based consultant and ski business expert Laurent Vanat. The report of the 2017-18 season gives an upbeat picture of the state of the global ski industry for the second consecutive ...

SAM Magazine—Chewelah, Wash., April 23, 2019—CMR Lands, LLC has acquired 49° North Mountain Resort from the Eminger family for an undisclosed price. The Emingers have owned and operated the northeast Washington resort since 1996. John Eminger will stay on as general manager. CMR Lands also owns Silver Mountain in Idaho. During their 23 years...

SAM Magazine—Hancock, Mass., April 23, 2019—More than 400 ski area operations professionals, industry suppliers, and experts from across the country spent three days learning, collaborating, and networking during the 42nd annual Lift Maintenance Seminar (LMS) at Jiminy Peak, Mass., April 16-18. More than a dozen new sessions were introduced amo...

Special Report by Steven Threndyle What do China, shopping malls, and snowball fights have in common? All three were floated as possible ideas for increasing skiing and snowboarding participation during the Mountain Travel Symposium (MTS) at Whistler-Blackcomb in early April. From the cavernous convention space of the Whistler Conference Centre t...

SAM Magazine—Ludlow, Vt., April 19, 2019—The North American Snowsports Journalists Association (NASJA) has named the winners of four of its annual awards.  Rick Kahl: Carson White Snowsports Achievement Award NASJA journalist and corporate members voted SAM’s own Rick Kahl as the 2019 Carson White Snowsports Achievement Award reci...

SAM Magazine—Jasper, Alberta, Canada, April 18, 2019—Longtime Marmot Basin president and CEO Dave Gibson will retire at the end of June after leading the resort for 32 years. Jason Paterson, who has served as vice president of operations and maintenance at Marmot Basin since 2012, will succeed him. “I am both honored and thrilled for the opp...

SAM Magazine—Denver, April 17, 2019—The only question left about western mountain lodging for the 2018-19 season is how big the record numbers will be—and if the record will be for occupancy, rate, revenue, or all of them.  In the most recent monthly DestiMetrics Market Briefing released by Inntopia, aggregated actual occupancy for the ...

SAM Magazine—Woodbury, Conn., April 11, 2019—Kicking off in the west this week, an intense spring snowstorm is expected to drop flakes all the way to the Northeast, making the 2018-19 season one that just keeps on giving. And since the snow’s not quitting, neither are resorts. Incredible snowpack has led many areas to extend their seasons and...

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., April 9, 2019—Vail Resorts, Inc. has closed on its acquisition of the ski field leases and related infrastructure at Falls Creek Alpine Resort and Hotham Alpine Resort in Victoria, Australia. The closing price was approximately AU$179 million (approximately US$127 million) after adjustments for certain agreed-upo...

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., April 2, 2019—The 2019 SAMMY Leadership Award winners include a sustainability leader, a change leader, a guest experience guru, and an innovative marketer: Dawn Boulware, Geoff Buchheister, Simon Pagé and Hugh Reynolds. The four, nominated by their peers, have demonstrated the leadership skills needed to help steer...

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., March 29, 2019—Is there a 20-something rising star at your ski area who is poised to make an impact and climb through the ranks? If so, we encourage you to submit a nomination for him or her to be profiled as one of the “10 Under 30” in the July issue of SAM magazine. Nominations are due by April 19.Thi...

SAM Magazine—Vernon, N.J., March 29, 2019—Industry veteran Charles Blier is joining the SNOW Operating executive team as vice president and general manager of Mountain Creek Resort, N.J., which SNOW Operating owns and operates. Blier brings more than 30 years of resort operating experience to his role at Mountain Creek, where he previously spen...

SAM Magazine— Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada, March 25, 2019—Vista Ridge, an all-seasons park in Alberta, Canada, named Dan Wilson as its new general manager in December 2018. Wilson took over as GM for Kevin Grogan, who stepped back from managing winter operations. Grogan continues as project manager for Vista Ridge’s several capital project...

In SAM’s monthly Snow People, we highlight recent personnel moves that have been made in the mountain resort industry. STEVE BOULANGER, MAINE Sunday River promoted Steve Boulanger to VP of mountain operations. Prior to the promotion, Boulanger served as the ski operations director since 2015, and patrol director before that. He started at S...

SAM Magazine—Denver, March 19, 2019—A winter season that began on a downward trend in the wake of last year’s disappointing snow conditions is now moving toward new records for lodging occupancy and revenue, according to the monthly DestiMetrics Market Briefing from Inntopia. DestiMetrics, part of the Business Intelligence platform for Innto...

SAM Magazine—Lead, S.D., March 19, 2019—A ski resort in the Black Hills of western South Dakota is up for sale. The former Deer Mountain ski area shut down two years ago while going through bankruptcy proceedings. The current owners, the Milan Investment Club, made repairs and upgraded the water system for the 440-acre property, according to t...

by Evan Reece With a bold announcement last week, Vail gifted the ski industry an opportunity to broadly correct lift ticket pricing problems that have been building for many years, and to more quickly leap toward becoming wholly e-commerce/pre-sale businesses. While the announcement of “Epic for Everyone” paints a picture of some legitimatel...

SAM Magazine—Salt Lake City, Utah, March 14, 2019—Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month (LSSM) resort partners provided more than 150,000 beginner lessons in January, bringing the total to more than one million lessons provided by the initiative since it launched in 2009. As reported earlier, 6,200 of those lessons were provided on Friday, Jan. 11, ...

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., March 12, 2019—The nomination period for the 2019 SAMMY Leadership Awards closes tomorrow, March 13, 2019. SAM encourages members of the winter sports industry to nominate leaders who they believe deserve to be considered for this recognition, and do it today. Now in its 22ndyear, the SAMMY Leadership ...

SAM Magazine—Portland, Ore., March 8, 2019—A planned season pass product called the Indy Pass is partnering with a growing roster of small-to-medium sized independent ski areas with the goal of offering an alternative pass product to casual skiers and riders. Set to go on sale Sept. 1, 2019 for $199, the Indy Pass has 11 western ski areas signe...

SAM Magazine—West Dover, Vt., March 7, 2019—’Tis the season for season pass sales for 2019-20, and the offers and deals are piling up. Among the latest multi-area companies to unveil their mostly East-facing offers are Peak Resorts and Boyne Resorts. Peak Resorts' Peak Pass, valid at 10+ Eastern, mid-Atlantic, and Midwestern areas, will retu...