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.

SAM Magazine—Dover, Vt., Nov. 3, 2017—After Arapahoe Basin in Colorado opened for the season on Oct. 13, neighboring Loveland Ski Area kicked things off a week later on Oct. 20, and now more ski areas are spinning lifts—at least for this weekend—as cold weather and natural snow are becoming the norm in many regions across North America.

SAM Magazine—San Francisco, Calif., Nov. 1, 2017—The California Ski Industry Association (Ski California) today introduced its “Mountain Safety Guide,” a compendium resource for guests to help them make good decisions on the mountain and enjoy a safe experience. The printed version is a trail map-size guide that will be available at many of the association’s member resorts. It is also available online in digital format.

SAM Magazine—Montpelier, Vt., Oct. 30, 2017—Vermont Ski Areas Association (VSAA) president Parker Riehle is stepping down after 19 years at the organization to open his own lobbying and public relations firm. His last day is Nov. 10. The VSAA board of directors has already begun the search for his successor to lead the association and the $1.6 billion ski and snowboard industry in Vermont.

SAM Magazine—Lakewood, Colo., Oct. 30, 2017—A new E-Learning Course for New Instructors is now available online from the Professional Ski Instructors of America and the American Association of Snowboard Instructors (PSIA-AASI). The organization developed the e-learning course to help snowsports schools onboard their new instructors as well as complement the schools’ existing on-snow training. The free course covers three key aspects of working as an instructor: what to expect, basic teaching principals, and safety considerations. PSIA-AASI members and non-members can access the course once registered on the organization's website.

SAM Magazine—West Dover, Vt., Oct. 25, 2017—Terrain park builders have until Nov. 1 to register for the few remaining spots still available for Cutter’s Camp Fall Refresher at Mount Snow, Vt., Nov. 6-8. This is the first time the event has taken place just before winter begins, and aims to provide campers with actionable lessons and best practices that can be applied to their park programs right away. 

SAM Magazine—Denver, Oct. 20, 2017—Overall occupancy at western mountain destinations for the six summer months, April through October, was boosted by bookings made in September for arrivals in September and October. With the last-minute uptick, as of Sept. 30, aggregated summer occupancy edged up 0.1 percent, while revenues are up a robust 7.2 percent compared to the same time last year. For the month of September alone, occupancy was up 1.4 percent, with a 7.3 percent increase in revenue. Inntopia released the results in its monthly DestiMetrics Market Briefing, which tracks 20 destinations across several states.

SAM Magazine—Flagstaff, Ariz., Oct. 17, 2017—Arizona Snowbowl, part of the Mountain Capital Partners group of resorts, plans to purchase the 37-acre Elk Ridge Ski Area near Williams, Ariz. Pending a special use permit approval by Kaibab National Forest officials, the plan is to open Elk Ridge as soon as possible under the current operating plan. Improvements are being proposed.

SAM Magazine—Mount Snow, Vt., Oct. 11, 2017—With current general manager Kelly Pawlak leaving to assume the role of president and CEO of the National Ski Areas Association, Mount Snow wasted no time naming Erik Barnes as her successor. Barnes has been with the resort for more than three decades, most recently serving as director of resort services. His first day as GM will be Nov. 4.

SAM Magazine—Timberline Lodge, Ore., Oct. 11, 2017—Since September, winter storms have been dropping a fair amount of snow on the high country out West, stoking the excitement of skiers and riders. Adding to the excitement, Timberline Lodge and Ski Area on Mt. Hood, Ore., laid claim to being the first ski area to open when it spun the Palmer Chairlift on Sunday, Oct. 8. Weather permitting, the lift will be open Saturdays and Sundays, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., for advanced skiers and snowboarders.

SAM Magazine—Lakewood, Colo., Oct. 9, 2017—The board of directors of the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) has named Kelly Pawlak as NSAA’s new president and CEO. Pawlak, who is vice president and general manager at Mount Snow Resort, Vt., will assume the position Jan. 1, 2018.

SAM Magazine—Wrightwood, Calif., Oct. 6, 2017— Ski Resort Holdings LLC, an affiliate of Oz Real Estate, has sold Mountain High Resort to Mountain High Reunited (MHR), an investment group that includes current president and CEO Karl Kapuscinski, the resort’s senior management team, and MHR Investors. Terms of the sale were not released. The current management team will remain in place and continue to operate the resort.

SAM Magazine—Wildwood, Mo., Oct. 5, 2017—Christopher Bub has transitioned into the role of chief financial officer for Peak Resorts after serving as the company’s vice president and chief accounting officer since 2016. Bub succeeds Stephen Mueller, who is stepping down as CFO, a position he’s held since joining Peak Resorts in 2001.

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., Oct. 3, 2017—Vail Resorts (VR) reported fiscal 2017 full-year results last week, including EBITDA of $593 million. That represents growth of 31 percent compared to 2016, due in large part to inclusion of results from Whistler Blackcomb and Stowe in 2017.

This October edition of Snow People includes happenings to prominent people in the mountain resort industry since our last edition in early August.

SAM Magazine—Dover, Vt., Sept. 27, 2017—The mercury dropped over the weekend in the western high country, and a handful of resort snowmaking crews took advantage of the cold temps.

SAM Magazine—West Dover, Vt., Sept. 25, 2017—By popular demand, Cutter’s Camp returns to the East with a new “Fall Refresher” format to be held at Mount Snow in southern Vermont, Nov. 6-8. With winter starting for many resorts right after Camp concludes, terrain park professionals will be able to immediately apply the lessons and best practices they learn to their park operation.

SAM Magazine—Woodbury, Conn., Sept. 20, 2015—There are only 10 days left to enter SAM’s 13th Annual Terrain Park Contest, sponsored by Burton Snowboards. The November issue will showcase the most unique terrain park features, as well as the most innovative park events, from the 2016-17 season, but only if you enter. So start sorting through your creations, and submit your entries for the feature and/or events categories.

Beaver Creek, Colorado. Photo credit: Jack Affleck, Vail Resorts.SAM Magazine—Denver, Sept. 20, 2017—The trend of slipping occupancy and rising revenues that began last winter in Western destinations has continued through most of the summer, according to the monthly DestiMetrics Market Briefing released by Inntopia. And the trend may get worse before it gets better.

U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame and MuseumSAM Magazine—Ishpeming, Mich., Sept. 20, 2017—Eight noted ski and snowboard athletes and sport builders form the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame’s Class of 2017. They are freestyle icon “Airborne” Eddie Ferguson, freestyle’s somersault king Hermann Gollner and legendary cross-country coach Marty Hall; the late, Steve McKinney, world record holder in alpine speed skiing; snowboard pioneer Shaun Palmer; ski mountaineers and twin brothers Mike and Steve Marolt; and Thom Weisel, a passionate fund raiser for the U.S. Ski Team.

SAM Magazine—Carrabassett Valley, Maine, Sept. 15, 2017—Sugarloaf Mountain in Maine will offer cat skiing this winter on its Burnt Mountain terrain, which until this season was only accessible for those willing to hike or skin. The resort will be one of only a small handful of U.S. ski areas east of the Rockies to offer cat skiing, with Subarbush, Vt., and Mount Bohemia, Mich., a couple of the others.

SAM Magazine—Lakewood, Colo., Sept. 12, 2017—Parker Riehle, recently named as the new president of the National Ski Areas Association, is not taking the job, after all. He has told NSAA that, for personal reasons, he is declining the offer. As a result, Michael Berry will remain president until a new candidate is chosen and completes the transition.

SAM Magazine—Lebanon, N.H., Sept. 11, 2017—Industry veteran Mike Colbourn is now president of SnoCountry, Inc., a not-for-profit winter resort trade association best known for hosting and disseminating daily snow conditions reports. He takes over for Tom Cottrill, who is retiring after leading the organization for the last 22 years. Colbourn is only the third president in SnoCountry’s nearly 50 years of existence, following Cottrill and founder Phil Camp.

SAM Magazine—Warren, Vt., Sept. 11, 2017—Sugarbush Resort has adopted Tenants for Turns, a program originally developed and implemented by resorts out west—including Jackson Hole, Wyo., and Stevens Pass, Wash.—that incentivizes local property owners to supply affordable housing to resort employees.

SAM Magazine—Boyne Falls, Mich., Aug. 31, 2017—Boyne Resorts has appointed John McGregor, current senior vice president of mountain operations, as the new senior vice president and chief operating officer of the company’s day resorts, and Rick Kelley, current president and general manager of Loon Mountain, N.H., as senior vice president of mountain operations for the company. Additionally, Jay Scambio, the company’s director of mountain sports development, becomes president and general manager at Loon Mountain.

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., Aug. 31, 2017—Vail Resorts has named Taylor Ogilvie as the new vice president of the company’s urban ski areas. Ogilvie was previously general manager of Wilmot Mountain in Wisconsin. In addition to oversight of Afton Alps in Minnesota and Mt. Brighton in Michigan, he will continue as the general manager at Wilmot Mountain.

SAM Magazine—Lakewood, Colo., Aug. 28, 2017—Parker Riehle is the new president and CEO of the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA). Riehle—who is currently the president of Ski Vermont, the Vermont Ski Areas Association (VSAA)—will assume the position on Jan. 1, 2018, replacing Michael Berry, who is retiring after 25 years.

SAM Magazine—Vernon, N.J., Aug. 22, 2017—SNOW Operating has entered into a long-term partnership with Mountain Creek Ski Resort, N.J., to manage the resort’s winter ski, snowboard, and snow tubing businesses, as well as the mountain biking operation in summer. As part of the agreement, SNOW Operating CEO Joe Hession is now the resort president. The rest of the team will be transitioning into the role over the next few months with the resort’s owners, the Koffman family of Binghamton, N.Y.

SAM Magazine—Denver, Colo., and Park City, Utah, Aug. 21, 2017—After a short breather from ski resort ownership consolidation, the newly formed entity of KSL Capital Partners and Aspen SkiCo is at it again—this time entering into a definitive agreement to acquire Deer Valley Resort in Park City, Utah. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The transaction is subject to certain closing conditions and is anticipated to close prior to the upcoming 2017-18 ski season.

SAM Magazine—Denver, Aug. 18, 2017— According to the most recently released data from the Monthly Market Briefing compiled by DestiMetrics, an Inntopia company, lodging occupancy for the full summer is up only a slight 0.4 percent. However, strong gains in the Average Daily Rate (ADR) at those same properties have boosted summer revenues 7.7 percent compared to the same time last year. The report covers 20 destinations and 290 lodging companies in the Western U.S.

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., Aug. 17, 2017—Registration for SAM’s eighth annual Summer Ops Camp—a series of seminars, workshops, and site visits that explore the state of the art in summer operations—closes Aug. 25. A few spots are still available for the Camp, Sept. 5-7 at Killington, Vermont.

SAM Magazine—Boulder, Colo., Aug. 16, 2017—As it undergoes a multi-million dollar capital development, including the installation of a new six-passenger chairlift, Eldora Mountain Resort unveiled its new branding and a “Closer to You” campaign, which celebrates the mountain’s 56-year history as Boulder County’s mountain playground.

SAM Magazine—Princeton, Mass., Aug. 16, 2017—Season pass partnerships between unaffiliated resorts continue to evolve in a variety of ways. One of the newest is between Wachusett Mountain, Mass., and Stratton, Vt.

SAM Magazine—Glenwood Springs, Colo., Aug. 1, 2017—Season pass holders at Sunlight Mountain Resort can now receive three free ski days at Kiroro ski area on Japan’s North Island as Sunlight expands its global alliances. Passholders can also access more free ski days at areas in Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Wyoming, and Washington.

News of staff changes and hires at resorts, suppliers, and the National Parks Service.

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., Aug. 1, 2017—Geoff Buchheister, previously vice president for Vail Resorts’ urban ski areas, is now vice president and general manager for Keystone Resort. He succeeds Mike Goar, who is transitioning to COO at Heavenly Mountain Resort, with additional oversight of the company’s Kirkwood Mountain and Northstar California resorts.

SAM Magazine—Denver, Aug. 1, 2017—The as-yet-unnamed joint venture of KSL Capital Partners and the owner of the four Aspen resorts, Henry Crown and Company, has completed its $1.5 billion purchase of Intrawest Resort Holdings. Upon closing of the deal, Thomas Marano, Intrawest's chief executive officer, resigned his position, KSL's Bryan Traficanti was named interim chief executive officer, and Aspen’s David Perry was named president and chief operating officer. A search for a new chief executive officer is underway.

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., July 25, 2017—Inspired by the environmental commitment of Whistler Blackcomb, a recent Vail Resorts (VR) acquisition, VR will aggressively pursue a comprehensive sustainability commitment across all its resorts, called “Epic Promise for a Zero Footprint.” The pledge commits VR to zero net emissions by 2030, zero waste to landfill by 2030, and zero net operating impact to forests and habitat.