SAM Magazine—Montpelier, Vt., June 9, 2023—Vermont’s 27 alpine ski areas reported 4.1 million skier visits for the 2022-23 winter season, a 10 percent increase over the 2021-22 season and 3.6 percent above the 10-year average, according trade association Ski Vermont, which said the Green Mountain State saw the fourth-most visitation of any U....

SAM Magazine—Boyne Falls, Mich., June 9, 2023—Boyne Resorts named Matt Davies as president and general manager of Cypress Mountain, West Vancouver, B.C. Davies started in the role June 1. He is responsible for growth and overall performance as well as long-term planning and development. Davies reports to Jay Scambio, Boyne Resorts COO of day re...

SAM Magazine—Farmington, Maine, June 9, 2023—Despite a late start to winter and fairly lean natural snowfall, Maine ski areas saw 1,372,128 skier visits during the 2022-23 winter season. It’s the second most total visits in the state’s history behind only 2007-08, which had 1,426,543 skier visits during an above-average snow year.  Ski Ma...

SAM Magazine—Denver, June 9, 2023—Colorado Ski Country USA (CSCUSA) is projecting a new statewide record of 14.8 million skier visits during the 2022-23 winter season, beating the record set in 2021-22 by one million visits, or 8 percent. The 2022-23 projected statewide total exceeds the five-year average for skier visits in Colorado by 18 perc...

SAM Magazine—Salt Lake City, Utah, June 8, 2023—Qualifying paralympic ski and snowboard racers will see their names on the official roster of the U.S. Ski and Snowboard team (USSS) for the first time beginning with the 2023-24 season. Sophie Goldschmidt, USSS president and CEO, told SAM that her team started working with the U.S. Olympic and Pa...

SAM Magazine—Denver, Colo., June 8, 2023—Alterra Mountain Company unveiled its new social responsibility platform, Forward Stance, which focuses on four core pillars: prioritizing people, protecting the planet, investing in community, and operating responsibly. “Alterra Mountain Company has dedicated tremendous effort to identify and set up...

SAM Magazine—Waterville Valley, N.H., June 8, 2023—Ski areas in New Hampshire tallied more than 2.2 million skier and snowboarder visits in the 2022-23 season, an increase of 13 percent over the previous season, according to Ski New Hampshire. The growth was almost double the national average visit growth of 6.6 percent. “After what initiall...

SAM Magazine—Salt Lake City, Utah, June 5, 2023—The Wasatch Front Regional Council (WFRC) has voted to approve a long-term regional transportation plan from the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) that includes the widely-debated Little Cottonwood Canyon gondola. Image credit: Gondola Works When asked how significant a step it was for th...

SAM Magazine—Quebec, Canada, June 5, 2023—Quebec’s 75 ski areas saw 6.6 million skier visits during the 2022-23 winter season, and increase of 5 percent over last season, according to the Quebec Ski Areas Association (ASSQ). The result is the best season in 16 years.  The preliminary numbers are part of the 2022-23 Economic and Financial St...

SAM Magazine—Jeffersonville, Vt., June 2, 2023—The owners of Stowe Mountain Resort and Smugglers’ Notch Resort are in talks to install a connector gondola between the two properties. The proposed lift would link Spruce Peak at Stowe to Sterling Mountain at Smugglers’ Notch. “Smugglers’ Notch Resort, with support from Stowe Mountain Res...

SAM Magazine—Perisher Valley, New South Wales, June 2, 2023—Vail Resorts has appointed Nathan Butterworth as the new vice president and general manager of Australia’s Perisher Ski Resort, effective June 12. He succeeds Belinda Trembath, who was named as vice president and COO of Whistler Blackcomb, also owned by Vail Resorts, in April.  But...

SAM Magazine—Crested Butte, Colo., May 31, 2023—Lift mechanics and electricians at Crested Butte Mountain Resort (CBMR) have signed union authorization cards initiating a process to unionize. Resort management and leaders at ownership group Vail Resorts now have the option to voluntary recognize the union, a move that would bypass the need for ...

SAM Magazine—Denver, June 1, 2023—Alterra Mountain Company has entered into an agreement to purchase Schweitzer, Idaho, from owner and developer MKM Trust. The transaction is expected to close later in 2023 and is subject to closing conditions such as regulatory approvals. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Tom Chasse, who has been ...

SAM Magazine—Salt Lake City, Utah, June 1, 2023—Utah’s 15 ski areas saw a record 7.1 million skier visits during the snowy 2022-23 winter season, beating the old record of 5.8 million in 2021-22 by a whopping 22 percent, according to the state’s ski area trade organization, Ski Utah. The number is unofficial as of now since Snowbird is reop...

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., May 30, 2023—Six lift maintenance teams have been chosen to participate in the third annual Rise Up Challenge, which is supported by Leitner-Poma of America (LPOA). Arapahoe Basin, Colo., Deer Valley, Utah, Killington Resort, Vt., Mansfield Ski Club, Ont., Mt. Hood Meadows, Ore., and Powder Ridge, Minn., were select...

SAM Magazine—Winter Park, Colo., May 25, 2023—The winter 2022-23 ski season ended on a high note courtesy of extraordinary snowfall across the West. But the upcoming months are showing considerable slowing from previous summers. Data collected by DestiMetrics, part of the business intelligence division of Inntopia, through April 30 show notab...

SAM Magazine—Bear Valley, Calif., May 23, 2023 – Several ski areas in the West are reporting that their summer operations and activities will move forward mostly as scheduled despite receiving historic snowfalls and extending their winter operating seasons late into the spring.Courtesy of Bear Valley Resort In many cases, hiking and biking trai...

SAM Magazine—Valdez, Alaska, May 17, 2023—Alaska’s Southcentral Regional Land Office (SCRO) has given preliminary approval to East Peak Resort (EPR) for a 20-year, 800-acre state land lease that may signify a small step forward for what company officials say could one day be a four-season resort. A final decision is expected by the end of Jun...

SAM Magazine—West Yellowstone, Mont., May 12, 2023—Cross Country Ski Areas Association (CCSAA) held its first in-person spring conference since 2019 on April 3-5, 2023, at West Yellowstone, Mont., where snowpack was on the order of four feet and drifted-in roofs were still on the edge of collapse. Attendance was slightly below the 2019 confere...

SAM Magazine—Savannah, Ga., May 12, 2023—The 2023 National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) National Convention and Tradeshow drew more than 840 mountain resort professionals, suppliers, and speakers to Savannah, Ga., for three days of networking, learning, and celebrating what the numbers show was a successful 2022-23 winter season for U.S. ski ar...

SAM Magazine—Lakewood, Colo., May 9, 2023—U.S. ski areas recorded record visitation for the 2022-23 season with a total of 64.7 million skier visits, according to preliminary data from the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA). That is a 6.6 percent increase over last year’s record season. A skier visit is recorded every time an individual us...

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., May 4, 2023—Vail Resorts named industry veteran Bobby Murphy vice president and COO of Beaver Creek, effective June 1. He has served as VP and general manager of Stowe Mountain Resort in Vermont since 2017, with oversight of Attitash and Wildcat Mountain in New Hampshire, as well. “I am thrilled to have Bobby ...

SAM Magazine—Aspen, Colo., May 4, 2023—Geoff Buchheister has a very big job ahead of him. Aspen Skiing Company named him chief executive officer of Aspen Snowmass on March 1, succeeding longtime CEO Mike Kaplan. While there are larger resort operators in North America, none combine the history, prestige, cachet, and environmental leadership tha...

SAM Magazine—Bend, Ore., May 2, 2023—Powdr has named John Merriman the new president and general manager of Mt. Bachelor Ski & Snowboard Resort, starting May 22. Merriman is the current vice president of finance and sales at Powdr-owned Copper Mountain Resort in Colorado, a role he has held since 2016.   “Working with [John] for the p...

SAM Magazine—Lakewood, Colo., May 2, 2023—The National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) will recognize former Alterra Mountain Company leader Rusty Gregory with a 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award at its National Convention and Tradeshow in Savannah, Ga., May 9.   NSAA’s Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes individuals whose commitment and cont...

SAM Magazine—Montville, N.J., May 1, 2023—SNOW Partners named Frank DeBerry, former president of Crystal Mountain, Wash., and COO of Alterra Mountain Company’s four West Coast resorts, as its new president, effective June 1. New Jersey-based SNOW Partners is the parent company of growth and conversion program SNOW Operating, technology provid...

SAM Magazine—Windham, N.Y., April 27, 2023—Windham Mountain ownership has secured new investment from two hospitality and resort development families that will provide growth capital for a multi-year development and renovation plan at the resort. The Beall family and Kemmons Wilson family through its investment arm Kemmons Wilson Hospitality Pa...

SAM Magazine—Jay Peak, Vt., April 26, 2023—Jay Peak Resort plans to install a 3-megawatt (MW) electric boiler capable of providing 100 percent of the heating for the 176-room Hotel Jay and Conference Center and the Pump House indoor water park, as well as numerous resort restaurants and retail spaces.  The $1 million project, reportedly one o...

SAM Magazine—Twyford, United Kingdom, April 26, 2023—Enterprise technology provider accesso Technology Group has acquired Paradocs Mountain Software. Paradocs' mountain management solution, MtnOS, will join accesso’s existing product portfolio as accesso Paradox.  "Adding this contemporary and powerful solution to our offering supports acc...

 SAM Magazine—Denver, Colo., April 26, 2023—Alterra Mountain Company named Matthew Darbous president and COO of Crystal Mountain, Wash., effective immediately. In his new role, Darbous will be responsible for operations, profitability, and oversight of the resort’s strategic development plan.  Darbous joined Crystal one year ago as vice pr...

SAM Magazine—Boyne Falls, Mich., April 21, 2023—Boyne Resorts has introduced its Master Plan for reducing carbon emissions to net zero by 2030, a goal that was the catalyst to forming the ForeverProject, Boyne Resorts’ long-term pledge to sustainable practices. Largely structured around collective action, the 2030 Master Plan also includes pr...

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., April 21, 2023—While Vail Resorts reported mixed second quarter results in March, with visits up but earnings down from the prior year for the November to January period, results in March and April have improved as expected, according to the company’s latest ski season metrics.  Vail Resorts reported skier vi...

SAM Magazine—Whistler, British Columbia, April 21, 2023—Vail Resorts has appointed Belinda Trembath as vice president and chief operating officer of Whistler Blackcomb, effective May 15. Trembath most recently served as vice president and general manager at Perisher, Australia.  "Belinda is dedicated to ensuring the preservation of unique mo...

SAM Magazine—Grand Junction, Colo., April 20, 2023—Leitner-Poma of America (LPOA), will build a $27 million manufacturing facility in Tooele, Utah, about 35 miles southwest of Salt Lake City. The new facility, scheduled to be completed by 2024, will be LPOA’s largest facility in the country at more than 130,000 square feet, and will serve as ...

SAM Magazine—Winter Park, Colo., April 18, 2023—Widespread snowstorms in March had skiers and riders eagerly booking end-of-season Western mountain vacations, according to the monthly Market Briefing from DestiMetrics, part of the business intelligence division of Inntopia. But the summer season is headed in an entirely different direction, the...

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., April 17, 2023—The nomination period is now open for SAM’s annual “10 Under 30.” Members of the mountain resort industry are invited to nominate a standout 20-something-year-old who is making an impact at the ski area where they work and is poised to become a leader in the industry.  The chosen 10 rising sta...

SAM Magazine—Las Vegas, Nev., April 13, 2023—Mountain Capital Partners (MCP) has acquired Lee Canyon ski resort, located about 50 miles northwest of Las Vegas, from Powdr Corporation and local partner, the Thomas family. Lee Canyon brings MCP’s ski resort portfolio to 10 properties, including Colorado’s Purgatory Resort and Hesperus ski are...

SAM Magazine—Taos Ski Valley, N.M., April 13, 2023—Taos Ski Valley promoted vice president of operations John Kelly to chief operating officer. As COO, Kelly will expand his purview to oversee all aspects of the day-to-day operation of the resort, with a focus on enhancing the year-round Taos experience. Among Kelly’s initial projects will ...

SAM Magazine—Denver, Colo., April 13, 2023—Alyeska Resort, located 40 miles south of Anchorage, Alaska, has joined the Ikon Pass for the 2023-24 season. The Ikon Pass offers access to 56 ski resorts in the U.S and internationally. “We are thrilled to expand into Alaska and invite the Ikon Pass community to discover Alyeska Resort,” said E...

SAM Magazine—Grand County, CO—April 10, 2023—Sales of the 2023-24 Indy Pass have been suspended after the volume of renewals and purchases by new passholders exceeded expectations. The pass had only been available to new customers for 10 days. Officials plan to reassess their sales goals in terms of volume and capacity.  “We’re metering...

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., April 7, 2023—The four individuals being recognized with 2023 SAMMY Leadership Awards demonstrate the innovative thinking, collaborative spirit, and transparent leadership needed to guide our industry through its next evolution. This year’s honorees are: Preston Cline, safety advocate; Nadia Pepin, champion of comm...

SAM Magazine—Sheridan, Wyo., April 7, 2023—Four Antelope Butte Foundation (ABF) board members have resigned this week, three citing safety concerns regarding operation of the Antelope Butte Mountain Recreation Area (ABMRA) Summit lift on the mountain’s closing weekend, according to a news release from ABMRA.  The Summit lift did not operate...

SAM Magazine—Slinger, Wis., April 6, 2023—Little Switzerland will permanently close its summer bike park because of increased insurance costs.  In a statement posted to its social media accounts, the company stated, “Our insurance company has dropped coverage of the bike park, and alternative insurance options would not make the park econom...

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., April 6, 2023—Vail Resorts has named Nadia Guerriero, currently vice president and COO of Beaver Creek Resort, Colo., senior vice president and COO of the Rockies Region, and appointed her to the company’s executive committee. In her new role, Guerriero will lead Vail Resorts’ six resorts in Colorado and Utah...

With historic snowfall at ski areas throughout the western United States, many resorts are poised to wrap up the season with later-than-expected closings and strong visitation and revenue. Photo courtesy of Alta Ski AreaIn fact, the records shattered and milestones reached by western resorts are seemingly endless, with new updates pouring in even a...

SAM Magazine—Broomfield Colo., March 30, 2023—Vail Resorts (VR) plans to introduce a new membership program called My Epic Gear, which could replace the habit of owning gear with renting, for the day or for the season. The program will launch in 2024-25 at selected resorts, according to the plan, following a pilot program, with a limited number...

In SAM’s Snow People, we highlight recent personnel moves that have been made in the mountain resort industry. From resort hires, promotions, and retirements to supplier news, awards and obits, we celebrate the people that make this industry thrive. PEOPLE JESSE TRUE, MAGGIE MURRAY, LOUIS SKOWYRA, and TONY CAMMARATA, ARAPAHOE BASIN, Colo. Jes...

SAM Magazine—United Kingdom, March 30, 2023—One outcome of the pandemic has been an increasing move by some of the world’s more popular destinations to limit numbers on the slopes and prevent overcrowding. North American resorts have been leading the way with this, but now New Zealand’s Cardrona and Treble Cone resorts are joining the movem...

SAM Magazine—Grand County, Colo., March 29, 2023—Nearly all 2022-23 Indy Pass alpine partner resorts—102 out of 105—have committed to the pass for the 2023-24 season. Two of the others, Mt. Hood Meadows and Mt. Ashland, Ore., are pending and expected to renew. The final resort, Snow Valley, Calif., was purchased by Alterra Mountain Company ...

SAM Magazine—Phoenix, Ariz., March 29, 2023—Mountain Capital Partners (MCP) is taking on a new venture: golf. The winter resort operator is buying Silver Creek Golf Course, which includes management of neighboring Bison Golf Club. Both are par 71 public courses located in Show Low, Arizona. Separated by less than 20 miles in the White Mountain...

SAM Magazine—Big Cottonwood Canyon, Utah, March 29, 2023—Solitude is planning more than $16 million in off-season capital improvement projects, including an upgrade of its Eagle Express quad, Utah’s first detachable chairlift. The investment will fund four projects all set to commence this spring and summer. In addition to the new lift, proj...

SAM Magazine—Huntsville, Utah, March 24, 2023—Snowbasin and Club Med cancelled development of a 320-room hotel, the plans for which were unveiled in September 2021. The Club Med hotel was originally scheduled to open for winter 2024. It would have been the resort’s first on-site lodging and Club Med’s first U.S. ski area location since the ...

SAM Magazine—Lake Tahoe, Calif., March 24, 2023—Starting winter 2023-24, Vail Resorts-owned Northstar California, Heavenly Mountain Resort, and Kirkwood Mountain Resort in the Lake Tahoe region will implement paid parking for certain lots in an effort to alleviate traffic congestion and parking shortages on weekends, holidays, and peak periods....

SAM Magazine—Denver, March 21, 2023—Alterra Mountain Company plans a nearly $500 million capital investment program across its portfolio of destinations over the next year. That includes almost $400 million in lifts, snowmaking, summer adventures, additional guest amenities, and resort infrastructure; $50 million dedicated to employee housing; ...

SAM Magazine—Durango, Colo., March 21, 2023—Mountain Capital Partners released its 2023-24 Power Pass family of season passes today, raising the price of its top-tier Power Pass $50 while lowering or keeping flat the prices of others and adding a new pass-holder benefit of 30 percent off day tickets. The Power Pass is good at Spider Mountain B...

SAM Magazine—Denver, March 14, 2023—Despite widespread significant snowfall across the West in February, high nightly room rates and continued economic pressures depressed bookings across the region—and led to rate reductions in some cases. Still, while occupancy is down slightly compared to last year, overall rates are still substantially hi...

SAM Magazine—Lake Tahoe, Calif., March 10, 2023—Most California ski areas are closed today as another intense weather system carrying heavy rain, snow, and wind bears down on a state that has already seen several disruptive storms this winter, China Peak's ticket window buried in snow.producing record snowfall and forcing frequent road and reso...

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., March 10, 2023—Vail Resorts is planning $206 million to $211 million in capital investments for 2023. Projects include lift installations, a new technology rollout, integration activities, and the first phase in a multi-year project at Andermatt-Sedrun. The Keystone, Colo., Bergman Bowl expansion is slated to be...

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., March 9, 2023—Vail Resorts reported a decrease in its second quarter earnings (EBITDA) of approximately 1 percent from the prior year for the November through January period, with the company’s profitability impacted primarily by increased operating costs from abnormal weather conditions. However, skier visits,...

SAM Magazine—Denver, March 9, 2023—Alterra Mountain Company is raising prices on its Ikon Passes roughly 7.5 percent for 2023-24, its sixth season, and is adding new benefits to pass ownership. The full Ikon Pass provides access at up to 54 mountain destinations across the Americas, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan.  When the Ikon Pa...