SAM Magazine—Winter Park, Colo., July 18, 2022—The booking pace for lodging at Western mountain destinations improved slightly during June, but occupancy is still down compared to both last summer and the pre-pandemic summer of 2019—and bookings remain below the pace of 2021—according to DestiMetrics, the business intelligence division of I...

SAM Magazine—Roxbury, N.Y., July 14, 2022—A direct lightning strike on July 12, 2022, started a fire in the bottom lift shack of the Plattekill Mountain Northface double, destroying the structure and its contents, including the lift’s drive control. No one was injured in the incident, but the Hall double chair will need a new low-voltage cont...

SAM Magazine—Roxbury, N.H., July 14, 2022—Keith Kreischer will join Granite Gorge ski area as its new general manager. New ownership group Granite Gorge Partnership, LLC (GGP) acquired the mountain—which has been shuttered since 2020—at a foreclosure auction on June 3, 2022, for $430,000 and aims to reopen the property this coming winter. ...

SAM Magazine—Park City, Utah, July 13, 2022—Todd Bennett will become president and chief operating officer of Deer Valley Resort, Utah, effective Aug. 1, 2022. A ski and hospitality industry veteran of 23 years, with experience at The Walt Disney Company and Vail Mountain, Bennett brings an extensive leadership background to the Alterra Mountai...

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., June 27, 2022—SAM's twelfth Summer Ops Camp—an immersive, hands-on networking and educational event—is heading to Tremblant, Quebec, Sept. 7-9, 2022, for three days of learning about the serious business of summer fun. This year’s camp curriculum will focus on developing a sustainable year-round business mod...

SAM Magazine—South Pomfret, Vt., June 29, 2022—Vermont’s Suicide Six ski area will retire its name this summer due to its negative connotation.A new name has already been determined and will be announced in the coming weeks. “Our resort team embraces the increasing awareness surrounding mental health and shares the growing concerns about t...

SAM Magazine—Truckee, Calif., June 24, 2022—Amy Ohran will join Vail Resorts as the new vice president and general manager of Northstar California, effective July 25. She will report to Tom Fortune, VP and COO of the Tahoe Region and Heavenly Mountain Resort. Ohran has been a ski industry leader for 22 years and was previously with Powdr Corp....

SAM Magazine—Rangeley, Maine, June 22, 2022—Saddleback Ski Resort has named senior vice president of mountain operations Jim Quimby as the resort’s new general manager, effective immediately. Quimby succeeds Andy Shepard, who stepped down from the role this spring to expand the mountain’s philanthropic mission; Saddleback is owned by the Ar...

SAM Magazine—Aspen Snowmass, Colo., June 21, 2022—Aspen Skiing Company (ASC) senior vice president of strategy and business development, Rich Burkley, will leave the company to take on the role of CEO at Lake Louise, Alberta, in the coming months.  Burkley joins the Lake Louise team as it moves toward the completion of a major lift, terrain, ...

SAM Magazine—Portland, Ore., June 21, 2022—The Indy Pass will now offer two free days of skiing, riding, and cross-country skiing at 100 resorts for winter 2022-23 with the addition of eight new partners—five alpine and three cross country—in the Upper Midwest, New England, and the Pacific Northwest.  Alpine ski areas joining the coalitio...

SAM Magazine—Cambridge, Vt., June 17, 2022—Although the Summer Solstice—the official start of summer—is still a few days away, summer operations are in full swing at resorts across the United States.Sugar Mountain Resort Festivals, barbecues, concerts, clinics, and more fill resort activity schedules. There are, of course, a few exceptions ...

SAM Magazine—Park City, Utah, June 16, 2022—The Park City Planning Commission granted an appeal of a previous decision to approve two Park City Mountain (PCM) lift upgrades in a 3-1 vote on Wednesday night, effectively blocking the projects until 2023.  The upgrades were appealed on the basis that the proposed eight-place and six-place chairs...

SAM Magazine—Palisades Tahoe, Calif., June 16, 2022—The Ski California Lift Maintenance and Operations Education (LMOE) Conference drew 329 attendees to Palisades Tahoe for three days of educational sessions, a trade show, and networking.  “The theme of the conference was ‘leadership,’ and we offered several classes on the theme,” sai...

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., June 16, 2022—Vail Resorts (VR) is up 32 percent in net revenue and 9 percent in early season pass unit sales as compared to last year, according to its fiscal 2022 third-quarter report (period ending April 30, 2022). The growth comes on the heels of a turbulent winter for the company, which reckoned with weather...

SAM Magazine—Park City, Utah, June 16, 2022—Ski Utah’s 15 member resorts reported a total of 5,829,679 skier visits during the 2021-22 winter season, breaking the record set in 2020-21 by more than a half million visits—an increase of about 10 percent. Utah has set visitation records in three of the last four seasons, with only the pandemic...

SAM Magazine—Winter Park, Colo., June 14, 2022—As post-pandemic demand eases and inflation continues to loom large, lodging properties at 17 mountain destinations across seven western states are recording notable occupancy declines for the first time in nearly two years, according to the latest report from DestiMetrics, the Business Intelligenc...

SAM Magazine—Conway, N.H., June 13, 2022—Visits to New Hampshire ski areas during the 2021-22 winter season for alpine, cross-country, and tubing overall totaled 2,220,102, down 3 percent compared to the 2,295,424 visits in 2020-21. Courtesy of Dave Gibson The overall decline is almost entirely attributed to variable weather, according to Ski...

SAM Magazine—Montpelier, Vt., June 13, 2022—Alpine ski areas in Vermont welcomed 3.76 million skier visits during the 2021-22 winter season, up 6.5 percent year-over-year, but 6 percent below the state’s 10-year average, according to the Vermont Ski Areas Association (Ski Vermont), which shared numbers at its annual meeting last week at Sugar...

SAM Magazine—Denver, June 10, 2022—Skier visits for the 2021-22 season at the 22 Colorado Ski Country USA (CSCUSA) member resorts were up 14 percent year-over-year, and CSCUSA is projecting a new statewide skier visit record—including non-CSCUSA member resorts—edging out the previous record of 13.8 million visits in 2018-19 by a few hundred...

SAM Magazine—Petite-Rivière-Saint-François, Quebec, June 8, 2022—Le Massif de Charlevoix has signed a three-year agreement with the Mountain Collective, according to Radio Canada. Le Massif is the first eastern Canadian ski area to join the pass coalition, which includes 22 other properties across North America. “This is part of our busine...

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 JJ TOLAND, SUGARBUSH, VT Sugarbush Resort has brought on JJ Toland as vice presiden...

SAM Magazine—Victoria, Australia, June 8, 2022—The winter season has begun in the Southern Hemisphere. Historically early and abundant snowfall this year in Australia has allowed several ski areas to drop ropes ahead of the traditional June 11-13 opening weekend. Courtesy of Falls Creek Resort's Instagram Mount Hotham in Victoria opened June ...

SAM Magazine—Beaupré, Quebec, June 3, 2022—The preliminary results of the 34th Economic and Financial Study of Ski Areas show 6.3 million visits were recorded at Quebec ski areas during the 2021-22 winter season, an increase of 3 percent compared to 2020-21. The recipient of the Réal-Boulanger Award, Mr. Eddy Zajac, surrounded by Mr. Yves Jun...

SAM Magazine—Cambridge, Vt., June 2, 2022—Many of North America’s resorts opened later than they would have liked this winter, but a few standout areas made up for the deficit and leveraged late-season snow to offer late-season turns. There are a still a handful of resorts across the country operating after Memorial Day Weekend, and a few hon...

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., May 31, 2022—Six lift maintenance teams have been chosen to participate in the second annual Rise Up Challenge, supported by Leitner-Poma of America (LPOA): Arizona Snowbowl, Ariz.; Boston Mills Brandywine, Ohio; Magic Mountain, Vt.; Whistler Blackcomb, B.C.; WinSport, Alberta; and Winter Park, Colo. The teams are co...

SAM Magazine—Little Cottonwood Canyon, Utah, May 31, 2022—One of the two new tram cabins being installed at Snowbird, Utah, fell to ground on Saturday, May 29, leaving it damaged beyond repair. The cabin was being lifted by a crane onto the hanger when it fell, according to Snowbird general manager Dave Fields, who said he is grateful no one wa...

SAM Magazine—Lutsen, Minn., and Wausau, Wis., May 25, 2022—Charles Skinner, the owner of Minnesota’s Lutsen Mountains Ski Area and Wisconsin’s Granite Peak Ski Area, has entered a definitive purchase agreement to acquire all of the assets of Big Snow Resort, including more than 1,000 acres of private land, from owner Art Dumke. Big Snow Res...

SAM Magazine—Denver, May 25, 2022—Alterra Mountain Company president Jared Smith will be promoted to chief executive officer, effective Aug. 1, 2022. Current CEO Rusty Gregory will step back from day-to-day operations to become vice chairman of the board. Smith joined Alterra Mountain Company in June 2021, tasked with operating and further dev...

SAM Magazine—Boulder, Colo., May 24, 2022—Outside Inc., owner of several active outdoor media brands and related publications, including SKI magazine, will reduce print production by 80 percent across the company, according to internal communications from company leadership. This includes reducing SKI to one print issue a year, plus the annual ...

SAM Magazine—Nashville, Tenn., May 24, 2022—The National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) held its annual national convention in person for the first time since 2019, and more than 870 ski area operators, industry suppliers, association representatives, and other mountain resort industry people came out for the event in Nashville, Tenn., May 12-15,...

SAM Magazine—Vadito, N.M., May 18, 2022—The largest recorded fire in New Mexico history is threatening two prominent ski resorts and potentially a third. Sipapu and Angel Fire are implementing action plans to mitigate imminent danger from the merged Calf Canyon and Hermit Peaks fires, while Taos Ski Valley is monitoring fire activity. At Sipapu...

SAM Magazine—Bolton, Vt., May 18, 2022—Bolton Valley, Vt., chief financial officer and finance director Nathaniel Mathes will assume the role of vice president and chief operating officer for the company, effective immediately. Mathes had spent eight years as Bolton Valley’s finance chief, and now shifts to overseeing all operating department...

SAM Magazine—Lakewood, Colo., May 13, 2022—U.S. ski areas saw a record 61 million skier visits for the 2021-22 season, an increase of 3.5 percent year over year, according to data from the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA).  The Rocky Mountain region reported a record high number of skier visits, totaling 25.2 million visits. The Northeas...

SAM Magazine—Winter Park, Colo., May 12, 2022—Western mountain destination lodging properties posted several new all-time records for winter season occupancy, daily rates, and revenue, according to the most recent Monthly Market Briefing from DestiMetrics, the business intelligence division of Inntopia. For the first time since early 2021, thou...

SAM Magazine—Denver, Colo., May 12, 2022—Aspen Skiing Company (Ski Co.) and Alterra Mountain Company have acquired e-commerce provider Aspenware through a joint venture. Aspenware will remain a standalone business with ongoing operations to serve its clients and the industry, while maintaining its current staff and leadership. The acquisition w...

SAM Magazine—Government Camp, Ore., May 10, 2022—Mt. Hood Skibowl has suspended its summer bike operations after losing a lawsuit from a man who said he hit a signpost on a ski area bike trail and was paralyzed from the waist down. From Mt. Hood Skibowl's Website In March, a Multnomah County jury awarded $11.4 million to Gabriel B. Owens afte...

SAM Magazine—Portland, Ore., May 10, 2022—The Indy Pass has introduced a new category of resort partners: Allied Resorts. Allied resorts will offer discounted lift tickets to Indy Pass holders, while Indy will offer discounted AddOn passes to allied resort unrestricted season passholders.  The move has allowed Indy to increase its partners in...

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., May 10, 2022— Mike Goar, currently vice president and chief operating officer of Park City Mountain Resort, Utah, will lead Andermatt-Sedrun, Switzerland, Vail Resorts’ first European property.  Goar will serve as VP, COO, and managing director of Adermatt-Sedrun, reporting to Pat Campbell, mountain operation...

SAM Magazine—Jeffersonville, Vt., May 9, 2022—Smugglers’ Notch, Vt. will offer free, full-time childcare for all employees. The benefit will be rolled out in phases beginning this month, and it applies to full-day care for children ages 6 weeks to 3 years old as well as some offerings for older children on days when an employee is working. Di...

SAM Magazine—Vail, Colo., May 4, 2022—The Vail town council voted 4-3 on Tuesday to begin possible condemnation proceedings on a 23-acre parcel of Vail Resorts-owned land in East Vail, citing concerns over the wellbeing of a herd of bighorn sheep in the adjacent natural preservation. The land was selected in 2019 as an approved site for a $17 m...

SAM Magazine—Winter Park, Colo., April 29, 2022—A proposed 10-to-15-year master development plan for Winter Park Resort, Colo., includes a series of gondolas spanning nearly three miles that would connect downtown Winter Park to the Winter Park Resort village, among a variety of other elements that include new and replacement lifts, expanded te...

SAM Magazine—Burlington, Vt., April 29, 2022–Ariel Quiros, the former owner of Jay Peak Resort, was sentenced to serve five years in prison and pay more than $8 million in restitution for his role in a "Ponzi-like" scheme that misused $200 million of EB-5 investor funds raised to support capital projects at Jay Peak and Burke Mountain, as well ...

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., April 28—Vail Resorts (VR) was up 19.4 percent in lift ticket revenue and 12.5 percent in skier visits through mid-April compared to Covid-limited 2020-21, according to the company’s latest shareholder report. CEO Kirsten Lynch said the strong year-over-year performance was “as expected,” and noted that Cov...

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., April 27, 2022—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 already making an impact at the ski area where they work and poised to become a leader in the industry. The chosen 10 rising st...

SAM Magazine—Portland, Ore., April 27, 2022—Indy has rebranded its primary pass product as the Indy Base Pass. The Indy Base Pass—not to be confused with the similar-sounding Ikon Base Pass—will continue to provide two days at Indy’s roster of independent partner resorts, subject to newly reduced blackout dates. The Indy+ Pass will remain...

SAM Magazine—Washington, D.C., April 21, 2022—The U.S. Forest Service issued final directives clarifying e-bike definitions and use management on National Forest System lands. Per the directive, all e-bikes, including Class 1 pedal-assist-only e-bikes, are now classified as motorized vehicles. As such, e-bikes are not allowed on non-motorized t...

SAM Magazine—Lakewood, Colo., April 21, 2022—The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released 35,000 additional H-2B visas for employers with start dates between April 1 and Sept. 30, according to the latest Capitol Watch from the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA). The release more than doubles the 33,000 H-2B visas authorized by statute....

SAM Magazine—Bozeman, Mont., April 21, 2022—The Cross Country Ski Areas Association (CCSAA) held its annual conference, April 5-6, 2022. The event was held virtually via Zoom for the second consecutive year due to Covid concerns. It had a nice balance of U.S. and Canadian participants, including suppliers and specialty retailers from 15 states ...

SAM Magazine—Ludlow, Vt., April 19, 2022—A busy industry events season gathers steam this week with the 45th annual Lift Maintenance Seminar, which began yesterday at Jiminy Peak, Mass. After two years of canceled events and virtual gatherings, in-person events appear to be back in full swing and industry interest looks healthy judging by early...

SAM Magazine—Stowe, Vt., April 19, 2022—Stowe Mountain Resort will implement a new parking plan for the 2022-23 season that includes paid and free parking as well as carpool incentives, according to a letter from general manager Bobby Murphy shared on the resort’s social media channels.  The new strategy aims to reduce traffic congestion on...

SAM Magazine—Lake Placid, N.Y., April 19, 2022—The state Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) board of directors approved more than $91.7 million in upcoming capital projects yesterday, including nearly $20 million for construction of a new lodge at the North Creek Ski Bowl and $38 million for seven new or upgraded lifts at ORDA's Whit...

SAM Magazine—Wildwood, Mo., April 18, 2022—Vail Resorts (VR) has named Tony Santora as the new general manager for Hidden Valley Ski Resort, Mo., effective May 1. He succeeds Brandon Swartz, who became GM of VR-owned Attitash Mountain Resort, N.H., in February. Santora comes from within the VR enterprise. He currently serves as senior manager o...

SAM Magazine—Lakewood, Colo., April 18, 2022—Win Smith and Rob Katz will receive the 2022 National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) Lifetime Achievement and Industry Impact Awards, respectively, on Saturday, May 14, at the 60th annual NSAA National Convention in Nashville. Smith and Katz are both well-known and respected leaders who came to the ski...

SAM Magazine—April 15, 2022, Burlington, Vt.—Former Jay Peak, Vt., president Bill Stenger, 73, was sentenced by a federal judge Thursday to serve 18 months in prison and pay $250,000 in restitution for his role in defrauding foreign investors that were part of the EB-5 program.Last August, Stenger pleaded guilty to providing false documents in ...

SAM Magazine—Stowe, Vt., April 14, 2022—Winter lodging rates and revenue are tracking toward new record levels at western mountain destinations, while summer room rates appear to be softening, according to the most recent Monthly Market Briefing from DestiMetrics, the Business Intelligence division of Inntopia. The report again shares multi-yea...

SAM Magazine—Park City, Utah, April 13, 2022—Powdr Corporation named Chris “Gunny” Gunnarson president of Woodward, its collection of camps and mountain resort experiences geared toward youth participation in action sports. The position was created to grow the Woodward business following its 2018 rebrand.  “I don’t know anyone with a ...

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., April 12, 2022—Vail Resorts (VR) has planned four new investments in employee housing at Park City Mountain, Utah, Whistler Blackcomb, B.C., Vail Mountain, Colo., and Okemo Mountain Resort, Vt. First Chair Employee Housing at VailThe new housing will in total provide affordable housing options to more than 875 VR...

SAM Magazine—Portland, Ore., April 12, 2022—Indy Pass has introduced the new Indy XC Pass for 2022-23, which will include two days of access to seven cross-country ski areas in North America. Photo from Waterville Valley ResortThe pass costs $69 for adults, $29 for youth ages 12 and under. Cross-country access will also be included on the regul...

SAM Magazine—Cambridge, Vt., April 1, 2022—Around the globe, the industry is showing signs of growth with a slew of new construction, expansion, and development projects, all aimed at improving operationsNew base lodge coming to Cranmore. and enhancing the guest experience. The continued proliferation of new capital plans is a promising sign of...