SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., April 1, 2022—The four individuals being recognized with 2022 SAMMY Leadership Awards symbolize the actions, approaches, and operations that have grown in importance during the past two tumultuous years—small, family-owned ski areas; diversity, equity, and inclusion on our mountains; and transparent marketing commu...

SAM Magazine—Government Camp, Ore., March 31, 2022—A new master development plan from Timberline operators R.L.K. and Company outlines major capital investments to further integrate Summit Pass (formerly Summit Ski Area) with Timberline Ski Area. The plans include a two-stage gondola that would provide game-changing direct, aerial access from t...

Updated April 25, 2022 to acknowledge original reporting by Moonshine Ink. SAM Magazine—Homewood, Calif., March 28, 2022—Homewood Mountain Resort owner JMA Ventures has said the mountain will shift to a semi-private model following a 10-year 40 percent decline in skier visit and 64 percent drop in passholders, as reported by Moonshine Ink. ...

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., March 28, 2022—Vail Resorts (VR) has entered into an agreement to purchase a majority stake in Andermatt-Sedrun Sport AG from Andermatt Swiss Alps AG (ASA). Andermatt-Sedrun is a destination ski resort in central Switzerland, located less than 90 minutes from major metropolitan areas Zurich, Lucerne, and Lugano, ...

SAM Magazine—Aspen Snowmass, Colo., March 24, 2022—Aspen Skiing Company (ASC) president and CEO Mike Kaplan will retire April 30, 2023. At that time, Kaplan will have spent 30 years with the company, and the last 17 years as its president and CEO.   Kaplan joined ASC as a supervisor at the Aspen Mountain Ski School in 1993. He spent six ye...

SAM Magazine—Salt Lake City, Utah, March 23, 2022—The winter and summer Outdoor Retailer trade shows are headed to Salt Lake City, returning to their former home after five years in Denver. The OR shows will be held in January and June at the Calvin L. Rampton Salt Palace Convention Center. Dates will be determined in the coming weeks. Emerald...

SAM Magazine—Park City, Utah, March 23, 2022—Pacific Group Resorts, Inc. (PGRI) has rolled out the pricing for its 2022-23 Mission: Affordable pass. The pass offers unlimited access at PGRI-owned ski areas Wisp Resort, Md., Powderhorn Resort, Colo., Wintergreen, Va., and Ragged Mountain, N.H., as well as seven days at PGRI’s Mt. Washington Al...

SAM Magazine—Durango, Colo., March 23, 2022—Mountain Capital Partners (MCP) has rolled out its 2022-23 Power Pass lineup, which provides access to MCP’s Spider Mountain bike park in Texas and its seven Southwest ski areas: Purgatory and Hesperus, Colo., Arizona Snowbowl, Ariz., Brian Head and Nordic Valley, Utah, and Pajarito and Sipapu, N.M....

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., March 21, 2022—Vail Resorts (VR) unveiled its 2022-23 Epic Pass lineup today, increasing prices slightly over its significantly reduced 2021-22 offerings. New this year, the company also introduced a monthly payment plan and a cheaper tier of the Epic Day pass, with location-restricted access. On a quarterly ear...

SAM Magazine—Winter Park, Colo., March 18, 2022—Occupancy and rates at western mountain destinations have set records for the season through the month of February, according to the most recent Monthly Market Briefing from DestiMetrics, the business intelligence division of Inntopia. The report provides multi-year comparisons back to the pre-pan...

SAM Magazine—Guilford, England, and Park City, Utah, March 17, 2022—Snowsports Industries America (SIA) and Raccoon Events entered a long-term partnership to host the Snowbound Expo, a B2C event last held as the Boston Ski & Snowboard Expo in 2019. Set to take place at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston, Mass., Nov. 18-20, 2022, the expo...

SAM Magazine—Vipiteno, Italy, March 17, 2022—The High Technology Industries Group (HTI) acquired a majority stake in Swiss ropeway company Bartholet Maschinenbau AG. Bartholet joins Leitner Poma, Skytrac, Sigma, Prinoth, and Demaclenko, under the HTI umbrella. HTI purchased the controlling shares from Chinese private equity firm Cedarlake Capi...

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., March 16, 2022—Vail Resorts has named new general managers to two of its northeastern resorts: Brian Suhadolc will take the helm at Mount Snow, Vt., and Ted McDowell will lead Roundtop, Pa.  Suhadolc moves to general manager of Mount Snow from his current position as vice president of mountain operations at Vai...

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., March 15, 2022—Vail Resorts, Inc. (VR) saw visits and ticket revenues rebound from a slow early season, with totals returning to pre-Covid levels, according to the company's second quarter results. Results for ancillary lines of revenue, such as snowsports school and F&B, remained below pre-Covid levels.  ...

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., March 14, 2022—Ahead of its second-quarter earnings call, Vail Resorts rolled out a new incremental annual $175 million investment in its employees that includes a $20 per hour starting wage, a commitment to “aggressively” expand affordable employee housing, and the hiring of more centralized HR staff, among ...

SAM Magazine—Twin Bridges, Calif., March 14, 2022—To celebrate its 75th anniversary as it rises from the ashes of disaster, Sierra-at-Tahoe will reopen for one weekend, April 9–10, 2022. The celebration follows months of work recovering from the impacts of the Caldor Fire, which burned upwards of 80 percent of the trees on property, damaged s...

SAM Magazine—Lincoln, N.H., March 11, 2022—Vice president of operations Brian Norton has been named the new president and general manager of Loon Mountain Resort, effective April 1, 2022. Norton succeeds Jay Scambio, who was promoted in October to chief operating officer – day areas for Loon parent company Boyne Resorts. Norton has served at...

SAM Magazine—Carrabassett Valley, Maine, March 8, 2022—Boyne Resorts has unveiled pricing for the 2022-23 New England Pass products, which provide access to Sunday River and Sugarloaf, Maine, and Loon Mountain, N.H., and also introduced the new N.E. Day ticket pack products, available for two to five days of access to the three resorts. Three d...

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., March 8, 2022—Vail Resorts is extending the 2021-22 ski and ride season at seven of its resorts, weather and snow conditions permitting. The seven are Stevens Pass, Wash., Heavenly and Kirkwood, Calif., Vail Mountain, Colo., Boston Mills, Ohio, Hunter Mountain, N.Y., and Mount Snow, Vt. The extension aims to pro...

SAM Magazine—Enumclaw, Wash., March 7, 2022—A recently unveiled $100 million capital investment by parent company Alterra will address key capacity concerns at Crystal Mountain, Wash., according to resort president Frank DeBerry, through expanded parking, skier services, lift, and terrain. The projects, he said, address "the issues that our sk...

SAM Magazine—Greenville, Maine, March 7, 2022—A Superior Court Justice ordered James Confalone and his company Moosehead Mountain Resort Inc., owner of Big Moose Mountain ski area, a.k.a. Big Squaw Mountain, in Greenville, to deposit $3,831,000 into an escrow account because he failed to maintain the ski area that he purchased in 1995.Big Moose...

SAM Magazine—Aspen, Colo., March 3, 2022—The Mountain Collective will include 22 destinations for the 2022-23 season, as Snowbasin, Utah, and Sun Valley, Idaho, return to the group, and Mammoth and Palisades Tahoe, Calif., and Sugarbush, Vt., withdraw.  “We are excited to rejoin Mountain Collective starting with the 2022-23 season,” said...

SAM Magazine—Denver, March 3, 2022—Alterra Mountain Company unveiled the details for its 2022-23 Ikon Pass, which includes new pass product options, new partner resorts, and changes to access for several destinations. The Ikon Pass will retain all partner resorts from 2021-22, providing access to 50 destinations worldwide in 2022-23.  Pricing...

SAM Magazine—Londonderry, Vt., Mar. 3, 2022—Magic Mountain will donate $10 of every lift ticket for the coming weekend to the Save the Children Crisis Relief Fund for Ukraine, resort president Geoff Hatheway said in the area’s Alpine Update on Wednesday. According to Hatheway, the fund was chosen as it has already been active in the previou...

SAM Magazine—Cambridge, Vt., Mar. 3, 2022—The Presidents' Day holiday week proved fruitful for North American ski areas. Wilmot Mountain, Wisc.Operators from coast to coast were overwhelmingly positive regarding skier enthusiasm for the late-February holiday period, and operationally resorts seem to finally be finding their groove in this diffi...

SAM Magazine—McLean, Va., March 2, 2022—Alpine-X, a Virginia-based developer with plans to build 20 indoor snowsports resorts across North America, has signed a letter of intent to co-develop its second location in Texas. Its flagship indoor resort, projected to open in early 2025, is in its first phase of development in the Washington D.C. ar...

SAM Magazine—Portland, Ore., March 2, 2022—Pricing for 2022-23 Indy Pass products will not increase from 2021-22, but new this year is a $20 discount incentive for mega pass holders to switch to Indy Pass. All 82 current resort partners are expected to return next season. A final resort roster with blackout dates will be released May 1. The ne...

SAM Magazine—Cody, Wyo., March 1, 2022—Sleeping Giant ski area launched a fundraising campaign on Feb. 27 to support Ukraine’s army amid the ongoing Russian invasion. The ski area will give 100 percent of ticket sales for Saturday, March 5, directly to Ukraine’s army through a fund set up by the National Bank of Ukraine.  Sleeping Giant o...

SAM Magazine—Snowbird, Utah, March 1, 2022—Snowbird will upgrade its Aerial Tram with new Doppelmayr cabins this spring. The cabins, which will feature a summer rooftop balcony and glass floor panels, will be the first of their kind in the United States. After two years of planning, the new tram cabins have been completed in Olten, Switzerland...

SAM Magazine—Denver, Colo., Feb. 28, 2022—Alterra Mountain Company plans to invest $344 million in capital improvements for winter 2022-23, its biggest single year investment since the company was formed. The plan includes $237 million in resort development, with $93 million in increased capacity and terrain expansion, $91 million in skier ser...

SAM Magazine—Newry, Maine, Feb. 25, 2022—A strong wind gust caused a gondola cabin to misfeed into the top terminal and detach from the haul rope of the Chondola lift at Sunday River, Maine, at 5:37 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 23. The cabin fell approximately 10 feet to the ground. The 17-year-old guest inside sustained minor injuries, and was release...

SAM Magazine—Fabius, N.Y., Feb. 24, 2022—Intermountain Management president Peter Harris acquired Toggenburg Mountain in August 2021 for $750,000, and immediately shuttered the ski area to reduce competition for his company’s other two upstate New York ski areas, Song Mountain and Labrador Mountain. According to a report from Syracuse.com/Th...

SAM Magazine—Park City, Utah, Feb. 24, 2022—Jesse Hunt will step down as alpine director for U.S. Ski & Snowboard (USSS), effective July 1, 2022. The organization said Hunt will stay on to ensure a smooth transition as it actively recruits for his replacement.  “Jesse has been an important leader of the U.S. Alpine Ski Team for many yea...

SAM Magazine—Terrebonne, Quebec, Feb. 21, 2022—Quebec ski industry pioneer and Les Sommets co-founder Louis Dufour died Feb. 19, 2022. Dufour led Les Sommets, the largest private ski resort ownership group in Quebec, for 50 years prior to his death. Dufour was a visionary in the Quebec ski industry. His group Les Sommets today owns Sommet Sain...

SAM Magazine—Winter Park, Colo., Feb. 16, 2022—Momentum from the red-hot holiday season turned cool in early January as a surge in new cases of the Omicron variant put a damper on short-lead bookings, according to the most recent Monthly Market Briefing released by DestiMetrics, the business intelligence division of Inntopia. Aspen SnowmassA re...

SAM Magazine—Big Sky, Mont., Feb. 15, 2022—Boyne Resorts is looking to transform access to Big Sky’s Lone Peak with a new base-to-summit lift network that includes a two-stage gondola and a higher-capacity tram. The multi-year project is the final phase of the Big Sky 2025 master plan. “The new lift system from the base area to the summit ...

SAM Magazine—Portland, Ore., Feb. 15, 2022—Sunlight Mountain has become the first Colorado ski area to join the Indy Pass. For the remainder of winter 2021-22 and the entire 2022-2023 season, Indy Pass holders will get two days at Sunlight with no blackout dates.  “The timing was right for Sunlight to go Indy,” said Sunlight marketing and...

SAM Magazine—Aspen, Colo., February 11, 2022—Aspen Skiing Company (Ski Co.) said Thursday it will give all salaried and hourly employees a $3/hr raise, effective Sunday, Feb. 13. The move boosts starting pay to $20/hr for most hourly employees and represents an annual increase of $6,240 for those in salaried positions. “This is an investment...

SAM Magazine—Greenville, Maine, Feb. 10, 2022—The Maine Land Use Planning Commission voted unanimously on Wednesday to hold a public hearing on the proposed $113.5 million expansion to the Big Squaw Mountain ski area in Piscataquis County, Maine.  Developer Big Lake Development LLC has proposed a two-phase project that would expand the resor...

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., Feb. 10, 2022— SAM Magazine has raised over $2,500 for non-profit causes since November 2021. Those proceeds, a percentage of SAM Magazine subscriptions and Summit Series Leadership Bootcamp registration, will be donated to four 501(c)3 organizations: Share Winter, Winter4Kids, the National Brotherhood of Skiers,...

SAM Magazine—Denver, Colo., Feb. 10, 2022—In a $6.6 billion deal expected to close in the second half of 2022, Spirit Airlines will merge with Frontier, giving Denver-based Frontier Airlines the controlling stake in the combined entity. The merger of these two major discount airlines will form the fifth largest airline in the United States and ...

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., Feb. 3, 2022—Registration is open for the 18th spring session of Cutter's Camp, May 16-20, 2022, at Timberline, Mt. Hood, Ore. The five-day program for terrain park professionals features on-hill and classroom workshops, including the return of one-on-one customized operator coaching. The program will cover all ...

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., Feb. 4, 2022—Nearly 2,500 votes were cast in the 15th annual SAM Terrain Park Contest, in which a total of 40 entries from ski areas around the world looked to earn the top spot in one of the three contest categories: Bread and Butter, Terrain Park Feature, and, new this year, Park Edit. Some of the resort-submit...

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., Feb. 4, 2022—There are leadership changes in the works at Vail Resorts’ (VR) eastern properties: Mount Snow, Vt., general manager Tracy Bartels will become vice president of maintenance, planning and project management this Tracy Bartelsspring, joining VR’s mountain division senior leadership team; and Roundt...

SAM Magazine—Bartlett, N.H., Feb. 3, 2022—Brandon Swartz is moving back east to become the new general manager at Vail Resorts-owned Attitash, N.H., starting Feb. 7. Swartz is a New England native, but his ski industry career has taken him all over the country. Most recently, he had served as the GM at Hidden Valley, Mo., since November 2020. ...

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., Jan. 28, 2022—A record 16,000 votes were cast during the 11-day voting period in the 2022 HKD I AM a Snowmaker contest. This year’s contest showcased seven regionally diverse snowmaking teams from across North America: Boler Mountain, Ontario; Crystal Mountain, Mich.; Camelback Mountain, Pa.; Mountain High, Calif.;...

SAM Magazine—Providence, R.I., Jan. 28, 2022—In an effort to improve snowsports accessibility, Share Winter Foundation has partnered with Motel 6 to provide mountain access and bring awareness to skiing and riding cost-barriers and the affordable options that exist to minimize them. “With Motel 6 as our very first lodging partner, we are tea...

SAM Magazine—Woodstock, Vt., Jan. 27, 2022—Season pass sales, demand for rental equipment, and lesson sales are all up at a majority of North American cross country ski areas as of Jan. 15, according to the results of a survey conducted in early-January by the Cross Country Ski Areas Association (CCSAA) and Snow Sports Insights.  The survey w...

SAM Magazine—North Creek, N.Y., Jan. 27, 2022—Plans were unveiled this week for a new base lodge, a unique aerial attraction, a new chairlift, and additional ski terrain for the North Creek Ski Bowl area of New York’s Gore Mountain, which is owned and operated by the state-run Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA). Officials are seeki...

SAM Magazine—Tannersville, Pa., Jan. 25, 2022—Camelback Resort and Winter4Kids have partnered on a new initiative to support skiers and snowboarders from diverse economic, racial, and ethnic backgrounds. A beginner lesson at Winter4KidsThe initiative will provide three years of season passes, and other opportunities, to graduates of the Winter4...

SAM Magazine—Cambridge, Vt., Jan. 21, 2022—After a break following the busy Christmas period, ski areas are again reporting strong business over the MLK holiday weekend, partially due to favorable weather and continued pent-up demand for outdoor activity. Although resorts still faced a mixed bag of challenges due to staffing shortages, cold tem...

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 GREG GAVRILETS, MT. ROSE SKI TAHOE, NV Greg Gavrilets will take over as gener...

SAM Magazine—Petite-Rivière-Saint-François, Quebec, Jan. 21, 2022—Club Med’s first North American property at a mountain resort since the early 2000s is up and running slopeside at Canada’s Le Massif ski area. A Club Med group warms up with their ski guide slope side outside the base area building. With plans for a second North American...

SAM Magazine—Whistler, B.C., Jan. 20, 2022—Outsiders Network is a new online marketplace designed to connect brands with a diverse pool of outdoor talent and support, including athletes, models, actors, photographers, cinematographers, hair/makeup, and wardrobe crew who all specialize in shooting for media outside. The vetted talent is compris...

SAM Magazine—Taylors Falls, Minn., Jan. 20, 2022—Wild Mountain is installing a 40-kilowatt solar array this spring. In 2021, Wild Mountain became the first CarbonNeutral Certified ski area in North America, and this solar investment aims to help the mountain continue to drive down its overall carbon usage. Wild will work with Cedar Creek Energ...

SAM Magazine—Pinedale, Wyo., January 19, 2022—The owners of Lakeside Lodge in Pinedale, Wyo., Audrey and Kyle Odermann, have entered into a contract to purchase all assets of nearby White Pine Ski Resort from majority owners Robyn and Alan Blackburn, pending issuance of a new U.S. Forest Service special use permit for the new owners to operate ...

SAM Magazine—Longmont, Colo., Jan. 18, 2022—December occupancy at Western destinations was up 11.7 percent compared to pre-pandemic 2019, and up 37 percent from December 2020, according to the latest report from DestiMetrics, the business intelligence division of Inntopia. As of Dec. 31, the average daily rate (ADR) for the month was up 40 per...

SAM Magazine—Park City, Utah, Jan. 17, 2021—The Park City Professional Ski Patrol Association (PCPSPA) voted to approve a new contract with Vail Resorts (VR) on Friday. The union agreed to a base wage of $15 an hour, with $1 an hour incentive for patrollers who work some shifts out of both Park City Mountain Resort base areas, Canyons Village a...

SAM Magazine—Lutsen, Minn., Jan. 17, 2022—Lutsen Mountains has promoted director of operations and marketing Jim Vick to serve as the resort’s new general manager. Assistant director of operations and marketing Amanda Plummer was promoted to the role of assistant general manager. The promotions followon the heels of president Charles ...

SAM Magazine—Washington, D.C., Jan. 14, 2022—The Supreme Court issued a decision staying the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) mandate that employers with 100 or more employees require their workers to be vaccinated or produce a negative Covid-19 test on a weekly basis.  "This is helpful news to ski areas, who are fac...