SAM Magazine—New South Wales, Australia, June 25, 2021—Ski areas in Australia and New Zealand are beginning another pandemic-tinged winter season. Strong demand, increased capacity, and greater familiarity with Covid protocols offer a promising picture, although variables like vaccine rollouts and staffing challenges remain in play.  Thredbo ...

SAM Magazine—Winter Park, Colo., June 24, 2021—A robust rebound is underway in summer visitation at Western mountain destinations, according to the latest information in the monthly Market Briefing from DestiMetrics, the business intelligence division of Inntopia. Compared to a year ago, lodging occupancy during May was up more than five-fold,...

SAM Magazine—Denver, June 23, 2021—Skier visits for the 2020-21 season at Colorado Ski Country USA’s (CSCUSA) 22 member ski resorts were up 7.6 percent from the pandemic-shortened 2019-20 season, but trailed the five-year average by 3.7 percent. Total statewide skier visits—which includes non-member ski areas’ estimated numbers—reached ...

SAM Magazine—Portland, Ore., June 22, 2021—The Indy Pass added Eagle Point Resort, Utah, and Sundown Mountain Resort, Iowa, to its growing coalition of 68 independent ski areas. Passholders will have access to two days of skiing and riding at both hills for the 2021-22 season.  “We are proud to be a part of the Indy Pass and its amazing col...

SAM Magazine—Salt Lake City, Utah, June 15, 2021—Utah’s 15 alpine ski areas saw 5,301,766 skier days during the 2020-21 winter season, breaking the previous record of 5.13 million skier days in the 2018-19 season, an increase of nearly 3.5 percent. Ski areas had a successful winter despite the limitations and adjustments most had in place to ...

SAM Magazine—Lakewood, Colo., June 15, 2021—The National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) presented awards in growth, sustainability, safety, and marketing during a virtual ceremony June 11. The online event was again hosted by “The Snow Report” star Halley O’Brien. “This is a special award year,” noted NSAA president and CEO Kelly Pawla...

SAM Magazine—Lakewood, Colo., June 14, 2021—The National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) presented Lifetime Achievement Awards to Bill Jensen, former Vail Resorts mountain division president and Intrawest CEO, and Tim Silva, longtime Sun Valley, Idaho, general manager and former Northstar, Calif., GM. Jensen and Silva were recognized at NSAA’s 2...

SAM Magazine—Denver, Colo., June 11, 2021—Alterra Mountain Company named Ron Cohen president and COO of Mammoth Mountain and June Mountain, Calif., effective immediately. He will oversee all operations at both resorts, and will lead significant developments planned for Mammoth, Alterra’s largest and most visited destination. Cohen has served ...

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., June 11, 2021—The Katz Amsterdam Foundation, founded by Vail Resorts CEO Rob Katz and his wife Elana Amsterdam, has determined a new nationwide focus on racial justice work. A $29.3 million donation from Katz and Amsterdam will support that. Rob Katz and Elana Amsterdam Katz exercised stock appreciation rights...

SAM Magazine—Denver, June 10, 2021—Alterra Mountain Company, Boyne Resorts, POWDR, and Vail Resorts have joined forces to develop the Climate Collaborative Charter, a unified effort to combat climate change through shared sustainability and advocacy commitments.  “The idea for the four of us to unite in this pledge to combat climate change...

SAM Magazine—June 9, 2021, Lakewood, Colo.—National Ski Patrol (NSP) named Chris Castilian as its new chief executive officer. Castilian succeeds former executive director Meegan Moszynski as the head of the non-profit organization. Castilian was hired by the board of directors following a wide-ranging search that attracted more than 250 applic...

SAM Magazine—Lakewood, Colo., June 8, 2021—Skier visits in the U.S. totaled 59 million during the 2020-21 winter season, according to the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA). It was the fifth best season on record and a strong improvement upon the pandemic-shortened 2019-20 season, which tallied 51.1 million visits. Despite the challenges of...

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., June 8, 2021—Vail Resorts, Inc. (VR) reported third-quarter gains compared to the prior year's quarter, with both quarters heavily influenced by different Covid limitations and restrictions. VR also reported strong early season pass sales for the 2021-22 North American ski season, and provided its outlook for the...

SAM Magazine—June 7, 2021—Despite significant pandemic-related operating constraints, Quebec resorts recorded 6.1 million skier visits in 2020-21, exceeding the province’s 10-year average of 5.9 million visits, according to preliminary numbers from the Quebec Ski Areas Association’s (ASSQ) Economic and Financial Study. Tremblant, Quebec P...

SAM Magazine—Denver, Colo., June 3, 2021—Alterra Mountain Company named Rob Rohn president and COO of CMH Heli-Skiing & Summer Adventures, effective immediately. Rohn will oversee operations and be responsible for driving growth at the Banff-based outlet, which includes 11 luxury lodges, a fleet of helicopters, and 140 guides. He will repor...

  RESORTS NICK LAMBERT, BOYNE RESORTS  Boyne Resorts, Mich., named Nick Lambert chief marketing officer, effective June 1, 2021. He succeeds Ian Arthur, who is retiring after six years with the team. Lambert was the vice president of sales and marketing for the company’s Sunday River Resort, Maine, and Gatlinburg SkyLift Park, Tenn. In h...

SAM Magazine—Denver, June 1, 2021—Jared Smith will serve as president of Alterra Mountain Company, effective June 7, 2021. Smith, who will report to CEO Rusty Gregory, will be responsible for overseeing and developing Alterra’s 15 mountain destinations.  Smith comes to Alterra from Live Nation Entertainment. There, he most recently served a...

SAM Magazine—Palo Alto, Calif., May 25, 2021—Liftopia’s assets were recently relaunched as Catalate. As SAM reported in December, Liftopia Inc. entered an assignment for the benefit of creditors (ABC) to liquidate the company’s assets after it was unable to pay money owed to clients—mostly ski areas that sold lift tickets, season pass...

SAM Magazine—McLean, Va., May 25, 2021—Virginia-based developer Alpine-X plans to build a new indoor snowsports resort in the Washington, D.C., area. The resort, Fairfax Peak, is the first of 20 such sites planned for North America.   Envisaged as a destination resort, Fairfax Peak will feature an indoor snowsports venue, upscale hotel, gra...

SAM Magazine—Big Cottonwood Canyon, Utah, May 20, 2021—Amber Broadaway has been selected as the new president and chief operating officer of Solitude Mountain Resort in Utah, beginning June 1. She succeeds Kim Mayhew, who is retiring after holding Solitude’s top spot since 2015. Broadaway currently serves as vice president of guest services ...

SAM Magazine—Fairfield, Idaho, May 19, 2021—Soldier Mountain opens its new mountain bike park May 21, after a raging wildfire last summer prevented the park’s 2020 grand opening.  "We're excited to be opening our bike park," said Soldier Mountain general manager Paul Alden. "These trails are built to world-class standards, and we look forw...

SAM Magazine—Winter Park, Colo., May 13, 2021—Lodging properties in Western mountain destinations finished the 2020-21 winter season up 4.8 percent in room nights compared to the truncated 2019-20 season, while a drop in average daily rate (ADR) led to an overall revenue decline of 5 percent. ADR for the winter was 10 percent below that for 20...

SAM Magazine—Denver, May 13, 2021—Alterra Mountain Company has established a new public charity, the Alterra Mountain Company Community Foundation. The Community Foundation will provide financial support to members of the North American communities in which Alterra operates.  “If this last year has taught us anything, it’s that the most i...

SAM Magazine—Sun Valley, Idaho, May, 12, 2021—Sun Valley Company has chosen Pete Sonntag to become vice president and general manager of Sun Valley Resort effective June 7. Sonntag will be responsible for all day-to-day operations of the resort and report to Bruce Fery, CEO of Sun Valley parent company Grand America Hotels & Resorts. C...

SAM Magazine—Palmerton, Pa., May 12, 2021—KSL Resorts, an affiliate of KSL Capital Partners, will manage Blue Mountain Resort in Pennsylvania. KSL Resorts quietly began managing Camelback Resort two years ago, also located in the Poconos Mountains. Details about the timeline or what the management agreement entails have not been released. “W...

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., May 7, 2021—Vail Resorts (VR) has named new senior leaders to three of its Colorado resorts: Jody Churich, VP and COO of Breckenridge; Tara Schoedinger, VP and GM of Crested Butte; and Chris Sorensen, VP and GM of Keystone. All three will assume their new roles June 7. Jody Churich, Tara Schoedinger, and Chri...

SAM Magazine—White Pass, Wash., May 6, 2021— Kevin McCarthy is stepping down as White Pass GM on July 1 after 36 years at the helm. Former COO Rikki Cooper will succeed McCarthy as GM.  “Trying to fill Kevin McCarthy's shoes is an impossible task,” said Cooper. “He has faithfully led this company since the year I was born, and his deter...

SAM Magazine—May 6, 2021, Ludlow, Vt.—With Memorial Day on the horizon, resorts are sharing summer start dates and deals. Many East Coast and Midwest areas are targeting May openings, while lots of the western operations are eyeing mid to late June. A handful of operators with snowpack and inclination plan to continue offering skiing and riding...

SAM Magazine—Kelowna, B.C., May 3, 2021—Canada West Ski Areas Association (CWSAA) held its annual spring conference virtually, April 26-29. It drew 650 attendees, who participated in daily educational sessions and two special awards presentations.  CWSAA CEO Christopher Nicholson said that initial feedback and poll responses from attendees ha...

SAM Magazine—Portland, Ore., April 27, 2021—The 2021-22 Indy Pass goes on sale today, and has also added three more partner resorts to its roster: Powder Mountain, Utah, Mt. Ashland, Ore., and West Mountain, N.Y. The pass will provide two days of access to 66 North American ski areas next winter.  “The addition of Powder Mountain, Mt. Ashla...

By Mark E. Battersby The $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan (ARP) includes lots of potential benefits for winter resorts, especially smaller ones. Here's a more detailed look at some of the key provisions that were originally included in the March 22 report on saminfo.com.  Funding, We’ve Got Funds The State Small Business Credit Initiative (...

SAM Magazine—Glenwood Springs, Colo., April 26, 2021—Four new ski areas have signed on to the Freedom Pass for 2021: Cherry Peak and Eagle Point, Utah; Red River, N.M.; and Snow Valley, Calif. Like the other members, all are independent areas.  Each partner on the Freedom Pass offers three (3) free days with no blackouts to season pass holder...

SAM Magazine—Sandpoint, Idaho, April 21, 2020—Schweitzer, Idaho, has joined Alterra Mountain Company’s Ikon Pass for winter 2021-22. Schweitzer is the first Idaho resort to be included on the Ikon Pass, which now provides access to 45 mountain destinations.  Schweitzer is offering a new Voyager pass, which includes a Schweitzer unlimited pa...

SAM Magazine—Montville, N.J., April 21, 2021—SNOW Operating has appointed Jeff Boliba chief operating officer for its SnowCloud technology company. Boliba spent the last 21 years with Burton Snowboards, most recently as its global marketing vice president of sport and participation. In his role with SnowCloud, he’ll be responsible for helping...

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., April 21, 2021—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 who is already making an impact at the ski area where they work, and is poised to become a leader in the industry. The chosen 10 rising stars w...

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., April 20, 2021—Six lift maintenance teams have been chosen to participate in the inaugural Rise Up Challenge supported by Leitner-Poma of America:  Craigleith Ski Club, Ont.; Hunter Mountain, N.Y.; Jack Frost, Pa.; Purgatory, Colo.; Snowbasin, Utah; and Taos Ski Valley, N.M. The teams are competing for an education...

Special report by Katie Brinton. SAM Magazine—Park City, Utah, April 20, 2021—SIA’s Snowbound Festival, a reimagined version of the former BEWI Expos, is set to launch this fall. Show details and exhibitor pricing for the multi-day Boston and Denver events dropped back in March, and buzz has been positive, said festival director Brian Stephe...

Virtual and In-Person for Summer and Fall 2021 From the cancellation of events in early 2020 to the move to virtual over the past year, we’ve changed the way we conference. However, with vaccination rates rising, the return of in-person events is hopefully in the not-too-distant future.  To help navigate this still uncertain landscape, SAM p...

SAM Magazine—Bradenton, Fla.., April 20, 2021—Western mountain resorts capitalized on short-term bookings—those made less than 30 days prior to arrival—in March and April to boost lodging occupancy and revenue at resorts in 18 mountain destinations spread across seven western states, according to the most recent Mountain Market Briefing dis...

SAM Magazine—East Rutherford, N.J., April 14, 2021—Big SNOW American Dream named Mark Dobrowolski as its new general manager. Dobrowolski has been serving as interim GM since former general manager Jim Haas died in March.  Dobrowolski joined Big SNOW, a year-round, indoor snowsports venue, as the guest experience manager in October 2019, prio...

SAM Magazine—Huntsville, Utah, April 13, 2021—Snowbasin Resort and Salomon are partnering in a program in which Salomon will provide Snowbasin with equipment for rentals and lessons. The partnership between the two northern Utah-based companies will add a community access point for Snowbasin guests and bolster offerings of Snowbasin's “Learn ...

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., April 13, 2021—Vail Resorts (VR) is undergoing a leadership shuffle at its headquarters in Broomfield, with some top executives moving to different positions, and some leaving or stepping down. Mountain division president Patricia Campbell is stepping down from her position to assume a new role as senior advisor...

SAM Magazine—DENVER, April 12, 2021 —Alterra Mountain Company plans to invest $207 million in capital improvements, including $111 million in resort projects at Steamboat, Deer Valley, Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows, and Mammoth Mountain; $31 million in enterprise technology systems; and $65 million in resort maintenance and planning.  “This ...

SAM Magazine—Ludlow, Vt., April 9, 2021—The Trump administration ban on J-1 and H2-B visas has officially expired, opening up the possibility once again for operators to hire nonimmigrant, temporary workers. As borders begin to open and embassies start to return to normal operations, foreign worker programs will come back to life. Whether they ...

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., April 7, 2021—The 2021 SAMMY Leadership Awards honor four individuals for their positive impact on their resorts, local communities and industry at large. This year’s class includes: Katie Brown, an involved mentor, promoter, and champion for female leaders; Robert McClendon, a coach and jack-of-all-trades; Jon Sch...

SAM Magazine—Denver, Colo., April 5, 2021—Alterra Mountain Company has promoted Mark Brownlie from regional chief operating officer (RCOO) for the company’s Western Region to chief operating officer of resorts. Working with the COO of hospitality to drive profitability and growth, Brownlie will oversee all of the company’s 15 destination op...

SAM Magazine—Kelowna, B.C., April 1, 2021—Canadian resorts Revelstoke and Big White are both closing ahead of schedule, just as British Columbia enters a three-week lockdown amid surging Covid cases. Both closures appear to be a result of virus-related concerns, though they are not a direct result of the latest lockdown. Whistler Blackcomb, whi...

SAM Magazine—Boulder, Colo., April 1, 2021—A special report from the Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) found that new, more diverse outdoor participants sought new recreation opportunities amid the Covid-19 pandemic. While these new participants stayed close to home during the pandemic, opportunities exist to entice these newcomers to expand t...

SAM Magazine—Whistler, B.C., March 29, 2021—British Columbia is implementing a three-week "circuit breaker"-style lockdown, imposing widespread restrictions on indoor dining in restaurants, group fitness, and worship services—and closing Whistler Blackcomb resort. All other winter resorts remain open. Affected businesses must close by midnigh...

SAM Magazine—Denver, March 29, 2021—With vaccinations accelerating in many locations across the U.S., resort travel planning has begun returning to normal, according to the latest analysis from DestiMetrics, the business intelligence division of Inntopia. The pace and timing of rebookings, and longer lead times for bookings, indicate growing co...

Resorts Maggie Murray and Jesse True, Arapahoe Basin, Colo.  Arapahoe Basin welcomed Maggie Murray as its new finance director and Jesse True as its new marketing director.  Murray began her career at Morgan Stanley in Boston before realizing that office towers were not her natural habitat. Her background includes top finance roles in local n...

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., March 24, 2021—Vail Resorts (VR) officially unveiled its 2021-22 Epic Pass lineup today, dropping pass prices 20 percent “across the board,” which the company calls a “historic move.” It brings prices down to 2015-16 levels, when Epic Pass provided access to 11 resorts compared to more than 70 resorts tod...

SAM Magazine—Whitefish, Mont., March 22, 2021—A group of 20 to 30 protesters gathered on and around the Whitefish Mountain Ski Resort Sunday morning to bring awareness to what organizers allege is a “culture of racism and non-inclusion” among the resort's staff and management. Whitefish acknowledged the protests and said it is addressing ma...

SAM Magazine—Tannersville, Pa., March 22, 2021—A chair carrying three passengers detached from the haul rope and fell to the ground Sunday afternoon at Camelback Resort, Pa.  According to sources at the resort, the chair that fell was nearing the top terminal when passengers felt an unusual shaking, and the lift came to a jolting stop. Th...

The $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan (ARP) of 2021, mostly known for the $1,400 payments to individuals earning up to $75,000 and couples earning up to $150,000, extends several benefits to business as well. Most important for the owners, managers, and shareholders of winter sports businesses are provisions that include the following:   Sma...

SAM Magazine—Winter Park, Colo., March 15, 2021—With just two months to go in the winter season, lodging at mountain destinations regained lost ground, according to the most recent Mountain Market Briefing distributed by DestiMetrics, the business intelligence division of Inntopia.  Year over year, actual occupancy for February was down 1...

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., March 15, 2021—Vail Resorts (VR) saw year-over-year business levels improve during January and February, with season-to-date visits down 8.2 percent through March 7 compared to the prior year. Lift revenues declined 8.9 percent for the period, while ski school, food and beverage, and retail/rental revenues declin...

SAM Magazine—Sundance, Utah, March 12, 2021—The new owners of Sundance Mountain Resort are wasting no time making improvements to the Utah resort founded by Hollywood luminary Robert Redford. Broadreach Capital Partners and Cedar Capital Partners, which acquired Sundance in December 2020, plan to install two new chairlifts, expand parking, and ...

SAM Magazine—Ludlow, Vt., March 11, 2021—It’s March, which means next season’s passes are going on sale. Many are offering financing options and carrying over Covid-related assurances. Prices seem to be holding steady and even rising, although a number of resorts are adding value, like spring access and reciprocal tickets, and offering disc...

Nearly one-fifth of the population has received at least a first dose of vaccine, according to the latest Virus Tracking report from the Insights Collective. As the vaccines continue to roll out, they will reinforce a long, downward trend in Covid cases that began in early January. Nationally, new cases are approaching 50,000 a day, on average, dow...