SAM Magazine—Snowbird, Utah, Oct. 30, 2020—Most POWDR-owned resorts will manage visitation this winter using a parking reservations system that requires visitors arriving in personal vehicles to reserve a parking spot in advance, whether they’re skiing or not. Date-specific reservations will be made online and validated upon arrival. Up to se...

SAM Magazine—Glenwood Springs, Colo., Oct. 30, 2020—The Freedom Pass, a reciprocal lift ticket partnership that grants passholders three free days at member resorts, has survived the pandemic and the shifting season's pass landscape with a new, slightly smaller lineup for 2020-21.  This year's lineup includes a new member—Mont du Lac Re...

As the elections approach, there’s a bit of COVID-related news to relate. A Harvard study shows that air travel has a low COVID transmission risk compared to other settings, thanks in part to hospital-grade air filtering—destination resorts may not be so hard to reach after all. The failure of the COVID economic relief negotiations makes an eco...

SAM Magazine—Oct. 30, 2020—Even with winter approaching, Americans are turning to the outdoors for safety, sanity, and entertainment, according to a Harris Poll conducted Oct. 15-17 and sponsored by the Out of Home Advertising Association. More than two-thirds of Americans say they have an increased appreciation of the outdoors since lockdowns ...

SAM Magazine—Bartlett, N.H., Oct. 29, 2020—Tennessee native Greg Gavrilets is the new general manager of Attitash in New Hampshire. He succeeds longtime Attitash leader John Lowell, who is retiring from his role as vice president and general manager of Attitash and nearby Wildcat effective Nov. 1. Gavrilets’ first day on the job was Oct. 26. ...

SAM Magazine—Cervinia, Italy, Oct. 29, 2020—With COVID-19 cases rising quickly in Europe, winter resorts across the continent are facing new capacity restrictions and delayed openings. The new rules arrived just as early snow had allowed glacier resorts to spin lifts and with many other areas poised to begin operations. Cervinia Resort lif...

The weekly coronavirus infection rate trends compiled by the Insights Collective shows a steady and worrisome rise in COVID-19 cases in many major wintersport markets. That increases the chances that states and counties will impose tighter restrictions on indoor capacity and group sizes. Already this fall, Italy has shut down its glacier areas due ...

SAM Magazine—Taylors Falls, Minn., Oct. 26, 2020—Early snowfall and consistent snowmaking conditions allowed two North American resorts, Wild Mountain, Minn., and Mt. Norquay, Alberta, to open for the season.Wild Mountain, Minn. Photo: Wild Mountain Facebook page, Oct. 21. Wild Mountain opened Oct. 19, operating 1-7 p.m. midweek, 11 a.m.–7 p...

SAM Magazine—Albany, N.Y., Oct. 23, 2020—As the winter season approaches, ski-country states and state ski associations are unveiling guidance and requirements for ski areas to open as safely as possible amid the ongoing pandemic.  Many plans include the National Ski Areas Association’s “Ski Well, Be Well” guidance. In most cases, i...

SAM Magazine—Glenwood Springs, Colo., Oct. 23, 2020—Sunlight Mountain Resort is supporting fundraising efforts to restore portions of the White River National Forest that were burned by the Grizzly Peak fire in nearby Glenwood Canyon this year.  Sunlight skiers and riders can add voluntary $5 contributions to their online season pass or l...

This week's briefing from the Insights Collective addresses both short- and long-term issues confronting resort businesses during the pandemic. In the short term: As coronavirus cases and test positivity rates rise across the U.S., states and organizations are ramping up efforts to bend the curve (again). At the same time, those efforts continue t...

SAM Magazine—Albany, N.Y., Oct. 19, 2020—The governments of New York state and the Quebec province have given ski areas in their respective regions the greenlight to open this winter. In both regions, reopening is contingent on compliance with stringent public health recommendations. Tremblant, Quebec New York Beginning Nov. 6, New York ...

SAM Magazine—Portland, Ore., Oct. 19, 2020—The Indy Pass has added Jay Peak in Vermont to its alliance of independent ski areas, bringing alliance membership to a total of 57 resorts. Jay Peak will offer two days of skiing and riding to Indy Pass holders, with no blackout dates for the 2020-21 season.  “We’re happy to be joining this ...

The latest weekly briefing from the Insights Collective notes that lodging properties are responding to COVID-19 by offering extended-stay options, citing recent examples from Jay Peak, Vt., and the Red Lion chain. It further notes that during the pandemic, some customers have more money to spend on travel than in the past—because they have reduc...

SAM Magazine—Winter Park, Colo., Oct. 15, 2020—With only one month remaining in what has been a bleak summer for lodging at western mountain resorts, bookings and rates in the past few weeks have showed an appreciable uptick, helping to record early on-the-books revenue gains for the months of October and November—the first revenue gains sinc...

SAM Magazine—Ludlow, Vt., October 14, 2020—As new consumer-facing plans roll out, resorts remind guests to prepare for continued operational changes and challenges this winter. While reservation systems, capacity caps, and facility access will vary, guests can expect some consistency in protocols across the country and even internatio...

SAM Magazine—East Rutherford, N.J., Oct. 14, 2020—To help resorts plan for the upcoming winter, SAM and SNOW Operating have partnered to produce the Capacity Management Video Series. The four-part video series will share insights on how resorts can manage capacity while providing a safe guest experience in a COVID-19 world.  Using real da...

SAM Magazine—San Francisco, Calif., Oct. 14, 2020—A substantial portion of the assets of Mountain News Corporation have been acquired from Vail Resorts by an investment group led by MNC veteran Chad Dyer and Jon Brelig. The 52-year-old international company provides snow reports, news, and information of interest to skiers and snowboarders thro...

SAM Magazine—Jackson, Wyo., October 14, 2020—Snow King Mountain Resort secured preliminary US Forest Service (USFS) approval for major capital improvements slated to begin summer of 2021. Big ticket items include two new lifts: an eight-passenger Leitner-Poma gondola, and a Skytrac chair that will serve new terrain.  Snow King has been en...

Will worldwide COVID-19 cases double by the end of the year? They could, and there’s no guarantee a vaccine will be available in time to quickly stem the spread of coronavirus. Other items of note in the latest weekly briefing from the Insights Collective: The state of Nevada’s very detailed conference guidelines shed light on how a total reope...

RESORTS Bobby Johnson, Jr., Magic Mountain, Vt. Magic Mountain has hired Robert “Bobby” Johnson, Jr. as director of the Snowsports Learning Center, starting Dec. 5. Johnson is reported to be the first Black leader of a ski school in Vermont, and possibly the country. He began his teaching career at Smuggler’s Notch, Vt., in 1983, and joined...

SAM Magazine—Denver, Oct. 7, 2020—Alterra Mountain Company is making leadership changes and creating new hospitality and real estate divisions as the company looks toward its long-term future while navigating the upcoming winter season during the pandemic. The two new divisions join the mountain division, which consists of the company’s ...

With the continuation of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of the traditional fall education opportunities have moved online. We know it's a busy time, so SAM pulled together a chronological list of all the online educational content for October and November so it's easier to see what important webinars, Huddles and Town Halls might be wor...

SAM Magazine—Carlsbad, Calif., Oct. 5, 2020—Media conglomerate American Media Inc. (AMI) is closing four of its sports publications, Powder Magazine, Snowboarder, Bike, and Surfer, according to a variety of industry sources. A report in Adventure Journal, written by former Powder editor St...

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., Oct. 1, 2020—Vail Resorts underwent what it called “the final step of a restructuring of our marketing organization.” The move cut existing in-resort marketing teams across the company’s 34 North American resorts, and created new teams and responsibilities structured locally, regionally, and centrally, amon...

SAM Magazine—Ishpeming, Mich., Oct. 1, 2020—The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame induction Class of 2020 includes eight ski and snowboard athletes and industry professionals. The new inductees will bring the total of honored Hall of Fame members to 441.  The eight inductees include the late Howard Peterson, leader and visionary at the ...

There’s a lot going on outside the ski industry that sheds light on the course of COVID restrictions and reopenings. Disney, and Florida, are following a metric-driven options, a variation on the scenario planning approach. Hotels are hosting “home” workers to make up for lost business from traditional sources. Austrian resorts are facing civ...

SAM Magazine—Portland, Ore., Sept. 30, 2020—The Indy Pass has added Swain Mountain in western New York to its alliance of independent ski areas, bringing alliance membership to a total of 56 resorts. Swain will offer two days of skiing and riding to Indy Pass holders, with no blackout dates for the 2020-21 season.  “We are thrilled to b...

SAM Magazine—Park City, Utah, Sept. 29, 2020—Snowsports Industries America (SIA) is teaming up with SAM for a Town Hall series—held virtually on Zoom—about ski resort planning, preparations, and communication for this winter. The three town halls will focus on how this winter will look in regard to resort operations, capacity, tra...

SAM Magazine—Lakewood, Colo., Sept. 29, 2020—The National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) has released the results of the 2019-20 Climate Challenge. This was the ninth year of the program, in which more than 40 ski areas of varying sizes participated.  “To date,” said NSAA, “these resorts have reduced more than 110,000 metric tons of c...

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., Sept. 25, 2020—Vail Resorts (VR) reported a net income decrease of 67.2 percent, to $98 million, in fiscal year 2020, on total revenues of nearly $2 billion, as COVID-19 shutdowns ended the winter season prematurely and delayed the opening of summer operations.

SAM Magazine—Ludlow, Vt., September 23, 2020—Resorts are implementing a mix of strategies to manage volume this winter, as most look to get lifts spinning in late November. Pre-booking requirements and reservation systems of varying complexity will be the name of the game for many operations, particularly those in drive markets. However, some r...

SAM Magazine—Winter Park, Colo., Sept. 17, 2020—Lodging performance continued to improve during August at western mountain resorts, but the summer season remained historically slow by most measures, according to DestiMetrics in its monthly Market Briefing by Inntopia. The report includes data collected from 18 destinations across Colorado,...

Insights on COVID-19: worldwide effects, local business impacts, adapting to new year-round residents, and setting up resort “schoolrooms.” The Insights Collective examines the week’s pandemic news and data, and describes what it all means for winter resorts. View the report. ...

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., Sept. 16, 2020—In response to the COVID-19 impact on resorts and their leaders, the SAM Summit Series is offering a Resilient Leadership Training bootcamp this fall. Managing teams during the pandemic calls for a new and different set of leadership skills. Resilient Leadership Training will help r...

SAM Magazine—Killington, Vt., Sept. 16, 2020—More resorts are releasing 2020-21 operating plans and opening dates, as operators shift their focus from summer to winter. The range of plans is highly varied, reflecting COVID-19 considerations and the specific circumstances of individual resorts.Killington will open later than usual this season. ...

SAM Magazine—Lebanon, N.H., Sept. 15, 2020—A partnership between Halley O’Brien Productions and SnoCountry, Inc. will bring “The Snow Report-TV presented by SnoCountry," a new branch of The Snow Report brand owned and operated by Halley O’Brien Productions, to nearly 40 major markets, including NBC4 New York and NBC Boston. The sponsored ...

SAM Magazine—Lakewood, Colo., Sept. 15, 2020—The Professional Ski Instructors of America and the American Association of Snowboard Instructors (PSIA-AASI) has released “Navigating the 2020-21 Snowsports Season,” a COVID-era guide for snowsports schools and instructors. The guide positions adaptability as the key focus for lesson providers ...

SAM Magazine—Rangeley, Maine, Sept. 14, 2020—An anonymous donor has made a $100,000 gift to the Saddleback Mountain Foundation to be used to subsidize Saddleback Mountain season passes for every child in Rangeley schools for the next five years. The Laker Pass, named after the Rangeley school nickname of “Lakers,” this year is $329 at full...

SAM Magazine—Denver, Sept. 14, 2020—Alterra Mountain Company said it will prioritize access for season passholders and will require day lift tickets to be purchased in advance online for its 15 resort destinations this winter. In addition, many Ikon Pass partner resorts are not requiring passholders to make a reservation in advance of arrival, ...

SAM Magazine—Lakeshore, Calif., Sept. 10, 2020—Snow may be falling in the Rockies, but wildfires are raging up and down the West Coast. The impacts could be far-reaching for ski resorts touched by the conflagrations. China Peak, Calif., found itself directly threatened by the 167,000-acre-and-growing Creek Fire as it hit the backside of the sk...

COVID practices and safety are key as consumers shift their focus, from fear and isolating to getting out and being active. With demand for recreation picking up, a range of businesses are adopting creative strategies and technology to enhance protections and manage the increase in volume. See the details in the latest weekly Briefing Sheet from th...

SAM Magazine—Denver, Sept. 9, 2020—The Pennsylvania Ski Areas Association (PSAA) membership is suspending its popular 4th & 5th Grade Snow Pass, while Colorado Ski Country USA (CSCUSA) begun selling its various pass products for the 2020-21 winter season—with new restrictions.  In its statement, PSAA said: “Due to our cu...

SAM Magazine—Sept. 9, 2020—A cold snap earlier this week marked the end of summer in Colorado, as a storm dropped more than a foot of snow in parts of the region. With eyes turning toward winter, resorts have begun rolling out opening dates and operating plans for the 2020-21 season. Loveland's webcam caught the first snow on Chet's Dream ...

SAM Magazine—Lakewood, Colo., Sept. 9, 2020—During a Sept. 8 webinar, the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) presented a series of sign templates that convey messages about physical distancing, face covering requirements, hand sanitization, and other COVID safety measures. The templates are available for ski areas to use for on-site signage,...

The Insights Collective presents its take on Vail's access reservation system, Labor Day coronavirus mitigation, thermal scanning and facial recognition cameras to monitor the health of air travelers, and how hotels and resorts can offer alternative formats for meeting planners. Read the full report.  ...

SAM Magazine—Denver, Sept. 1, 2020—Red Mountain in British Columbia, Canada, is now a partner resort on the Ikon Pass. Ikon Passholders now have access to a total of 44 destinations for the 2020-21 season.  Independently-owned Red Mountain is among the 10 largest ski areas in North America with 3,850 acres of skiable terrain. Since 2013, ...

SAM Magazine—Portland, Ore., Sept. 1, 2020—For its second season, the Indy Pass has added 11 resorts and dozens of independent lodging properties for the 2020-21 season. The adult pass provides two days at 55 resorts for $199. The Indy Pass has also added discounts at lodging properties and an assurance program in case Indy Passholders use thei...

SAM Magazine—Montpelier, Vt., Aug. 31, 2020—Vermont's Agency of Commerce and Community Development (ACCD) has proposed that federal aid funds be given to the state's ski areas for COVID-related mitigations. The money is part of a proposed $133 million targeted to businesses that were shut out of earlier COVID relief efforts. ACCD said the fund...

By Charles Gfeller and Mellicent B. Thompson,Partners, Gfeller Laurie LLP COVID-19 has led to a variety of measures aimed at mitigating its impact. While some of these have been straightforward, like sending $1,200 checks to individuals, others have been more complicated, and even contentious. Business interruption insurance, workers' compensation...

The Insights Collective reports that as reported COVID cases are decreasing, resorts from Florida to Colorado are expanding their reopenings—even as staff cases turn up. Resort-town hotels are pursuing "mixed-use" options, such as work-from-hotel packages for those who don't care to work from home, to fill rooms and raise revenue. States and town...

SAM Magazine—Lakewood, Colo., Aug. 27, 2020—The National Ski Areas Association (NSAA), with the help of industry leaders and associations, has developed “Ski Well, Be Well”—a foundational set of best practices for winter operations that is designed to help advocate to local officials for reopening, and to set the foundation for ski area o...

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., Aug. 27, 2020—Vail Resorts has released answers to the biggest question looming over the mountain resort industry as of late: “What’s the plan for this winter?” A letter from Vail Resorts CEO Rob Katz details universal plans for all 34 of the company’s North American resorts. Katz said the goal is to des...

SAM Magazine—East Rutherford, N.J., Aug. 26, 2020—Big SNOW American Dream, North America’s first indoor, real-snow ski and snowboard center, will resume operations on Sept. 1 in accordance with current state guidelines under today’s Executive Order. As an indoor recreational facility, Big SNOW will be implementing several updated COVID-19 s...

SAM Magazine—Olympic Valley, Calif., Aug. 25, 2020—Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows has committed to removing “squaw” from its resort name. “Having our name be associated with pain and dehumanization is contrary to our goal of making the outdoors a welcoming space for all people,” said resort president and COO Ron Cohen in an email to patron...

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., Aug. 25, 2020—Fourteen nonprofit youth organizations will receive grants ranging from $15,000 to $200,000 from the Katz Amsterdam Charitable Trust—founded by Vail Resorts CEO Rob Katz and his wife Elana Amsterdam—and Vail Resorts. The total donation is $1.5 million.  According to Vail Resorts, “Each o...

SAM Magazine—Jacksonville, Fla., Aug. 21, 2020—The latest briefing from Insights Collective shares a new study that found political polarization has heightened as we head into November. Most resorts and destinations have been politically agnostic—however, visitors are not. The briefing also points to economic indicators showing mixed signals ...

SAM Magazine—Eden, Utah, Aug. 21, 2020—Nordic Valley Ski Resort has unveiled a major capital improvement project that includes the area's first high-speed chairlift and the largest terrain expansion project in resort history. Both are slated to open during the upcoming winter. High speed six pack top terminal construction Earlier this sum...

SAM Magazine—August 20, 2020—The FIS Audi Alpine World Cup tour will not travel to North America in the 2020-21 season due to COVID-19 complications. Early season men’s and women’s races at Killington, Vt., Lake Louise, AB, and Vail/Beaver Creek, Colo., have all been cancelled.  “The North American races are always a very special tw...

SAM Magazine—Hastings, Minn., Aug. 19, 2020—In lieu of its traditional summer meeting and tradeshow, the Midwest Ski Areas Association (MSAA) hosted members at a new virtual event, MSAA Summer Connect, held Aug. 17 and 18. COVID-19 was the common theme across the four one-hour-long Zoom sessions. MSAA members heard from the National Ski Areas ...