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  • Pacific Group Resorts, Inc. Submits Top Bid for Jay Peak at $76 Million

    PGRI president and CEO Vern Greco shares his thoughts on the acquisition with SAM. SAM Magazine—Jay, Vt., Sept. 8, 2022—Pacific Group Resorts, Inc. (PGRI) made the highest and best final bid to buy Jay Peak, $76 million, following an auction with multiple bidders. PGRI president and CEO Vern Greco told SAM that after three years spent pursuing the acquisition, PGRI is poised to bring renewed stability to the resort and its staff, and tap into its passion and energy. The prevailing bid remains subject to approval by the United States District Court in Southern Florida during a final hearing scheduled for Sept. 16. Judge Darrin P. Gayles, who has presided over the receivership in federal...

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2025 I AM a Snowmaker Contest Nominations Now Open

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., Sept. 30, 2024—Ski areas across North America are invited to nominate their snowmaking teams to participate in the 10th annual “I AM a Snowmaker” contest, presented by HKD Snowmakers. The “I AM” contest offers the opportunity for a handful of resorts to showcase their snowmaking teams and the work they do via...

PNP Supply Partners with Demaclenko on TRM Pipe Distribution

SAM Magazine—Greenwood Village, Colo., Sept. 23, 2024—PNP Supply reached a partnership agreement with Demaclenko that will support and expand North American distribution of TRM (Tiroler Rohre GmbH) ductile-iron pipe for snowmaking systems. TRM is based in Tirol, Austria, and PNP Supply LLC has been the exclusive North American importer of the ...

Western Lodging Revenue, Occupancy Showing Signs of Strength

SAM Magazine—Winter Park, Colo., Sept. 17, 2024—Lodging properties in Western mountain destinations eased back on daily rate increases over the summer and successfully boosted summer occupancy. The same strategy has sparked a significant boost in early bookings for the upcoming winter. That's the latest news from the monthly Market Briefing fro...

Extent of Fire Damage at Mountain High “Too Soon to Tell,” Says Karl Kapuscinski

SAM Magazine—Wrightwood, Calif., Sept. 13, 2024—Leadership at Mountain High were able to return to the resort over the last two days to start assessing the damage from the Bridge Fire, which moved through the ski area Tuesday night and remains active in Angeles National Forest.Courtesy of Mountain High Karl Kapuscinski, CEO of California Mount...

Indy Pass Launches New Employee Pass Program

SAM Magazine—Granby, Colo., Sept. 13, 2024—Indy Pass is offering a new employee pass program that the company said is designed to help its partner ski areas recruit seasonal staff and retain year-round employees. Like the consumer Indy Pass product, employees at Indy Pass partner ski areas that opt-in to the program can redeem two days of skiin...

Wildfires Threaten Mountain High, Mt. Baldy, and Others Across the West

SAM Magazine—San Bernardino, Calif., Sept. 11, 2024—The Bridge Fire, burning in the Angeles National Forest, grew exponentially on Tuesday, surging into Mountain High resort and the communities of Wrightwood and Mt. Baldy, which are under mandatory evacuation orders. Credit to ALERTCalifornia An update from the Wrightwood Fire Safe Council at...

Davis Fire Nears Mt. Rose – Ski Tahoe, Sky Tavern Also Ordered to Evacuate

SAM Magazine—Reno, Nev., Sept. 9, 2024—Evacuation orders are in place for Mt. Rose –Ski Tahoe and neighboring Sky Tavern as firefighters work to contain the Davis Fire. A screen capture from the ALERTNevada webcam on top of Slide Mountain, the peak of Mt. Rose – Ski Tahoe. The 6,500-acre wildfire, which started in the Washoe Valley south ...

Alterra Capital Investments Ahead of 2024-25 Season Total More Than $300 Million

SAM Magazine—Denver, Sept. 6, 2024—Alterra Mountain Company has invested more than $300 million in capital improvements ahead of the 2024-25 season. The capital investment cycle included major projects at Deer Valley, Utah, and Winter Park, Colo., among others. The first phase of the East Village expansion at Deer Valley will debut this winter...

Ski Resort AI Bootcamp to Prepare Resorts for the Future

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., Sept. 6, 2024—SAM Magazine is offering a virtual Ski Resort AI Bootcamp this fall, aimed at informing resort personnel of the available artificial intelligence (AI) technologies and teaching practical AI skills, including the pros and cons of the various tools. The bootcamp, led by Mike Lannen of the digital agency ...

Alterra Appoints Amy Ohran President and COO of Palisades Tahoe

SAM Magazine—Denver, Sept. 4, 2024 – Alterra Mountain Company has named Amy Ohran the new president and COO of Palisades Tahoe. She succeeds Dee Byrne, who is retiring after 40 years in the industry.  “I am very excited for this new opportunity at the legendary Palisades Tahoe,” said Ohran, in part, in a statement. “I look forward to le...

Middleton to Retire as Big Sky Resort President and COO, Nedved to Succeed Him

SAM Magazine—Big Sky, Mont., Sept. 4, 2024—After nearly three decades leading Big Sky Resort, president and chief operating officer Taylor Middleton will step down from day-to-day responsibilities on Oct. 1, 2024.Taylor Middleton and Troy Nedved Current general manager Troy Nedved will succeed him, assuming both the president and COO positions....

Brundage Creates Its Own Fire Department, Expands EMS Services

SAM Magazine—McCall, Idaho, Sept. 4, 2024—Brundage Mountain Resort has established a new fire department based at the resort and will soon be a licensed EMS transport provider, creating its own independent emergency response agencies that will serve the resort area. The new Brundage Mountain Fire Protection Association (BMFPA) hired a fire chi...

SAM Names Summit Series Mentors, Mentee Applications Due Sept. 13

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., Sept. 4, 2024—Nine mentors have been named for the seventh annual SAM Summit Series leadership development program, which will explore the theme “Leadership During Times of Constant Change” this year. In the mentor/mentee program, emerging resort leaders engage and learn from top industry veterans on a variety ...

Fatzer AG Acquires Rocky Mountain Lift Services & Supplies Inc.

SAM Magazine—Canmore, Alberta, Aug. 30, 2024—Switzerland-based wire rope manufacturer Fatzer AG has acquired Canada-based Rocky Mountain Lift Services and Supplies Inc., aka Rigging Specialties. Rocky Mountain Lift Services and Supplies Inc. (RMLSS) provides products and services for rope rigging applications as well as rope installations, mag...

National Ski Patrol Now Accepting First Responder Credentials, Not Just OEC

SAM Magazine—Lakewood, Colo., Aug. 30, 2024—National Ski Patrol (NSP) is expanding its membership to include working patrollers who have first responder credentials, such as emergency medical technicians (EMTs), wilderness first responders (WFRs), and paramedics. NSP had previously only opened membership to those who intended to take or had alr...

The Winner of the 2024 Rise Up Challenge is…

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., Aug. 28, 2024—The 2024 Rise Up Challenge, sponsored by Leitner-Poma of America, highlighted up-and-coming lift mechanics and their lift maintenance teams from six ski areas across North America: Berkshire East, Mass.; Crystal Mountain, Wash.; Mount Sunapee, N.H.; Palisades Tahoe, Calif.; Purgatory, Colo.; and Snowbir...

Ikon Pass Adds Sierra-At-Tahoe, Expands Taos Access for Winter 2024-25

SAM Magazine—Denver, Colo., Aug. 27, 2024—Sierra-at-Tahoe has joined the Ikon Pass for winter 2024-25. It will be one of six California ski resorts offered on the Alterra Mountain Company-owned pass this winter.  “We are excited to expand Ikon Pass access in California by offering even more in the Tahoe area,” said Erik Forsell, chief mar...

Shawnee Mountain Commits to Four-Year REC Deal

SAM Magazine––Shawnee on Delaware, Pa., Aug. 27, 2024––Shawnee Mountain Ski Area has entered a four-year renewable energy credit (REC) purchase agreement with ENGIE Resources, a subsidiary of ENGIE North America. Under the agreement, Shawnee will claim 6,000 annual RECs, equivalent to 6,000,000 kWh of electricity delivered to the grid from ...

Southern Hemisphere 2024 Ski Season: Early Snow for Some, Late or Little Snow for Others

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., Aug. 27, 2024—Massive fall snowstorms set South America’s ski season off on what has been the best winter this century for many centers there, the majority of which opened weeks early in May.Courtesy of La Parva It was a more challenging first month or so in Australia and New Zealand, though snowmaking pulled ski a...

SAM and MMGY Origin Release Outlook on Resort Marketing Report

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., Aug. 27, 2024—Drawing insights from a survey of ski area marketers across North America, the inaugural "Outlook on Resort Marketing" report, created by SAM Magazine and MMGY Origin, is now available exclusively for SAM subscribers. Designed as a key resource for marketing professionals in the ski industry, the repor...

POWDR to Sell Killington Resort / Pico Mountain, Put Mt. Bachelor, Eldora, and SilverStar Out to Bid

Updated at 11:15 a.m. on Aug. 22, 2024. SAM Magazine—Killington, Vt, Aug. 22, 2024—POWDR has agreed to sell Killington Resort and Pico Mountain to a group of local investors. The sale is expected to close this fall. Following news of the sale, sources report that POWDR also plans to put several of its other ski resort properties—Eldora, Col...

Travel Patterns Stabilizing at Western Destinations

SAM Magazine—Winter Park, Colo., Aug. 16, 2024—Rates and occupancy are leveling out in the West, according to the latest Monthly Briefing from DestiMetrics, the business intelligence division of Inntopia. The latest report highlights just how rate sensitive summer guests have become, as a slight uptick in rates last month led to a modest dip in...

Rock Snowpark Rebrands, Reverting to Original Crystal Ridge Name

Crystal Ridge general manager Riley May at the Midwest Ski Areas Association show.SAM Magazine—Franklin, Wis., Aug. 14, 2024—Rock Snowpark has rebranded as Crystal Ridge, which was the ski area’s original name when John Kaishian first opened it in 1987. The new name goes into effect immediately and the rebrand includes a new Crystal Ridge log...

SAM Partners with NSAA, Taos Ski Valley, and Mountain Towns 2030 on Climate Solutions Summit Arrival-Day Event

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., Aug. 7, 2024—SAM has partnered with the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA), Taos Ski Valley, N.M., and Mountain Towns 2030 to welcome key stakeholders in the mountain resort community to the 2024 Climate Solutions Summit in Jackson, Wyo., Oct. 15-16 with a free arrival-day program at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort....

Pennsylvania Ski Areas Association Rebranding to Encompass Outdoor Recreation, Welcomes New Executive Director

SAM Magazine—White Haven, Pa., Aug. 5, 2024—The Pennsylvania Ski Areas Association (PSAA) is rebranding as the Pennsylvania Outdoor Recreation Association (PORA). The new entity will welcome a broad scope of outdoor-focused businesses to its membership and support the state’s outdoor recreation economy by expanding employee education, promoti...

Voting Opens for 2024 Rise Up Challenge

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., Aug. 5, 2024—Voting is now open for the fourth annual Rise Up Challenge, a video contest highlighting a handful of skilled young lift mechanics who will keep chairs spinning at resorts for decades to come. This year, six resorts were chosen to submit a video, each featuring an up-and-coming mechanic from the reso...

Jasper Fire Update: Marmot Unscathed, Fire Remains Uncontained

SAM Magazine—Jasper, Alberta, Aug. 1, 2024—In an update shared to social media, Marmot Basin confirmed that its infrastructure was left undamaged by the Jasper Complex Wildfire.  While the fire still rages uncontained in Jasper National Park, the ski area reassured patrons that it intends to operate this coming winter.  “This will take mu...

Red Mountain Resort Begins Construction of New Bike Park

SAM Magazine—Rossland, B.C., July 29, 2024—Red Mountain Resort has begun construction on the first phase of the new Red Mountain Bike Park. The resort partnered with Gravity Logic to design and develop the multimillion-dollar lift-accessed bike park. Red Mountain CEO and owner Howard Katkov said the bike park marks "not just a pivotal moment i...

Wildfires Ravage Jasper, Marmot Basin Evacuated

SAM Magazine—Jasper, Alberta, July 25, 2024—A fast-moving wildfire complex blazed through popular resort town Jasper Wednesday evening. More than 5,000 residents and 20,000 tourists were evacuated from the town and surrounding area earlier this week. Among the many businesses at risk from the fires is Marmot Basin, Jasper National Park’s onl...

Salt Lake City Awarded 2034 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games

SAM Magazine—Salt Lake City, Utah, July 24, 2024—The Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games will return to Salt Lake City in 2034.  After awarding the city exclusive negotiating rights for the games last year, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) officially ratified Salt Lake City as the host of the 2034 Winter Games following a Wednesday m...

Skidata Sold to Swedish Access Solution Group Assa Abloy

SAM Magazine—Stockholm, Sweden, July 23, 2024—Swedish locking and security systems manufacturer Assa Abloy Group has entered into an agreement to purchase Skidata from Swiss business technology firm the Kudelski Group.  Skidata provides access management solutions to mountain resort operations and others in the sport and entertainment industr...

Hot Fourth of July Weather, and Business, for U.S. Ski Areas

SAM Magazine—Cambridge, Vt., July 17, 2024—While it’s hard for many to believe we’ve passed the 4th of July mile marker, the classic (and historically lucrative) summer holiday has now come and gone, leaving many operators grateful for water-based amenities and a continued interest in live music events.  For example, Snow King Mountain, W...

Schweitzer Buys Selkirk Powder’s Sidecountry Operation

SAM Magazine—Sandpoint, Idaho, July 15, 2024—Schweitzer has acquired Selkirk Powder’s resort-based backcountry operation, which offers guided snowmobiling and cat skiing in the terrain off the backside of the resort. The outfit has operated from the summit of Schweitzer for 21 years through a long-term concession agreement with the resort and...

Stable Rates Fuel Summer Growth in West

SAM Magazine—Winter Park, Colo., July 15, 2024—Stable rates helped fuel a continued uptick in occupancy at Western mountain destinations in June, according to the monthly Market Briefing from DestiMetrics, the business intelligence division of Inntopia. The growth comes as lodging properties have bowed to consumer pricing concerns and travel pa...

Utah Ski Areas Record Second-Most Skier Visits in State’s History

SAM Magazine—Salt Lake City, Utah, July 10, 2024—Utah’s 15 alpine ski areas saw a total of 6,746,008 skier visits during the 2023-24 winter season, the second highest visitation total in the state’s history behind the 7.1 million skier visits in 2022-23, according to state trade association Ski Utah.  “We are immensely proud of this sea...

Vista Fire Nears Mt. Baldy

SAM Magazine—Mount Baldy, Calif., July 10, 2024—After it was first reported Sunday, July 7, at 10 a.m. PDT, the Vista Fire has grown to nearly 2,500 acres and has prompted evacuation orders for Mt. Baldy Resort east of Los Angeles as the fire approaches the ski area. As of Wednesday afternoon, it was zero percent contained. The latest report s...

Monarch's No Name Expansion Gets USFS Approval

SAM Magazine—Salida, Colo., July 10, 2024—Monarch Mountain has received United States Forest Service (USFS) approval for its No Name Basin terrain expansion project, as its Memorandum of Agreement has been finalized and the USFS has signed the Decision Notice. The project will add 377 acres, bringing Monarch's special use permit to 1,146 acres...

Dave Amirault Joins SNOW Partners as Chief Innovation Officer

SAM Magazine—Montville, N.J., July 9, 2024—Snow Partners has hired Dave Amirault as chief innovation officer for all its related businesses. He started July 1. In this newly created role, Amirault will lead Snow Partners’ innovation strategy for Mountain Creek Resort and Big Snow American Dream, N.J., SnowCloud resort management software, and...

PSAA Lift Maintenance Seminar Series Kicks Off at Seven Springs

SAM Magazine—Seven Springs, Pa., July 2, 2024—Pennsylvania Ski Areas Association (PSAA) held its biannual lift maintenance seminar at Seven Springs Mountain Resort, Pa., June 25-26, 2024.  Attendance from Pennsylvania ski areas is near 100 percent for the program, which stresses hands-on training. Participation is free for employees of Pennsy...

Doppelmayr USA to Double Size of Utah Headquarters

SAM Magazine—Salt Lake City, Utah, July 2, 2024—Doppelmayr USA will expand its Salt Lake City headquarters with the addition of a new facility that will nearly double the size of its existing building, allowing Doppelmayr USA to take a larger role in manufacturing and accommodate a growing workforce. “The current facility has served us well ...

MND Opens New Production Site in Savoie, France

SAM Magazine—Savoie, France, July 2, 2024—French industrial group MND opened a new cable transport production and assembly facility in Savoie, France. The facility cost 10 million euros (roughly $10.5 million) and is dedicated specifically to production of the group’s new Orizon range of gondolas and chairlifts. “This is an important step ...

Indy Adds 10 Ski Areas, Will Reopen Limited Pass Sales

SAM Magazine—Granby, Colo., July 1, 2024—After adding 10 new ski areas to its roster for the 2024-25 season, Indy Pass will release a limited number of passes starting July 1.  “With the addition of these great new partners, we are excited to release additional passes during this short window,” said Indy founder Doug Fish, adding that “...

DOJ Scrutinizing Alterra’s Planned Arapahoe Basin Acquisition

SAM Magazine—Denver, June 28, 2024—Alterra Mountain Company’s planned acquisition of Arapahoe Basin, Colo., is reportedly being reviewed by the Department of Justice (DOJ), which has issued a civil investigative demand to the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) and RRC Associates seeking data from the association’s annual surveys on ski a...

LMOE Draws Record Attendance, Adds Vehicle Maintenance

SAM Magazine—South Lake Tahoe, Calif., June 27, 2024—The 2024 Ski California Lift Maintenance and Operations Education (LMOE) conference set a record for attendance, with 368 ski industry professionals descending upon South Lake Tahoe, June 4-6, for education, training, and networking. The event moved from Palisades Tahoe to a new location thi...

Leitner-Poma of America Opens New Skytrac Facility in Utah

SAM Magazine—Tooele, Utah, June 25, 2024—Leitner-Poma of America (LPOA) opened a new $27 million, 130,000-square-foot Skytrac manufacturing facility last week in Tooele, outside of Salt Lake City.  The new campus will serve primarily as the headquarters and sole manufacturing base for ropeway company Skytrac, an LPOA subsidiary, as well as pr...

Annual ISAA Conference Draws Record Attendance

SAM Magazine—Red Lodge, Mont., June 25, 2024—The 2024 Intermountain Ski Areas Association (ISAA) Conference, held June 10-12 in Red Lodge, Mont., attracted a record attendance of 246 ski industry business professionals. Red Lodge Mountain GM Jeff Schmidt accepts the Outstanding Contribution Award at the ISAA Conference.The event provided a plat...

Liftblog’s Peter Landsman Has Now Visited Every Ski Area in North America

SAM Magazine—Dawson City, Yukon, June 20, 2024—Liftblog.com creator Peter Landsman completed his mission to visit every ski area in North America last night when he stopped in at Moose Mountain in Canada’s Yukon territory to grab a picture of the municipal hill’s T-bar. Landsman has been documenting lifts in North America for more than two ...

Visitation to Vermont’s Alpine Ski Areas Flat, XC Visits Down by Half

SAM Magazine—Montpelier, Vt., June 20, 2024—Despite a slow start to the season and inconsistent weather, Ski Vermont reported that the state’s alpine ski areas welcomed 4.1 million skier visits for 2023-24, down less than half a percentage point from the 2022-23 season.  Visitation was 4 percent above Vermont’s 10-year average and outpace...

New Mexico Ski Area Closes as South Fork Wildfire Approaches

SAM Magazine—Ruidoso, N.M, June 19, 2024—Approximately 8,000 people have been forced to evacuate in central New Mexico as the South Fork / Salt Fire complex spreads across Lincoln County and the Mescalero Apache Reservation, home to the ski town of Ruidoso. Ski Apache, the local mountain resort, has closed its summer operations until further no...

Jay Peak Plans Price Freeze and Reductions

SAM Magazine—Jay, Vt., June 19, 2024—Jay Peak Resort unveiled plans to freeze or reduce pricing on a variety of its products for both this summer and the upcoming 2024-25 winter season. The initiative, dubbed Mission Affordability, will freeze rates on day tickets and reduce pricing on the Mission Affordable 4-pack, as well as certain menu item...

Participation Base Up, Frequency Down in Outdoor Trends Report

SAM Magazine—Boulder, Colo., June 19, 2024—The Outdoor Foundation (OF) and Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) report that the outdoor recreation participation base grew 4.1 percent in 2023 to a record 175.8 million participants.  According to the 2024 Outdoor Participation Trends Report, 57.3 percent of Americans aged 6 and older are particip...

Understanding Vail Resorts' Epic Pass/Day Ticket Equation

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., June 19, 2024—Just how far can season pass sales take a resort? That's surely a question that many areas have been asking themselves. And it was a topic that was explored in some depth during the Vail Resorts conference call with analysts following the company's presentation of its Q3 results June 6. Quarterly a...

Cooling Rates Spark Strong Bookings at Western Mountain Destinations

SAM Magazine—Winter Park, Colo., June 14, 2024—A very small tweak downward in aggregated rates over the past 30 days created an appreciable uptick in occupancy for most of the summer months (May through October) at Western mountain destinations. This positive pattern shift from the previous six months, for both lodging properties and consumers,...

Vail Resorts Q3 Report Details Visit Decline, Revenue Rise

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., June 6, 2024—Vail Resorts (VR) has reported results for the third quarter of fiscal 2024 ended April 30, 2024, along with early season pass sales and almost-complete-season results. While lift, ski school, and dining revenues were up all up, total skier visits for the quarter were down 3.2 percent year-over-ye...

New Hampshire Ski Areas Report Visitation Down for 2023-24

SAM Magazine—North Conway, N.H., June 7, 2024—Alpine ski areas in the Granite State recorded approximately 2.17 million skier visits during the 2023-24 winter season, according to estimates from Ski New Hampshire. Alpine visits were down 4 percent year-over-year from 2.2 million visits in 2022-23. “Given the challenging weather conditions th...

Colorado Ski Areas Project Second Highest Visitation in State History

SAM Magazine—Denver, June 6, 2024—Colorado Ski Country USA (CSCUSA) is projecting that the state saw 14 million skier visits during the 2023-24 season. The projected total is a decrease of approximately 5 percent from last season’s record-breaking total of 14.8 million, but still represents the second highest skier visit total on record for t...

Alterra Expands Split Payment Plan to Lodging and Lessons

SAM Magazine—Denver, June 6, 2024—Alterra Mountain Company has expanded its partnership with payment network Affirm, allowing customers the option to pay over time when purchasing local mountain passes, lodging, and lessons for any of Alterra’s North American destinations. The option to use Affirm to split a purchase into monthly payments wa...

CCSAA 2024 Annual Conference Recap

SAM Magazine—Park City, Utah, June 3, 2024—The Cross Country Ski Areas Association (CCSAA) held its annual conference in Park City, Utah, April 8-10, drawing 58 attendees representing 36 entities including cross country ski areas, suppliers, media, and related businesses. City of Aspen's Austin Weiss and Blaine County’s (Idaho) Eric Rector. ...

Jackson Hole CFO McCreedy Retiring, Turner Promoted

SAM Magazine—Teton Village, Wyo., May 31, 2024—Jackson Hole Mountain Resort (JHMR) chief financial officer Matt McCreedy will retire on June 30 after more than three decades at the resort. Corporate controller Braden Turner will succeed McCreedy as the resort’s new CFO. Turner is a licensed CPA who has served as the resort’s corporate cont...

NSAA National Convention Highlights Industry’s Challenges, Opportunities

SAM Magazine—Frisco, Texas, May 31, 2024—The 2024 National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) National Convention and Tradeshow welcomed 687 attendees to the Omni PGA Frisco Resort, May 21-24, for meetings, educational sessions, tradeshow, and networking.  Many of the industry’s biggest challenges and opportunities were discussed, both formally a...