Mountain Department
Leadership Development
Strong leadership drives successful mountain operations. The Leadership Development Department explores management skills, communication, coaching, training, and workplace culture strategies that help resort professionals build stronger teams and lead more effectively.
Cover Story
Happy Staff = Happy Guests
Why there’s a direct correlation between employee satisfaction and guest loyalty, and how ski areas can capitalize on the opportunity.
Leadership Articles
Mountain Spy :: Employment Edition
In honor of hiring season, the Spy revisits 20 years of employment-related calls.
Beyond Orientation: New Approaches to Staff Readiness
Six resorts are doing more than one-and-done onboarding to better prepare new hires and managers alike ahead of…
Lessons in Leadership
Summit Series mentors share leadership lessons on navigating change, building culture, developing people, and growing careers.
10 Under 30
These 10 rising professionals are making an outsized impact on their organizations—and on the future of the snowsports…
Changing the Narrative Around Ski Industry Careers
The ski industry offers unique careers for young professionals, but do they know that?
Latest News
SAM Summit Series Expands to 60 Participants, Welcomes New Mentor Class
Mt. Ashland Names Rachel Canada as General Manager
Antelope Butte Names Peter Johnson General Manager
Ragged Mountain Names Wickstrom General Manager
Eaglecrest Board Appoints Julie Piper as Next General Manager
Bolton Valley Shuffles Leadership Team
Wirth Named General Manager of Bretton Woods
Randles Headed to Hunter as New VP and GM
SPONSORED
Real growth happens in the Field of Play
When people have space to engage, experiment, and grow in real time, development goes deeper and creates lasting change.
Through the Decades
1960sNSAA NewsletterJune 1965
1970sThe Norton PhenomenonMarch 1975
1980sThe “Truck Theory” of ManagementMarch 19812000sSAM Names This Year’s SAMMY WinnersMay 2008
2010sFour Receive SAMMY Leadership AwardsApril 2014
2020sEdelmann to Succeed Howard as Vail Mountain VP and COOApril 2026Cards show digitized stories tagged to this department. Decades without tagged articles are omitted; the chips below still search every decade from the 1960s on.
Community
On the calendar
- Sep28International Snow Science Workshop (Sep 28, 2026)
- Sep29CWSAA Fall Lift Safety Bootcamp (Sep 29, 2026)
- Oct5Pipeline Project Ski Career Exploration, Mountain Ops Focus (Oct 5, 2026)
- Oct6CWSAA Fall Lift Safety Bootcamp (Oct 6, 2026)
- Oct6CWSAA Bike Park Forum (Oct 6, 2026)
- Oct6NSAA Fall Education SeminarsShowdown, MT
Supplier Guide
Field of Play ConsultingField of Play Consulting helps leaders, teams, and organizations grow through experiential learning. Its approach creates purposeful opportunities to practice skills, tackle meaningful challenges, and learn through experience. Through guided challenges, reflection, and feedback, Field of Play builds leadership capabilities, strengthens collaboration, and supports lasting individual and organizational development.
MountainGuardMountainGuard is a leading provider of insurance and risk management solutions for the ski industry. With more than 60 years of experience, MountainGuard provides customized coverage, claims management, and loss control services tailored to ski areas, helping operators manage risk, protect their assets, and navigate the industry’s unique challenges.Department Sponsorship
Become the partner this department’s readers recommend.
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