About SAM

For more than 60 years, Ski Area Management (SAM) has been an independent voice for the mountain resort industry. Published by Beardsley Publishing, SAM covers the people, ideas, best practices, challenges and innovations shaping mountain resort operations.

What began as a trade magazine in 1962 has evolved into a multi-channel media and events company, but print remains at the heart of SAM. Six times a year, our magazine brings together the stories, ideas, photography, voices and industry perspective that matter most in a thoughtfully edited issue designed to be read, shared and kept for reference.

That journalism continues well beyond the magazine. Online, SAM reports on the industry as it happens, explores new ideas and provides practical resources throughout the year. Readers can dig deeper into a topic, find something they missed, search decades of SAM coverage, share an article with a colleague or listen on the road. Our newsletters, classifieds, podcasts, educational programs, and in-person and online events offer even more ways to stay informed and connected.

Our goal is simple: to help mountain resort professionals do their jobs better. That means sharing practical ideas from their peers, asking questions that move the industry forward, exploring new products and solutions, and creating opportunities for the people who make this industry work to learn from and connect with one another.

Who We Serve

Mountain resorts are complex businesses, and the people who run them wear a lot of hats. From community ski areas to major destination resorts, their operations span lifts, snowmaking, grooming, guest services, risk management, technology, food and beverage, retail and rental, marketing, lodging, year-round attractions and much more.

SAM is created for the people behind those operations: owners and executives, department leaders, managers, supervisors and emerging leaders looking for ideas they can put to work.

It’s also a community that includes the suppliers, consultants and experts who help resorts solve problems and move their businesses forward. SAM provides a place for both sides of the industry to exchange ideas, discover solutions and better understand what’s happening across the mountain resort landscape.

The SAM Community

SAM reaches mountain resort professionals throughout North America and around the world, from senior leadership to the people managing day-to-day operations. Our international readership extends to mountain regions in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, China, South America and beyond.

Our magazine maintains a 100 percent paid circulation, with additional distribution at key regional and national industry events. And SAM tends to travel: 26 percent of subscribers pass their copy along to five or more additional readers, extending its reach across resort departments and teams.

That community extends beyond the magazine. Readers connect with SAM throughout the year through our digital coverage, newsletters, podcasts, educational programs and events. For industry partners, those same channels create opportunities to contribute expertise, introduce solutions and build relationships with the professionals they serve.

Through it all, SAM remains independently owned. We work closely with resorts, suppliers, associations and experts throughout the industry while remaining unaffiliated with any one trade association or organization. After more than six decades, “I saw it in SAM” remains a familiar refrain throughout the industry.

Meet the SAM Team

Frequently Asked Questions