SAM Coverage
Dave Meeker
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NSAA Injury Study: Good News for Incident Rates
Topline data from National Ski Areas Association’s 10-Year Interval Injury Study showed improvement over previous studies.
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The Cool Sh*t Compendium
From fan guns and hydrants to filtration systems and all-weather tech, the snowmaking world is loaded with neat products. There are a lot of…
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Best and Worst in Marketing 2025-26
Execution makes all the difference in the success of this year’s ski area marketing efforts.
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2026 Groomer Report
Snowcat manufacturers continue to refine their machines and after-sale support. Within the steel and aluminum construction of grooming machines lives digital intelligence that continues to…
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Over-Snow Vehicles
How the SAM “Groomer Report” began. Former SAM technical editor Nils Ericksen wrote an article called “Over-Snow Vehicles — a Survey” in the Spring 1979…
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Idea Files :: January 2026
An all-Canada edition with a custom Panther mixer; hands-free water stations; and a downspout boot dryer. Panther Mixer Castle Mountain, Alberta, installed a high-speed…
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The Olympic Bump
Every four years, the Winter Olympics play on the TVs of millions of Americans. Can you guess which sport gets the biggest bump in…
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Perks of Employment
Resorts share their winning and valued benefits, recognition programs, and other morale boosters. A nice benefits package can help attract and retain talented people.…
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Pre-Season Pep Talk
Pre-season pep talks from industry leaders. The busy (never say frantic or scrambling) lead-up to opening day is an exciting and magical time—projects are…
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Wind Hold
Aerial lifts are susceptible to wind, but experience, technology, and teamwork help manage the risks. One of the most confounding realities of the uphill…
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Best and Worst in Marketing 2024-25
A mix of inspired brilliance and uninspired misses round out a comparatively less splashy year in ski area marketing. The relative lack of buzz…
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2025 Groomer Report
New technology plays an increasingly large role in modern snowcat development and operation. When we break it all down, a groom-ing machine serves two…
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North Carolina Ski Areas Sustain Minimal Damage from Helene, Communities Not as Lucky
Photo courtesy of Kim Jochl.SAM Magazine—Banner Elk, N.C., Oct. 2, 2024—Ski areas in the mountains of western North Carolina appear to have suffered relatively…
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Mountain Spy :: March 2023
“Can I come just to ride the lift?” While scenic chairlift rides have long been a staple summer activity at mountain resorts, the same…
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Catching Up with Kelly
SAM catches up with NSAA president and CEO Kelly Pawlak after her first five years at the helm to find out how she and…
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Our Responsibility Code
The revised Your Responsibility Code should serve as a reinvigoration of the industry’s safety efforts. Believe it or not, some version of the National…
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Mountain Spy :: March 2022
“Is there a way to avoid lines at your ski area?” This story is from the SAM print archive Subscribers can read the…
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Mountain Spy :: January 2022
The Question: How long does it take to go through your equipment rental process? Rental operations at many ski areas underwent significant changes last…