SAM Coverage
Rick Kahl
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An Age-Old Lift Problem
With each passing year, the need to replace aging lifts across North America becomes more urgent. The ski industry in North America faces a significant…
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What’s New in Rental Gear for 2026-27
Suppliers balance innovation and consistency in the latest rental gear as rentals claim a bigger share of the market. The rental market for alpine…
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Keeping Track in Rental
Rental departments generate a lot of data. Here’s how three ski areas stay on top of it all. Rental shops process a lot of…
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The Wisdom of Whistler Blackcomb
How the largest resort in North America mastered summer, and how you can, too. The simple secret of Whistler Blackcomb’s summer ops success: maximize…
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Fine-Tuning the Rental Buy
There’s a lot of careful work to be done before placing the purchase order. With participation in skiing, snowboarding, and XC down in 2023-24,…
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How To Be A Boss
Industry up-and-comers express relatable challenges, and mentors share lessons, advice, and actionable solutions. This story is from the SAM print archive Subscribers can read the…
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New HQs for Mountain Ops
Mountain operations have expanded greatly over the decades, and so must the notion of “maintenance shops.” Maintenance shops are one of those capital expense items…
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Building for Efficiency
After Grand Targhee’s old maintenance shop collapsed, the resort planned for and built a new shop with all the fixins to help its crew…
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A Renewed Focus on Growth
Participation growth concerns were sidelined during the past two Covid-restricted seasons, but now it’s time to refocus on developing the market. What ever happened…
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The Supply Dilemma
Kinks in the supply chain have snarled the world of manufacturing, and resort suppliers are navigating the tangle. Supply chain issues, shipping delays, and…
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Capital Suggestions
It takes money to make money, but it takes smart planning to spend it well. Capital planning is the dose of reality that makes…
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Keep the Staff Informed (Guests, too)
This ski season will bring plenty of change. How will you keep everyone pulling the same rope? If the last eight months have taught…
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Grab-and-Go Gear
Rental operators are exploring multiple ways to speed the process. Part of a Special Section “Winter 2020-21: A New Normal” sponsored by Aspenware. Rental…
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An Eye for Ideas
A profile of the man who originated this regular feature and how he came to chronicle the collective genius of the mountain ops community.…
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Brave New World
Chris Diamond’s insightful new book, Ski Inc. 2020, analyzes the consolidation trend and its potential impacts on all winter resorts. The ski industry…
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Construction Site :: November 2018
In this expanded edition, we look at a wide range of capital investments, at resorts big and small, from Whistler Blackcomb, B.C., to Magic…
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Construction Site :: September 2018
Major summer improvements, especially new lifts, are happening at resorts across the country. WINDHAM, NY Windham is installing a new high-speed Doppelmayr six-pack…
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Statistical Disarray in 2018
SAM has been encouraging greater coordination of industry data for 35 years. How much has changed? Thirty-five years ago, a Speak-Out by SAM founding…