SAM Coverage
Seth Masia
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The Eternal Ski Bum
Where will old skiers go before they die? Slats sat at his usual corner booth, looking more than usually chipper. He had a couple…
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Letters :: Global Warming is Real
Seth Masia of Solar Today writes in response to Allen Best’s “A Slightly Skeptical Look at Global Warming” (May 2009). Global Warming Is RealI enjoyed…
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Wall Street Losers
Slats turns an eye on real estate in the mountains. The leaves had turned, but the lifts hadn’t. Slats sat at the bar, watching…
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Going Abroad
As the domestic labor market tightens, resorts increasingly look overseas for staff. As the ski industry’s historical pool of snow bums has been shrinking,…
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The Next Steps
With global warming looming large, what can ski resorts do to stem the tide beyond the traditional conservation programs? During January, a couple of…
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Slats Goes Private
There’s money to be made in them thar hills. “Ford’s at $6,” said Slats, waving his Corona toward the stock ticker running across the…
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Snowmobiles and ATVs 2006
Whether in summer or winter, snowmobiles and utility vehicles are vital to area operations. Here’s a look at what’s new in these small workhorses.…
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Are We Melting?
The first in a special three-part section on sustainability. Here, the issues of global warming and what it means for the industry are addressed.…
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Grooming Vehicles 2006
Our annual look at the machines that groom our slopes. The big news? A new big guy on the block, while two other manufacturers…
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Emerging Markets
Slats is back and he’s analyzing the disappearance of the ski bum. Slats has his own corner of the bar, and he’s outlasted several…
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Tuning Out
We’ve come a long way since the days of operating each segment at a resort as a separate profit center. Learning Centers are putting…
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Look Ma, No Hands
by Seth Masia Huge retail operations like Wal-Mart are gearing up to put radio frequency chips in every price tag and package on their…
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Attending to the Details
The final months of 2002 were a tough time for Colorado ski resorts. On Nov. 23, Winter Park lost area manager Jack Mason, 53,…
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Grooming Vehicles 2004
The word in grooming vehicles this season is tinkering. Following last year’s spate of new-model introductions, manufacturers are largely working on refinements to their…
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AC vs. DC
Throughout the world ski lifts are powered by AC and DC motors and drives up to about 1,000 horsepower. In more and more applications,…
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You Do the Math
I hadn’t seen Slats all summer, so when I spotted him in his usual booth at the back of the bar, I clumped on…
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Adding an Accent
I saw Slats Grabski at the post office, waiting in line to send off a fat manila envelope. He also had an armful of…