Clever summer uses for covered conveyor lifts and a skating rink.

WILMOT'S $13 MILLION OVERHAUL... WHISTLER BLACKCOMB RENAISSANCE... KILLINGTON INVESTING IN SUMMER... PEOPLE... AWARDS... OBITUARIES... SUPPLIER NEWS

Landscaping has long been a low priority for winter resorts, but summer operations are giving many a new perspective.

SUMMER BUSINESS: A SHARED EXPERIENCE The Assembly, conceived and run by Denver-based DestiMetrics, has quickly become a staple of the annual mountain tourism seminar cycle. Held Jan. 29 in Denver during the SIA Snow Show, this year’s summer-focused symposium, “Balancing the Peaks and Valleys of Mountain Tourism,” highlighted the community-wide nature of summer visits and the impact of the sharing economy on the traditional lodging business.

The editors of SAM, along with a number of ski area operators, attended the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) Expo in Orlando, Fla., Nov. 17-20, looking for both specific products and general inspiration. We spied representatives from Bristol, Camelback, Jiminy Peak, Holiday Valley, Mont Saint-Sauveur, Nashoba Valley, and Breckenridge among the thousands perusing the half-million square feet of summer fun.

Small ski areas are seeking ways to respond to change and overcome limits to growth. Small ski areas face a variety of challenges, many of which are unique to the nature of a small area operation. SAM wants to get your feedback to help identify the most pressing issues you face as a small ski area operator. By taking this survey, you will contribute important information that will help the industry tackle some of these issues, and hopefully come up with useful solutions that will be covered in future issues of SAM. The questions cover a range of topics including mountain operations, guest service, marketing, and finance. It will only take a few minutes of your time, and we are positive it will be time well spent. Plus, everyone who completes the survey will be entered to win $100! Thank you for your time and think snow! Smaller ski areas are ...

Summer operations hold the promise of high margins and profits, but achieving them takes a concerted effort.

The transition from on-hill treatment of injured skiers to more broad-based risk and safety management has brought new responsibilities——and strains. Eighteen inches have fallen in the last eight hours when the alarm clock buzzes at 4:30 a.m. Patrollers drive up the unplowed road through whiteout conditions. There’s a morning meeting to review weather, snow data, and daily assignments; beacon and radio checks, loading backpacks with bombs, and heading out for avalanche mitigation; slogging through deep powder and throwing hand charges to set off slides; resetting boundary signs and rope lines, and digging out and moving up tower pads. As the day progresses, patrollers respond to medical calls, provide patient care, and transport injured off the hill. They answer questions and provide information to visitors. They may also be involved in search and rescue, training or deploying search dogs, high angle rope rescue, chairlift or gondola evacuation, weather ...

In-house expertise and a passion for mountain biking helped Silver Mountain, Idaho, build a viable summer business. Willy Bartlett spins in his chair, ­juggling phone calls. He fields a sales inquiry from a church group, then switches focus as someone affiliated with the weekend’s downhill bike race drops off gear, along with a few cases of sugar-free Red Bull. In between his duties as the marketing coordinator at Silver Mountain, Idaho, he’s also the bike park manager. His office was once the master bedroom of an apartment in the faded brown complex the ski resort has converted to administrative offices. Bartlett, 32, looks every bit the mountain biker, dressed in shorts, t-shirt, and trucker hat. He moved mountains to breathe new life into the bike program at Silver, and his efforts have helped increase revenue and also helped Silver Mountain Bike Park earn a top spot in MTBparks.com’...

Major summer improvement projects include summit and base lodge additions, bike parts, and of course, lift installations.