SAM Coverage
Summer Operations
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The Summer Discoverability Gap
New research measures how often ski areas surface when travelers ask AI chatbots about summer, what else chatbots are recommending, and how ski areas…
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Paths to Success: Adventure Trails
Trails designed with kids and families in mind are proving to be strong investments for ski areas in both winter and summer. Ski areas…
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Summer Gets Selective
As ski areas refine their year-round strategies, operators are investing in lines of summer business that fit their markets—and abandoning those that don’t. After a…
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Summer Bookings Slow, But Mountain Destination Lodging Outlook Remains Strong
SAM Magazine—Winter Park, Colo. June 17, 2026—Booking pace at western mountain destinations softened in May following an April surge, but summer lodging demand remains…
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Mountain Spy :: Summer Edition
The Spy reopens 20 years of case files to ask, “Have we gotten better at selling summer?” Twenty years of Mountain Spy have produced…
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Summer Looking Strong as Western Mountain Lodging Limps into Winter Season Finale
SAM Magazine—Winter Park, Colo., April 13, 2026—Economic news conspired with abysmal snowfall and record-breaking warm temperatures during March to continue to drag down the…
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Global Trends in Summer Ops
An expert look at what summer travelers want and what’s working at mountain destinations worldwide. As traveler expectations evolve— shaped by climate realities, new…
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Park City Bike Patrol Votes to Unionize After Summer Campaign
SAM Magazine—Park City, Utah, September 17, 2025—On Aug. 28, Park City Mountain bike patrollers voted to unionize with the Communications Workers of America, forming the…
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Booking Pace Slips in August, Summer and Winter Show Rate Sensitivity
SAM Magazine—Winter Park, Colo., Sept. 12, 2025— Western mountain lodging operators kept summer revenues in positive territory despite a softer August booking pace, according to…
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Greasing the Gears
When the necessary elements align, downhill bike parks can take off. In the past decade, mountain biking’s growing popularity has pushed many ski areas to add it…