SAM Magazine—Killington, Vt., Feb. 9, 2026—Colleagues took time to connect sharing stories and highlights from the seasonColleagues took time to connect sharing stories and highlights from the season. A banner winter across much of the East, marked by consistent cold temperatures for snowmaking, steady natural snowfall, and record holiday attendance at many ski areas, set an upbeat tone for the National Ski Areas Association Eastern Winter Conference. Roughly 621 industry professionals attended the event at Killington, Feb. 3–4, up from about 575 last year.

The trade show floor was busy throughout the event, with strong engagement between ski area operators, managers, and suppliers. Exhibitors included a wide range of construction firms and infrastructure suppliers, reflecting continued demand for investment in mountain operations and facility upgrades. Many conversations centered on expanding or modernizing snowmaking systems, a perennial focus in the East and an increasingly urgent one in western regions as well.

Labor solutions were also well represented on the show floor, with several J-1 and H-2B service providers on hand, eager to help operators navigate the evolving regulatory landscape and workforce challenges.

The Snow Angel Foundation was also active at the conference, sharing details of a new partnership with Bern Helmets. The collaboration will focus on guest-facing safety messaging, co-branded equipment, and resort-aligned initiatives aimed at reinforcing shared responsibility on the mountain.

 

  • Mike Bisner Of Axess And Karyn Thorr Of Crystal Mountain MI
  • On Snow Grooming Demos Were In Full Swing With PistenBully And Prinoth
  • Attendance Across The Various Sessions Was Strong With Significant Participant Interaction
  • Lori Phillips GM Ski Big Bear PA With The MountainGuard Team
  • The SAM Team Was Excited To Be At The Show Connecting With Colleagues And Enjoying Everything It Had To Offer From Great Skiing And Riding To Interesting Educational Sessions
  • Bob Ackland Steep Management With Ryan Romo From Vail Resorts
  • The Team From Catamount And Berkshire East Testing Product During The First Tracks Breakfast Event
  • Colleagues Took Time To Connect Sharing Stories And Highlights From The Season
  • Dave Moulton Mountain Guard And Biran Heon Sunday River Presenting On Writing Quality Assurance Programs For Your Lift Maintenance Programs
  • Gary Pavlick President Of LIF TECH Equipment Inc. Enjoying The Trade Show
  • Geraldine Link Director Of Public Policy At NSAA With Les Otten The Balsams And Ryan Patrick Safehold Sports
  • Jessyca Keeler From Ski New Hampshire Caught Up With Mike Manley From Leitner Poma Deborah Hoefer Skadii And SAMs Jordyn Ossanna On The Show Floor
  • Nearly 7500 Total Votes Were Cast For The Six Competing Snowmaking Teams During The 13 Day Voting Period Of The 2026 I AM A Snowmaker Contest With Seven Springs Receiving The Most Votes To Take Home The Title
  • Seeing Old Friends And New At The Welcome Reception Simon PageLes Sommets Hugh Reynolds And Halley Hession Snow Partners Claire Humber SE Group Joe Hession Snow Partners And Jim Carter Black Mountain ME
  • IMG 7588
  • 065A1137
  • Mike Bisner of Axess and Karyn Thorr of Crystal Mountain, Mich.
  • On-snow grooming demos were in full swing with PistenBully and Prinoth.
  • Attendance across the various sessions was strong with significant participant interaction.
  • Lori Phillips, GM of Ski Big Bear, Pa., with the MountainGuard team.
  • The SAM team was excited to be at the show, connecting with colleagues and enjoying everything it had to offer, from great skiing and riding to interesting educational sessions. L to R: Sharon Walsh, Karolyn Towle, Katie Brinton, Dave Meeker.
  • Bob Ackland, Steep Management, with Ryan Romo from Vail Resorts.
  • The team from Catamount and Berkshire East testing product during the First Tracks Breakfast event.
  • Colleagues took time to connect, sharing stories and highlights from the season.
  • Dave Moulton, Mountain Guard, and Brian Heon, Sunday River, presenting on "Writing Quality Assurance Programs for Your Lift Maintenance Programs".
  • Gary Pavlick president of LIF-TECH Equipment, Inc. enjoying the trade show.
  • Geraldine Link with Les Otten, The Balsams, N.H.; and Ryan Patrick, Safehold Sports.
  • Jessyca Keeler of Ski New Hampshire caught up with Mike Manley of Leitner Poma, Deborah Hoefer of Skadii, and SAM’s Jordyn Ossanna on the show floor.
  • Nearly 7,500 total votes were cast for the six competing snowmaking teams during the 13-day voting period of the 2026 I AM a Snowmaker contest, with Seven Springs receiving the most votes to take home the title.
  • Seeing old friends and new at the welcome reception (L to R): Simon Pagé, Les Sommets; Hugh Reynolds and Halley O’Brien-Hession, Snow Partners; Claire Humber, SE Group; Joe Hession, Snow Partners, and Jim Carter, Black Mountain, Maine.
  • Snow Angel Foundation announced a partnership with Berm Helmets.
  • Snowmaking demos in full swing on the first morning of the show.

 

Educational sessions were well attended and spanned mountain operations, risk management, and marketing. Several sessions took advantage of the host resort’s expertise, offering closer looks at Killington’s snowmaking system and lift maze design. Risk management topics featured prominently, including sessions on OSHA inspections, snowmobile operations, lift safety, and operational best practices. HR-focused programming—such as guidance on difficult workplace conversations and a strong panel highlighting women in mountain operations—rounded out the schedule.

Tuesday evening featured the live announcement of the I AM a Snowmaker contest results at Killington Peak Lodge, where HTI hosted a dinner. Nearly 7,500 votes were cast for the six competing snowmaking teams, with Seven Springs, Pa., earning the top honor.

Wednesday morning began with the annual First Tracks breakfast. Fresh snow overnight and continued snowfall through the morning delivered ideal conditions, giving attendees fresh tracks and free refills to start the day.

With both the Western and Eastern Winter Conferences wrapped, the next NSAA-hosted event on the calendar is the National Convention and Trade Show, scheduled for May 4–7, 2026, in Carlsbad, Calif.