• Miscellaneous
• Resort Development

In SAM’s monthly Snow People, we highlight recent personnel moves that have been made in the mountain resort industry. For even more updates on industry people, be sure to read News & Views in the upcoming July issue of SAM.  DON MACASKILL, WHITETAIL RESORT, MERCERSBURG, PA.Long-time vice president and general manager Don...

• Resort Development
• Miscellaneous

SAM Magazine—June 7, 2019, Jay Peak, Vt.—The Vermont Ski Areas Association (Ski Vermont) held its annual meeting at Jay Peak Resort, June 5-6, 2019, a gathering that welcomed 190 attendees from resorts, brands, and tourism. Ski Vermont revealed 2018-19 total skier visits in the state reached 4.1 million, up 5.2 percent year-over-year. “From ...

• Miscellaneous
• Lifts

SAM Magazine—Conway, N.H., June 7, 2019—Ski New Hampshire hosted its annual conference and trade show in Meredith, N.H., June 4-5. At the conference, Ski NH president Jessyca Keeler reported that total visits—including alpine, cross country, and tubing—for winter 2018-19 were an estimated 2.3 million, up more than 100,000 over last year, or...

• Grooming
• Trail Maintenance
• Miscellaneous

By Dave ZookThe California mountain resort industry gathered in Squaw Valley for the Lift Maintenance and Operations Education Conference (LMOE) for the second year running on June 4-6, 2019. The underlying theme of the content-rich conference was working together to create a safer, better industry. Topic areas were addressed through three days of ...

• Marketing
• Lifts

In SAM’s monthly Snow People, we highlight recent personnel moves that have been made in the mountain resort industry. MIKE FERGUSON, ALTERRA MOUNTAIN COMPANYAlterra Mountain Company named Mike Ferguson as chief human resources officer. Ferguson will lead the development and implementation of attracting and retaining talent. His responsibil...

• Marketing
• Lifts

SAM Magazine—San Diego, Cali., May 6, 2019 - More than 950 members of the winter resort industry descended on the Hilton Bayfront Hotel in San Diego, Calif., April 29–May 2 for the NSAA National Convention and Tradeshow. It was the most highly attended national convention since 2008. Conventioneers reveled in the aftermath of the fourth-greates...

• Marketing

In SAM’s monthly Snow People, we highlight recent personnel moves that have been made in the mountain resort industry.MARK SEITER and GREG RALPH, Angel Fire Resort, N.M.Mark Seiter was named Angel Fire Resort’s new CFO, and Greg Ralph was named the new director of marketing. Both Seiter and Ralph will report to Angel Fire CEO John Kitts. Seite...

• Ski Area Profiles
• Rental

Special Report by Steven Threndyle What do China, shopping malls, and snowball fights have in common? All three were floated as possible ideas for increasing skiing and snowboarding participation during the Mountain Travel Symposium (MTS) at Whistler-Blackcomb in early April. From the cavernous convention space of the Whistler Conference Centre t...

• Lift Maintenance
• Miscellaneous

The combined forces of Ski Areas of New York (ISKINY) and Pennsylvania Ski Areas Association (PSAA) once again staged an informative, lively, and entertaining expo, this time at Peek’n Peak in western New York. A total of 324 ski area personnel and suppliersNSAA's Mike Lane uses props to demonstrate ski lift functions with the help of Doppelmayr'...

• Lift Maintenance

Nearly 450 resort staff, industry partners, and exhibitors attended the 2018 New England Summit Sept. 11-12 at Sunday River Resort, Maine.Wintry Mix's Alex Kaufman helps us develop PodSAM at NES (Photo courtesy of Dave Gibson) The event kicked off with seminars on topics ranging from web trends to climate change and ended with multiple sessio...

More than 450 ski area and supplier members attended the Midwest Ski Areas Association Summer Meetings and Trade Show, Aug. 19-22, at Boyne Highlands Resort in northern Michigan.MSAA president Amy Reents with two-time Olympic medalist, and Midwesterner, Nick Goepper. Photo: Dave Gibson, Propeller Mediaworks The event was NSAA president Kelly Pawla...

• Lifts

Lift Maintenance and Operations Education Conference Brings Consortium of Experience to Squaw ValleyBy Dave ZookInterest in progressing lift safety is sky high, if the attendance at the 2018 Lift Maintenance and Operations Education Conference (LMOE) at Squaw Valley, Calif., June 5-7, was any indication. Event planner and Ski California president M...

• Snowmaking

The annual conference of the Ski Area Vehicle Maintenance Institute (SAVMI), held May 14-17, drew 316 attendees to Grand Junction, Colo., including 179 resort employees. The schedule was heavy with company-specific classes as well as broader classes on hydraulics, lubricants, welding, rigging, and safety.

• Grooming
• Trail Maintenance
• Miscellaneous

The 878 attendees at the NSAA National Convention and Tradeshow in Marco Island, Fla., May 2-5 enjoyed four days of stimulating and thought-provoking presentations, seminars, keynotes, and networking. Strong March visitation at resorts nationwide muted the impact of a trying winter for many, and combined with the energy brought by new NSAA president Kelly Pawlak to create an upbeat gathering. The throng included 442 ski area representatives from 115 resorts, and 436 supplier personnel from 168 companies. 

• Ski Area Profiles

If it seemed that there were a lot of folks attending the NSAA Winter Conference and Trade Show at Snowbird, Utah, Jan. 15-18, well, there were. The official tally was 793 attendees, including 423 resort personnel and 370 supplier reps. A total of 88 resorts attended. It was a disappointing snow season through early January for many, but that didn’t depress attendance.

• Industry Reports
• News

The inaugural Mountain Technology Symposium, held Sept. 28 – Oct. 1 at Telluride Ski and Golf Resort, Colo., drew 82 ski industry tech leaders and suppliers, including 50 ski area personnel from 35 resorts. They discussed the IT state of the art and ways to improve upon it down the road.

• History
• Business
• Area Management
• Customer Service

It was Pennsylvania’s turn to host the annual joint-expo that gathers member resorts from both the Ski Areas of New York and the Pennsylvania Ski Areas Association, with Camelback Resort the chosen venue for this year. Hundreds of ski area operators, suppliers, and speakers attended the three-day event Sept. 18-20. The days were packed with networking opportunities, educational sessions, and, of course, plenty of fun.

• History
• Business
• Area Management

This year's New England Summit, Sept. 12-14, drew a large crowd over three beautiful fall days to Sunday River, Maine. On tap were 35 educational sessions, including NSAA's Fall Education Series. Show organizer Bo Bigelow of the Ski Maine Association said the Summit drew a total attendance of more than 450 ski area personnel, suppliers, and speakers, with 54 resorts represented.

• Rental
• Retail
• New Products
• Customer Service
• Mountain Spy
• Weather
• Snowmaking

The 2017 MSAA Summer Meetings & Trade Show, held Aug. 20-23 at Devil’s Head, Wis., was memorable for several reasons. For one, this was the final convention attended by retiring NSAA head Michael Berry. His keynote speech touched on familiar themes of growth, succession planning, and environmental action. It was followed by a second brilliant keynote the next day, in which SNOW Operating chief Joe Hession implored resorts to seek and find new ways to fuel growth. Throughout, the program focused on these themes, as well as the practical issues of running successful resorts.

• Summer
• Finance
• Resort Development
• Research

“Summer does NOT equal winter,” declared SE Group’s Claire Humber at SAM’s eighth annual Summer (Ops) Camp, held Sept. 5-7, at Vermont’s Killington Resort. Roughly 170 resort-industry professionals from the U.S., Canada, and Japan gathered for three days to discuss the opportunities, choices, trends, and pitfalls in developing a summer activities program.

• Lifts

CUTTER'S CAMP 2017— MOUNT SNOW

More than 70 terrain park builders and industry experts gathered for Cutter’s Camp Fall Refresher at Mount Snow, Vt., Nov. 6-8 for a deep dive into season preparation and best practices for terrain park operation. More than 40 resorts from across North America were represented—including major destinations and small community operations. And with the winter season knocking on everyone’s door, the discussions were focused on actionable lessons attendees could apply right away.

• Snowmaking
• Computers & Automation
• Weather

The NSAA National Convention and Tradeshow drew a total of 880 ski industry operators and suppliers to the Fairmont Princess Resort in Scottsdale, Ariz., May 5-7. The focus this year was clearly on developing and retaining new skiers and riders, a fitting aim for soon-to-retire NSAA president Michael Berry’s final act. 

• Conversion
• NSAA
• Research

Celebrating its 40th year of educating ski area personnel, the Lift Maintenance Seminar (LMS) welcomed the biggest crowd in its history at this year’s event, held April 18-20 at Jiminy Peak, Mass. More than 420 participants from about 70 different ski areas came to expand their knowledge about chairlift and surface lift operation, maintenance, safety, risk management, and more, as well as sessions that covered snowmaking, staffing, and other mountain operations subjects.

Compared to last year, the tone was decidedly different among operators and suppliers at this year’s NSAA Eastern Conference and Tradeshow, Jan. 31 and Feb. 1 at Mount Snow, Vt. Normal snowfall and strong visitation had the robust group of attendees singing a more positive tune than a year ago. 

Short-Term Optimism, Long-Term Concerns

There was a general air of enthusiasm and optimism at the NSAA Western Winter Conference, Jan. 16-19 at Steamboat, Colo., thanks to a strong season to date for resorts across most of the country. But the long-term outlook is clouded by challenges ranging from the need to attract and retain more new skiers and riders to the rigors of training and retaining lift mechanics—challenges that the conference tried to address head on.

• People
• Events
• Conferences / Trade Shows

More than 160 summer operations managers, vendors, and schemers gathered at the Canyons Grand Summit in Park City, Utah, to explore the state of the art in summer activities at SAM’s Summer Ops Camp, Sept. 14-16. They experienced flow trails, hiking trails, mountain coasters, zip lines, aerial parks, and a variety of other activities at Canyons, Park City, Snowbird, Deer Valley, Sundance, and the Utah Olympic Park. And they heard plenty about how to implement these activities—financially and conceptually. 

• Opinion
• Conversion
• Weather

More than 160 summer operations managers, vendors, and schemers gathered at the Canyons Grand Summit in Park City, Utah, to explore the state of the art in summer activities at SAM’s Summer Ops Camp, Sept. 14-16. They experienced flow trails, hiking trails, mountain coasters, zip lines, aerial parks, and a variety of other activities at Canyons, Park City, Snowbird, Deer Valley, Sundance, and the Utah Olympic Park. And they heard plenty about how to implement these activities—financially and conceptually. 

The annual ISKINY-PSAA Expo, Sept. 19-21, 2016, at Holiday Valley, N.Y., attracted more than 345 ski resort, vendor, and guest attendees from across North America. The program kicked off with the annual golf tournament and opportunity to demo Holiday Valley's aerial adventure parks.

You can tell that winter is right around the corner when ski industry operators and suppliers gather at the annual New England Summit. This year’s event attracted nearly 420 ski industry personnel, exhibitors, and speakers at Sunday River in Newry, Maine, Sept. 13-15.

About 400 ski area and supplier members attended the 2016 Midwest Ski Areas Association Annual Meeting and Trade Show, Aug. 21-24, at Shanty Creek Resorts in northern Michigan. The event addressed a wide range of issues, from beginner trial and conversion to leadership succession, lift maintenance and safety.

The Eastern Canada Ski Areas (ECSA) Conference and Trade Show May 31-June 2 drew resort operators from Ontario, Quebec, and the maritime provinces to Bromont, Quebec. The bi-lingual, quadrennial event addressed the state of the ski industry in eastern Canada and put an eye toward what the Canadian ski industry will look like in 2020. More than 450 attendees representing the Association des Stations de Ski du Quebec (ASSQ), Ontario Ski Resorts Association, and Atlantic Ski Areas Association attended.

The National Ski Areas Association drew a typically large crowd to the National Convention and Tradeshow, May 17-21 in Nashville, Tenn. Attendees enjoyed the usual mix of inspirational keynotes and educational seminars, as well as the musical melting pot that is Nashville. But the lingering impact of a boom-or-bust season kept the audience focused on business. 

More than 500 lift mechanics, operations staff, managers, suppliers, and instructors attended the 45th annual Rocky Mountain Lift Association (RMLA) Spring Conference May 2-5 in Grand Junction, Colo. The theme was “Expanding Winter into Summer” but focus was clearly on lift maintenance training and winter operations. There were fewer sessions on risk management and guest service this year, and more about how to keep older lifts healthy.

The annual Toronto Snow Show, Oct. 15-18, 2015, at the International Centre, helped kick-start the upcoming Canadian winter ski season—as well as the North American consumer show season. Featuring a mix of vendors, local retailers and 40+ resorts from across North America, thousands of consumers flooded the trade show floor looking to purchase the latest gear, the best season passes available, and unbeatable travel packages.

The annual ISKINY-PSAA Expo Sept. 21-23, 2015, at Lake Placid, N.Y., attracted more than 370 ski resort, vendor, and guest attendees from across North America. Two major themes dominated the gathering: the guest experience and risk management.

Before diving into business, though, the fun kicked off with a tour of the operational areas at Whiteface Resort, followed by a friendly golf tournament.

The near-record turnout at this year's New England Summit Sept. 15-17 showed how much excitement there is in the region as resorts anticipate what El Nino will bring—including the possibility the Northeast is looking at another record-breaking snowfall year. Show organizer Bo Bigelow of the Ski Maine Association said the Summit drew 290 ski area attendees and an overall total attendance of 452 including exhibitors and speakers. Sessions were well attended, and the trade show hall was standing room only. 

The continued growth in summer resort operations lured more than 160 attendees representing 50 resorts, along with 34 vendor partners, from across North America to SAM’s 6th annual Summer Ops Camp at Camelback Resort, Pa., Sept. 9-11. The three-day conference addressed several aspects of “The Serious Business of Summer Fun” and provided several opportunities to demo a variety of summer activities and different ways to program them.

OK, that’s a trick question. SAVMI, the Ski Area Vehicle Mechanics Institute, is likely the only such program anywhere. Where else can groomer mechanics learn about Tier 4 mechanics, oil analysis, tire and track maintenance, plus electrical and hydraulic troubleshooting? And that’s why its 30th annual Conference and Trade show drew 312 attendees, including more than 200 resort personnel from 49 resorts (comprising 13 states and three countries) and representatives from 47 supplier companies to the Two Rivers Convention Center in Grand Junction, Colo., May 18-21.

NSAA’s National Convention and Tradeshow in San Francisco at the Hilton San Francisco May 2-6 drew the usual crowd. But there was a greater sense of urgency than usual, as the prolonged drought in California and extreme snow and cold in the East depressed visits last season. A slew of other issues kept attendees focused on business issues.

Approximately 23,000 winter resort professionals descended on Messe Innsbruck, Austria, April 15-17 for the annual Interalpin trade show. Attendees came from nearly 80 countries, from major markets such as the U.S., France, and Switzerland to emerging markets such as Kazakhstan, China, and Argentina. More than 60 percent of the visitors came from outside of Europe, indicating the show’s international appeal.

On Feb. 10-12, more than 400 ski area attendees representing 87 areas gathered at Snowbird, Utah, where 105 exhibitors filled the show floor. Attendees had a variety of educational sessions to choose from as presenters tackled everything from drone technology, freestyle terrain resource updates, minimum wage exemptions and the future of electronic incident reporting. Snowbird itself received close to six inches of snow during the conference, which many attendees took full advantage of during first tracks on Wednesday and Thursday. 

From September 22-24, 2014, Hunter Mountain, N.Y., hosted the annual SANY/PSAA meeting. It was a record-breaker in many regards. Overall, there were over 400 attendees, 237 of whom came from 52 ski areas from New York, Pennsylvania and beyond. Over 76 companies were on hand to showcase their products. The highlight of the show was the final gala dinner, which called for attendees to come dressed in their best Woodstock outfits. Many obliged, creating a throwback event complete with daisies, tie-dye and funky glasses.

From September 16-18, 2014, over 250 people from 65 resorts gathered at Attitash, N.H., for three days of shopping, networking and learning at the New England Summit. There were 72 exhibitors in the packed trade show hall, giving attendees plenty to peruse. When not in the trade show hall, attendees had dozens of sessions to choose from, covering everything from snowmaking to marketing and rental to risk management. On the final evening, conference goers were treated to a spectacular fireworks display by Atlas PyroVision, followed by a dinner at Bear Peak base lodge.

With interest in summer business continuing to grow, it’s no surprise that this year’s Summer Ops Camp, held at Vail, Colo., Sept. 3-5, drew a record attendance of 150 from both resorts (46) and suppliers (34). Campers from North America, Chile, and China participated in range of business, activity-specific, and risk management seminars and discussions, and got hands-on with activities at Vail’s Adventure Ridge, Glenwood Caverns, Breckenridge Fun Park, and at the suppliers’ demo area in Vail Village.

From August 3-6, over 290 ski area attendees representing 55 ski areas gathered at Boyne Mountain in Michigan for three days of shopping, networking and learning. Over 76 companies displayed their wares providing attendees a one-stop shop for the coming season. Boyne supplied attendees with abundant sunshine, great food and a beautiful resort packed with every amenity a guest could want, from an indoor waterpark to a golf course, and from biking to zip lining. Indoors, attendees had the choice of dozens of information-packed sessions, addressing everything from lift maintenance to marketing.

Cutter's Camp at Timberline, Mt. Hood, wrapped up last week, May 12-16, and celebrated its 12th year for this gathering. The shorter eastern Cutter's Camp took place last month, April 4-6, at Mount Snow, Vt. Between the two camps, over 85 resorts from across the continent (and a few from overseas) gathered with one thing in common—a passion to ensure that resorts both big and small run safe and successful parks.

On a glorious evening in Las Vegas, Nev., on May 18, Leitner-Poma hosted an event to celebrate its installation of the world's tallest observation wheel, the High Roller. Attendees included representatives from Leitner-Poma, Sigma, Aspen/Snowmass, Grouse Mountain, Mt. Hood Meadows, Arapahoe Basin, Val Badia and many other parties involved in the construction of the project. The 550-foot wheel proved to be an impressive back-drop for an opening cocktail reception. And right at sunset, attendees were treated to a 30-minute ride on the wheel.

The annual Rocky Mountain Lift Association (RMLA) conference May 5-8 in Grand Junction, Colo., expanded the usual safety and risk-management themes to year-round activities—a trend that has spanned several conferences this season. That, along with the many training sessions and several “does this happen at your area?” roundtables, drew a typical crowd of 315 attendees, along with another 111 speakers and suppliers.

The annual NSAA Convention, held in Savannah, Ga., April 29-May 2, drew an enthusiastic crowd. The convention provided an upbeat conclusion to a season that started slowly but rebounded strongly. Over 120 resorts were in attendance to cruise the trade show aisles, which hosted 150 companies. In all, 867 people had the chance to network, learn and recreate.