SAM Magazine—Denver, June 5, 2026—Visits to Colorado resorts declined by 24 percent in 2025-26 compared to the prior season, according to figures reported by Colorado Ski Country USA. The association projected preliminary statewide skier visits of 10.5 million for the 2025-26 Colorado season at its 63rd annual meeting yesterday, down from 13.9 ...

SAM Magazine—Bretton Woods, N.H., June 5, 2026—Doug and Liz Fichera, Summit Resources, with SAM's Karolyn Towle.New Hampshire’s alpine ski areas recorded 2,283,539 skier visits during the 2025-26 season, according to Ski New Hampshire (Ski NH), which represents more than 30 alpine and cross-country member ski areas in the state. The result is...

SAM Magazine—Jay, Vt., June 5, 2026—JJ Toland from Sugarbush with former Jay Peak teammate and 2017 SAM "10 Under 30" Andrew Lanoue and SAM's Dave Meeker.The 242 attendees at the Vermont Ski Areas Association’s (Ski Vermont) 57th Annual Meeting at Jay Peak, June 3-4, were the first to hear that the 2025-26 winter’s early start, good snowfal...

• leadership

SAM Magazine—Palmer, Alaska, June 4, 2026—Skeetawk Ski Area has promoted Ryan Thompson to general manager. Thompson previously served on the board of directors for the nonprofit that runs Skeetawk before resigning in 2025 to serve as Skeetawk’s construction development manager.  As construction development manager, Thompson oversaw capital ...

• Lift Operations News

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., May 29, 2026—The crews from Castle Mountain, Alberta; Loveland Ski Area, Colo.; Massanutten Resort, Va.; Mount Snow, Vt.; Sipapu Ski & Summer Resort, N.M.; and Spirit Mountain, Minn., have been chosen as finalists in the sixth annual Rise Up Challenge, sponsored by Leitner-Poma of America (LPOA), to compete for a...

• leadership

SAM Magazine—South Lake Tahoe, Calif., May 29, 2026—Vail Resorts has appointed Trent Poole as Heavenly Mountain Resort vice president and general manager. He currently serves in the same role at Hunter Mountain, N.Y., and succeeds former Heavenly chief Shaydar Edelmann, who was named as Vail Mountain, Colo., VP and COO in April.  This will be...

SAM Magazine—Charlevoix, Québec, May 27, 2026—Total skier visits were up 5.1 percent year-over-year, and lift ticket revenue reached a record $190.5 million (CA$263.7 million) for Quebec ski areas in 2025-26, according to the Quebec Ski Areas Association (ASSQ), the trade organization representing 73 member ski areas in the province. Prelimina...

• leadership

SAM Magazine—Bolton Valley, Vt., May 26, 2026—Nick Lemire has been promoted to the role of general manager for Bolton Valley. He previously served as director of guest experience and will now oversee general day-to-day operations and all departments at the family-owned ski area. He is taking on the responsibilities of former vice president and...

• Lift Operations News

SAM Magazine—Juneau, Alaska, May 22, 2026—The City and Borough of Juneau Assembly voted 8-1 Monday night to abandon Eaglecrest Ski Area’s long-planned used gondola installation and repay Goldbelt Incorporated’s $10 million investment in the project, now about $12.2 million with accrued interest. The vote reverses the Assembly’s 2022 deci...

SAM Magazine—Meadowlark Lake, Wyo., May 21, 2026—A new hospitality venture backed by Miami-based investment firm MAS Alpha Securities has acquired Meadowlark Ski & Lake Lodge in northern Wyoming, with plans to revitalize the property for the 2026-27 winter season. The acquisition marks the launch of MAS Tierra, a hospitality brand founded ...

• leadership

SAM Magazine—Pincher Creek, Alberta, May 20, 2026—Castle Mountain Resort has hired Chris Salhany as its new president as part of a leadership restructure following the recent retirement of general manager Dean Parkinson. “Chris brings extensive operational experience, a strong track record in resort leadership, and a deep appreciation for th...

SAM Magazine—Winter Park, Colo., May 15, 2026—As the winter season dragged across the finish line, lodging rates at western mountain destinations managed to cling to a modest seasonal increase, but a drop in occupancy resulted in a significant decline in revenue. Conversely, pent-up demand for summer lodging continued to drive a steady upward t...

SAM Magazine—Boyne Falls, Mich., May 14, 2026—Boyne Resorts has appointed Dan Cockerell to the newly created role of president of operations, effective Aug. 1, 2026. Cockerell will report to Boyne Resorts president and CEO Stephen Kircher. Cockerell spent most of his career at The Walt Disney Company in several leadership roles during his 26 y...

Banff Sunshine's web cam shows off mid-winter conditions in May.SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., May 12, 2026—Rocky Mountains ski areas closing in March? Snowmaking in the Mid-Atlantic in April? Feet of snow in the Sierras after all but a couple ski areas had closed? It’s been a wild few weeks for North America’s ski industry, and the season con...

SAM Magazine—Carlsbad, Calif., May 8, 2026—Nubs Nob Ski Area takes home the 2026 Conversion Cup.The 2026 National Ski Areas Association National (NSAA) Convention and Tradeshow drew 857 attendees to the Omni La Costa Resort near San Diego, May 4-7, strong attendance given the challenging winter in the West that resulted in total national skier ...