News Search

SAM Headline News

HEADLINE NEWS

FEATURED STORY

  • SAM Taps Whistler Blackcomb to Host 2025 Summer Ops Camp

    SAM Magazine—Whistler, British Columbia, March 18, 2025—SAM’s Summer Ops Camp will be held at Whistler Blackcomb, Sept. 2-4, 2025, offering three days of education, networking, and hands-on learning focused on the future of summer operations at mountain resorts. This year’s camp will also feature a partnership with the Canada West Ski Areas Association (CWSAA), bringing together a dynamic mix of resort professionals from across North America.   Whistler Blackcomb has been at the forefront of year-round recreation development, balancing business innovation with environmental sustainability. With a robust lineup of summer attractions—including the Whistler Mountain Bike Park, Peak...

    Read More

Get SAM Headline News delivered to your inbox. It's not just another email—it's industry news and special reports that matter to you, coming from the industry's trusted resource. 

GetNewsButton

 

Vail Reports Lift Revenue Gains, Non-Passholder Visitation Lags

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., April 29, 2025—Vail Resorts reported a 3.1 percent decline in skier visits across its 37 North American mountain resorts this winter, even as lift ticket revenue rose 3.4 percent for the season-to-date period ending April 20, buoyed by strong pre-committed season pass sales. While destination visitation from pas...

Doppelmayr USA Promotes Keith Johns to CEO

SAM Magazine—Salt Lake City, Utah, April 24, 2025—Doppelmayr USA promoted Keith Johns to the role of chief executive officer. He succeeds Katharina Schmitz, who stepped down March 31 after five years as CEO. Johns, a mechanical engineer, started at Doppelmayr USA in 2021 as vice president of project management before taking on his most recent ...

New Board-Game Themed Experience Planned at Les Sybelles

SAM Magazine—Fontcouverte-la Toussuire, France, April 22, 2025— Les Sybelles, one of Europe’s largest ski areas, is working with French company MND to develop a new, board game-themed attraction based on Trek 12, an adventure and mountaineering board game. The year-round experience will include 27 installations spread across the resort.  M...

Boyne Resorts Introduces Company-Wide Season Pass Products

SAM Magazine—Boyne, Mich., April 21, 2025—Boyne Resorts has launched season pass products that provide access to all 10 of its properties for the 2025-26 winter season: the unlimited Boyne Passport and the 3–6-day Boyne Explorer. This is the first time Boyne Resorts has offered company-wide season pass product. Its properties remain partners ...

Group with Local Ties Offers $11.5 Million for Burke Mountain

SAM Magazine—Burke, Vt., April 21, 2025—Bear Den Partners has submitted a purchase and sale agreement to acquire Burke Mountain for $11.5 million. The group is led by Ken Graham, founder and chairman of private investment firm Inverness Graham and whose father, Don, once owned Burke Mountain in the early 2000s; Burke Mountain Academy, located i...

Economy and Weather Dampen Western Destination Visits

SAM Magazine—Winter Park, Colo. April 18, 2025—Uneven snow conditions and tumultuous economic policies in March and April converged to make the final weeks of the 2024-25 ski season less robust than hoped. But according to Inntopia’s most recent DestiMetrics monthly Market Briefing report, two of three core performance metrics for the season...

Big Sky Chair Sale Raises $162K for Charity

SAM Magazine—Big Sky, Mont., April 18, 2025—Through the sale of 125 carriers from the historic Explore 2 lift, Big Sky Resort raised an impressive $162,600 for three local nonprofit organizations: Big Sky Community Housing Trust, Gallatin River Task Force, and Wellness in Action.  The March 20 online sale sold out in less than 30 minutes, wit...

Ski Areas Stretch Winter Ops Well into Spring

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., April 16, 2025—While many North American ski areas have already stopped spinning lifts for the season, plenty have plans to stretch their spring skiing and riding into May and even beyond.Credit to Jay Peak The cast includes the usual characters, as well as a few outliers looking to capitalize on conditions. Of the ...

Aspen Snowmass Investing Nearly $80 Million in Improvements this Summer

SAM Magazine—Aspen, Colo., April 15, 2025—It’s going to be a busy summer at Aspen Snowmass as the resort will take on a broad range of capital projects that will touch all four mountains—Aspen Mountain, Snowmass, Aspen Highlands, and Buttermilk—and cost nearly $80 million. The plans include two new lifts, restaurant reconstruction and exp...

POWDR Takes Mt. Bachelor Off Market

SAM Magazine—Bend, Ore., April 7, 2025—After putting Mt. Bachelor on the market in August 2024, POWDR has decided it’s going to keep the resort in its portfolio after all.  In a statement, POWDR said it considered “all facts and circumstances” in evaluating the sale of Mt. Bachelor, the fifth largest ski area in the United States by ski...

Vail Resorts to Close HR Unit, Cut 64 Broomfield Jobs

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., April 4, 2025—Vail Resorts filed a notice with the state of Colorado Tuesday that it is closing its HR Shared Services unit in Broomfield. The closure will eliminate 64 jobs as part of the company’s two-year Resource Efficiency Transformation Plan to improve organizational effectiveness in anticipation of anoth...

Eldora GM Brent Tregaskis to Retire, Brian Dobias to Serve as Interim

SAM Magazine—Nederland, Colo., April 4, 2025—Longtime resort leader Brent Tregaskis will retire as Eldora Mountain Resort president and general manager, effective May 5. Brian Dobias, CFO of Eldora owner POWDR, will serve as the resort’s interim general manager.Credit: Eldora Mountain Resort Tregaskis’s 40-year career in the industry began...

Le Massif de Charlevoix Joins Ikon Pass for 2025-26 season

SAM Magazine—Denver, April 3, 2025—Le Massif de Charlevoix in Quebec will join the Ikon Pass for the 2025-26 season, expanding Ikon’s Canadian footprint to nine destinations, including Quebec’s Mount Tremblant.  “Canada offers some of the best mountain experiences in the world,” said Erik Forsell, chief marketing officer of Ikon Pass ...

SAMMY Leadership Award Class of 2025

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., April 1, 2025—Four remarkable leaders have been recognized with a 2025 SAMMY Leadership Award for their vision, hands-on dedication, and people-first leadership. This year’s honorees are: Bo Bigelow, executive director, Midwest Ski Areas Association and Minnesota Ski Areas Association; Greg Gavrilets, general manag...

SAM Seeks Nominations for 2025 ‘10 Under 30’

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., March 27, 2025—Nominations are now open for SAM’s annual “10 Under 30,” supported by Snow Operating. The feature recognizes 10 individuals under age 30 who are making significant contributions at their mountain resorts and demonstrating leadership potential within the industry. Industry professionals are encou...