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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...
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SAM Magazine—Denver, March 10, 2020—Alterra Mountain Company unveiled plans to invest $223 million in capital improvements across its 15 North American mountain destinations ahead of the 2020-21 winter season. The plan includes $50 million for base area facility development, $48 million toward new lifts and upgrades, expanded terrain, and state...
SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., March 10, 2020—For the three months ending Jan. 31, 2020, Vail Resorts (VR) total lift revenue increased 8.2 percent, driven by an 8.8 percent growth in skier visitation—including results from Peak Resorts—despite Stevens Pass and Whistler Blackcomb experiencing 14 percent decline in skier visits du...
SAM Magazine—Lincoln, N.H., March 10, 2020—The New England Pass kicked off its annual flash sale yesterday. The pass, which offers direct-to-lift access to Sunday River and Sugarloaf in Maine, and Loon Mountain, N.H., is available starting at $50 down until March 15, 2020. New England Pass has also extended its offerings for next season to incl...
By Skip King, Reputation StrategiesWhether you think the concern—even panic—over COVID-19 is warranted or not is immaterial. The fact is that it’s the leading worldwide story, and it’s likely to stay that way for a while.Part of that is because the news media attracts more ears and eyeballs when something big and alarming is happening. If y...
SAM Magazine—Flagstaff, Ariz., March 6, 2020—Arizona Snowbowl will be replacing its Agassiz chairlift with a state-of-the-art combination Telemix lift from Leitner-Poma. The new high-speed lift will feature six-person chairs interspersed with eight-person gondola cabins and will climb 2,000 vertical feet in less than seven minutes—less than h...
seven things to expect for destination travel businesses By Tom Foley, Senior Vice President of Business Operations and Analytics for Inntopia We’re providing this narrative as a proactive discussion about the potential impacts of the spreading Covid-19 virus, its economic consequences, and the potential impact on the destination travel industr...
SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., March 4, 2020—Next season’s pass wars are off and running. Alterra announced several days ago that it will put its 2020-21 Ikon passes on sale March 5. Not to be outdone, Vail Resorts’ Epic, with a new Northeast Value Pass and mountain rewards, went on sale March 3. Other resorts beat the big two to the punch...
SAM Magazine—Portland, Maine, March 3, 2020—Ski Maine Association has hired Dirk Gouwens as the organization’s new executive director. Gouwens will replace Greg Sweetser, who is retiring in May after 24 years leading the association. Ski Maine represents 16 alpine ski areas and 21 Nordic ski centers in the state. Gouwens has been the U....
SAM Magazine—Burlington, Vt., Feb. 26, 2020—Burton Snowboards has organized “A Day for Jake,” Friday, March 13, 2020, to honor the memory and legacy of the company’s founder, Jake Burton Carpenter, who died in November. Thirteen mountain resorts around the world are celebrating by offering free lift tickets to snowboarders of all ability ...
SAM Magazine—Burlington, Vt., Feb. 27, 2020—Many resorts saw the usual uptick in crowds over Presidents' Day weekend and into the midweek, despite some experiencing a mixed bag of weather prior to the holiday. The weekend, and the holiday week in the Midwest and Northeast, was strong all along the northern tier and in the Rockies.At Cannon Moun...
SAM Magazine—Denver, Feb. 20, 2020—Despite widely-reported exceptional skiing and riding, lodging occupancy is slipping year-over-year at many Western resorts, according to the most recent Market Briefing released by DestiMetrics from Inntopia. However, rates continue to creep up, allowing lodging properties to maintain healthy revenue results....
SAM Magazine—Marquette, Mich., Feb. 20, 2020—A staple of the Upper Michigan ski scene is changing hands. Peter and Lois O’Devero have sold Marquette Mountain and its surrounding 330 acres to Eric and Sarah Jorgensen of Hartland, Wis., owners of transportation company JX Enterprises Inc. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.Founded in 1...
by Tom WinterWhat has been billed as “Colorado’s first new ski area in nearly 20 years” looks suspiciously like a backcountry ski guide operation. The “ski area,” Bluebird Backcountry, plans to open approximately 1,500 acres of skiable terrain with 2,200 feet of vertical drop to the general public on Feb. 15. Three hundred acres of this i...
Snow People is our monthly roundup of happenings to the people of and around the mountain resort industry. Send any personnel news to: news@saminfo.com. CHRIS JARNOT, MAYFLOWER MOUNTAIN VILLAGE, UTAH Industry veteran , and former SAMMY winner, Chris Jarnot has accepted a consulting role with Extell Development Company (EDC), focusing on Extell’...
SAM Magazine—Killington, Vt., Feb. 7, 2020—Following a strong western meeting in Squaw Valley, the 2020 National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) Eastern Winter Conference and Trade Show was held at Killington Resort, Feb. 4 and 5. A big crowd of 677 ski area operators, suppliers, and speakers gathered for informative sessions, great skiing and rid...
