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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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Jay Gamble Named Ragged Mountain GM

SAM Magazine—Danbury, N.H., Nov. 26, 2018—Industry veteran Jay Gamble will take over as general manager of Ragged Mountain, N.H., following the departure of Ryan Schramm, who was recently named GM of Powderhorn Mountain Resort in Colorado. Both resorts are operated by Pacific Group Resorts.  Most recently, Gamble spent 20 years as general...

Peak Resorts Closes on Acquisition of Snow Time, Inc.

SAM Magazine—Wildwood, Mo., Nov. 26, 2018—Peak Resorts has completed its $76 million acquisition of Snow Time, Inc., which includes three Pennsylvania ski areas—Liberty Mountain Resort, Whitetail Resort, and Roundtop Mountain Resort. The deal expands Peak Resorts’ portfolio to 17 ski areas across the Northeast and Midwest. Prior to closing...

Tamarack Resort Gets New Owners

SAM Magazine—Donnelly, Idaho, Nov. 21, 2018—Tamarack Resort Holdings (TRH), a partnership formed by a group of investors and managers, has acquired Tamarack Resort. The deal is two years in the making, and the transaction is expected to close Nov. 30. Approval for the state lands lease transfer from the Idaho State Board of Land Commissioners c...

Dustin Lyman Named Copper Mountain President and GM

SAM Magazine—Park City, Utah, Nov. 16, 2018—Former Chicago Bears tight end Dustin Lyman is now president and general manager of Powdr-owned Copper Mountain. Lyman, a Boulder, Colo., native, will oversee all resort operations effective immediately. The position opened in July 2018 after longtime GM Gary Rogers stepped down.Lyman brings a wealth ...

Powderhorn Taps Schramm as New GM

SAM Magazine—Mesa County, Colo., Nov. 16, 2018—Powderhorn Mountain Resort has named Ryan Schramm as its new general manager, filling a role that has been vacant since July. The move follows on the heels of Pacific Group Resorts, Inc. (PGRI) taking over operations of the resort, and a new equity partnership aimed at infusing significant capital ...

Ken Rider Named Brundage Mountain GM

SAM Magazine—McCall, Idaho, Nov. 16, 2018—Brundage Mountain Resort has named Ken Rider as its new general manager. Rider first came on board at the resort a year ago as director of marketing and assistant general manager.Rider’s ski industry career began in the late ’90s in a partnerships and promotions role with Intrawest. He then became d...

Man and Mother Nature Combine for Early Openings

SAM Magazine—Ludlow, Vt., Nov. 14, 2018—Cooling temps and pockets of fresh snow have resorts across the country opening early. Parts of the West have received more than five feet of powder in the past few weeks, and in the East snowmakers are working hard to build a base ahead of Thanksgiving. Colorado will have at least twelve ski areas open ...

Outside Lists “America’s 10 Most Eco-Friendly Ski Resorts”

SAM Magazine—Dover, Vt., Nov. 14, 2018—The subject of climate change is now more prevalent than ever, flooding our news feeds and airwaves daily. Rarely is the news inspiring or positive, but a recent article on Outside magazine’s website bucks that trend of doom and gloom promulgated by so many outlets—including itself—by recognizing 10 ...

Ikon Adds, Epic Answers

SAM Magazine—Broomfield and Denver, Colo., Nov. 15, 2018—Yesterday was a busy day in the ongoing tit for tat between Alterra Mountain Company’s Ikon Pass and Vail Resorts’ Epic Pass. Earlier in the day, Alterra added NZSki and its three New Zealand resorts—Coronet Peak, The Remarkables, and Mt. Hutt—and Valle Nevado in Chile as par...

MacPherson, Meyers Earn 2018 BEWI Award

SAM Magazine—Boston, Mass., Nov. 12, 2018—Two of New England’s top ski resort promoters, Bonnie MacPherson, Okemo, Vt., and Tom Meyers, Wachusett Mountain, Mass., shared the 33rd Annual BEWI Award. The duo was feted by 165BEWI Award winners Bonnie MacPherson (left) and Tom Meyers (right) with host Bernie Weichsel. admirers at a luncheon Frida...

SNOW Operating to Acquire Controlling Interest in Mountain Creek Resort

SAM Magazine—Vernon, N.J., Nov. 7, 2018—SNOW Operating has reached an agreement with Mountain Creek Resort, Inc., and the Koffman family to acquire controlling ownership in the operations of Mountain Creek Resort. The Koffmans will remain partners in the ownership, but SNOW Operating will have a controlling position in all operational decisions...

Wisconsin Resorts Inc. Buys Ontario’s Searchmont Resort

SAM Magazine—Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., Nov. 6, 2018—American company Wisconsin Resorts Inc. purchased Searchmont Resort in Ontario, Canada, from the Sault Ste. Marie Economic Development Corporationon Nov. 1. The $2 million deal includes all land, buildings, and equipment. Wisconsin Resorts owns and operates four other ski areas: Alpine Vall...

Cockaigne Delays Grand Reopening

SAM Magazine—Cherry Creek, N.Y., Nov. 6, 2018—Cockaigne Ski Resort in upstate New York was set to spin lifts again this winter for the first time in seven years, but unanticipated challenges have caused a delay of the resort’s grand reopening. Cockaigne closed in 2011 after a fire destroyed its iconic base lodge, which served as the Aust...

Snow Brings Early Openings in Colorado

SAM Magazine—Dillon, Colo., Nov. 6, 2018—A series of storms dropped nearly four feet of snow in parts of the Rockies this past week, priming some Colorado resorts to open earlier and expand accessible terrain.Breckenridge and Keystone, both of which were set to open Nov. 9, will now open Nov. 7 thanks to the new snowfall. Both resorts have rece...

Powderhorn Welcomes New Operator, Investor

SAM Magazine—Mesa, Colo., Nov. 2, 2018—Powderhorn Mountain Resort, Colo., is bolstering its management and financial resources. Owners Andy Daly and Ken, Tom, and John Gart of The Gart Companies have brought on ZOMA Capital of Denver as an equity partner to help fund future upgrades at the resort. The owners have also entered into an operating ...