• Miscellaneous

SAM Magazine—Lakewood, Colo., May 17, 2018—Resorts interested in joining the NSAA Climate Challenge have until tomorrow, May 18, 2018, to complete the enrollment form, or at least alert NSAA of intention to join.

SAM Magazine—Lakewood, Colo., May 17, 2018—In its most recent edition of “Capital Watch,” the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) said the list of co-sponsors in the House and Senate for the Ski Fee Retention Act of 2018 is growing, thanks in part to efforts by ski areas that operate on public lands and state associations reaching out to their respective federal lawmakers—but the more the merrier.

SAM Magazine—Marco Island, Fla., May 11, 2018—The National Ski Areas Association recognized six ski areas and one state association with Safety Awards for exceptional initiatives to educate guests and employees about skiing and snowboarding responsibly.

• Lifts

SAM Magazine—Wildwood, Mo., May 11, 2018—The presence of the Ikon Pass and Epic Pass in the Northeast market doesn’t appear to have impacted sales of Peak Resorts’ incumbent Peak Pass. The company reported that consolidated sales of the five Peak Pass products through April 30, 2018 increased 14 percent in units and 16 percent in revenue year-over-year, buoyed by a 47 percent jump in unit sales of the Drifter Pass, an unrestricted discounted pass for the 18- to 29-year-old crowd.

• Ski School
• Grooming
• Trail Maintenance

SAM Magazine—Marco Island, Fla., May 8, 2018—The National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) presented its 2018 Lifetime Achievement Awards to Jerry Blann, the former longtime president of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, Wyo., and Onno Wieringa, the longtime general manager of Alta, Utah, at the National Convention and Tradeshow here.

• Lifts
• Ski School

SAM Magazine—Marco Island, Fla., May 8, 2018—Bear Valley Mountain, Calif.; Crystal Mountain, Mich.; and Boreal Mountain, Calif., won the 2018 Golden Eagle Awards for excellence in environmental initiatives. Sha Miklas of Arapahoe Basin, Colo., was named the “Hero of Sustainability” honoree for 2018.

• Lift Maintenance
• Lifts

SAM Magazine—Snowbasin, Utah, May 8, 2018—Snowbasin Resort came home with two awards from the National Ski Areas Association convention in Florida: the Conversion Cup and Best Overall Safety Program.

• Area Management
• Lift Maintenance

SAM Magazine—Pittsfield, Mass., May 7, 2018—The owners of Berkshire East Mountain Resort in western Massachusetts have reached an agreement to acquire nearby Catamount Ski Area. SAM reported in April that Catamount president Tom Gilbert and vice president Rich Edwards were actively seeking an investor, a joint venture partner, or a new owner/operator for the mountain. The deal is expected to close in the next two weeks. The purchase price was not disclosed.

• Ski Patrol
• Area Management

SAM Magazine—Lakewood, Colo., May 1, 2018—The National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) selected four member ski areas to receive its annual Sustainable Slopes Grants: Blue Mountain Resort, Pa., Mountain High Resort, Calif., POWDR Resorts, and Snow Creek Ski Area, Mo. The Sustainable Slopes grant program provides cash and in-kind funding to support sustainability projects at NSAA member ski areas.

• Ski Patrol

SAM Magazine—April 24, 2018, Vernon, N.J.—Mountain Creek is debuting a new ecommerce and point-of-sale solution called SnowCloud this summer. Aimed at simplifying guest transactions, SnowCloud will replace all other sales and access software at the resort, including online sales, onsite sales and management, and lift gate access. It is built around the same ultra-high frequency RFID technology as Vail Resorts’ Epic Mix and the Disney Magic Band.

• Safety
• Personnel Issues

SAM Magazine—Snowbasin, Utah, April 20, 2018—Snowbasin Resort appointed Davy Ratchford as its new GM effective May 2018. Ratchford will succeed retiring GM John Loomis.

• Lift Maintenance
• Safety

SAM Magazine—Denver, April 19, 2018—Significant snowfall in many regions continued through March and raised March occupancy 0.5 percent compared to year-ago levels. That cut the decline for the 2017-18 winter season from 2.6 percent to 1.3 percent, according to Inntopia in its monthly DestiMetrics Market Briefing.

• Miscellaneous
• Lift Maintenance

The word innovation connotes creative, forward-moving success. But as a principal theme of the Forum portion of the 2018 Mountain Travel Symposium, April 11-12 in South Lake Tahoe, there was a reminder that innovation is best used remembering the lessons of yesteryear, and that nothing comes easy.

• Summer
• Miscellaneous

SAM Magazine—Durango, Colo., April 18, 2018—Mountain Capital Partners, which owns Purgatory and Arizona Snowbowl among other resorts, has entered into an operating agreement with Skyline Mountain Base, LLC, to manage and operate Nordic Valley Ski Resort, Utah.

• Lifts
• Summer

SAM Magazine—Denver, April 12, 2018—“We’re listening. And we heard you loud and clear. We’ve adjusted our January dates.” That was the message from Outdoor Retailer VP and show director Marisa Nicholson in a letter to the industry, unveiling a return to late-January dates for the Outdoor Retailer Snow Show in Denver—Jan. 30–Feb. 1. The new dates are about three weeks later than the schedule announced back in February.