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...
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.
SAM Magazine—Woodbury, Conn., Dec. 22, 2017—Josh Bremer’s “Junkyard Dog” feature at Whitecap Mountain, Wis., and the Scott Delforte Park Jam at Bristol Mountain, N.Y., are the winners of the 13th annual SAM 2017 Terrain Park Contest. The contest drew nearly 30 entries from around the world.
SAM Magazine—Denver, Dec. 18, 2017—As of Oct. 31, winter season occupancy at mountain destinations in eight western states showed a slight decline year over year. But as of Nov. 30, that trend has reversed—despite mild weather and a general lack of early-season snowfall in the West, according Inntopia’s monthly DestiMetrics Market Briefing.
SAM Magazine—Burke, Vt., Dec. 18, 2017—An investigation is underway to determine what caused a 1986 LMC 1500 tracked vehicle to rollover Sunday evening on Burke Mountain, killing the driver after he was ejected from the cab. The passenger was treated for minor injuries at a local hospital and released.
SAM Magazine—Canton, Mass., Dec. 14, 2017—Blue Hills Ski Area, located just outside of Boston, has named Molly Ross as its new general manager. Ross has been at Blue Hills for six years, starting as a customer service agent and most recently serving as the ski area’s business manager, before being promoted to general manager. She was recognized as a 2017 SAM “10 Under 30.”
SAM Magazine—Denver, Dec. 14, 2017—Conditions leading into the Christmas holiday have been varied across the U.S. Up until the past few days, the West had been suffering from unusually warm temps and lack of snow, a situation some resorts have finally been able to remedy as cold nights have allowed for long-awaited snowmaking. Things haven’t been much wetter—or colder—in many parts of the Pacific Northwest or California. However, resorts in the East have been getting hammered for the past four or five days, and it looks like cold temps there will be sticking around for a while.
SAM Magazine—Val d’Isère, Savoie, France, Dec. 12, 2017—POMA has signed a €38 million (roughly $44.5 million) contract with The Compagnie des Alpes (CDA) to build five ropeways, one each at Val d’Isère, Tignes, Méribel, La Plagne, and Serre Chevalier ski areas. Construction for all will start this summer, and opening is planned for December 2018.
SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., Dec. 12, 2017—In its most recent quarterly earnings report, Vail Resorts said it expects to sell a total of more than 740,000 Epic Passes this year, with sales up roughly 14 percent in units and 20 percent in sales dollars.
SAM Magazine—Teton Village, Wyo., Nov. 30, 2017—After a 47-year career in the ski and tourism industries, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort president Jerry Blann will retire after the 2017-18 winter season. He has spent the last 22 years as JHMR’s president. Prior to leading JHMR, Blann was president of Aspen Skiing Company, where he worked for 18 years, and also was president of Bear Mountain, Calif.
SAM Magazine—Denver, Nov. 21, 2017—The summer of 2017 set two all-time records for the six-month summer season—a strong seven percent gain in aggregated revenue among 20 mountain destinations in eight western states, and occupancy eked out a scant 0.1 percent increase over the summer of 2016. The month of October was up 9.7 percent in occupancy with a 14.1 percent gain in revenues compared to October 2016. This is the final summer report for 2017 released by Inntopia in its monthly DestiMetrics Market Briefing.
SAM Magazine—Castle Rock, Colo., Nov. 20, 2017—Developers will break ground this month on Miller’s Landing, a new 65-acre mixed-use project in Castle Rock, Colo., that is expected to include a year-round outdoor snowsports complex, aptly named Snowsports 365.
SAM Magazine—Hancock, Mass., Nov. 20, 2017—The Fairbank Group’s resorts—Jiminy Peak, Mass., Bromley, Vt., and Cranmore, N.H.—are now offering discounted advance purchase lift tickets through an online storefront on each resort’s website. The strategy follows the same concept of “airline-style” variable pricing employed by third-party lift ticket sellers. Discounts of 30- to 50-percent off the window rates represent the largest lift ticket savings ever offered by any of the resorts.
SAM Magazine—Dover, Vt., Nov. 17, 2017—A huge number of mountain resorts across North America—from small ski areas near urban centers to the biggest operations on the continent—have either already opened or plan to spin lifts by this weekend, marking an early start for most. However, a few operators are still waiting for sustained cold temps and natural snow, forcing them to push back previously announced opening dates.
SAM Magazine—Boston, Mass., Nov. 17, 2017—Longtime Rossignol sales rep Deno Dudunake was honored with the 32nd annual BEWI Award at a luncheon in Boston on Nov. 10, attended by more than 150 ski and snowboard industry executives. As a professional freestyle skier, Dudunake won the World Mogul Championship title at Heavenly, Calif., in 1977. He has been with Rossignol since 1978.
SAM Magazine—Wildwood, Mo., Nov. 17, 2017—Peak Resorts has unveiled a new program aimed at making learning to ski or ride more affordable and accessible. The Peak Discovery Program, valid for ages 13 and older, includes three visits complete with a group lesson, equipment rental and helmet, and a lift ticket at any combination of the company’s Northeast resorts, for just $99. Those resorts include Attitash, Wildcat, and Crotched, N.H., Mount Snow, Vt., Hunter Mountain, N.Y., and Jack Frost Big Boulder, Pa.
SAM Magazine—Seattle, Wash., Nov. 10, 2017—REI and POWDR have formed a strategic partnership that kicks off mid-November with new adventure lifestyle programs and events at Copper Mountain and Eldora, Colo. Full programming will begin by the holiday season.
