SAM Magazine—Denver, Oct. 17, 2016—The month of September continued the strong gains in aggregated occupancy and revenue that western mountain lodging destinations have seen all summer. Actual occupancy for the month was up 10.4 percent and revenues jumped 19.6 percent as of Sept. 30, according to the most recent report by DestiMetrics. This has been the story all summer, with aggregated occupancy for the season up 6.5 percent and revenues up 14 percent, including on-the-books figures for October.

Welcome to the October edition of Snow People, our monthly roundup of happenings to prominent ski industry and supplier personnel.

SAM Magazine—Denver, Oct. 17, 2016—The six properties owned by Resorts of the Canadian Rockies— Nakiska in Alberta, Fernie, Kimberley, and Kicking Horse in B.C., and Mont-Sainte-Anne and Stoneham in Quebec—are now accessible to M.A.X. Pass-holders. That brings the total number of resorts on the pass to 38.

SAM Magazine—Boswell, Pa., Oct. 14, 2016—For the first time in 11 years, Laurel Mountain in Pennsylvania will open for skiing and riding this winter. Thanks to a $6.5 million grant from the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources in 2010, several necessary upgrades to the resort’s infrastructure are nearing completion.

SAM Magazine—Donnelly, Idaho, Oct. 14, 2016—Less than a week before a scheduled auction that would have sold off several of Tamarack Resort’s critical assets necessary for operations, including chairlifts and an unfinished mid-mountain lodge, a group of local homeowners swooped in and acquired “substantially all of the assets of NewTrac,” which owned a bulk of the property at the resort.

SAM Magazine—Denver, Oct. 6, 2016—In the aftermath of a chairlift incident in West Virginia last February, Outside Magazine’s website has cast a skeptical eye on the lift infrastructure at ski resorts in the U.S. The story, published Oct. 4, puts a spotlight on the age of currently operating lifts and questions their safety, even as it acknowledges that “mechanical lift failures remain exceedingly rare in the United States.”

SAM Magazine—Inkom, Idaho, Oct. 4, 2016—Nobody ever said you have to have ski resort operations experience to own a ski area. The latest example of that is Shay Butler, who is acquiring Pebble Creek Ski Area in Idaho. Butler is the man behind the popular YouTube channel called “Shaytards,” which has nearly five million subscribers.

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., Oct. 3, 2016—Vail Resorts, Inc. has reported net income of $149.8 million for fiscal 2016, an increase of 30.5 percent compared to fiscal 2015, and EBITDA of $452.6 million, an increase of 29.5 percent. VR expects an even better year in fiscal 2017, as its guidance range is for EBITDA of $480 million and $510 million, excluding results from Whistler Blackcomb. VR revealed its purchase of WB in August.

SAM Magazine—Greenwood, Maine, Oct. 3, 2016—Mt. Abram in western Maine will open six new trails this winter, and each trail will be covered with snowmaking. The new terrain consists of two expert trails, two terrain parks, one race trail, and a short connector trail.

SAM Magazine—Park City, Utah, Oct. 3, 2016—SnowSports Industries America (SIA) has made some big moves as of late—both physically and organizationally. The move from its office outside Washington D.C. to its new home in Park City is complete, and the non-profit trade association recently added four new staff members.

SAM Magazine—Salzburgerland, Austria, Oct. 3, 2016—Zell am See in Austria’s Salzburgerland has built a new lift that will allow it to re-open terrain not used for more than three decades. The lift, the first stage in a two-year plan to (re)connect Zell am See to the Saalbach- Hinterglemm-Fieberbrunn, will make Zell am See part of one of Austria’s largest ski areas.

SAM Magazine—White Haven, Pa., Sept. 29, 2016—Nearly 20 member ski areas are again participating in the Pennsylvania Ski Areas Association First-Time Ski and Snowboard Program, which offers $49 advance-purchase learn-to packages valid any day—including weekends and holidays—during the 2016-17 season. The package includes a beginner lift ticket, beginner group lesson, and rental equipment.

Since April, the news about Vermont’s Jay Peak has been heavily focused on the alleged indiscretions of its two former principals and the ensuing legal situation. What many headline-readers may not realize is that Jay has been operating daily—and business is strong.

SAM Magazine—Durango, Colo., Sept. 23, 2016—The investment group led by James Coleman has acquired Hesperus Ski Area, a small, family-oriented hill located 11 miles outside of Coleman’s hometown of Durango. Hesperus is the fifth ski area in the group’s portfolio, which also includes Purgatory Resort, Colo., Arizona Snowbowl, Ariz., Sipapu Ski & Summer Resort, N.M., and Pajarito Mountain, N.M.

More than 160 summer operations managers, vendors, and schemers gathered at the Canyons Grand Summit in Park City, Utah, to explore the state of the art in summer activities at SAM’s Summer Ops Camp, Sept. 14-16.