• Snowmaking
• sustainability

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., Jan. 29, 2024—Vail Resorts marked its second year of 100 percent renewable energy use at its 37 North American resorts and made strides in landfill waste reduction and energy efficiency company-wide, according to its 2022-23 Environmental & Social Responsibility Report. The report assesses the company’s pr...

• Marketing

UPDATE: SAM Magazine—South Lake Tahoe, Calif., Jan 31, 2024— Following an internal investigation, Heavenly COO Tom Fortune has taken responsibility for the circumstances that led to a female snowboarder being stranded overnight on the ski area’s gondola. “I am responsible for all aspects of mountain operations, including the safety of our...

• Environment
• Safety

SAM Magazine—Gilford, N.H., Jan. 26, 2024—Tom Day, who began his career in the ski industry as a lift attendant at New Hampshire’s Waterville Valley in 1978, plans to retire from his post as general manager of Gunstock Mountain Resort at the end of the current ski season. SAM recently chatted with Day for an informal “exit interview” abou...

• Marketing
• Snowmaking

There's a new sheriff in Showville, and he wants to reshape the place. Raccoon Media Group has brought its entertainment-oriented consumer show format to Boston and is doubling down on the concept, pioneered in its National Snow Show in the U.K. The company has been pleased with the reception it has had in Boston with Snowbound, its new show, in th...

• Lifts
• Legal

SAM Magazine—Cody, Wyo., Jan. 24, 2024—Sleeping Giant Ski Area won’t awaken from its slumber for the 2023-24 season.Sleeping Giant Live Cam Hit by the combination of a crippled snowmaking system and an unprecedented lack of natural snow, Sleeping Giant will not open this year, resort owner Nick Piazza announced on Jan. 12 after a hoped-for J...

• Grooming
• Trail Maintenance

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., Jan. 22, 2024—Online voting for the 2024 “I AM a Snowmaker” contest is now open through midnight (EST) on Friday, Feb. 2. Since it debuted the winter of 2013-14, the annual I AM contest—sponsored by HKD Snowmakers—has highlighted the hard work, determination, and camaraderie of snowmakers, recognizing how cri...

• Resort Development
• Miscellaneous

In SAM’s Snow People, we highlight recent personnel moves that have been made in the mountain resort industry. From resort hires, promotions, and retirements to supplier news, awards and obits, we celebrate the people that make this industry thrive. PEOPLE TOM DAY, GUNSTOCK, NH Gunstock general manager Tom Day will retire following the 2023-24...

• Environment

SAM Magazine—Winter Park, Colo., Jan. 18, 2024—The challenges presented by meager snowfall, school holidays that started nearly a week later than usual, and ongoing resistance to high daily rates at Western mountain destinations dampened occupancy during December, according to the monthly Market Briefing released by DestiMetrics, the business i...

• Area Management

SAM Magazine—Eden, Utah, Jan. 16, 2024—An early morning fire ripped through the lodge at Nordic Valley Resort yesterday, causing extensive damage to the building and leading ski area officials to cease operations until further notice. A ski area worker noticed flames and smoke emanating from the unoccupied lodge around 1:50 a.m., according to ...

• Snowmaking
• Environment

SAM Magazine—Neihart, Mont., Jan. 12, 2024—A few days after Showdown Montana opened for the season on Dec. 23, the ski area extended an offer for season pass holders at Blacktail Mountain Ski Area to ski for free until their home area can open. This started a trend of other open Montana ski areas extending a similar offer in response to the slo...

• Snowmaking

SAM Magazine—Greenville Junction, Maine, Jan. 12, 2024—The nonprofit group that operates Maine’s Big Moose Mountain is forging ahead with its ski operations despite a recent storm that crippled its snowmaking system.Friends of the Mountain A few degrees colder and the Dec. 18 storm could have been a boon for the Piscataquis County ski area, ...

• Miscellaneous

SAM Magazine—Oetz, Austria, Jan. 11, 2024—A gondola cabin with four passengers in it detached from the haul rope and fell 23-33 feet after “several trees” fell on the line of the Acherkogelbahn gondola at Hochoetz ski area, according to multiple reports.  Three of the adults sustained serious injuries, with one taken to the hospital with ...

• Snowmaking

SAM Magazine—Placer County, Calif., Jan. 10, 2024—At least one person was killed and another sustained non-life-threatening injuries in an inbounds avalanche at Palisades Tahoe this morning. The Placer County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) confirmed the fatality and injury in a statement shared to Facebook ahead of a 2.30 p.m. PST press conference....

• Safety

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., Jan. 5, 2024—Given the unseasonable weather seen across much of North America, most mountain resort operators have not been singing the praises of Mother Nature this winter. Instead, they credited staff, snowmaking, and a little creativity for whatever success they experienced over the Christmas holiday period. Pano...

• Snowmaking
• Legal

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., Jan. 5, 2024—More than 3,500 votes, the most ever, were cast in the 17th annual SAM Terrain Park Contest in which a total of 69 resort-submitted entries from ski areas around the globe competed for the top spot in one of four categories: features, events, edits, and park crew.  The votes have been tallied, and the ...