SAM Magazine—Reno, Nev., Dec. 2, 2025—The Sky Tavern board of directors has appointed Chris "Toph" Brown as the Nevada ski area’s new chief executive officer. The decision was announced Oct. 25, 2025, following the retirement of former CEO Pat Cashell. Brown has long been part of the Sky Tavern leadership team, most recently serving as chie...

SAM Magazine—Jackson, N.H., Dec. 1, 2025—Black Mountain and the Town of Jackson have reached a settlement, ending a months-long clash over operations at the ski area, including the town selectboard’s move to revoke alcohol service permission for the mid-mountain Alpine Cabin and a federal lawsuit filed by the ski area in response.  Black Mo...

SAM Magazine—Haute-Savoie, France, Dec. 1, 2025—Alterra Mountain Company added France’s Megève Ski Area as an Ikon Pass partner for 2025-26. Full Ikon Pass holders will have seven days of access with no blackouts to the sprawling ski area in the French Alps, and Ikon Base Pass holders will have five days and no blackouts. Megève is the seco...

SAM Magazine—Vernon, British Columbia, Nov. 25, 2025—Pacific Group Resorts (PGR) has acquired SilverStar Mountain Resort in Vernon, British Columbia, from Powdr. PGR’s portfolio now includes six resorts after its acquisition of Powderhorn Mountain Resort in Colorado earlier this year and Jay Peak Resort in Vermont in 2022.  SilverStar becom...

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., Nov. 25, 2025—Vail Resorts has appointed Celeste Burgoyne as executive vice president and chief revenue officer, effective Jan. 26, 2026. Burgoyne is the current president of the Americas and global guest innovation for athleisure-wear company lululemon.  In her newly created role, Burgoyne will oversee Vail Re...

SAM Magazine—Paris, Nov. 25, 2025—After a competitive tender process, Compagnie des Alpes (CDA) has secured a new 25-year Public Service Delegation (PSD) to continue operating La Plagne, the world’s largest single ski resort by skiable terrain. CDA subsidiary Société d’Aménagement de La Plagne (SAP) has managed the resort since its creat...

SAM Magazine—Waitsfield, Vt., Nov. 24, 2025—The Mad River Glen co-op board of trustees voted unanimously to exercise its right of first refusal to acquire 1,100 acres of land that surrounds the existing ski area. The vote was triggered after a third-party offered $2.5 million to buy the property from the current owner.  The land the ski area ...

SAM Magazine—Upson, Wis., Nov. 24, 2025—Whitecap Mountains Resort has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Wisconsin, a process that halts collection efforts as the resort negotiates with creditors.  The petition follows several years of financial strain. In 2019, a chimney fire destroyed th...

SAM Magazine—Jackson, Wyo., Nov. 21, 2025—Ninety-three percent of eligible Jackson Hole Ski Patrol employees backed a petition filed with the National Labor Relations Board for a union representation election, according to a release from the patrol. If certified, the group would form the Jackson Hole Ski Patrol Union under Communications Worker...

A special analysis and commentary by Andy Bigford. The town of Nederland’s efforts to buy neighboring Eldora Mountain Resort, with the support of an advisory group called 303 Ski, might be called heroic—and a model for others to follow. The town and 303 Ski rose to the occasion after Powdr Corp. put Eldora on the market, investing more time ...

SAM Magazine—Winter Park, Colo. Nov. 20, 2025—The 2025 summer season closed on Oct. 31 in better shape than it started and wrapped up with moderate gains in occupancy, rates, and seasonal revenue, according to the latest monthly Market Briefing from DestiMetrics, the business intelligence division of Inntopia. Winter bookings remain on a simila...

SAM Magazine—Boston, Mass., Nov. 19, 2025—The stalwart consumer ski and snowboard shows still play an important—and in some cases a growing—role in stoking excitement for winter sports in key markets of the country, and a handful of this year’s events reportedly did well in their current venues as relocation and expansion discussions are ...

SAM Magazine—East Burke, Vt., Nov. 19, 2025—Burke Mountain Resort has named industry veteran Gabe Porter-Henry as its new general manager, effective Dec. 1. He will work alongside interim general manager Tom Day through the end of the calendar year as the resort continues its transition to new ownership under Bear Den Partners. Porter-Henry ha...

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., November 19, 2025—More than a dozen North American ski areas have opened for the season, some for daily operations and some weekends only for now, with several more planning to get started before Thanksgiving. Sunday River A stretch of snowy, cold weather in the East has allowed many ski areas to hit—or to soon ...

SAM Magazine—Breckenridge, Colo., Nov. 17, 2025—The Breckenridge Ski Patrol Union (BSPU) and Vail Resorts reached a tentative agreement after a late-night bargaining session on Nov. 13 that ended a planned picket and replaced the patrol’s expiring contract.   “Breckenridge Ski Resort and the Breckenridge Ski Patrol Union are pleased to a...