• Lifts

SAM Magazine—East Rutherford, N.J., Oct. 11, 2019—Big SNOW American Dream, North America’s first indoor, real-snow ski and snowboard center, has set its official grand opening for Dec. 5, 2019. The facility will offer year-round skiing and riding on four acres of snow-covered slopes inside the American Dream retail and entertainment complex, ...

• Lifts

SAM Magazine—Park City, Utah, Oct. 1, 2019—Several Powdr Corp resorts will incorporate Woodward Mountain Parks starting this winter. Woodward Mountain Parks include different elements that, combined, “reimagine the way snowsports enthusiasts [of all ability levels] experience on-mountain adventure,” according to the company. Woodward Mount...

• Ski Area Profiles

SAM Magazine—Newbury, N.H., Oct. 1, 2019—Keystone Resort (Colo.) senior director of mountain operations Tracy Bartels will assume the role of general manager at Mount Sunapee, N.H., effective Nov. 18. She will replace Bruce Schmidt, who has been in the role for less than a year, and is now transitioning back to Okemo—where he’ll again serve...

• Lifts
• Legal

SAM Magazine—Portland, Ore., October 1, 2019—The Indy Pass has added eight more resorts to its coalition of independent ski areas, bringing its total number of participating resorts up to 44. As a result, the Indy Pass now includes access to more ski areas in North America than any other multi-resort pass product on the market. Back in Septemb...

• Ski Area Profiles

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., Sept. 30, 2019—Vail Resorts, Inc. (VR) reported a 14.6 percent increase in EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) for its fiscal year 2019, ending July 31, to $706.7 million. However, net income dropped 20.7 percent, to $301.2 million for fiscal 2019, as 2018 results were positiv...

• Marketing

SAM Magazine—Montville, N.J., Sept. 27, 2019— Four-decade industry veteran Jim Haas has been hired as the general manager of Big SNOW America, the new real-snow, indoor, year-round ski and snowboard center at the American Dream retail complex. Haas started his career with Snowshoe Mountain, where he held several management positions in risk, h...

• Area Management
• Miscellaneous

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., Sept. 27, 2019—Vail Resorts (VR) has appointed two new GMs following a summer of operational growth and change. Jody Churich, previously senior director of skier services at Park City Mountain Resort, will serve as vice president and general manager at Keystone Resort, Colo. Matt Jones, previously VP of human res...

• Marketing
• Ski School

resorts SARAH JONES, STEAMBOAT SKI RESORT, COLO.  Sarah Jones has been named the first ever director of sustainability and community engagement at Steamboat Ski Resort. Starting Sept. 30, Jones will be responsible for furthering the resort’s policy goals on climate and energy and developing and driving the resort’s sustainability practic...

• Ski School
• Ski Area Profiles

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., Sept. 24, 2019— Vail Resorts has closed on its acquisition of Peak Resorts, Inc. for a purchase price of $11 per share. With the acquisition, Vail Resorts adds 17 U.S. ski areas to its portfolio—all located in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Midwest—and now owns and operates 37 resorts worldwide.  "We ...

SAM Magazine—Wildwood, Mo., Sept. 20, 2019—Peak Resorts, Inc., shareholders approved the merger agreement for the acquisition of Peak's 17 areas by Vail Resorts, Inc. at a special meeting on Sept. 20. Under the terms of the merger agreement, Peak Resorts’ common shareholders will be entitled to receive $11 per share in cash at the closing of ...

• Lifts

SAM Magazine—Steamboat Springs, Colo., Sept. 20, 2019—Steamboat Ski & Resort Corporation is donating $100,000 per year over the next five years to the newly launched Yampa River Fund, a local water fund created through partnerships with The Nature Conservancy and local partners. The $500,000 donation is the largest single cash commitment in...

• Ski Area Profiles
• Grooming
• Trail Maintenance

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., Sept. 20, 2019—There is just one week left to enter the 15th annual SAM Terrain Park Contest, sponsored by Burton Learn to Ride. Enter one (or all) of three categories: terrain park feature, terrain park event, and bread and butter. Mountain resorts from around the world are invited to submit entries from the 2018-19...

• Lifts
• Grooming
• Trail Maintenance

The annual Ski Areas of New York (ISKINY) and Pennsylvania Ski Areas Association (PSAA) Expo, held at Hunter Mountain, N.Y., Sept. 16-18, welcomed a large crowd of 386 attendees. Personnel from 50 different ski areas attended, and the 79 exhibitors at the trade show represented what ISKINY president Scott Brandi termed “a record level of sponsors...

• Lifts
• Area Management

SAM Magazine—Newry, Maine, Sept. 19, 2019—This year’s New England Summit at Sunday River Resort introduced a revamped schedule and a new multi-session Communicators Camp in addition to its traditional mix of high-quality educational sessions, networking events, and trade show. The two-day event, held Sept. 10 and 11, attracted roughly 250 ski...

• Marketing
• Lifts

SAM Magazine—Jackson, Wyo., Sept. 18, 2019—On Sept. 17, all Jackson Hole Mountain Resort (JHMR) year-round electricity needs—lifts, facilities, and base area operations—transitioned to Lower Valley Energy’s (LVE) 100 percent Green Power program. The program directly sources wind power from Horse Butte Wind Farm in Idaho, the closest wind ...