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  • 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...

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Cutter’s Camp Registration Open

SAM Magazine—Government Camp, Ore., Jan. 29, 2019—Registration is open for the 17th annual Cutter’s Camp. This year’s event will be held May 13-17, 2019 at Timberline, Mt. Hood, Ore. The five-day spring program for terrain park professionals features on-hill and classroom workshops, including the return of one-on-one on-hill operator coachi...

Peter ‘Mongo’ Schory Receives NSAA Industry Impact Award

SAM Magazine—Lakewood, Colo., Jan. 25, 2019—The National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) presented the Ski Industry Impact Award to Peter “Mongo” Schory during the Western Winter Conference and Tradeshow at Snowbird Ski & Summer Resort, Utah this week. Schory is being honored for his significant contributions to snow safety over a long and...

Resorts Participate in National Safety Month

SAM Magazine—Lakewood, Colo., Jan. 25, 2019—January is National Safety Month (NSM), and resorts across the country have been offering safety related events and programs to support the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) initiative.  In the East, Stratton, Vt., is running a Mountain Safety Passport program and offering guests a limited e...

New Sliders Show Up For LSSD

SAM Magazine—Ludlow, Vt., Jan. 23, 2019—Roughly 6,200 beginner ski and snowboard lessons were taught on Jan. 11, 2019, the first national Learn to Ski and Snowboard Day (LSSD), with many resorts offering discounts and deals to encourage participation. The day was a new initiative as part of Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month (LSSM).The participat...

Free Skiing for Furloughed Workers UPDATED

SAM Magazine—Waitsfield, Vt., Jan. 25, 2019—Several resorts are now offering free skiing and snowboarding to furloughed federal workers during the government shutdown.Angel Fire, N.M., started offering free midweek skiing and snowboarding to affected federal workers on Jan. 12. It appears to be one of the first resorts to make such an offer, an...

Snow People - January 2019

In SAM’s monthly Snow People, we highlight recent personnel moves that have been made in the mountain resort industry. This report was written by Katie Brinton. JOE HESSION, N.J. Snow Operating CEO Joe Hession was named the keynote speaker for the 2019 Interski Congress at Pamporovo, Bulgaria, this March. Hession was nominated by the ...

Rucker Named President of Head USA Winter Sports Division

SAM Magazine—Boulder, Colo., Jan. 21, 2019—Head has named Jon Rucker as president of the Head/Tyrolia USA Winter Sports Division. He has been with the company for nearly a decade, and served as vice president for the past seven years.“Jon’s leadership of our Winter Sports Division has helped drive us to record heights," said Head North Amer...

World Snow Day Message Reaches 3.5 Million People

SAM Magazine—Oberhofen, Switzerland, Jan. 21, 2019—The eighth annual World Snow Day held Jan. 20 encouraged would-be winter sports participants to try skiing and snowboarding. Word of the Day's 464 events, from South America to China, reached a reported 3.5 million people in 45 countries. World Snow Day was created by the Internationa...

Western Lodging Trends: Falling Rates, Snow Drive Growth

SAM Magazine—Denver, Jan. 18, 2019—Strategic rate management coupled with widespread snowfall across the western U.S. helped turn December from a challenging month to a revenue winner for mountain lodging properties. According to Inntopia's monthly DestiMetrics Market Briefing, bookings made in December 2018 for arrivals in that month were up a...

Jay Peak Officially on the Market

SAM Magazine—Jay Peak, Vt., Jan. 17, 2019—The court-appointed receiver who’s been overseeing Jay Peak since the resort was seized by the SEC nearly three years ago has put Jay up for sale, with the help of financial services firm, Houlihan Lokey. No sale price has been set, but recent news reports speculate it could be anywhere from $60 ...

Mount Sunapee Wins HKD I AM a Snowmaker Contest

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., Jan. 17, 2019—The 2018-19 HKD I AM a Snowmaker contest, showcasing six snowmaking teams from resorts across North America, concluded on Tuesday, Jan. 15. Nearly 4,000 votes were cast over the 12-day voting period, with the Mount Sunapee, N.H., snowmaking crew earning the most votes to emerge as the winner. The crew w...

World Snow Day 2019 Set: 469 Events in 45 Countries

SAM Magazine—Oberhofen, Switzerland, Jan. 14, 2019—The eighth edition of World Snow Day, a FIS (International Ski Federation) initiative aimed at increasing participation in and awareness of winter sports, will take place on Sunday, Jan. 20. The events also promote environmental stewardship, the health benefits of snowsports, and safety. T...

Vail Resorts Reports Visit Rise, Forecast Cut

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., Jan. 14, 2019‚—Vail Resorts, Inc. (VR), said visits through the holiday period, Jan. 6, were up nearly 17 percent compared to a year ago, and major revenue departments also showed gains. But VR had expected even better results, compared to a relatively poor early season a year ago, and said it now expects resor...

Pierpont Retires, Marquardt Named Doppelmayr VP of Sales

SAM Magazine—Salt Lake City, Utah, Jan. 9, 2019—After more than 40,000 lift rides and 44 years in the business, working at six ski resorts, in five states, and with one Austrian lift manufacturer, F. Scott Pierpont retired from the industry on Dec. 21.“There are many wonderful people who share my passion for skiing in this country, and it has...

Vacationers Made the Holidays Merry for Resorts

SAM Magazine—Ludlow, Vt., Jan. 8, 2019—Americans seemed keen to spend their holiday break this winter on the snow, as resorts across most regions saw an upward trend in visitation and revenue. Whitefish Mountain Resort on December 30, 2018 This was particularly true out west where resorts benefited from ample natural snowfall.The Rockies ...