News Search
SAM Headline News
HEADLINE NEWS
FEATURED STORY
-
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...
Get SAM Headline News delivered to your inbox. It's not just another email—it's industry news and special reports that matter to you, coming from the industry's trusted resource.

SAM Magazine—Burlington, Vt., May 22, 2019—The U.S. attorney’s office in Vermont is levying federal criminal charges against four of the people allegedly involved in defrauding foreign investors as part of the EB-5 program, which funded significant infrastructure developments at both Jay Peak and Burke Mountain in Vermont. Those indicted incl...

SAM Magazine—Salt Lake City, Utah, May 21, 2019—Utah ski resorts recorded 5,125,441 skier visits during the 2018-19 season, breaking the previous record of 4.58 million set in 2016-17 by 12 percent. Visits were up 24 percent over last season. Consistent snowfall was a major contributor to the busy winter—every ski resort in the state recorde...

SAM Magazine—Denver, May 21, 2019—Snow brings people, and this winter’s abundant snowfall resulted in a new all-time aggregated record for occupancy, rate, and revenue among participating destination mountain resorts in six western states. For the full winter—November through April—actual occupancy was up 5.6 percent compared to t...

SAM Magazine—Lakewood, Colo., May 15, 2019—According to a report in the latest NSAA Capitol Watch, recently released 2017 Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) data show “skiing facilities” have the third highest incidence rate of non-fatal occupational injuries among all industries in the U.S. The 2017 rate of 10.1 injuries...

SAM Magazine—Wildwood, Mo., May 10, 2019—Consolidated initial sales for Peak Resorts 2019-20 season pass products increased 20.8 percent on a unit basis and 19.8 percent on a dollar basis over the prior year through the springtime sales window, inclusive of Snow Time (Liberty, Roundtop, and Whitetail in Pennsylvania) pass sales in both periods....

SAM Magazine—Woodbury, Conn., May 7, 2019—Registration is open for SAM's 11th annual Summer Ops Camp—a three day, all-inclusive program of seminars, workshops, and site visits that explore the state of the art in summer operations. Attendees also get to experience a wide range of summer activities, and explore product offerings with a diverse...

SAM Magazine—San Diego, Cali., May 6, 2019 - More than 950 members of the winter resort industry descended on the Hilton Bayfront Hotel in San Diego, Calif., April 29–May 2 for the NSAA National Convention and Tradeshow. It was the most highly attended national convention since 2008. Conventioneers reveled in the aftermath of the fourth-greates...

SAM Magazine—Lakewood, Colo., April 30, 2019—The preliminary total skier-visit numbers at North American resorts reached 59.1 million for the 2018-19 winter season, up nearly 11 percent compared to the 2017-18 total of 53.3 million visits. It ranks as the fourth most total visits since NSAA began tracking visitation in 1978-79. Abundant snowfa...

SAM Magazine—Lakewood, Colo., April 30, 2019—The National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) has launched the Mountain Foundation, a 501(c)3 non-profit dedicated to providing educational opportunities to the next generation of snowsports industry leaders. The foundation will award grants to ski industry employees so they can experience educational op...

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., April 30, 2019—Vail Resorts (VR) named Deirdra Walsh, a 17-year travel and tourism industry veteran, the new vice president and general manager of Northstar California Resort on April 25, 2019. Walsh formerly served as the senior director of mountain dining at Park City Mountain in Utah. In her new role, Wal...

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., April 29, 2019—After a rough start to the season, Vail Resorts (VR) is up year-over-year at its North American mountains for the period from the beginning of the ski season through April 21, 2019. Rob Katz, chief executive officer, said, "We are pleased with our overall results as the 2018-19 North American ski...

In SAM’s monthly Snow People, we highlight recent personnel moves that have been made in the mountain resort industry.MARK SEITER and GREG RALPH, Angel Fire Resort, N.M.Mark Seiter was named Angel Fire Resort’s new CFO, and Greg Ralph was named the new director of marketing. Both Seiter and Ralph will report to Angel Fire CEO John Kitts. Seite...

SAM Magazine—Geneva, Switzerland, April 23, 2019—The eleventh “International Report on Mountain & Snow Tourism” has been compiled and published by the Geneva-based consultant and ski business expert Laurent Vanat. The report of the 2017-18 season gives an upbeat picture of the state of the global ski industry for the second consecutive ...

SAM Magazine—Chewelah, Wash., April 23, 2019—CMR Lands, LLC has acquired 49° North Mountain Resort from the Eminger family for an undisclosed price. The Emingers have owned and operated the northeast Washington resort since 1996. John Eminger will stay on as general manager. CMR Lands also owns Silver Mountain in Idaho. During their 23 years...

SAM Magazine—Hancock, Mass., April 23, 2019—More than 400 ski area operations professionals, industry suppliers, and experts from across the country spent three days learning, collaborating, and networking during the 42nd annual Lift Maintenance Seminar (LMS) at Jiminy Peak, Mass., April 16-18. More than a dozen new sessions were introduced amo...