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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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SAM Magazine—Durango, Colo., Jan. 8, 2019—Dave Rathbun, a snowsports vet with more than 30 years of experience in the resort and hospitality industry, has been named the new general manager of Purgatory Resort in Colorado.Rathbun, a 2010 SAMMY Award winner, got his start at Stratton Mountain, Vt., as a lift attendant. He served in management po...
EDITORS' PICKS: As we charge into 2019, we at SAM took a look back at some of our favorite articles from 2018 and selected a top-10 (OK, top 11) list. The list encompasses some of the most important stories that occupied the industry in the past year: • welcoming a new president of NSAA• pursuing market grow...
SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., Jan. 4, 2019—Voting for HKD’s I Am a Snowmaker contest opens today and continues through Monday, Jan. 14. Started in the winter of 2013-14, the contest highlights the hard work, determination and camaraderie of snowmakers, and recognizes how critical they are to the success of our industry.Six teams were chosen in ...
SAM Magazine—Snowmass, Colo., Jan. 3, 2019—After more than 23 years working in leadership roles for Aspen Skiing Company, Susan Cross now holds the top spot at Snowmass as the resort’s new general manager. Cross succeeds Steve Sewell, who retired Dec. 31 after a 42-year career with SkiCo. He had served as Snowmass GM since 2006. Cross be...
SAM Magazine—Woodbury, Conn., Jan. 3, 2019—Nearly 2,500 votes were cast in the 14thannual SAM Terrain Park Contest, in which a total of 52 entries from ski areas around the world looked to earn the top spot in one of the three contest categories: Bread and Butter, Terrain Park Event, and Terrain Park Feature. The votes have been tallied, and th...
SAM Magazine—Wildwood, Mo., Dec. 21, 2018—Despite growing competition in the Northeast in the multi-resort pass market, Peak Resorts reported record season pass sales through Dec. 17, 2018. Company-wide pass sales were up 36 percent in units and 38 percent in revenue year over year. The company’s flagship Peak Pass product was up 18 perc...
SAM Magazine—Winter Park, Colo., Dec. 21, 2018—A strong wave of mid-November snowfall from the Sierras to the Rockies gave winter bookings a boost at western mountain resorts. According to the DestiMetrics monthly Market Briefing, bookings made during the month of November for arrivals from November through April rose 12.8 percent compared to t...
SAM Magazine—Wildwood, Mo., December 21, 2018—Peak Resorts has created several new key roles and appointed new personnel at the corporate and managerial levels to better facilitate operations at its growing portfolio of resorts in the eastern United States.Eric Flynn Jason Boyd has been appointed senior vice president of operations, mid-Atlant...
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. MICHAEL HUSSEY, MIDDLEBURY SNOW BOWL, VTMike Hussey has been named director of the Middlebury Snow Bowl and Rikert Nordic Center. He has served as the director of the Nord...
SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., Dec. 13, 2018—Vail Resorts CEO Rob Katz and his wife, Elana Amsterdam, have awarded 30 grants totaling more than $2 million to support emotional wellness programs in nearly every mountain resort community in which Vail Resorts operates. The grants were issued by the Katz Amsterdam Charitable Trust, which the coup...
SAM Magazine—Highmount, N.Y., Dec. 13, 2018—This fall, Bruce Transue was named general manager of state-owned Belleayre Mountain Ski Center in New York. The move followed a 36-year run at Hunter Mountain, where Transue served most recently as operations director. While at Hunter, Transue facilitated several significant capital projects, includ...
SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., Dec. 7, 2018—Vail Resorts reported a jump of 21 percent in Epic Pass sales through Dec. 2, with revenues rising 13 percent, compared the year-earlier period, according to its latest quarterly report issued today. Total sales are expected to exceed 925,000 units, a significant number considering the competition cr...
SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., Dec. 7, 2018—In its most recent quarterly earnings report, Vail Resorts unveiled plans to invest approximately $175 million to $180 million in capital improvements across its portfolio of 18 mountain resorts ahead of the 2019-20 winter season, and 2019 season in Australia. Projects include ambitious snowmaking up...
SAM Magazine—Stratton, Vt., Dec. 7, 2018—The inaugural Northeast Winter Weather Summit, held Dec. 2 and 3, drew a mixed group of 70 attendees, including meteorologists, media, resort communicators, ski area association representatives, and industry suppliers for two days of networking, education, and discussions revolving around winter weather ...
SAM Magazine—Woodbury, Conn., Nov. 30, 2018—Voting closes for the 14thannual SAMTerrain Park Contest on Dec. 6, 2018, which means time is short for participating resorts to encourage their fans and followers to cast their votes online. Entries that earn the most votes in each category—Features, Events, and Bread and Butter—will win pri...
