• Lifts

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...

• Marketing
• Lifts

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...

• Marketing

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...

• Marketing

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...

• Marketing

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...

• Marketing
• Lifts

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...

• Marketing

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...

• Lifts

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 ...

• Rental
• Resort Development

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...

• Lifts

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...

• Rental
• Ski Area Profiles

Special Report by Steven Threndyle What do China, shopping malls, and snowball fights have in common? All three were floated as possible ideas for increasing skiing and snowboarding participation during the Mountain Travel Symposium (MTS) at Whistler-Blackcomb in early April. From the cavernous convention space of the Whistler Conference Centre t...

• Lifts
• Racing

SAM Magazine—Ludlow, Vt., April 19, 2019—The North American Snowsports Journalists Association (NASJA) has named the winners of four of its annual awards.  Rick Kahl: Carson White Snowsports Achievement Award NASJA journalist and corporate members voted SAM’s own Rick Kahl as the 2019 Carson White Snowsports Achievement Award reci...

• Resort Development
• Ski Area Profiles

SAM Magazine—Jasper, Alberta, Canada, April 18, 2019—Longtime Marmot Basin president and CEO Dave Gibson will retire at the end of June after leading the resort for 32 years. Jason Paterson, who has served as vice president of operations and maintenance at Marmot Basin since 2012, will succeed him. “I am both honored and thrilled for the opp...

• Racing

SAM Magazine—Denver, April 17, 2019—The only question left about western mountain lodging for the 2018-19 season is how big the record numbers will be—and if the record will be for occupancy, rate, revenue, or all of them.  In the most recent monthly DestiMetrics Market Briefing released by Inntopia, aggregated actual occupancy for the ...

• Resort Development

SAM Magazine—Woodbury, Conn., April 11, 2019—Kicking off in the west this week, an intense spring snowstorm is expected to drop flakes all the way to the Northeast, making the 2018-19 season one that just keeps on giving. And since the snow’s not quitting, neither are resorts. Incredible snowpack has led many areas to extend their seasons and...