SAM Magazine—Lake Geneva, Wis., Aug. 15, 2025—It was Bo Bigelow’s first major event as executive director of the Midwest Ski Areas Association (MSAA) and the industry showed up in droves to celebrate the future, honor the past, learn, and network.Tim Larsen, Michael Bisner, and Nicholas Vornle from Axess with Dave Meeker, SAM Magazine. The 20...

SAM Magazine—Winter Park, Colo., Aug. 14, 2025—Western mountain lodging properties reversed a June slowdown in July by lowering daily rates more sharply than any time since September 2023, according to Inntopia’s monthly Market Briefing. The move boosted bookings for the rest of summer and into early winter. Data for the Briefing are drawn f...

SAM Magazine—Valley County, Idaho, Aug. 14, 2025—A lightning-sparked wildfire that ignited late Aug. 12 is burning about 1.5 miles south of Tamarack Resort, Idaho, and has prompted the Valley County Sheriff’s Office to issue a “ready” stage evacuation notice advising nearby communities of the potential need for an evacuation.  The Rock ...

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., Aug. 4, 2025—The 2025 Rise Up Challenge is underway, and voting is officially open. Now in its fifth year, this video contest shines a spotlight on a handful of talented young lift mechanics, rising stars who are essential to the future of mountain operations. This year, five resorts each nominated a standout team m...

SAM Magazine—Red Lodge, Mont., July 31, 2025—Red Lodge Mountain has hired Jean Mikulas as its new president and general manager. She brings more than 25 years of leadership experience in the ski and hospitality industries to the role.  Mikulas is a Montana native who earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Montana, “so the mou...

In SAM’s Snow People, we highlight personnel moves in the mountain resort industry. From resort hires, promotions, and retirements to awards, obits, and supplier news, we celebrate the people that make this industry thrive. PEOPLE GAVIN MALIA, STEAMBOAT RESORT, CO Steamboat Resort hired Gavin Malia as its new vice president of engineering,...

SAM Magazine—Wilmington, N.Y., July 22, 2025—Whiteface Mountain will join the Mountain Collective pass for the 2025-26 season, expanding the multi-resort pass’s Northeast footprint. The announcement marks the latest addition to the Mountain Collective’s lineup, which now includes 27 ski areas across five continents. Passholders receive two...

SAM Magazine—Leeland, Mich., July 21, 2025—The Leelanau Conservancy plans to acquire and revitalize the defunct Sugar Loaf ski area in northwest Michigan, transforming it into a year-round public recreation destination with a focus on ecological restoration and inclusive access, and without any ski lifts. The conservancy has entered into a pur...

SAM Magazine—Killington, Vt., July 17, 2025—Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports and the Bart Adaptive Sports Center plan to merge, forming what will be the largest year-round adaptive sports organization in the eastern region of the U.S. Under the proposed plan, which is pending legal finalization, Bart Adaptive will merge into Vermont Adaptive by...

SAM Magazine—Winter Park, Colo., July 16, 2025—The booking pace at Western mountain destinations ticked up slightly in June, the first such gain since last November. Revenues also posted a comfortable year-over-year increase. However, booking pace results were skewed by a drop in the number of available room nights. “When we simply count the ...

• leadership

SAM Magazine—Henniker, N.H., July 14, 2025—In less than 24 hours, more than 120 students in career and technical education (CTE) programs around New Hampshire pre-registered for The. Pipeline Project’s first-ever Ski Career Exploration event, scheduled for Oct. 15 at Pats Peak, N.H. The event is designed to help students explore career option...

SAM Magazine—Olympic Valley, Calif., July 10, 2025—The massive planned base area development at Palisades Tahoe appears to be moving forward after the resort and two Tahoe-area environmental conservation groups agreed to various reductions in scope, ending a 14-year legal battle that has delayed the project from breaking ground. Prior to the a...

SAM Magazine—Nederland, Colo., July 9, 2025—The Town of Nederland has signed a letter of intent to buy Eldora Mountain Resort from Powdr following months of negotiations that began in fall 2024. The two entities will continue negotiating based on the rules set forth in a mutually agreed upon term sheet and could close by early October, accordin...

• sustainability

SAM Magazine—Keystone, Colo., July 7, 2025— Ski area representatives attending the Mountain Towns 2030 Climate Summit this October are invited to arrive early for a special pre-Summit gathering hosted at Arapahoe Basin Ski Area on Monday, Oct. 6. The event is a collaboration between Mountain Towns 2030, the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA)...

SAM Magazine—Longmont, Colo., July 7, 2025—While Washington has been focused on Trump's megabill, the administration has continued to pursue its anti-immigration policies and efforts to downsize the bureaucracy. The J-1 cultural exchange program, which many resorts tap for seasonal workers, could fall victim to this effort in a year or two, eve...