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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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Schroetel Named Red Mountain President, Katkov and Thompson Stepping Down

SAM Magazine—Rossland, British Columbia, June 18, 2025—Red Mountain Resort is undergoing a major leadership transition as longtime CEO Howard Katkov and resort president Don Thompson are both stepping down from their roles and, effective July 6, industry veteran Mark Schroetel will become the resort’s new president. Mark Schroetel and Howard...

Hermitage Club Names Josh DeBottis as Bill Benneyan’s Successor

SAM Magazine—Wilmington, Vt., June 18, 2025—The Hermitage Club at Haystack Mountain has appointed Joshua DeBottis as its incoming executive director and general manager, effective August 2025. DeBottis will succeed Bill Benneyan, who joined The Hermitage Club in 2020 and oversaw its successful transformation into a member-owned private mountai...

Inbound International Visits, Occupancy at Western Destinations Continue to Decline for Summer

SAM Magazine—Winter Park, Colo., June 17, 2025—Booking reticence for summer vacations persists while bookings by international visitors from Canada, western Europe, and now Mexico, continue to fall, according to the monthly Market Briefing from Inntopia’s DestiMetrics. The booking pace at 17 participating mountain destinations in seven wester...

Utah Ski Areas Record Third-Most Skier Visits in State’s History

SAM Magazine—Salt Lake City, Utah, June 12, 2025—Utah’s 15 alpine ski resorts recorded 6,503,635 skier visits during the 2024–25 winter season. While down 3.6 percent from last season, it’s the third-highest skier-visit total in state history and a 3.3 percent increase over Utah’s five-year average, according to the state’s trade asso...

Ski California LMOE Conference Draws Record Attendance

SAM Magazine—South Lake Tahoe, Calif., June 12, 2025—The 2025 Ski California Lift Maintenance & Operations Education (LMOE) Conference drew a record 403 attendees to South Lake Tahoe, June 3-5. Under the theme “Back to Basics,” this year’s event aimed to reinforce foundational knowledge while addressing the evolving challenges of oper...

Ski NH Marks End of Winter Season with Annual Conference

SAM Magazine—North Conway, N.H., June 10, 2025—Nearly 400 snowsports operators and industry suppliers gathered at Cranmore Mountain Resort, June 3–5, for Ski NH’s Annual Conference and Trade Show. Loon Mountain Resort employees Andrew Noyes and Ana Yacoubian (middle) and Ski NH's president, Jessyca Keeler (right). During the event, the trad...

Australia Ski Season Off to Strong Start

SAM Magazine—New South Wales, Australia, June 9, 2025—After a couple of disappointing winters in Australia, the 2025 season is off to a more optimistic start as snow blanketed the alpine regions of the country over the weekend and several ski areas opened for the season. Credit: Mt. Buller Falls Creek, Mt. Buller, Hotham, Perisher, and Thredb...

Ski Vermont Annual Meeting Highlights Strong Season

SAM Magazine—Warren, Vt., June 6, 2025—A total of 205 resort and supplier members gathered at Sugarbush Resort for the Ski Vermont annual meeting, June 4 and 5, where it was revealed that Vermont alpine ski areas welcomed more than 4.16 million skier visits during the 2024-25 season, up 1.1 percent year-over-year.Keynote speaker Mirna Valerio p...

Q3 Visits Down, Early Pass Sales Soft for Vail Resorts

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., June 6, 2025 —Vail Resorts’ fiscal Q3 results were a mixed bag. While net income for the quarter ending April 30 rose roughly 8.5 percent to $392.8 million and year-to-date resort reported EBITDA ticked up 3 percent, Q3 resort reported EBITDA declined 1 percent, skier visits declined 3 percent across the compa...

New Live Sessions for the Ski Resort AI Bootcamp

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., June 5, 2025—The Ski Resort AI Bootcamp is back with a new round of live sessions this summer, offering fresh insights into how artificial intelligence can be used across resort operations.  Presented by SAM and digital agency Eternity, and sponsored by Get Ski Bots, the Ski Resort AI Bootcamp delivers relevant AI ...

Colorado Reports 13.8M Skier Visits for Third Best Season on Record

SAM Magazine—Denver, June 5, 2025—Colorado Ski Country USA (CSCUSA) projected 13.8 million skier visits in Colorado for this season, ranking 2024-25 as the state’s third highest on record for skier visits. Credit: Colorado Ski Country USA The numbers were realized despite variable snow conditions, according to CSCUSA president and CEO Melan...

Expansion to Double the Size of Doppelmayr Canada Headquarters

SAM Magazine—Saint-Jérôme, Quebec, June 3, 2025—Doppelmayr Canada plans to nearly double the size of its headquarters in Saint-Jérôme, Québec, over the next 18 months, adding 185,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor space for training, production, and warehousing.  The expansion, said the company, is in response to the high demand for r...

SNOW PEOPLE – June 2025

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   ETHAN AUSTIN, SADDLEBACK, MAINE Ethan Austin has been appointed director of marketing at Saddleback Ski Area...

Burke Brings Tom Day Out of Retirement, Appoints Advisory Staff

SAM Magazine—Burke, Vt., June 2, 2025—The new owners of Burke Mountain have coaxed industry veteran Tom Day out of retirement to serve as interim general manager of the resort, effective June 5.  “Honestly, unretiring again to help Burke in this transition was an easy decision. It’s what I love to do,” said Day, adding, “It’s always...

Strong Winter Celebrated, Concerns Discussed at Revived Eastern Canada Ski Areas Conference

SAM Magazine—Gatineau, Quebec, May 30, 2025—More than 560 attendees gathered in Gatineau for the Eastern Canada Ski Areas Conference and Tradeshow, May 26-29. ASSQ CEO Yves Juneau (and his discerning taste in reading material) with SAM's Katie Brinton.It was the first time the event has been held since 2016. The conference brings together ski i...