• Safety

SAM Magazine—Teton Village, Wyo., Nov. 30, 2017—After a 47-year career in the ski and tourism industries, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort president Jerry Blann will retire after the 2017-18 winter season. He has spent the last 22 years as JHMR’s president. Prior to leading JHMR, Blann was president of Aspen Skiing Company, where he worked for 18 years, and also was president of Bear Mountain, Calif.

• Marketing

SAM Magazine—Denver, Nov. 21, 2017—The summer of 2017 set two all-time records for the six-month summer season—a strong seven percent gain in aggregated revenue among 20 mountain destinations in eight western states, and occupancy eked out a scant 0.1 percent increase over the summer of 2016. The month of October was up 9.7 percent in occupancy with a 14.1 percent gain in revenues compared to October 2016. This is the final summer report for 2017 released by Inntopia in its monthly DestiMetrics Market Briefing.

• Rental
• Marketing

SAM Magazine—Castle Rock, Colo., Nov. 20, 2017—Developers will break ground this month on Miller’s Landing, a new 65-acre mixed-use project in Castle Rock, Colo., that is expected to include a year-round outdoor snowsports complex, aptly named Snowsports 365.

• Rental
• Terrain Park
• Miscellaneous

SAM Magazine—Hancock, Mass., Nov. 20, 2017—The Fairbank Group’s resorts—Jiminy Peak, Mass., Bromley, Vt., and Cranmore, N.H.—are now offering discounted advance purchase lift tickets through an online storefront on each resort’s website. The strategy follows the same concept of “airline-style” variable pricing employed by third-party lift ticket sellers. Discounts of 30- to 50-percent off the window rates represent the largest lift ticket savings ever offered by any of the resorts.

• Lifts
• Internet
• Customer Service
• Social Media
• Terrain Park
• Miscellaneous

SAM Magazine—Dover, Vt., Nov. 17, 2017—A huge number of mountain resorts across North America—from small ski areas near urban centers to the biggest operations on the continent—have either already opened or plan to spin lifts by this weekend, marking an early start for most. However, a few operators are still waiting for sustained cold temps and natural snow, forcing them to push back previously announced opening dates.

• Lifts
• Internet
• Customer Service
• Terrain
• Social Media
• Miscellaneous

SAM Magazine—Boston, Mass., Nov. 17, 2017—Longtime Rossignol sales rep Deno Dudunake was honored with the 32nd annual BEWI Award at a luncheon in Boston on Nov. 10, attended by more than 150 ski and snowboard industry executives. As a professional freestyle skier, Dudunake won the World Mogul Championship title at Heavenly, Calif., in 1977. He has been with Rossignol since 1978.

• Terrain
• Miscellaneous

SAM Magazine—Wildwood, Mo., Nov. 17, 2017—Peak Resorts has unveiled a new program aimed at making learning to ski or ride more affordable and accessible. The Peak Discovery Program, valid for ages 13 and older, includes three visits complete with a group lesson, equipment rental and helmet, and a lift ticket at any combination of the company’s Northeast resorts, for just $99. Those resorts include Attitash, Wildcat, and Crotched, N.H., Mount Snow, Vt., Hunter Mountain, N.Y., and Jack Frost Big Boulder, Pa.

• Personnel Issues

SAM Magazine—Seattle, Wash., Nov. 10, 2017—REI and POWDR have formed a strategic partnership that kicks off mid-November with new adventure lifestyle programs and events at Copper Mountain and Eldora, Colo. Full programming will begin by the holiday season.

• Personnel Issues
• Terrain Park
• Miscellaneous

SAM Magazine—Tannersville, Pa., Nov. 10, 2017—Brian Czarnecki has been promoted to the role of chief operating officer for Camelback Resort, Pa. Previously, he served as the resort’s vice president of sales and marketing.

• Internet
• Customer Service
• Social Media
• Terrain Park
• Ski School
• Miscellaneous

SAM Magazine—Dover, Vt., Nov. 10, 2017—By Sunday morning, the number of ski areas open for skiing and riding in North America will just about triple, according to snocountry.com, thanks in large part to consistent cold weather and powerful snowmaking systems.

• Internet
• Customer Service
• Terrain
• Social Media
• Ski School

SAM Magazine—Dover, Vt., Nov. 3, 2017—After Arapahoe Basin in Colorado opened for the season on Oct. 13, neighboring Loveland Ski Area kicked things off a week later on Oct. 20, and now more ski areas are spinning lifts—at least for this weekend—as cold weather and natural snow are becoming the norm in many regions across North America.

• Terrain

SAM Magazine—San Francisco, Calif., Nov. 1, 2017—The California Ski Industry Association (Ski California) today introduced its “Mountain Safety Guide,” a compendium resource for guests to help them make good decisions on the mountain and enjoy a safe experience. The printed version is a trail map-size guide that will be available at many of the association’s member resorts. It is also available online in digital format.

• Internet
• Customer Service
• Terrain
• Social Media

SAM Magazine—Montpelier, Vt., Oct. 30, 2017—Vermont Ski Areas Association (VSAA) president Parker Riehle is stepping down after 19 years at the organization to open his own lobbying and public relations firm. His last day is Nov. 10. The VSAA board of directors has already begun the search for his successor to lead the association and the $1.6 billion ski and snowboard industry in Vermont.

• Internet
• Customer Service
• Social Media
• Terrain Park

SAM Magazine—Lakewood, Colo., Oct. 30, 2017—A new E-Learning Course for New Instructors is now available online from the Professional Ski Instructors of America and the American Association of Snowboard Instructors (PSIA-AASI). The organization developed the e-learning course to help snowsports schools onboard their new instructors as well as complement the schools’ existing on-snow training. The free course covers three key aspects of working as an instructor: what to expect, basic teaching principals, and safety considerations. PSIA-AASI members and non-members can access the course once registered on the organization's website.

SAM Magazine—West Dover, Vt., Oct. 25, 2017—Terrain park builders have until Nov. 1 to register for the few remaining spots still available for Cutter’s Camp Fall Refresher at Mount Snow, Vt., Nov. 6-8. This is the first time the event has taken place just before winter begins, and aims to provide campers with actionable lessons and best practices that can be applied to their park programs right away.