SAM Magazine—Reno, Nev., Nov. 8, 2024—Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe dropped ropes today on 1,000 vertical feet of skiing and riding. It’s one of several western ski areas to open for the early season in recent days.Courtesy of Breckenridge Natural snow and cold temps that allowed Mt. Rose to fire up its snow guns enabled the resort to be the first to ...

SAM Magazine—Palmerton, Pa., Nov. 7, 2024—A brush fire has burned several hundred acres near Blue Mountain Resort, Pa., this week. The resort has supported fire crews in efforts to suppress the Gap Fire, also called the Blue Mountain fire.Courtesy of Blue Mountain The fire, which is reportedly no longer advancing, is burning roughly 4 miles to...

• leadership

SAM Magazine—Stowe, Vt., Nov. 7, 2024—Vail Resorts appointed Mike Giorgio as general manager of Stowe Mountain Resort, effective Nov. 18. Giorgio mostly recently led six of Vail Resorts’ Midwest ski areas as regional general manager. He was based out of Mt. Brighton Resort, Mich. Credit to Vail Resorts “Mike’s appointment as the new GM...

SAM Magazine—Glenwood, N.Y., Nov. 1, 2024—Kissing Bridge Ski Resort was sold to California tech investor Rhett McNulty for $1.06 million. McNulty formed Kissing Bridge All Seasons Resort Inc. in Wyoming to purchase the ski area, which is about 40 minutes south of Buffalo.  While the deal closed this week, McNulty told Buffalo Business First t...

• leadership

SAM Magazine—Saint Paul, Minn., Nov. 1, 2024—The Midwest Ski Areas Association (MSAA) has named Bo Bigelow as its next executive director, effective today. His predecessor Amy Reents stepped down in October after leading MSAA for more than eight years.  Bigelow will continue to serve as executive director of the Minnesota Ski Areas Associatio...

SAM Magazine—Leadville, Colo., Nov. 1, 2024—Starting this winter, Ski Cooper lift ticket rates will be the same online as they are at the ticket window, bucking the trend of ski areas charging top dollar on-site to incentivize guests to purchase tickets in advance online at a discounted rate. The nonprofit ski area has also reduced its Monday-T...

• leadership

SAM Magazine—Truckee, Calif., Nov. 1, 2024—Vail Resorts has named Tara Schoedinger vice president and general manager of Northstar California Resort, effective Nov. 11. She moves from Crested Butte Mountain Resort, Colo., where she served in the same role. At Northstar, Schoedinger takes over for Amy Ohran, who became president and COO of Palis...

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., Oct. 31, 2024—Snowbasin, Utah, earned the top spot in the West and Mad River Glen, Vt., repeated as the best in the East in the 2025 SKI Reader Survey Awards. There were a few big movers in the rankings, both up and down, as well as a continued affinity for independent resorts. Rankings are based on responses from S...

SAM Magazine—New York City, Oct. 30, 2024—The Mountain Collective Pass has expanded its network of resorts with the additions of Sunday River, Maine, and Megève, France, for the 2024-25 season, bringing the total number of resort partners to 27 worldwide.  “These two world-class resorts complement our existing network perfectly,” said Mo...

• leadership

SAM Magazine—Revelstoke, British Columbia, Oct. 30, 2024—Dave Morrison is the new CEO of Mica Heliskiing, a boutique heliski operation and lodge in the Canadian Rockies. Morrison has more than 25 years of ski industry experience.  “Dave Morrison is a proven leader with a remarkable track record in managing and growing luxury ski resorts and...

• leadership

SAM Magazine—Bear Valley, Calif., Oct. 29, 2024—The California Mountain Resort Company (CMRC) has appointed new general managers to two of its ski areas: Brad Cumberland was promoted to general manager of Bear Valley, and Troy Cohee was promoted to general manager of China Peak.Brad Cumberland and Troy Cohee “At Bear Valley, we've restructu...

SAM Magazine—New York City, Oct. 24, 2024—Indy Pass has added access to 30 more alpine, cross-country, and indoor ski areas for the 2024-25 season, including Loveland Ski Area, Colo., and 12 resorts in Innsbruck, Austria. The additions were revealed at a media event in New York City Wednesday night. With the additions, Indy Pass will release a...

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., Oct. 23, 2024—SAM invites ski area operators to participate in a new survey aimed at gathering insights into summer business and operations. The survey, launching today, seeks to capture the latest trends and challenges faced by ski areas as they continue to evolve their operations. Responses are requested by Monday,...

• sustainability

SAM Magazine—Jackson Hole, Wyo., Oct. 24, 2024—Mountain Towns 2030 gathered 540 attendees from the ski industry, government entities, and other stakeholder groups in Jackson Hole, Wyo., on Oct. 14-16, for the annual Climate Solutions Summit. The event focused on innovative solutions to combat the effects of climate change and issued a resoundin...

SAM Magazine—Shrewsbury, Mass., Oct. 21, 2024—Thanks to its all-weather snowmaking system, Massachusetts’ Ski Ward has staked its claim as the first ski area in North America to open for lift-served skiing and snowboarding for the second year in a row.Courtesy of Ski Ward Several Colorado ski areas also appear ready to drop ropes in the comin...