SAM Magazine—Denver, April 24, 2024—Alterra Mountain Company has published its second annual impact report that outlines the company’s social responsibility efforts as part of its “Forward Stance” platform. The 164-page report—organized around the key pillars of people, planet, community, and responsibility—details Alterra’s various...

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., April 24, 2024—Skier visits are down but revenues are up for Vail Resorts’ North American ski areas during the 2023-24 winter season, according to a report from the company comparing certain ski season metrics year-over-year through mid-April. Season-to-date skier visits were down 7.8 percent in 2023-24 compar...

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., April 16, 2024—The nomination period is now open for SAM’s annual “10 Under 30,” supported by Snow Operating. Members of the mountain resort industry are invited to nominate a standout 20-something-year-old mountain resort staff member who is already making a positive impact at the ski area where they work and ...

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., March 29, 2024—Four outstanding individuals have been recognized with a 2024 SAMMY Leadership Award for their forward-thinking, boots-on-the-ground dedication, and caring and inspirational leadership. The four honorees are: Jeremy Cooper, vice president of mountain sports development, Boyne Resorts; Katie Ertl, senio...

SAM Magazine—Denver, March 7, 2024—The 2024-25 Ikon Pass suite goes on sale March 14, with 58 destinations and a handful of new benefits. The company has bumped up prices, with the unrestricted Ikon Pass retailing for $1,249 (compared to $1,159 last year) and the Ikon Base Pass on sale for $869 (up from $829 last year).  The two- to four-day ...

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., March 6, 2024—Both Bombardier Recreational Products, which owns Ski-Doo snowmobiles, and Polaris have issued recalls for certain snowmobile models due to potential safety issues. Bombardier is recalling roughly 8,100 model year 2024 Ski-Doo MXZ and Renegade snowmobiles equipped with Pilot X skis sold in the United S...

SAM Magazine—Concord, N.H., Feb. 22, 2024— Six months after the departure of John “JD” DeVivo, New Hampshire’s Cannon Mountain will soon have a new general manager, Jace Wirth.  New Hampshire lawmakers recently approved the salary for Wirth, allowing the Steamboat Springs, Colo., native to take the helm at the state-owned ski area in ...

• Conferences / Trade Shows
• Summer
• Obituary

SAM Magazine—Carrabassett Valley, Maine, Feb. 16, 2024—Today, Sugarloaf is opening West Mountain, a new 120-acre terrain expansion served by a high-speed detachable quad with an uphill capacity of 2,400 skiers per hour, which terminates at the Bullwinkle’s restaurant near the midpoint of the 4,237-foot mountain. Nine of the planned 12 trails ...

• Marketing
• Business
• Regulation
• Lift Maintenance
• Diversity

SAM Magazine—Winter Park, Colo., Feb. 15, 2024—Hotel bookings at mountain destinations in the western U.S. have dropped to a 30-month low, while room rates remain stubbornly high despite a drop in guest interest in overnight stays, according to the latest monthly Market Briefing from DestiMetrics, the business intelligence division of Inntopia....

• Rental
• Conferences / Trade Shows
• Skis / Boots / Poles
• New Products
• Cross Country / Snowshoeing
• Snowboards / Boots

SAM Magazine–Albuquerque, N.M., Feb. 15, 2024—Skiers hit the slopes at New Mexico’s Sandia Peak Ski Area last weekend as the mountain opened for the first time in two years.Courtesy of Sandia Peak Ski Area The opening marked the debut of operations at Sandia Peak under the aegis of Mountain Capital Partners (MCP), which announced a joint ven...

• Conferences / Trade Shows
• Area Management
• Pub Memo

SAM Magazine—Lafayette, Colo., Feb. 13, 2024—Snowsports school management software provider flaik is now a Certified B Corporation after satisfying the required criteria to earn the recognition, scoring 86.2 out of 100 in the evaluation of five primary areas relating to the company’s business practices: governance, workers, community, environ...

• News
• Snowmaking
• People
• Safety
• Racing
• Obituary
• International

SAM Magazine—Choteau, Mont., Feb. 12, 2024—Teton Pass Ski Area is the latest in a string of resorts to pull the plug on a 2023-24 ski season bedeviled by shifting weather patterns and unseasonably warm temperatures. A historic lack of snow—or almost any precipitation at all—has forced the early closure of the Montana ski area. In a six-pag...

• Snowmaking
• Ticketing

SAM Magazine—West Dover, Vt., Feb. 9, 2024—It’s that time of year again, when folks gather for a bit of networking, education, and snow sliding at the National Ski Areas Association winter conferences. More than 500 operators and suppliers descended on Keystone, Colo., Jan. 17-19, for the NSAA Western Conference. After a rough start to the s...

• Marketing
• Weather
• Public Relations / Publicity

SAM Magazine—Taylor Falls, Minn., Feb. 7, 2024—Wild Mountain snowsports manager Nathan Hakseth has been promoted to general manager of the Taylor Falls, Minn., ski resort. He will oversee all operations of the mountain and also retain his duties within the Snowsports School and Competitions department. Hakseth has worked in the ski industry fo...

• Management
• Personnel Issues
• Environment
• Racing

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., Feb. 7, 2024—In an effort to gather data and insights on ski area marketing, SAM and MMGY Origin have partnered to launch an annual survey targeting resort marketers. The responses will inform the Annual Outlook on Resort Marketing report, which will serve as a yearly resource and benchmarking tool for marketing team...