PGRI president and CEO Vern Greco shares his thoughts on the acquisition with SAM. SAM Magazine—Jay, Vt., Sept. 8, 2022—Pacific Group Resorts, Inc. (PGRI) made the highest and best final bid to buy Jay Peak, $76 million, following an auction with multiple bidders. PGRI president and CEO Vern Greco told SAM that after three years spent pursuing the acquisition, PGRI is poised to bring renewed stability to the resort and its staff, and tap into its passion and energy. The prevailing bid remains subject to approval by the United States District Court in Southern Florida during a final hearing scheduled for Sept. 16. Judge Darrin P. Gayles, who has presided over the receivership in federal...
SAM Magazine—Denver, Sept. 10, 2025 — Alterra Mountain Company is spending more than $400 million on capital projects, guest amenities, and employee programs across its portfolio for the 2025-26 season, with a major share directed to Deer Valley Resort’s ongoing transformation.Deer Valley's new East Village Gondola. For the coming winter, t...
SAM Magazine—Reno, Nev., Sept. 10, 2025—Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe has invested $6 million this season to add the new Wildslide Tahoe Tubing Center and expand its snowmaking systems.Courtesy of Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe The resort has targeted a Nov. 8 opening date for skiing and riding, weather permitting, and a Thanksgiving start date for the tubing center....
SAM Magazine—Whistler, British Columbia, Sept. 9, 2025—The fourteenth annual SAM Summer Ops Camp convened Sept. 2-4, at the world-class indoor and outdoor classroom of Whistler Blackcomb for three days of immersive learning, forward-thinking discussions, and genuine connection. A full day on the mountain allowed both resort operators and ven...
SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., Sept. 3, 2025—HTI Group is joining the HKD Snowmakers ownership team of Charles Santry, Anni Dupré Santry, and Ian Jarrett. The ownership stake in HKD adds to HTI Group’s existing portfolio, which also includes Leitner-Poma, Prinoth, and DemacLenko. In a related move, HKD will assume responsibility for DemacLenko ...
SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., Sept. 3, 2025—An Oklahoma woman who was left paralyzed from the waist down after she fell from a chairlift at Crested Butte Mountain Resort (CBME) in March 2022 was awarded $20 million in damages by a Colorado jury on Friday. The initial lawsuit brought by the victim’s family in 2022 claimed that when Annie Mil...
SAM Magazine—Granby, Colo., Aug. 28, 2025—Indy Pass has added 43 alpine and cross-country partner ski areas for the 2025–26 season, bringing its total to 271 worldwide. The pass went back on sale today. The additions include Mont Sutton and Owl’s Head in Quebec, Burke Mountain in Vermont, Hyland Hills in Minnesota, OK Bergbahnen in Germa...
SAM Magazine—Denver, Aug. 27, 2025—Ikon Pass holders will gain access to Valle d’Aosta’s five ski areas for winter 2025-26, including Courmayeur Mont Blanc, Cervino Ski Paradise, La Thuile Espace San Bernardo, Monterosa Ski, and Pila. “Endless joy abounds when exploring the special mountain culture of the Alps, and Valle d’Aosta serves...
SAM Magazine—Granby, Colo., Aug. 19, 2025—With the addition of dozens of new resorts, Indy Pass will go back on sale to the public Aug. 28, 2025. Indy halted sales of its 2025-26 pass in March after reaching its cap following a 10-day sales period. The company will also launch a new Learn-to-Turn pass that includes three total days of bundled l...
SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., Aug. 18, 2025—Maddie Baldwin and the lift maintenance crew at Bogus Basin, Idaho, were voted the winners of the 2025 Rise Up Challenge. The challenge, sponsored by Leitner-Poma of America (LPOA), highlighted up-and-coming lift mechanics and their lift maintenance teams from five ski areas across North America: Bogus ...
SAM Magazine—Montville, N.J., Aug. 18, 2025—A new multi-mountain ski and snowboard product, the Snow Triple Play, will go on sale Sept. 1, offering Northeast skiers and snowboarders three days of lift access at 15 participating resorts in the U.S. and Canada for $199.99. “We recognized that there’s a significant portion of the skiing and s...
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...
