• Rental

SAM Magazine—Durango, Colo., Jan. 12, 2023—Mountain Capital Partners (MCP) has agreed to become the majority owner of Valle Nevado, Chile, the largest ski resort in the Americas by acreage. The acquisition is MCP’s first international resort and eleventh ski area. Founded in 1988, Valle Nevado is located in the Andes 37 miles from Santiago, ...

• Ski School

SAM Magazine—Beaupré, Québec, Jan. 10, 2023—The Quebec Building Authority (RBQ) cleared four of Mont-Sainte-Anne’s (MSA) chairlifts to reopen on Jan. 8, but not the gondola. The resort closed after an unoccupied gondola cabin detached from the line and fell to the ground prior to opening on Dec. 10, 2022, the latest in a series of lift malf...

• Rental

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., Jan. 6, 2023—Rollercoaster weather across the country, from recording breaking snowfall in California to 60-degree temps in Vermont, presented operational challenges for mountain resorts across the country.Courtesy of Sugar Mountain Despite some operational disruptions, though, many operators are reporting strong, an...

• Ski School
• Miscellaneous

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., Jan. 6, 2023—Record-breaking warmth has taken a toll on European mountain resorts over the holiday period and into the new year. A Jan. 6 screen capture from the webcam at the top of Mont Chéry at Les Gets, France.While the season began with cooler temps and mid-December snow in the Alps and elsewhere, rain and high...

• Lifts

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., Jan. 6, 2023—Nearly 1,800 votes were cast in the 16th annual SAM Terrain Park Contest, in which a total of 60 resort-submitted entries from mountain resorts around the globe competed for the top spot in one of the four contest categories: features, events, edits, and—new this year—park crew. The votes have been ...

• Marketing

SAM Magazine—Calabogie, Ontario, Jan. 4, 2023—Early Tuesday morning, a fire engulfed the snowmaking pump house at Calabogie Peaks, shuttering the ski area for the day for safety reasons. No one was injured and no other structures were affected, according to a statement. Calabogie reopened for operations today. “Thank goodness nobody has ...

• Miscellaneous

SAM Magazine—Park City, Utah, Jan. 3, 2022—A Park City Mountain staff member was killed Jan. 2 after falling from the chairlift they were riding. A tree fell on the line of the Short Cut chairlift at about 10:45 a.m. MST, unseating the employee who fell at least 25 feet to the ground, according to a Vail Resorts spokesperson. The staff member w...

• Lift Maintenance

SAM Magazine—Ludlow, Vt., Dec. 23, 2022—A powerful winter storm bringing artic temps, dangerous wind chill values, and in some regions, blizzard conditions or even warm rain,Courtesy of Boyne Mtn has led to widespread operational disruptions at ski areas across North America heading into the holiday weekend. As the storm moves from the Rockies ...

• Marketing
• Racing

SAM Magazine—Portland, Ore., Dec. 20, 2022—Recreational use law was successfully used as a defense against a plaintiff seeking $1.5 million in a parking lot slip-and-fall claim against Hoodoo Ski Area in Oregon. ASDA (Association of Ski Defense Attorneys) attorneys Brad Stanford and Trish Walsh of Portland firm Farleigh, Wada & Witt represe...

• Snowmaking
• Miscellaneous

SAM Magazine—Lakewood, Colo., Dec. 20, 2022—The Professional Ski Instructors of America and American Association of Snowboard Instructors (PSIA-AASI) has named industry veteran Peggy Hiller as its new CEO, effective Jan. 16, 2023. Hiller succeeds Nick Herrin, who was hired as CEO in 2016 and stepped down in June 2022 to become senior vice presi...

• Miscellaneous
• Lift Maintenance

SAM Magazine— Beaupré, Quebec, Dec. 19, 2022—The Quebec Building Authority (RBQ) found that Mont-Sainte-Anne (MSA) did not follow proper operating procedures during morning start-up of its gondola on Dec. 10, resulting in an unoccupied cabin detaching from the haul rope and falling to the ground, according to a Dec. 16 report. The resort has b...

• Racing

SAM Magazine—Winter Park, Colo., Dec. 19, 2022—Consistent, and in some cases, abundant snowfall across many western mountain resorts compared to last year gave November bookings a boost, particularly for November and December arrivals. But economic variables have prevented 2022 from sustaining the rebound recovery of 2021, and are likely to rem...

• Snowmaking

SAM Magazine—Beaupré, Quebec, Dec. 12, 2022—A gondola cabin fell from the haul rope of the Mont-Sainte-Anne (MSA) L’Étoile Filante gondola before operating hours on the morning of Saturday, Dec. 10. No one was injured in the incident. The resort has been closed since Saturday, and an inspection is ongoing.  “A full inspection procedure ...

• Resort Development
• Miscellaneous

SAM Magazine—Lakeshore, Calif., Dec. 9, 2022—China Peak Mountain Resort has been sold to Mountain High Resort and Dodge Ridge, Calif., owners Invision Capital and Karl Kapuscinski, Mountain High president and CEO. Former owner Tim Cohee will remain general manager "for the foreseeable future" and also be involved in shaping the guest experience...

• Lifts

In SAM’s Snow People, we highlight recent personnel moves that have been made in the mountain resort industry. From resort hires, promotions, and retirements to supplier news, awards and obits. We celebrate the people that make this industry thrive. PEOPLE STEVE DUKE, CRESTED BUTTE, CO Steve Duke was named director of mountain operations at Cr...