• Snowmaking
• Ski Patrol

SAM Magazine—Big Cottonwood Canyon, Utah, March 29, 2023—Solitude is planning more than $16 million in off-season capital improvement projects, including an upgrade of its Eagle Express quad, Utah’s first detachable chairlift. The investment will fund four projects all set to commence this spring and summer. In addition to the new lift, proj...

• Ski Area Profiles

SAM Magazine—Huntsville, Utah, March 24, 2023—Snowbasin and Club Med cancelled development of a 320-room hotel, the plans for which were unveiled in September 2021. The Club Med hotel was originally scheduled to open for winter 2024. It would have been the resort’s first on-site lodging and Club Med’s first U.S. ski area location since the ...

• Lifts
• Area Management

SAM Magazine—Lake Tahoe, Calif., March 24, 2023—Starting winter 2023-24, Vail Resorts-owned Northstar California, Heavenly Mountain Resort, and Kirkwood Mountain Resort in the Lake Tahoe region will implement paid parking for certain lots in an effort to alleviate traffic congestion and parking shortages on weekends, holidays, and peak periods....

• Lifts
• Ski Area Profiles

SAM Magazine—Denver, March 21, 2023—Alterra Mountain Company plans a nearly $500 million capital investment program across its portfolio of destinations over the next year. That includes almost $400 million in lifts, snowmaking, summer adventures, additional guest amenities, and resort infrastructure; $50 million dedicated to employee housing; ...

• Lifts

SAM Magazine—Durango, Colo., March 21, 2023—Mountain Capital Partners released its 2023-24 Power Pass family of season passes today, raising the price of its top-tier Power Pass $50 while lowering or keeping flat the prices of others and adding a new pass-holder benefit of 30 percent off day tickets. The Power Pass is good at Spider Mountain B...

• Miscellaneous

SAM Magazine—Denver, March 14, 2023—Despite widespread significant snowfall across the West in February, high nightly room rates and continued economic pressures depressed bookings across the region—and led to rate reductions in some cases. Still, while occupancy is down slightly compared to last year, overall rates are still substantially hi...

• Lifts
• Personnel Issues

SAM Magazine—Lake Tahoe, Calif., March 10, 2023—Most California ski areas are closed today as another intense weather system carrying heavy rain, snow, and wind bears down on a state that has already seen several disruptive storms this winter, China Peak's ticket window buried in snow.producing record snowfall and forcing frequent road and reso...

• Lifts
• Ski School

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., March 10, 2023—Vail Resorts is planning $206 million to $211 million in capital investments for 2023. Projects include lift installations, a new technology rollout, integration activities, and the first phase in a multi-year project at Andermatt-Sedrun. The Keystone, Colo., Bergman Bowl expansion is slated to be...

• Marketing
• Miscellaneous

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., March 9, 2023—Vail Resorts reported a decrease in its second quarter earnings (EBITDA) of approximately 1 percent from the prior year for the November through January period, with the company’s profitability impacted primarily by increased operating costs from abnormal weather conditions. However, skier visits,...

• Marketing
• Personnel Issues

SAM Magazine—Denver, March 9, 2023—Alterra Mountain Company is raising prices on its Ikon Passes roughly 7.5 percent for 2023-24, its sixth season, and is adding new benefits to pass ownership. The full Ikon Pass provides access at up to 54 mountain destinations across the Americas, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan.  When the Ikon Pa...

• Marketing
• Ski School

SAM Magazine—Killington, Vt., March 8, 2023—Killington Mountain Resort will move ahead with plans to build a new ski village with 1,500 residences, including workforce housing, after Killington town voters approved phase one of the infrastructure and development project on Vermont’s Town Meeting Day, March 7. The vote allows for $47 million i...

• Marketing
• Miscellaneous

SAM Magazine—Park City, Utah, March 7, 2023—Destination Death Valley, LLC, a subsidiary of POWDR, has won the contract as concessioner for Stovepipe Wells Village in Death Valley National Park, Calif. The facilities include lodging, RV campground, food service, and retail, among others. As concessioner, POWDR will renovate and improve the facil...

• Marketing

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., March 7, 2023—Vail Resorts has released pricing for the 2023-24 Epic Pass suite. The restricted Epic Local Pass will retail for $676 and the unlimited Epic Pass will go for $909, increases of roughly 8 percent year-over-year but still below the price for the 2020-21 Epic Pass. The company slashed prices 20 percen...

• Marketing
• Area Management

SAM Magazine— Mars Hill, N.C., March 6, 2023—Wolf Ridge Ski Resort looks set to transfer ownership this year. Deborah and David Hatley, owners of a forthcoming luxury wellness resort and spa in Tennessee, have acquired and plan to rebrand the North Carolina ski area, which closed for the season Feb. 24 due to a lack of snow.  Orville English ...

• Marketing
• Miscellaneous

SAM Magazine—Portland, Ore., March 6, 2023—Indy Pass released 2023-24 season pass pricing today. The new retail cost of the adult Base Pass ($279) and adult unrestricted Indy+ Pass ($379) reflects a $20 dollar increase in pricing compared to last year and is available only to current and former pass holders through March 21. The XC Pass for cro...