• Ski School
• Miscellaneous

SAM Magazine—Winter Park, Colo., Sept. 15, 2022—Ongoing growth and strength in daily room rates continued to defy expectations at Western mountain destinations in August, while the booking pace reversed eight consecutive months of declines and exceeded the pace set in both August 2019 and 2021, according to the monthly report from DestiMetrics,...

• Miscellaneous

SAM Magazine—Bridgton, Maine, Sept. 15, 2022—Maine's Shawnee Peak will return to its original namesake, Pleasant Mountain, a move that honors its 84-year history and the mountain it calls home, said resort officials.  "It gives me great pleasure to return to our original name and to know that this ski area is poised for a great future, so ot...

• Ski Area Profiles
• Miscellaneous

SAM Magazine—McCall, Idaho, Sept. 12, 2022—The Forest Service has declared the Rainbow Fire to be officially under control, five days after lightning sparked the blaze at the top of the mountain.  The Rainbow Fire began on the evening of Sept. 7. Initial attack efforts kept the fire from spreading beyond the upper Hidden Valley area, ungroome...

• Area Management
• Ski School

SAM Magazine—McCall, Idaho, Sept. 8, 2022—Forest Service firefighters are working to suppress a fire burning near the top of Brundage Mountain, with multiple crews attacking from the ground and the air. The fire is burning inside the area's permit area, in the Hidden Valley area and the Hidden Valley cliffs, to the north and just outside of Bru...

SAM Magazine—Wakefield, Mich., Sept. 8, 2022—The freshly rebranded Snowriver Mountain Resort (previously known as Big Snow Resort, and including the areas of Blackjack and Indianhead) has hired Benjamin Bartz as general manager. The news follows the completion of the acquisition of Big Snow by Charles Skinner, Jr., and his company, Midwest Fam...

• Personnel Issues
• Ski Area Profiles

SAM Magazine—Denver, Sept. 8, 2022—Alterra Mountain Company has acquired Ski Butlers, a leading ski equipment rental and delivery service based in Utah. Ski Butlers will remain a standalone business with ongoing operations in 50 worldwide ski destinations while maintaining its current staff and leadership. Alterra hopes to expand the service t...

• Area Management

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...

• Lifts

Shanty Creek Resort and Hotel in Bellaire, Mich., became a vibrant scene of excitement for the winter season ahead during the annual Midwest Ski Areas Association Summer Meeting and Tradeshow Aug. 21-24, 2022. The event drew nearly 300 members for educational sessions, networking opportunities, and a tradeshow with 57 exhibitors. The conference ki...

• Marketing
• Personnel Issues

SAM Magazine—Portland, Ore., Sept. 6, 2022—Bluebird Backcountry, Colo.; Chestnut Mountain, Ill.; and Snowriver, Mich., have joined the Indy Pass starting in winter 2022-23. With the additions, Indy Pass holders will have two days of access to 96 alpine ski areas and 13 Nordic ski areas in North America and Japan. "The addition of Chestnut and ...

• Miscellaneous

SAM Magazine—Hunter, N.Y., Sept. 6, 2022—Vail Resorts, in partnership with SAM magazine and Ski NY-Ski PA, has invited pro skier Drew Petersen to share the story of his mental health journey on Sept. 19 at 4 p.m. EDT during the Ski NY-Ski PA Expo at Hunter Mountain, N.Y.  The session will also be broadcast on Zoom as part of a special...

• Miscellaneous
• Lifts

SAM Magazine—Wrightwood, Calif., Sept. 1, 2022—The Powder Alliance has added two New Zealand resorts to its 2022-23 affiliate program lineup. The Tūroa and Whakapapa ski areas, both located on Mt. Ruapehu, the country's largest active volcano, join 19 other destinations in North America, Japan, and Canada as part of the reciprocal pass part...

• Marketing

SAM Magazine—Denver, Sept. 1, 2022—Alterra Mountain Company’s Ikon Pass has added Lotte Arai Resort in Japan and Panorama Mountain Resort in British Columbia. With the additions, the pass will provide access to more than 50 destinations in 10 countries for the 2022-23 season. Full Ikon Pass holders will have access to seven days at both reso...

• Marketing
• Miscellaneous

SAM Magazine—Duluth, Minn., Aug. 29, 2022—Charles Skinner Jr. has closed on the acquisition of Big Snow Resort, which includes Indianhead and Blackjack ski areas, all of which will be renamed with new branding. Big Snow will transition to Snowriver Mountain Resort, the Indianhead area will be called Jackson Creek Summit, and Blackjack will be B...

• Miscellaneous
• Marketing

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., Aug. 23, 2022—In a tight race, the lift maintenance team from Arizona Snowbowl and its featured lift mechanic Nick Gilbertson have won the 2022 Rise Up Challenge, sponsored by Leitner-Poma of America. Gilbertson and the Snowbowl team will be awarded a $3,500 education grant. More than 4,500 votes were cast in the c...

• Marketing

SAM Magazine—West Bolton, Quebec, Aug. 24, 2022—Former owner Peter White has entered into an agreement to purchase Mont Glen for CAD $6.1 million and plans to reopen the ski area in southern Quebec to the general public for operations this winter.  According to a report from Le Reflect du Lac, the acquisition is expected to close Oct. 31. W...