• Marketing
• Ski School

SAM Magazine—Ludlow, Vt., Dec. 29, 2021— In the middle of a busy holiday period, ski area operators in some pockets of the country are being forced to respond to growing regional Covid case numbers and outbreaks among staff with policy updates and operational changes .  At this time last year, Covid infection rates were trending flat or down....

• Lifts
• Miscellaneous

SAM Magazine—Ludlow, Vt., Dec. 20, 2021—Snowstorms in the East and West have arrived just in time for ski areas to expand open terrain ahead of what is shaping up to be a robust holiday period. Snow falling at Palisades Tahoe, December 14 But with Covid cases surging and the Canadian border tightening, January business is looking less secure....

• Resort Development
• Snowmaking

SAM Magazine—Lakewood, Colo., Dec. 20, 2021— The Professional Ski Instructors of America and the American Association of Snowboard Instructors (PSIA-AASI) published a new manual, Teaching Children Snowsports, to support instructors in helping kids learn to ski and ride.  With NSAA estimating more than half of ski and snowboard lessons are t...

• Ski School
• Miscellaneous

SAM Magazine—Sandpoint, Idaho, Dec. 14, 2021—Schweitzer has converted a former assisted living facility in nearby Sandpoint into employee housing for winter and summer seasonal staff. Schweitzer HR director Scot Auld, Schweitzer CEO and president Tom Chasse, and Schweitzer chief development officer Lance Badger in a room at Schweitzer's Hemlock...

• Lifts
• Racing

SAM Magazine—Portland, Ore., December 14, 2021—The Indy Pass has added Montana ski area Blacktail Mountain to its growing list of resorts in the Northern Rockies, bringing its total number of partners to 77 in North America, 81 worldwide.  “We are very excited to join the Indy Pass coalition and look forward to welcoming Indy Pass holders f...

• Snowmaking
• Racing

SAM Magazine—Cambridge, Vt., Dec. 14, 2021—A newly released study from the Outdoor Industry Association (OIA), Cross Country Ski Areas Association (CCSAA), and Snow Sports Insights (SSI) shows a continuing shift in buying, working, and travel trends towards midweek outdoor participation, increased travel, and online shopping.  Midweek partici...

• Marketing
• Miscellaneous

SAM Magazine—Winter Park, Colo., Dec. 14, 2021—Despite a slow start to the 2021-22 winter, as of Nov. 30, aggregated reservations, rates, and revenue for the coming winter at Western destinations were comparing favorably to the last two seasons, according to the latest Monthly Briefing from DestiMetrics, the business intelligence division of In...

• Ski Area Profiles
• Racing

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., Dec. 10, 2021—Vail Resorts (VR) reported a 47 percent increase in season pass units for the 2021-22 season, as of Dec. 5, 2021, and a 21 percent increase in sales dollars. Year over year, this equates to an increase of 700,000 pass units, according to Liftblog.com. The pass sales numbers were part of Vail's first...

• Racing

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., Dec. 8, 2021—Vail Resorts has entered into an agreement to purchase Seven Springs, Pa., from Seven Springs Mountain Resort, Inc. As part of the $125 million deal, the company will also acquire Hidden Valley Resort, Pa., and the operations of Laurel Mountain Ski Area, Pa. The transaction is expected to close this ...

• Marketing

SAM Magazine—Cambridge, Vt., Dec. 3, 2021—Most open ski areas are reporting strong attendance and positive visitor feedback over the Thanksgiving holiday, with loosened outdoor Covid protocols restoring a cautious sense of normalcy to the mountains. Heading into this weekend, cold temps and new snow are allowing more resorts to start turning li...

• Ski Area Profiles
• Racing

SAM Magazine—Teton Village, Wyo., Dec. 2, 2021—Jackson Hole Mountain Resort (JHMR) increased its minimum wage for all non-tipped positions from $15 per hour to $18 per hour, effective immediately. The wage increase aims to help with employee recruitment and retention by supporting staff to live and work in the Jackson Hole community. “We con...

SAM Magazine—Lakewood, Colo., Nov. 24, 2021—The National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) has shared new guidance for ski area operators regarding the Nov. 4 OSHA emergency temporary standard (ETS) requiring businesses with 100 employees or more to implement and enforce a mandatory Covid-19 vaccination policy. Although OSHA has been court ordered ...

• Marketing

SAM Magazine—Truckee, Calif., Nov. 24, 2021—Two small ski areas on opposite sides of the country are set to reopen after years of closure: Kingvale Terrain Project, Calif., and Tapawingo (aka Woodbury Ski Area), Conn. Eric Anderson and Day Franzen Kingvale After shuttering in 2011, the all-terrain-park Kingvale Terrain Project, located just ...

• Safety
• Racing

SAM Magazine—Porte-de-Savoie, France, Nov. 22, 2021—The French government issued a new national protocol requiring masks in lifts lines and on chairlifts at the country’s 250 ski areas this winter. The protocol does not require guests to provide immunization records for access, but the French Ski Areas Association (Domaines Skiables De Franc...

• Ski Area Profiles

SAM Magazine—Lakeside, Mont., Nov. 19, 2021—The owners of Mission Ridge, Wash., have purchased Blacktail Mountain Ski Area in Lakeside, Mont. Blacktail has been on the market since 2017.  The purchase price was not published. At one point, the 1,000-acre ski area was listed for sale on Craigslist for $3.5 million. Transition of ownership will...