Grooming is one of the most important operations at any resort. Keep up to date on new technology and machines, best practices, and maintenance here, in the "Grooming Operations" Mountain Department. Find top grooming-related articles, key supplier insights, new job opportunities, and stratetgies to manage your staff all in one place.
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A behind the scenes look at the night moves it takes for world-class builder Charles Beckinsale to create a world-class training setup for the Canadian Snowboard Team. High performance camps require high performing park machines and the Bison X is the champion.
Builder: Charles Beckinsale, The Stomping Grounds Project - Video: Thomas Doyle - Rider: Mark McMorris
GROOMING ARTICLES
View the most recent articles on grooming from SAM magazine.-
July 2025Getting Trails Ready for Winter
It pays to do work during the summer so trails can open with less snow come winter. In the last decade or so, no aspect of mountain operations has been more completely transformed by new technology than snow management. LiDAR mapping combined with sophisticated grooming software has enabled groome It pays to do work during the summer so trails can open with less snow come winter.
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March 20252025 Groomer Report
New technology plays an increasingly large role in modern snowcat development and operation. When we break it all down, a groom-ing machine serves two primary purposes: pushing piles of snow and leaving a smooth snow surface. And just about every aspect of a machine’s function has been modified New technology plays an increasingly large role in modern snowcat development and operation.
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November 2024SAM Terrain Park Contest 2024
Our annual contest shows how park builders flexed their creativity and ambition during the 2023-24 winter season. Every year, as we sift through the dozens of entries we receive for this contest, we keep our eyes peeled for trends and notable highlights to point out here, and also monitor to see Our annual contest shows how park builders flexed their creativity and ambition during the 2023-24 winter...
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March 2024Cutters Camp Turns 20
Celebrating 20 years of terrain park community building, collaboration, and knowledge sharing. It started with a conversation with Day Franzen after we profiled him in a story about Superpark, when he said the behind-the-scenes sharing at that event was special and it would be great to replicate i Celebrating 20 years of terrain park community building, collaboration, and knowledge sharing.
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March 20242024 Groomer Report
After years of tweaks and changes, both PistenBully and Prinoth have reached greater uniformity across their model lines, aiming to make life easier for operators and mechanics. “The highly competitive marketplace for snow grooming equipment is at something of a crossroads … “The long-dev After years of tweaks and changes, both PistenBully and Prinoth have reached greater uniformity...
2025 TERRAIN PARK CONTEST
The SAM Terrain Park Contest (TPC) is all about showcasing the creativity and hard work of park crews from around the world and inspiring the growth and progression of this vital aspect of mountain operations. Mountain resorts are invited to submit entries from the 2024-25 season for the 20th annual contest no later than Sept. 5. The November 2025 issue of SAM will showcase certain entries in four categories: terrain park feature, terrain park event, terrain park edit, and, terrain park crew.
Submit your entries here: https://www.saminfo.com/terrain-park-contest.
CUTTER'S CAMP
Since 2003, Cutter’s Camp has fostered an open dialogue between terrain park managers, staff, industry experts, and suppliers from around the world. The week-long spring program for terrain park professionals features on-hill and classroom workshops, with a continued focus on the business of terrain parks, risk management, design/build, and much more. Plus, participants receive on-hill, one-on-one coaching and demos of the latest machines and snow management systems from PistenBully and Prinoth. Camp is a five-day, all-inclusive program and includes four nights of lodging, meals, classroom sessions, on-hill workshops, on-hill building and coaching, airport transfers to and from PDX airport, networking activities, grooming demos, and a welcome bag. Learn more at saminfo.com/cutters-camp.
Check out Episodes 42 through 47 of The Blade Dive, all recorded at Cutter's Camp 2022.
PODSAM
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Struggling with staffing, motivating your team, or maintaining a positive outlook? Listen to our "Moving Mountain Operations Forward" Huddle on PodSAM, where we discuss burn-out, staffing and so much more. Paul Thallner of High Peaks Group also chimes in with tips to help keep managers and their staff focused, happy, and productive. Peruse all our Huddle podcasts at saminfo.com/podSAM.
JOBS
- Look for jobs in grooming operations and maintenance at resorts across North America. saminfo.com/groomerjobs.
