SAM Magazine—Salem, Ore., March 6, 2026—Oregon State HouseOregon lawmakers finally passed a bill that strengthens the enforceability of liability waivers in the state after several previous attempts to quell what had amounted to a crisis for the state’s outdoor recreation providers failed to progress over the past decade or so. Senate Bill 15...

SAM Magazine—DENVER, March 5, 2026—Alterra Mountain Company’s 2026-27 Ikon Pass suite of products goes on sale March 12 with new partners, access, benefits, and numerous other changes.  The full Ikon Pass, which offers the least restrictive levels of access to 76 ski areas around the world, will start at US$1,349 for adults ages 23 and up; ...

SAM Magazine—Aspen, Colo., March 5, 2026—The 2026-27 Mountain Collective pass is on sale and has retained all the resort destinations around the world that it offered in 2025-26.  The spring sale price is US$669/CA$895, up from US$639/CA$849 for 2025-26. The pass provides two days of access with no blackout dates to 27 ski areas in the United...

If it’s done strategically, Wisconsin resort leader Rick Schmitz sees ‘no better investment’ than owning the snow for greater Milwaukee day trippers. Here’s why. (This the third stop on Andy Bigford’s Revival Road Trip, where he is offering monthly reports from the road as he works on the third installment in the Ski Inc. book series...

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., March 4, 2026—Vail Resorts (VR) launched sales of the 2026-27 Epic Pass with new options for customers ages 13-30 added to the lineup at 20 percent less than the full Epic Pass price. Previously, the full Epic Pass had two price tiers: child (ages 5-12) and adult (ages 13 and up). The more restricted Epic Local P...

SAM Magazine—Henniker, N.H., March 3, 2026—Pats Peak will undergo a significant expansion of its snowmaking system this summer that will allow the ski area to double the number of snow guns it can operate at once starting in winter 2026-27.  The project is headlined by a new 21-million-gallon snowmaking water reservoir that will be excavated ...

SAM Magazine—Albion, Idaho, March 3, 2026—Pomerelle Mountain Resort in southern Idaho has been sold to mountain manager Zach Alexander and his wife, Crystal, according to Ski Idaho. The Anderson family, which has owned and operated the ski area for decades, finalized the sale this month. Financial terms were not disclosed. Local Freshies first...

SAM Magazine—Bellaire, Mich., March 3, 2026—After more than 20 years of ownership, Trinidad Resort & Club, LLC, has sold Shanty Creek Resort to a new ownership group called Shanty Creek Ski and Golf Resort, LLC.  Shanty Creek Resort is a 5,500-acre, four-season property that includes two ski areas—Shuss Mountain and Shanty Creek—five ...

SAM Magazine—Burke, Vt., March 2, 2026—Gabe Porter Henry leads an on hill tour.After nearly a decade in receivership, Vermont’s Burke Mountain is coming out of hibernation. New owners Bear Den Partners are prioritizing long-deferred capital improvements and operational stability, having already accomplished a variety of projects after taking ...

SAM Magazine—Glenwood, N.Y., March 2, 2026—Kissing Bridge All Seasons Resort has hired Matt Thomas as its new general manager. Thomas comes to the role with nearly 30 years of ski industry experience, most recently serving more than six years as director of risk management at Telluride Ski and Golf, Colo.  “We are beyond excited to bring Ma...

SAM Magazine—Lake Placid, N.Y., Feb. 25, 2026—The New York State Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) board of directors approved $15.9 million in capital investments across Whiteface, Gore, and Belleayre mountains, continuing a multi-year run of infrastructure upgrades at the state-owned ski areas. At its Feb. 20 meeting, the board p...

SAM Magazine—Granby, Colo., Feb. 25, 2026—Indy Pass has added 16 new alpine and cross-country ski area partners and will open 2026-27 pass sales Feb. 25 to existing pass holders under a new automatic renewal structure the company said is designed to manage demand. Current pass holders can renew at the lowest guaranteed price by opting into an ...

In SAM’s Snow People, we highlight personnel moves in the mountain resort industry. From resort hires, promotions, and retirements to awards, obits, and supplier news, we celebrate the people that make this industry thrive. PEOPLE MASON WILLETT, MOUNT SUNAPEE, NH Vail Resorts has appointed Mason Willett as director of mountain operations a...

SAM Magazine—Big Sky, Mont., Feb. 23, 2026—Taylor Middleton, the longtime Big Sky Resort executive who led the Montana destination through decades of expansion and repositioned it as one of North America’s premier ski resorts, died Friday at his home in Big Sky. He was 68. An Alabama native and 1979 University of Alabama graduate, Middleton ...

SAM Magazine—Denver, Feb. 18, 2026—Alterra Mountain Company has appointed David Flueck as chief customer officer and president, Ikon Pass. Flueck will lead the company’s customer engagement strategy as well as its sales, marketing and communications functions, and steward continued growth of the Ikon Pass product. He joins Alterra from Marri...

SAM Magazine—Happy Valley, Ore., Feb. 18, 2026—Loveland's Annual Mountaintop Matrimony.From record-breaking revenues in the East to "miracle" snowfalls in the West, the Presidents’ Day long weekend continued the trend of a ski industry defined by extreme contrasts. While the East Coast basked in one of its strongest seasons in a decade, the W...

This rustic, soulful resort is an anomaly, but the well-capitalized, strategic rebirth of Robert Redford’s legacy is chock full of lessons for all resort operators. By Andy Bigford (This is the second stop on Andy Bigford's Revival Road Trip, where he is offering monthly reports from the road as he works on the third installment in the Ski I...

SAM Magazine—Slinger Wis., Feb. 16, 2026—Little Switzerland Ski Area will install two new Skytrac quad chairlifts this summer to replace the ski area’s Lift 1 and Lift 2, a unique “up and over” double chairlift that loads from both the base area and backside of the ski area and transports guests uphill in opposite directions to unload at ...

SAM Magazine—Winter Park, Colo., Feb. 16, 2026—While severely dry conditions and warm temperatures took a serious toll on mountain lodging properties in Colorado and Utah, the better snowfall in the “rest of the West”—California, Nevada, Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana—kept results on the upswing, according to DestiMetrics-participating pro...

SAM Magazine—Mesa, Colo., Feb. 11, 2026—Rendering of the new Wild West Express lift.As it approaches its 60th anniversary season, Powderhorn Mountain Resort is introducing a limited three-year season pass, positioning it as both a loyalty offering and commitment to affordability amid a major capital upgrade and plans for future improvements. ...

SAM Magazine—Jeffersonville, Vt., Feb. 11, 2026—Bear Den Partners has acquired a majority ownership interest in Smugglers’ Notch Resort from Bill Stritzler, who has owned Smuggs for 29  years and whose family will retain an ownership stake in the resort. Stritzler’s daughter and Smuggs CEO Lisa Howe will serve as an advisor on the future o...

SAM Magazine—Killington, Vt., Feb. 9, 2026—Colleagues took time to connect sharing stories and highlights from the season. A banner winter across much of the East, marked by consistent cold temperatures for snowmaking, steady natural snowfall, and record holiday attendance at many ski areas, set an upbeat tone for the National Ski Areas Associa...

SAM Magazine—Happy Valley, Ore., Feb. 6, 2026—Mt. Ashland Ski AreaThe historic snow drought gripping the Pacific Northwest claimed more operational days this week as four of Oregon’s ski areas announced indefinite suspensions or significant reductions in operations, leaving lift chairs empty and slopes bare across the lower Cascades and Siski...

SAM Magazine—Killington, Vt., Feb. 3, 2026—Nearly 7,500 total votes were cast for the six competing snowmaking teams during the 13-day voting period of the 2026 I AM a Snowmaker contest, with Seven Springs, Pa., receiving the most votes to take home the title. Contest sponsor HKD Snowmakers president Charles Santry honored Seven Springs at the ...

SAM Magazine—Tooele, Utah, Jan. 26, 2026—Prinoth named Andrew Nicolas as CEO of its U.S. snow grooming division in December. In his new role, Nicolas oversees snow grooming services and product distribution for the U.S. market.  “With Andrew’s leadership, Prinoth continues to reinforce its position at the forefront of snow grooming techno...

SAM Magazine—Blakeslee, Pa., Jan. 23, 2026—Vail Resorts has hired Tony Torsell as general manager of Jack Frost Big Boulder, effective Feb. 15. Torsell, who grew up not far from the neighboring ski areas, succeeds previous GM Tony Santora, who is now the vice president of mountain operations at VR-owned Beaver Creek, Colo.  “Coming back hom...

SAM Magazine—Petite-Rivière-Saint-François, Jan. 23, 2026—Unionized workers returned to work today and Le Massif de Charlevoix will reopen for winter operations tomorrow, Saturday, Jan. 24, after the resort and the union reached a tentative collective agreement, concluding a three-week strike. Earlier this week, Le Massif ownership ended the ...

SAM Magazine—Happy Valley, Ore., Jan. 21, 2026—MassanuttenThe 2026 Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend presented a stark geographical divide across North American ski areas. Based on a cross-continent survey of operators and regional associations, the weekend was defined by record-breaking snowfall and “all-time” attendance in the East, ...

SAM Magazine—Beaupré, Quebec, Jan. 21, 2026—Mont-Sainte-Anne and operator Resorts of the Canadian Rockies (RCR) have reached an agreement with the Quebec government to fund substantial capital improvements at the resort, including the replacement of four lifts with three new ones, new snowmaking infrastructure, and installation of warm-season ...

SAM Magazine—Boyne Falls, Mich., Jan. 21, 2026—Boyne Resorts has launched the Boyne Forever Foundation, an independent 501(c)(3) public charity that will coordinate philanthropic giving and grantmaking across the company’s 13 North American properties. The foundation will focus on three areas: environmental stewardship, community investment,...

SAM Magazine—Petite-Rivière-Saint-François, Quebec, Jan. 20, 2026—Le Massif de Charlevoix has closed for a second time amid an ongoing, indefinite strike by roughly 300 of its unionized employees. The resort closed from Jan. 2–6 when the strike began and had reopened with limited operations starting Jan. 7. Le Massif’s decision to shut do...

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., Jan. 20, 2026—Online voting for the videos produced by six chosen ski areas competing in the 2026 “I AM a Snowmaker” contest, sponsored by HKD Snowmakers, is now open. Voting ends Monday, Feb. 2, at 11:59 p.m. EST.  Since it debuted in winter 2013-14, the annual I AM contest has served as an important recogniti...

SAM Magazine—Bend, Ore., Jan. 20, 2026—Snowvana will make its East Coast debut when the consumer ski and snowboard expo comes to the Royal Plaza Trade Center in Marlborough, Mass., just outside Boston, Nov. 6-8, 2026. The show will be held in four locations this year including Seattle (Oct. 16-18), Portland, Ore. (Oct. 23-25), and Wisconsin (No...

SAM Magazine—Snowbird, Utah, Jan. 16, 2026—NSAA president Mike Reitzell and Snowbird president Dave Fields at the first track breakfast.A challenging start to the season for much of the west kept some ski area personnel from attending the National Ski Areas Association Western Winter Conference, but a crowd of 690 industry professionals—up fr...

SAM Magazine—Winter Park, Colo., Jan. 16, 2026—Low snowfall led to a lackluster December for mountain town lodging operations across most of the West, according to the December Market Briefing from Inntopia's DestiMetrics division. But in spite of the challenges, lodging properties managed to mitigate much of the negative impact—at least for ...

SAM Magazine—Nederland, Colo., Jan. 16, 2026—Powdr Corp. has hired Andrew Gast to serve as president and general manager of Eldora Mountain Resort, effective Feb. 1. Gast will serve in his current role as general manager of Mt. Ashland, Ore., until Jan. 24. Powdr CEO Justin Sibley said the company—which remains Eldora’s owner while the Tow...

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., Jan. 15, 2026—Skier visits for Vail Resorts (VR) destinations were down 20 percent for the season through Jan. 4 compared to a year ago, the company reported today. The news reflects below-normal snowfall across much of the West and the resulting limited operations at many resorts. It also provides a window into ...

SAM Magazine—Jackson, Wyo., Jan. 13, 2026—Jackson Hole Mountain Resort ski patrollers voted against unionizing in a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) election held over two days last week, but the result is not yet final because challenged ballots are still under review.  In a social media statement Jan. 10, the Jackson Hole Ski Patrol sa...

SAM Magazine—Nederland, Colo., Jan. 13, 2026—The Town of Nederland’s Board of Trustees unanimously voted Jan. 6 to approve an asset purchase agreement that would pave the way for the municipal acquisition of Eldora Mountain Resort from Powdr Corp. for roughly $120 million. The approved agreement authorizes Nederland to purchase Eldora throug...

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., Jan. 13, 2026—The Ski Resort AI Bootcamp will return in 2026 with four new virtual live sessions focusing on practical, department-level applications of artificial intelligence for ski areas. The program pairs self-paced coursework with live discussions featuring mountain resort professionals and technology experts....

SAM Magazine—Telluride, Colo., Jan. 9, 2026—The Telluride Professional Ski Patrol union, on strike since Dec. 27, accepted the latest offer from the resort on Thursday, ending the 13-day walkout that had vastly reduced visits and led resort owner Chuck Horning to shutter operations. The resort resumed very limited operations on three runs on Ja...

On the cusp of turning 65, the Wiseman family’s Swiss Valley has done more than persevere, it's found a Perfect future. This is part 1 of Andy Bigford's Revival Road Trip.  Knowing what you don’t know is critical to any successful endeavor. It can also help save the life of an endangered ski area in this weather-challenged corner of southwest...

SAM Magazine—Happy Valley, Ore., Jan. 8, 2026—Killington Resort The two-week 2025-26 holiday period was a tale of haves vs. have-nots. While the East, Midwest, and Canadian Rockies set records with big visitation numbers, the Western U.S. navigated a complex weather pattern that delivered atmospheric rivers in some areas and historically low sn...

SAM Magazine—St. Paul, Minn., Jan. 7, 2026—Minnesota’s 18 operating ski areas generated $359.1 million in total economic value to the state during the 2024-25 winter season, according to an analysis commissioned by the Minnesota Ski Areas Association (MNSAA) and conducted by RRC Associates. The study captured both direct spending at ski areas...

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., Jan. 7, 2026—Resorts are investing more in technology and increasingly treating it as a strategic priority, according to SAM’s 2025–26 Technology Survey. Respondents indicated the next wave of investment is focused on system integration, guest-facing services, and using data to inform operational and revenue deci...

SAM Magazine—Telluride, Colo., Jan. 5, 2026—After nine days of the resort being closed entirely during a strike by its unionized ski patrollers, Telluride opened two lower mountain trails served by one aerial lift and two conveyors today. The free village gondola is also spinning.  Failed contract negotiations led to a Telluride Professional ...

SAM Magazine—Petite-Rivière-Saint-François, Quebec, Jan. 5, 2026—Following the expiration of their collective agreement, roughly 300 union-represented employees at Le Massif de Charlevoix went on strike, Friday, Jan. 2, forcing the resort to close all operations including lifts, food services, retail, and tobogganing.Credit: Conseil central d...

​SAM Magazine—Happy Valley, Ore., Dec. 30, 2025—Jay PeakExtreme and erratic weather defined the first week of the 2025 Christmas-to-New Year period across much of North America, forcing operators to contend not only with snow, or lack thereof, but also power failures, access disruptions, infrastructure breakdowns, and workforce concerns. Whi...

SAM Magazine—Mono County, Calif., Dec. 29, 2025—A 30-year-old Mammoth Mountain ski patroller died Sunday from injuries sustained in an avalanche on Friday. One other patroller was injured in the incident, which occurred about 7:30 a.m., Dec. 26, on Lincoln Mountain, while the patrollers were conducting avalanche mitigation work.  After both s...

SAM Magazine—Telluride, Colo., Dec. 26, 2025 [Updated 12/29/25]—After months of contract negotiations, the Telluride Professional Ski Patrol Association (TPSPA) authorized a Dec. 27 strike. In response, Telluride Ski and Golf Resort (TSG/Teleski) has said it will close operations Dec. 27 with no clear timeline for reopening. “At this time, w...

SAM Magazine—Wenatchee, Wash., Dec. 19, 2025—After major storms brought torrential rain and damaging winds that washed out roads and depleted an already thin snowpack, further delaying ski area operations in Washington, four outdoor recreation groups coalesced to provide an update and resources for would-be travelers to the state’s mountains ...

SAM Magazine—Telluride, Colo., Dec. 19, 2025—Communication between Telluride Resort and the Telluride Professional Ski Patrol Association (TPSPA) will resume following a union vote earlier this month to reject the resort’s proposed contract, according to reporting by the Telluride Times. Contract negotiations between the resort and the patr...

SAM Magazine—Kellogg, Idaho, Dec. 17, 2025—Idaho ski areas recorded 2.4 million skier visits in 2024-25, the fifth straight season with more than 2 million visits and the second highest total on record, ranking it tenth among 37 states with ski areas and a record 3.9 percent share of skier visits nationally, according to an RRC Associates repor...

SAM Magazine—Winter Park, Colo. Dec. 16, 2025—Below average snowfall and faltering consumer confidence negatively impacted November booking activity at Western destinations, according to the latest Market Briefing from the DestiMetrics division of Inntopia. The booking pace during November plunged 19.8 percent for arrivals in the next six month...

SAM Magazine—Seattle, Wash., Dec. 16, 2025—A series of severe atmospheric rivers beginning on Dec. 9 brought the Pacific Northwest ski season to a grinding halt, forcing the closure of virtually every ski area in Washington and Oregon. Mission RidgeHeavy rains and unseasonably high freezing levels have washed away early-season snowpack and trig...

SAM Magazine—Beaupré, Quebec, Dec. 15, 2025—Quebec regulators have ordered the closure of four aerial lifts at Mont-Sainte-Anne (MSA), postponing the resort’s planned opening and marking the latest regulatory action in a series of infrastructure and safety concerns at the ski area. In a Dec. 12 statement, the Régie du bâtiment du Québec ...

In SAM’s Snow People, we highlight personnel moves in the mountain resort industry. From resort hires, promotions, and retirements to awards, obits, and supplier news, we celebrate the people that make this industry thrive. PEOPLE LUCA SIGNORELLI, ASPEN SNOWMASS, CO Luca Signorelli has been appointed as senior vice president, commercial de...

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., Dec. 11, 2025—The 20th SAM Terrain Park Contest saw 40 percent more votes than last year and drew 85 resort-submitted entries spread across four categories: features, events, edits, and park crews. A selection of entries were presented in the November 2025 issue of SAM, and all were posted on saminfo.com, where the ...

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., Dec. 11, 2025—Vail Resorts reported 4 percent year-over-year resort net revenue growth in the 2026 fiscal first quarter ended Oct. 31, 2025, fueled by a 35 percent increase in skier visits and strong pass sales in Australia and post-Labor Day in North America. The gains were somewhat offset by rising costs genera...

SAM Magazine—Mont-Tremblant, Québec, Dec. 9, 2025—Mont-Tremblant will be home to a new ski in, ski out Club Med resort in December 2028. Club Med Tremblant is the second Club Med to be built at a Canadian ski area following the 2021 debut of Club Med Québec Charlevoix at Le Massif and is the result of a collaboration between Club Med, Mont-Tr...