SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., April 29, 2025—Vail Resorts reported a 3.1 percent decline in skier visits across its 37 North American mountain resorts this winter, even as lift ticket revenue rose 3.4 percent for the season-to-date period ending April 20, buoyed by strong pre-committed season pass sales. While destination visitation from pas...

SAM Magazine—Salt Lake City, Utah, April 24, 2025—Doppelmayr USA promoted Keith Johns to the role of chief executive officer. He succeeds Katharina Schmitz, who stepped down March 31 after five years as CEO. Johns, a mechanical engineer, started at Doppelmayr USA in 2021 as vice president of project management before taking on his most recent ...

SAM Magazine—Fontcouverte-la Toussuire, France, April 22, 2025— Les Sybelles, one of Europe’s largest ski areas, is working with French company MND to develop a new, board game-themed attraction based on Trek 12, an adventure and mountaineering board game. The year-round experience will include 27 installations spread across the resort.  M...

SAM Magazine—Boyne, Mich., April 21, 2025—Boyne Resorts has launched season pass products that provide access to all 10 of its properties for the 2025-26 winter season: the unlimited Boyne Passport and the 3–6-day Boyne Explorer. This is the first time Boyne Resorts has offered company-wide season pass product. Its properties remain partners ...

SAM Magazine—Burke, Vt., April 21, 2025—Bear Den Partners has submitted a purchase and sale agreement to acquire Burke Mountain for $11.5 million. The group is led by Ken Graham, founder and chairman of private investment firm Inverness Graham and whose father, Don, once owned Burke Mountain in the early 2000s; Burke Mountain Academy, located i...

SAM Magazine—Winter Park, Colo. April 18, 2025—Uneven snow conditions and tumultuous economic policies in March and April converged to make the final weeks of the 2024-25 ski season less robust than hoped. But according to Inntopia’s most recent DestiMetrics monthly Market Briefing report, two of three core performance metrics for the season...

SAM Magazine—Big Sky, Mont., April 18, 2025—Through the sale of 125 carriers from the historic Explore 2 lift, Big Sky Resort raised an impressive $162,600 for three local nonprofit organizations: Big Sky Community Housing Trust, Gallatin River Task Force, and Wellness in Action.  The March 20 online sale sold out in less than 30 minutes, wit...

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., April 16, 2025—While many North American ski areas have already stopped spinning lifts for the season, plenty have plans to stretch their spring skiing and riding into May and even beyond.Credit to Jay Peak The cast includes the usual characters, as well as a few outliers looking to capitalize on conditions. Of the ...

SAM Magazine—Aspen, Colo., April 15, 2025—It’s going to be a busy summer at Aspen Snowmass as the resort will take on a broad range of capital projects that will touch all four mountains—Aspen Mountain, Snowmass, Aspen Highlands, and Buttermilk—and cost nearly $80 million. The plans include two new lifts, restaurant reconstruction and exp...

SAM Magazine—Bend, Ore., April 7, 2025—After putting Mt. Bachelor on the market in August 2024, POWDR has decided it’s going to keep the resort in its portfolio after all.  In a statement, POWDR said it considered “all facts and circumstances” in evaluating the sale of Mt. Bachelor, the fifth largest ski area in the United States by ski...

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., April 4, 2025—Vail Resorts filed a notice with the state of Colorado Tuesday that it is closing its HR Shared Services unit in Broomfield. The closure will eliminate 64 jobs as part of the company’s two-year Resource Efficiency Transformation Plan to improve organizational effectiveness in anticipation of anoth...

SAM Magazine—Nederland, Colo., April 4, 2025—Longtime resort leader Brent Tregaskis will retire as Eldora Mountain Resort president and general manager, effective May 5. Brian Dobias, CFO of Eldora owner POWDR, will serve as the resort’s interim general manager.Credit: Eldora Mountain Resort Tregaskis’s 40-year career in the industry began...

SAM Magazine—Denver, April 3, 2025—Le Massif de Charlevoix in Quebec will join the Ikon Pass for the 2025-26 season, expanding Ikon’s Canadian footprint to nine destinations, including Quebec’s Mount Tremblant.  “Canada offers some of the best mountain experiences in the world,” said Erik Forsell, chief marketing officer of Ikon Pass ...

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., April 1, 2025—Four remarkable leaders have been recognized with a 2025 SAMMY Leadership Award for their vision, hands-on dedication, and people-first leadership. This year’s honorees are: Bo Bigelow, executive director, Midwest Ski Areas Association and Minnesota Ski Areas Association; Greg Gavrilets, general manag...

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., March 27, 2025—Nominations are now open for SAM’s annual “10 Under 30,” supported by Snow Operating. The feature recognizes 10 individuals under age 30 who are making significant contributions at their mountain resorts and demonstrating leadership potential within the industry. Industry professionals are encou...

SAM Magazine—Lakewood, Colo., March 27, 2025—The National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) has named two longtime ski industry leaders as the recipients of two of its most prestigious awards. Chris Cushing and Chip PerfectResort planner Chris Cushing is the 2025 NSAA Industry Impact Award honoree, and Perfect North Slopes (Ind.) owner Chip Perfect ...

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 MIKE VAN EYCK, TENNEY MOUNTAIN, NH Mike van Eyck has been named president and general manager of Tenney Mountain....

SAM Magazine—Danbury, N.H., March 21, 2025—Ragged Mountain Resort has been listed for sale, along with more than 2,000 acres of surrounding land. The ski area is currently managed by Pacific Group Resorts, Inc. (PGRI), on behalf of a third-party owner that acquired it in 2007.  The listing includes both the ski resort operations and separatel...

SAM Magazine—Whistler, British Columbia, March 18, 2025—SAM’s Summer Ops Camp will be held at Whistler Blackcomb, Sept. 2-4, 2025, offering three days of education, networking, and hands-on learning focused on the future of summer operations at mountain resorts. This year’s camp will also feature a partnership with the Canada West Ski Areas...

SAM Magazine—Winter Park, Colo., March 13, 2025—Snowfall, rates, and fluctuations in economic policies all contributed to declines in both booking pace and winter season occupancy at Western mountain destinations during February, according to the most recent monthly Market Briefing from Inntopia’s DestiMetrics division. While the second half ...

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., March 11, 2025—Vail Resorts reported increases in visits, net income, and EBITDA for its fiscal second quarter, ended Jan. 31. However, it also reported season-to-date metrics through March 2, which showed slimmer upticks in revenues and a decline in visits. VR CEO Kirsten Lynch and CFO Angela Korch said that des...

SAM Magazine—Golden, British Columbia, March 10, 2025 [updated March 11, 11:40 a.m. EDT]—A gondola cabin with eight passengers inside fell from the Golden Eagle Express gondola at Kicking Horse Resort this morning. The detachment occurred shortly after the cabin left the lower terminal. No injuries have been reported. All lifts were shut down ...

SAM Magazine—Fabius, N.Y., March 10, 2025—A New York State judge has ruled that Intermountain Management, owner of Labrador Mountain and Song Mountain ski areas, violated state antitrust law when it purchased and shut down neighboring Toggenburg ski area in 2021. The ruling, issued by Judge Robert E. Antonacci II and granting the Office of the...

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., March 6, 2025—The cost of an Epic Pass will top $1,000 for the first time since the company slashed pass prices in 2021. Most pass access remains unchanged from the previous season, with the primary update being the addition of Switzerland’s Verbier 4 Vallées to more pass tiers. The 2025-26 Epic Pass will sta...

SAM Magazine—Denver, March 6, 2025—The 2025-26 Ikon Pass will introduce new resort access, expanded benefits, and a notable change to the pass lineup when it goes on sale March 13. Ischgl, a ski area in Austria that connects to Switzerland, will join as the seventh Ikon Pass destination in Europe. Additionally, Colorado's Arapahoe Basin, which...

SAM Magazine—Aspen, Colo., March 4, 2025—For the 2025-26 season, the Mountain Collective Pass will once again offer two days of access to 26 ski partner resorts with some changes from the previous year, including the departure of Arapahoe Basin, Colo., and the addition of new pass-holder benefits. For the upcoming season, pass holders who purc...

SAM Magazine—Warren, Vt., March 3, 2025—United States Vice President JD Vance went on a ski trip to Sugarbush Resort this past weekend with his family, along with a vast entourage of security personnel. Photo credit: Evan L’Roy/VTDiggerThe visit became a flash point, drawing more than 1,000 protesters to the resort and surrounding community....

SAM Magazine—Wardsboro, Vt., March 3, 2025—Many regions of the United States, especially those that experienced somewhat lackluster snowfall and mild temps last winter, are enjoying the benefits of consistent snow and cold weather so far this season, and the results for the Presidents’ Day holiday appear to prove that out. Photo credit: Snow...

SAM Magazine—Granby, Colo., March 1, 2025—Indy Pass will include six new ski area partners in 2025-26, including the first Southern Hemisphere partner resort. Next season’s pass goes on sale March 1, with limited quantities available and guaranteed access to 250 resorts. The new additions are Burke Mountain, Vt.; Tenney Mountain, N.H.; Corra...

SAM Magazine—Vermont, Wis., Feb. 26, 2025—Tyrol Basin owner Nathaniel McGree was arrested Monday night, Feb. 24, following an altercation with a 17-year-old guest. According to a report from the Dane County Sheriff’s Office, the guest “admitted to arriving at Tyrol Basin but not purchasing a pass.” The ski area staff asked him to leave,...

SAM Magazine—Denver, Feb. 24, 2025—Alterra Mountain Company has appointed Diane Neville as chief people officer (CPO) and Will Forbes will serve as president and chief operating officer of the company’s Will ForbesDiane NevilleExperiences Division. “We are very excited to add these talented leaders to crucial roles within our growing compa...

SAM Magazine—Boise, Idaho, Feb. 24, 2025—The Idaho Supreme Court is reconsidering its December 2023 decision in Milus v. Sun Valley Co. In a rare move, the court agreed to rehear the case, with oral arguments presented Feb. 14. The case centers on the 2019 accident in which 65-year-old skier Stewart Milus fatally collided with a yellow-padded ...

SAM Magazine—Winhall, Vt., Feb. 21, 2025—Over Presidents' Day weekend, separate wind-related incidents at three ski areas in the Northeast led to temporary lift closures.Stratton Mountain's upper gondola terminal was damaged by high winds on Sunday. At Stratton Mountain Resort in Vermont, high winds on Sunday, Feb. 18, caused significant damag...

SAM Magazine—Wenatchee, Wash., Feb. 20, 2025—Mission Ridge Ski & Board Resort named Matt Neubauer as its new general manager. He succeeds Josh Jorgensen, who led the resort for 13 years. Jorgensen will stay involved in the Mission Ridge Expansion master development project to ensure a smooth transition. “We are thrilled to welcome Matt t...

SAM Magazine—Newry, Maine, Feb. 20, 2025—The paid ski patrollers at Sunday River took steps to unionize on Monday, filing a petition with the National Labor Relations Board to hold a union election. If successful, they would become the first unionized ski patrol in the East. More than 70 percent of the eligible patrollers signed the petition. ...

SAM Magazine—Winter Park, Colo., Feb. 18, 2025—In a notable change from December, Western mountain destinations saw bookings cool down in January, and occupancy and revenue margins shrunk for the 2024-25 ski and snowboard season. The latest DestiMetrics monthly Market Briefing, released last week, cited uneven snowfall, erratic economic news, s...

SAM Magazine—Crested Butte, Colo., Feb. 14, 2025—The unionized lift mechanics at Crested Butte Mountain Resort (CBMR) reached a contract agreement with resort owner Vail Resorts this week, ending a protracted negotiation that began in January 2024 and avoiding a strike, which the 12-member team authorized at the end of January 2025.Credit: Cres...

SAM Magazine—Boston, Feb. 7, 2025—Super Bowl Sunday, once the first Sunday of February and nowadays the second Sunday, takes place smack in the middle of peak season. Conditions are usually (finally!) up to snuff and the sun stays higher in the sky a tiny bit longer, meaning less flat light and more fun runs. And yet, Super Bowl Sunday, despit...

Dinner at The Hermitage Club: Mike Reitzell, NSAA, Bill Bennyan, Hermitage Club and Jon Schaefer, Berkshire East.SAM Magazine—West Dover, Vt., Feb. 7, 2025—It's been a pretty good winter in the East so far, with consistently cold temps allowing for terrific snowmaking conditions and retention of whatever natural snow ski areas have gotten. Whil...

SAM Magazine—Albuquerque, N.M., Feb. 6, 2025—Sandia Peak Ski Area suspended winter operations as of Tuesday, Feb. 4, citing warm temperatures and limited snow. “Our team is actively monitoring the weather and will take every opportunity to resume snowmaking when conditions allow,” stated an update posted to the ski area’s website and soc...

SAM Magazine—Franconia, N.H., Feb. 6, 2025—Yesterday morning, a mechanical failure on the Peabody Express quad forced the evacuation of 64 passengers at Cannon Mountain. At approximately 10:13 a.m., a bolt affixed to the power take-off (PTO) shaft failed on the Peabody Express. Because of the nature of the mechanical issue—the PTO transmits ...

SAM Magazine—Boulder, Colo., Feb. 6, 2025—Outside Interactive Inc., a leading creator of outdoor content and experiences, has acquired travel and hospitality software solutions provider Inntopia from Northstar Travel Group. The acquisition aims to create a comprehensive travel technology platform that will streamline booking and enhance travel ...

SAM Magazine—Mount Snow, Vt., Feb. 4, 2025—Nearly 12,000 total votes were cast for the five competing snowmaking teams during the 14-day voting period of the 2025 I AM a Snowmaker contest. Contest sponsor HKD Snowmakers president Charles Santry revealed this year’s winner in the video below:      This year’s competing teams each pr...

SAM Magazine—Park City, Utah, Feb. 4, 2025—Park City-based Pacific Group Resorts Inc., has acquired controlling interest in Powderhorn Mountain Resort just east of Grand Junction, Colo. The acquisition was made through PGRI subsidiary Powderhorn Pacific, LLC, which has operated the resort for the past six years. The Denver-based Gart family wil...

SAM Magazine—Bend, Ore., Feb. 4, 2025—Snowsport festival operator Snowvana will return to Seattle and Portland and debut a new show in Wisconsin in 2025. The events will include thousands of square feet of new and used gear at up to 70 percent off, dozens of regional ski resorts, lift ticket and vacation deals, snowsports vendors, contests, giv...

SAM Magazine—Jackson Hole, Wyo., Feb. 3, 2025—Mary Kate Buckley will retire as CEO of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort on May 31, 2025, after seven years leading the resort. Resort COO Doug Pierini will succeed Buckley on June 1, 2025. Doug Pierini and Mary Kate Buckley “It has been an incredible honor to work with Mary Kate, from her time on ...

SAM Magazine—Bartlett, N.H., Feb. 3, 2025—On Feb. 2, a carrier with one rider aboard detached from the Flying Bear lift at Attitash Mountain. The carrier fell approximately 20 feet. Credit to David Gunzburger Eyewitnesses report that the male passenger was conscious and walking after the fall. He has since been released from the hospital. Th...

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., Jan. 30, 2025—Registration is now open for SAM’s Cutter's Camp, May 5-9, 2025, at Timberline, Mt. Hood, Ore. The five-day program for terrain park professionals features on-hill and classroom workshops, one-on-one customized operator coaching, and demos of the latest machines and technology platforms for park groom...

SAM Magazine—Charlotte, N.C., Jan. 27, 2025—Late Apex Partners, LLC, an investment firm whose largest holding is Vail Resorts, is calling for transformational change at the winter resort company. In a letter to the Vail Resorts board of directors, Late Apex said that "over the past five years, Vail’s performance has been unacceptable. We bel...

SAM Magazine—Homewood, Calif. Jan. 27, 2025—The saga of Homewood Resort took another turn last week when the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) governing board approved Homewood's revised master plan.Photo credit: Homewood Mountain Resort The plan will allow for major improvements, including a new gondola, replacement lift, mid-mountain lodg...

SAM Magazine—Crested Butte, Colo., Jan. 27, 2025—Lift maintenance workers at Vail Resorts-owned Crested Butte voted for a strike authorization following negotiations in which Vail Resorts has refused to increase their pay, according to the union. Negotiations have dragged on for more than a year.Photo credit: Crested Butte. The 12 lift mainte...

SAM Magazine—Jan. 22, 2025, Ludlow, Vt.—As usual, snow, both manmade and natural, played a major role in shaping business over the three-day MLK holiday weekend. So did operational disruptions. Busy new mid-mountain lodge at Tamarack, Idaho. While a cold snap blanketed nearly the entire country at some point throughout the holiday, the effec...

SAM Magazine—Istanbul, Turkey, Jan. 21, 2025—A predawn fire at a hotel in the Kartalkaya Ski Resort in Turkey killed at least 66, with another 51 injured, Turkey's Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said Tuesday. The resort is located in Northwestern Turkey's Koroglu mountains, about 185 miles east of Istanbul. The fire ignited at 3:30 a.m. News...

SAM Magazine—Barcelona, Spain, Jan. 20, 2025—A chairlift failure injured more than a dozen people Saturday morning at Astún resort in the Spanish Pyrenees. The bullwheel on a 1985 fixed-grip quad detached, causing the lift to derope on numerous towers, according to liftblog.com’s Peter Landsman.Credit to Meteosojuela La Rioja “Without a b...

SAM Magazine—Olympic Valley, Calif., Jan. 20, 2025—Attendance was up at NSAA’s Western Winter Conference, with more than 670 ski industry folks gathering at Palisades Tahoe, Jan. 14-16, for the education and networking event. Total attendance surpassed numbers for 2024 and 2023. NSAA’s new CEO Mike Reitzell welcomed everyone at a hosted br...

SAM Magazine—Arapahoe Basin, Colo., Jan. 20, 2025—Members of the Arapahoe Basin ski patrol voted 30-22 in favor of unionizing. If the results are certified by the National Labor Relations Board, the Arapahoe Basin Ski Patrol Union (ABSP) will join the Communication Workers of America (CWA) 7781 United Mountain Workers, which will represent ABSP...

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., Jan. 17, 2025—Vail Resorts reported that season-to-date total skier visits for North America were down 0.3 percent while lift ticket revenue rose 4.5 percent from the beginning of the ski season through Jan. 5, 2025, compared to the prior year period through Jan. 7, 2024. Revenues from ancillary businesses we...

SAM Magazine—Winter Park, Colo., Jan. 16, 2025—December daily rates nudged up a bit, occupancy edged down a bit, and lodging results among the participating properties in 17 regions across seven Western states looked a lot like last year at this time, according to the most recent monthly report from DestiMetrics, part of Inntopia’s business ...

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., Jan. 15, 2025—Online voting for the videos produced by five chosen resorts competing in the 2025 “I AM a Snowmaker” contest, sponsored by HKD Snowmakers, is now open. Voting ends Wednesday, Jan. 29, at 11:59 p.m. EST.  Since it debuted in winter 2013-14, the annual I AM contest has served as an important recogn...

SAM Magazine—Park City, Utah, Jan. 9, 2025—Members of the Park City Professional Ski Patrol Association (PCPSPA) have voted to ratify the contract negotiated by the United Mountain Workers union with Vail Resorts on Tuesday. The agreement, reached after 10-months of negotiations for increased wages, ended a nearly two-week strike.  “The roa...