SAM Magazine—Lakewood, Colo., May 5, 2026—U.S. ski areas recorded an estimated 52.6 million skier visits in the 2025-26 season, down roughly 14 percent and 9 million visits year over year, according to preliminary data from the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA).  The season ranked 32nd out of 48 on record, with poor snow conditions across...

SAM Magazine—Twyford, United Kingdom, May 4, 2026—Chief operating officer Lee Cowie will become CEO of accesso Technology Group as part of a planned leadership transition. He succeeds Steve Brown, who founded the company’s namesake accesso business in 2008.  "I’m leaving the business in very good hands,” said Brown. “Lee's deep experi...

SAM Magazine—Gatlinburg, Tenn., May 4, 2026—The 14th annual SAM Summer Ops Camp is headed to Gatlinburg, Tenn., Sept. 1-3, 2026. Known as the gateway to Great Smoky Mountains National Park—the most visited national park in the United States, with approximately 12 million visitors anually—Gatlinburg is home to a wide variety of summertime mo...

SAM Magazine—Government Camp, Ore., May 1, 2026—Two Mt. Hood Skibowl employees were in a work carrier when it fell from the line of the Upper Bowl chairlift Thursday morning, killing one and injuring the other, according to a report from the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office. The carrier fell into rugged terrain. A third person on scene call...

SAM Magazine—Montville, N.J., May 1, 2026—Snow Partners is launching a new multi-mountain frequency product, Snow Pass. The pass will provide two days of access to each partner ski area and operate as a cooperative. The company is also expanding its three-day multi-mountain product Snow Triple Play to the Midwest after a successful inaugural se...

SAM Magazine—Claysburg, Pa., April 23, 2026—The parents of a 5-year-old boy who fell from a chairlift March 1 at Blue Knob All Season Resort were each arraigned this week on a felony charge of endangering the welfare of a child. The boy was riding the lift alone when he reportedly turned to adjust his goggles, slipped off the chair and fell 20 ...

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., April 23, 2026—Skier visits, lift revenue, and other season-to-date metrics reported by Vail Resorts were down for the North American ski season through April 19, 2026, compared to the same period through April 20, 2025, due to “one of the most challenging winters in history across the western U.S.,” said Vai...

SAM Magazine—Grenoble, France, April 21, 2026—Global skier visits reached a record 399 million in the 2024-25 season, surpassing the previous high of 392 million set in 2018-19, according to the 18th edition of the International Report on Snow & Mountain Tourism, compiled by Laurent Vanat.  The report was released today at the Mountain Pl...

SAM Magazine—Hancock, Mass., April 21, 2026—Packed house for older fixed grip roundtable.The 49th annual Lift Maintenance Seminar (LMS) returned to Jiminy Peak, April 13-16, drawing a sold-out crowd of roughly 415 ski area operations professionals, supplier representatives, state officials, and experts from all over North America to engage in a...

SAM Magazine—Lakewood, Colo., April 20, 2026— National Ski Patrol (NSP) is surveying more than 300 ski area senior leaders to gather input that will help shape how the organization develops its education and training programs as well as its partnership efforts and revenue streams. It’s the first time in its 85-year history NSP has surveyed sk...

SAM Magazine—Canmore, Alberta, April 20, 2026—Climate/snowpack presentation. Credit: Reese Brown.The Cross Country Ski Areas Association (CCSAA) Annual Conference drew 72 attendees from across North America to 1988 Winter Olympic venue Canmore Nordic Centre in Alberta, Canada, April 8-10, 2026. Attendance was up compared to the last three years...

SAM Magazine—Denver, April 17, 2026—Nearly 2,000 current and former ski and snowboard instructors have joined a collective action Fair Labor Standards Act lawsuit against Vail Resorts, according to reports citing consent forms filed in federal court in Colorado last week.  Quint et al. v. Vail Resorts, Inc., was first filed in 2020 by three B...

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 TROY HAWKS, GIANTS RIDGE, MN Giants Ridge has appointed Troy Hawks as marketing director. Most recently, Hawks...

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., April 16, 2025—SAM’s Supplier News roundup delivers a quick look at the latest business moves shaping the mountain resort industry. From mergers and acquisitions to new services, partnerships, and product expansions, this snapshot keeps operators up to speed on the companies and solutions driving change across the ...

SAM Magazine—Winter Park, Colo., April 13, 2026—Economic news conspired with abysmal snowfall and record-breaking warm temperatures during March to continue to drag down the 2025-26 winter season. Despite a weak booking pace, though, western mountain lodging properties in 17 resort destinations are looking at strong early numbers for the upcomi...

SAM Magazine—Durango, Colo., April 13, 2026—A new leadership structure at Purgatory Resort includes general manager Dave Rathbun moving into the role of chief executive officer of Purgatory Resort Holdings, the company overseeing the resort’s affiliated businesses, owned by Mountain Capital Partners. In addition, Josh Benson will become senio...

Indy Pass and Entabeni Systems owner Erik Mogensen has transformed this legacy ski area and designated it as his laboratory. It’s the perfect pitch here, but how will it translate elsewhere?   (This is the fourth and final stop on the author’s Revival Road Trip.) By Andy Bigford At midafternoon on the first Saturday in March, with the sun ...

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., April 13, 2026—Nominations are now open for SAM’s annual “10 Under 30,” presented with support from Snow Operating. The program recognizes young professionals who are making meaningful contributions at their resorts and demonstrating strong potential for future leadership. Resort leaders are encouraged to nomi...

SAM Magazine—Vail, Colo., April 8, 2026—Shaydar Edelmann has been appointed as vice president and chief operating officer of Vail Mountain. He succeeds Beth Howard, who is retiring at the end of the ski season after 41 years with Vail Resorts, but will “remain engaged” during a leadership transition period.  “I’m incredibly honored...

SAM Magazine—Lakewood, Colo., April 6, 2026—Pat Campbell and Geraldine LinkThe National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) will recognize two longtime industry leaders at its 2026 National Convention and Tradeshow, May 4–7 in Carlsbad, Calif., awarding Pat Campbell the Lifetime Achievement Award and Geraldine Link the Industry Impact Award.  Camp...

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., April 6, 2026—Nominations are now open for the sixth annual Rise Up Challenge. Hosted by SAM and sponsored by Leitner-Poma of America (LPOA), the contest recognizes up-and-coming lift maintenance professionals and the teams that support them. Six resorts will be selected to produce videos offering a behind-the-scene...

SAM Magazine—Denver, April 2, 2026—SilverStar Mountain Resort in British Columbia has joined Ikon Pass as a partner resort and Giants Ridge, Minn., has been added as a bonus mountain on the 2026-27 pass.  Matt Bowers, Alterra Mountain Company senior vice president of marketing, said British Columbia has some of the best mountain experiences i...

SAM Magazine—Jackson, N.H., March 31, 2026—Indy Pass has added seven new alpine ski area partners in the Midwest, Alps, and Japan as well as three cross country ski centers ahead of its public sales period for the 2026-27 pass, which begins at noon EDT on April 3. The new alpine partners added to the pass are Whitecap Mountain Resort, Paul Bun...

SAM Magazine—Beaupré, Québec, March 31, 2026—Rendering of the new gondola cabins. Credit: Doppelmayr.Mont-Sainte-Anne has ordered three new lifts to replace four existing lifts as part of a CA$100 million investment plan that operator Resorts of the Canadian Rockies (RCR) is undertaking in partnership with the Québec government to modernize ...

SAM Magazine—Denver, Colo., March 27, 2026—Vail Resorts and Alterra Mountain Company have been named in a federal antitrust class-action lawsuit challenging pricing and competitive practices tied to their Epic and Ikon passes, respectively. Filed March 23 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado, the complaint alleges the compan...

SAM Magazine—Pierce County, Wash., March 27, 2026—Linnea Hansen has been named the new president and COO of Washington’s Crystal Mountain, effective immediately. She will report to Alterra Mountain Company regional chief operating officer and executive vice president of the Western Mountain Division Ron Cohen. “Linnea is a strong leader w...

SAM Magazine—Durango, Colo., March 27, 2026—Mountain Capital Partners (MCP) plans to invest more than $37.5 million in capital improvements across its Power Pass network ahead of the 2026-27 season in the United States and the 2026 season in South America, with projects focused on snowmaking expansion, lift infrastructure, and terrain developme...

SAM Magazine—Charlemont, Mass., March 23, 2026—Berkshire East and Catamount Resorts in Massachusetts have joined Bear Den Partners, formalizing an ownership transition that brings the Schaefer family’s two ski areas into a growing portfolio alongside Vermont’s Burke Mountain and Smugglers’ Notch. The move folds Berkshire East and Catamou...

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., March 23, 2026—The SAMMY Leadership Award Class of 2026 includes four terrific leaders whose spheres of influence and positive impact extend far beyond their office walls. This year’s SAMMY honorees are: Kari Brandt, risk manager, Sugar Bowl, Calif.; Jay Dougherty, president and general manager, Mount Southington, ...

SAM Magazine—Engelberg, Switzerland, March 18, 2026—A gondola cabin fell from the line this morning and tumbled down a slope at a ski resort in Engelberg, Switzerland, killing the only passenger, who police identified as a 61-year-old woman from the region.  The two-stage Titlis Xpress gondola stopped following the detachment, which occurred ...

SAM Magazine—Winter Park, Colo., March 16, 2026—Fickle February snowfall led to significant disparities in winter occupancy between two different regions in the West—Colorado and Utah (CO/UT) on the one hand, and the “rest of the West” (RoW), i.e., California, Nevada, Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana, on the other. The most recent monthly Mar...

SAM Magazine—Jackson, N.H., March 12, 2026—Indy Pass director and Entabeni Systems CEO Erik Mogensen has bought out early investors to take full ownership of Black Mountain in New Hampshire, in a significant shift from his original plan to sell ownership shares to individuals and create a board of trustees to operate the ski area. Mogensen led...

SAM Magazine—Denver, March 11, 2026—Jared Smith plans to step down from his role as chief executive officer of Alterra Mountain Company at the end of this season. An exact end date was not shared. Smith joined Alterra as president in June 2021, reporting to then-CEO Rusty Gregory. He previously served as president and global chairman of Ticket...

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., March 10, 2026—Vail Resorts CEO Rob Katz pointed to “the most difficult weather environment in the Rockies we have ever seen” as the primary culprit for the company’s financial declines in both the second quarter ended Jan. 31, 2026, and season-to-date metrics. Q2 resort reported EBITDA was down 8.3 percent...

SAM Magazine—Eden, Utah, March 10, 2026—SunDown Lodge RenderingPowder Mountain will invest $40 million in a terrain expansion and base-area improvements on the public side of the resort as part of its evolving public/private operating model. The multi-year investment plan includes three lifts, a new lodge, and a 1,000-acre terrain expansion. R...

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...