SAM Magazine—Newry, Maine, Sept. 16, 2026—NES 2026Left to right: Dirk Gouwens, Ski Maine Association; Molly Mahara, Ski Vermont; Jessyca Keeler, Ski New Hampshire; Chauncy Johnson, Snow Angel Foundation.Ski Maine hosted 328 ski industry professionals at Sunday River Resort for two half-days of education and networking at the New England Summit, Sept. 14-15. 

The event kicked off with education sessions Monday afternoon, including the National Ski Areas Association’s Fall Education Series, led by NSAA’s Dave Byrd and MountainGuard’s Ryan Lavoie, with seminars on claims trends, terrain park considerations, employee safety, and AI in mountain operations. The series was particularly well attended as resort personnel looked for the latest risk management insights ahead of the 2026-27 winter.

Lift operations and maintenance were a major focus of the broader education program, with sessions led by AP Electrical Service’s Andy Pierce, Sunday River’s Brian Heon, consultant Dave Moulton, Skytrac’s Bobby Langlands, Lost Valley’s Scott Shanaman covering the latest ANSI B77 standard revisions slated for publication next year, lift quality assurance programs, inspections and other topics. Sessions on OSHA, safety culture, women in operations, and employee engagement also drew interest, reflecting an appetite for content focused on the workforce.  

  • An Outdoor Dinner Lit By Bistro Lights And Fire Pits Was Made For Slopeside Networking With Ambiance
  • Andy Pierce AP Electric And Scott Shanaman Lost Valley Maine Discuss Used Lift Installations
  • Attendees Gather Around The Doppelmayr Booth
  • Earl Saline NSAA Leads A Session On AI In Mountain Operations
  • Left To Right Dirk Gouwens Ski Maine Association Molly Mahara Ski Vermont Jessyca Keeler Ski New Hampshire Chauncy Johnson Snow Angel Foundation
  • Left To Right Earl Saline NSAA Chip Seamans David Ulbrich Gunstock Mountain Resort UNKNOWN And Kris Blomback Pats Peak Ski Area
  • Live Music Filled The Air During The Outdoor Dinner
  • Dana Kent of Dana Kent Coaching leads a women in operations session
  • Ski New Hampshire S Jessyca Keeler And Kathleen Harrigan Talk Shop With AMI Graphics Bryan Delaney
  • Sunday River Lift Mechanics Gather To Learn More About Bar Down AI
  • Zander Kestley Camber Risk And Safety Presents On Incident Reporting
  • An Outdoor Dinner Lit By Bistro Lights And Fire Pits Was Made For Slopeside Networking With Ambiance.
  • Andy Pierce, AP Electric, and Scott Shanaman, Lost Valley, Maine, discuss used lift installations.
  • Attendees gather around the Doppelmayr booth.
  • Earl Saline, NSAA, leads a session on AI in Mountain Operations.
  • Left to right: Dirk Gouwens, Ski Maine Association; Molly Mahara, Ski Vermont; Jessyca Keeler, Ski New Hampshire; Chauncy Johnson, Snow Angel Foundation.
  • Left to right: Earl Saline, NSAA; Chip Seamans; David Ulbrich, Gunstock Mountain Resort; and Kris Blomback, Pats Peak Ski Area.
  • Live music filled the air during the outdoor dinner.
  • Dana Kent of Dana Kent Coaching leads a women in operations session.
  • Ski New Hampshire's Jessyca Keeler and Kathleen Harrigan talk shop with AMI Graphics' Bryan Delaney.
  • Sunday River lift mechanics gather to learn more about Bar Down AI.
  • Zander Kestley, Camber Risk and Safety, presents on incident reporting.

A GM roundtable rounded out the education slate, with ski area leaders discussing a variety of topics and fielding questions from attendees. Conversation touched on what the super El Niño that’s forecast for this winter might bring—or not bring—to the Northeast, with folks looking to past El Niño seasons like 2015-16 for predictive planning. Rental gear and software platforms were also hot topics.

A trade show cocktail hour followed Monday’s sessions, and fire pits were a welcome addition to an outdoor dinner as autumn arrived in Maine. Lawn games and a live band rounded out the evening program with plenty of lively networking among old friends and new acquaintances. 

Tuesday morning opened with a vendor breakfast followed by the remainder of the education sessions. Vendors and resort personnel were on their way home by noon, refreshed by good conversation and new ideas as they prepared for winter 2026-27.