SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., November 4, 2025—Teams from Boyne Mountain, Mich.; Burke Mountain, Vt.; Killington Resort, Vt.; Poley Mountain, New Brunswick; Seven Springs, Pa.; and Steamboat, Colo., have been selected as finalists in the 11th annual “I AM a Snowmaker” contest, sponsored by HKD Snowmakers.

Resorts across North America nominated their snowmaking teams this fall to participate in the 2026 competition. The six chosen resorts will now produce videos highlighting their snowmaking crews—with a fun twist. Each team will receive a deck of cards from HKD featuring timeless words of wisdom from co-founder Herman K. Dupré—sayings like “Do you know what happens when you do nothing?” and “Every time you flush the toilet, you should fill the snowmaking pond.” Each team has been tasked with creatively weaving those Dupré-isms into their videos.

Since its debut in winter 2013-14, the I AM a Snowmaker contest has shined a spotlight on the critical role snowmaking teams play in the success of the mountain resort industry. This year’s videos will debut in mid-January on SAM’s digital channels, where the public will vote for their favorite. The winning team will earn an HKD Viper table and the title of 2026 I AM a Snowmaker Champion.

SAM will share the videos and voting details in January, with the winner announced in February. Follow the contest at saminfo.com.

As Herman K. Dupré liked to remind his team, “Never leave a good time to find a good time.” The fun, and the friendly competition, are just getting started.