SAM Magazine—Sun Valley, Idaho, Sept. 11, 2026—SAM has partnered with the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA), Sun Valley Resort, Idaho, and Mountain Towns 2030 (MT2030) to welcome key stakeholders in the mountain resort community to the 2026 Mountain Towns 2030 Climate Summit in Sun Valley, Idaho, Oct. 13-14, with a free pre-summit forum for ski area sustainability leaders on Oct. 12.

The MT2030 Climate Summit brings together stakeholders from mountain resorts, communities, nonprofits, local governments, and businesses to collaborate on solutions to the climate challenges impacting mountain communities through workshops, education sessions, and networking events.

This year’s two-day program will feature more than 50 deep dive sessions and 100 speakers, including Dr. Katharine Wilkinson of The All We Can Save Project, Hilary Franz of American Forests, Amy Berry of the Tahoe Fund, and Harry Statter of Frontline Wildfire Defense. Sessions will tackle real-world climate and resilience challenges facing mountain communities and resorts, with an emphasis on practical ideas and solutions attendees can put to work at home.

Now in its third year, the Ski Area Sustainability Leaders Pre-Summit Forum aims to forge connections among ski area attendees ahead of the intensive two-day summit program. The Oct. 12 forum will include a gondola ride to view and learn about Sun Valley Resort’s Bald Mountain Stewardship project, followed by a roundtable discussion with peers and a networking reception. Sponsored by Brendle Group and SE Group, the pre-summit forum is free to attend, but space is limited.

The following letter from SAM and our partners is a call to action that offers further insights into the valuable opportunity for collaborative climate action offered at the 2026 MT2030 Climate Summit.

Dear Mountain Resort Sustainability Colleagues,

We are writing to personally invite you, your team, and local community leaders to join us at the Mountain Towns 2030 (MT2030) Climate Summit in Sun Valley, Idaho, Oct. 13-14, 2026.

Stakeholders from mountain resorts, municipalities, local leaders, elected officials, and nonprofits will converge to share insights, strategies, and collaborative actions aimed at addressing the pressing climate challenges facing our mountain communities.

This year will also feature the third annual Ski Area Sustainability Leaders Pre-Summit Forum on the afternoon of Monday, Oct. 12, before the summit officially begins. The forum will include a gondola ride to view and learn about Sun Valley Resort's Bald Mountain Stewardship project, followed by a roundtable discussion with your peers and a networking reception. The event begins at 1 p.m. MDT on Monday. There is no cost to participate and space is limited, so please register here to take part.

“We’re looking forward to welcoming sustainability leaders from across the industry to Sun Valley and having the chance to learn directly from one another before MT2030 begins,” said Sun Valley Resort sustainability manager Betsy Siszell. “We have all built a lot of strong relationships through the NSAA environmental committee and industry connections, and this pre-summit will allow us to go further—comparing notes on real projects, talking openly about challenges and building the kind of peer relationships that make this work sustainable long-term. It will be one of the most valuable parts of my year, and I look forward to walking away with new ideas to bring back to our team.”

The full program will bring together sessions, workshops, and networking opportunities designed for resorts and communities of every size, with tracks covering renewable energy adoption, waste reduction, sustainable tourism, and community resilience planning.

Ski industry leadership will be a throughline of this year's agenda. Meaningful, lasting work has come out of the relationships and ideas built within this community, and we believe your participation and insights will be invaluable in contributing to our shared climate objectives.

Here are the summit agenda and registration details for your reference. We encourage you to reach out to your local leaders and invite them to join you in attending. We sincerely hope that you will join us in Sun Valley this October for what promises to be an inspiring and productive event.

Warm regards,

Betsy Siszell (Sun Valley Resort, Idaho), NSAA, SAM, Mountain Towns 2030