SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., Aug. 18, 2026—Registration for SAM’s 14th annual Summer Ops Camp—a three-day program of site visits, educational sessions, on-hill workshops, demonstrations, and networking focused on mountain resort summer operations—closes this Friday, Aug. 21. Camp takes place Sept. 1-3 in Gatlinburg, Tenn., a mountain town that see upwards of 12 million visitors per year.

Attendees will visit three unique mountain top summer parks—Boyne Resorts’ Gatlinburg SkyPark, mountaintop adventure park Anakeesta, and Ober Gatlinburg, Tennessee’s only ski resort—with each stop offering insights into how it stands out in a competitive market.

The program kicks off with a session exploring the science behind great guest experiences as well as a vendor showcase. Then, campers will head to Boyne Resorts’ expanded Gatlinburg SkyPark for a guided tour of its SkyTrail and Tulip Tower followed by southern barbecue and a live bluegrass band at the new Clayton’s Landing viewing area and facility. After, there will be time to explore Gatlinburg’s bustling main street, full of live music and moonshine tasting venues.

Day two puts the learning in the field. Campers will be whisked to the top of Anakeesta in open-air overland trucks for breakfast and remarks from the owner about the park’s recent expansion, with time after to explore the mountaintop park, including the Treetop Skywalk, AnaVista Tower, Hellbender mountain coaster, and more.

Campers will then make their way to Ober Gatlinburg for an afternoon that mixes educational sessions with interactive tours and demonstrations, including a workshop on summer lift use, a mountain bike park ride session, a four-lane zip line demo, a new summer tubing installation, a behind the scene tour of the resort’s 14 all-weather snowmaking boxes, a guided on-mountain excursion, and more.

The group returns to Anakeesta for dinner Wednesday evening, riding up the new all glass bottom Crystal Express. Dinner will be followed by a tour of enchanted night forest walk Astra Lumina and a first look at the park’s new immersive Firefly Experience.

Camp wraps up on day three with a final morning of sessions covering culture-building events, summer branding, risk management, operator insights, and best practices for summer business.

Throughout the three days, pop-up talks, vendor demonstrations, meals, and informal conversations will give campers opportunities to dig deeper with fellow operators, suppliers, and industry experts.

Registration closes Friday, Aug. 21. View the full agenda and register at saminfo.com/summer-ops-camp. Email Karolyn Towle at karolyn@saminfo.com with questions.