SAM Magazine—Squaw Valley, Calif., Jan. 24, 2017—Joe Zuiches, a 42-year-old resident of Olympic Valley and a member of the Squaw Valley professional ski patrol since 2012, was killed in an incident at 8:35 a.m. this morning during avalanche control activities. The cause of the incident, which occurred at the top of Gold Coast Ridge at Squaw Valley, is believed to be the detonation of an explosive charge, the resort said in a statement this afternoon.

SAM Magazine—Plattsburgh, N.Y., Jan. 23, 2017—Gov. Andrew Cuomo is committing $28 million for capital enhancements at two of New York’s state-owned facilities—Whiteface and Gore Mountain. Both ski areas are located in the Adirondacks, and Cuomo said the goal is to attract more tourists to the areas so they can rival ski resorts in nearby Vermont and Canada.

SAM Magazine—Granby, Colo., Jan. 20, 2017—Preliminary investigation into the death of Texas mom Kelly Huber in a chairlift accident at Ski Granby Ranch Dec. 29 now suggests that the likely cause was an independent contractor’s modification to the lift’s electrical drive/control system, according to a statement released by the resort.

SAM Magazine—Denver, Jan. 20, 2017—Considering how long it took the ski season to get rolling in Colorado, it’s not surprising that total skier visits for the period Oct. 21 through Dec. 31 are down year-over-year at Colorado Ski Country USA’s 22 member resorts. The fact that they’re only down by single digits compared to last year, and actually up 3 percent over the five-year average, is a testament to how good things have been of late.

SAM Magazine—Denver, Jan. 19, 2017—With the Christmas holiday season and the month of December now officially in the books, many western mountain lodging properties have much to cheer about, according to the most recent data released by DestiMetrics. As of December 31, while actual occupancy for the month of December was up a scant 0.6 percent compared to last December, revenues jumped 13.2 percent.

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., Jan. 16, 2017—Before the snow started piling up this month at its properties in western North America, the ski season got off to a slow start for Vail Resorts’ destination areas in Colorado, Utah, California, and British Columbia. According to an interim period report from VR, skier visits were down more than 13 percent since the beginning of the season through Jan. 8, 2017, compared to the same period ending Jan. 10, 2016.

SAM Magazine—Incline Village, Nev., Jan. 13, 2017—After serving as Diamond Peak’s interim general manager during the 2015-16 season, Mike Bandelin had the “interim” removed from his title in October, and now serves as the resort’s full-on GM.

SAM Magazine—Tahoe, Calif., Jan. 11, 2017—Is it possible to have too much snow? Ask anyone in the Sierras or Colorado right now, and they’ll say yes. A storm of rare strength, moisture content, and duration has been dumping feet of snow on many areas in the West, causing major roads and resorts to close until they can dig out and manage severe avalanche danger.

SAM Magazine—Granby, Colo., Jan. 10, 2017—The investigation into the fatal chairlift accident at Ski Granby Ranch Dec. 29 has “identified issues within the chairlift’s electrical drive/control system that contributed to a rare dynamic event that occurred on the lift at the time of the incident,” according to a report from the Colorado Passenger Tramway Safety Board. In addition, the report said that the chair in which a Texas mom and her two daughters were riding struck a lift tower a third of the way up the mountain before the three fell 25 feet to the ground.

SAM Magazine—Killington, Vt., Jan. 9, 2017—A longtime Killington lift mechanic died after he reportedly fell 13 feet from the catwalk while working on Killington’s Skyeship gondola at its North Brook terminal on Saturday.

SAM Magazine—Truckee, Calif., Jan. 5, 2017—Mountain resorts continue to make progress combating the ongoing housing crisis, with Northstar California the most recent to step up. The resort will participate in the newly emerging Truckee North Tahoe Regional Housing Council, kicking in $30,000 to its Housing Solutions Fund. The money will be used to prioritize opportunities, support resident assistance programs, and leverage capital funding.

Welcome to Snow People. This time, our monthly roundup of happenings to prominent people in the mountain resort industry is a combo of December and early January.

SAM Magazine—Riviera Maya, Mexico, Jan. 5, 2017—Powdr plans to open its newest Woodward center in October 2017 at a location nowhere near the snowy slopes—Riviera Maya, Mexico. The new facility will operate as part of the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya.

SAM Magazine—Durango, Colo., Jan. 5, 2017—Purgatory Resort has appointed Colin McBeath as its new general manager, taking over for interim GM and company CFO Mark Seiter. McBeath brings more than 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry, most recently as general manager of the Sheraton Anchorage Hotel and Spa in Alaska. His first day on the job will be Jan. 10.

SAM Magazine—Dover, Vt., Jan. 4, 2017—When we asked a handful of ski areas across North America how they fared during the Christmas holiday week, the following are just some of the adjectives used to describe it: “fantastic,” “excellent,” “wonderful,” “nuts,” “spectacular”—even “perfect.” From coast to coast, Santa brought snow, and people followed—in record numbers.

SAM Magazine—Stowe, Vt., Jan. 4, 2017—Growth through acquisition continues for Inntopia. The software as a service (SaaS) e-commerce company has acquired Denver-based DestiMetrics, which has been supplying lodging metrics and market intelligence to North American travel destinations, including the mountain travel industry, since 2004. This is the second acquisition for Inntopia since October, when it acquired database and CRM firm Ryan Solutions.

SAM Magazine—Dover, Vt., Jan. 4, 2017—After its inaugural attempt in Jan. 2016 fell short, organizers for this year’s shot at breaking the Guinness World Record for the largest ski and the largest snowboard lessons are giving it another go. On Friday, Jan. 6, more than 80 different ski areas across the U.S. and Canada will simultaneously hold individual events to try and break the record—and help generate enthusiasm for Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month.

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., Jan. 4, 2017—Vail Resorts has more capital enhancements planned for three of its Colorado resorts—Vail, Keystone, and Breckenridge—highlighted by a new high speed six-passenger lift at each of the properties, all scheduled to be installed in time for the 2017-18 ski season. Each new lift will increase capacity by up to 25 percent compared to the lifts they’re replacing. All installations will be done by Leitner-Poma, and are subject to U.S. Forest Service approval.

SAM Magazine—Granby, Colo., Dec. 31, 2016—A Texas mother, 40-year-old Kelly Huber, died and two young daughters were hurt after they fell about 25 feet from a quad chairlift Thursday morning Dec. 29 at Ski Granby Ranch. One daughter remains in serious condition after being transported by Flight for Life helicopter to Children’s Hospital in Denver.

SAM Magazine—Denver, Dec. 20, 2016—Golf clubs and bicycles got some additional use during an unseasonably warm November, which appears to have had an adverse effect on lodging bookings at western mountain destinations, according to a recent report by DestiMetrics. As of Nov. 30, actual bookings made in November for arrivals during the six winter months (November through April) were down 7.9 percent compared to bookings made in November 2015 for the same months last winter. November bookings for November arrivals were down a dramatic 25.9 percent and down 15.3 percent compared to the same time last year, as several resorts delayed their planned openings due to the warm weather.

SAM Magazine—Woodbury, Conn., Dec. 20, 2016—This spring, Cutter's Camp will celebrate 15 years of gathering freestyle terrain professionals for educational seminars and hands-on workshops. Timberline, Mt. Hood, Ore., will once again host the longer-camp format, May 16-20, 2017. Mount Snow, Vt., will host the return of an eastern camp and the debut of the new “Fall Refresher” format, Nov. 6-8, 2017.

SAM Magazine—Gatlinburg, Tenn., Dec. 20, 2016—Gatlinburg Sky Lift, a Boyne Resorts-owned scenic chairlift attraction in Gatlinburg, Tenn., was in the path of the wildfire that spread through the popular resort town on Monday, Nov. 28. The chairlift’s upper section and upper terminal experienced significant damage, the degree of which is being evaluated. The facilities on the upper viewing deck, including the gift shop, are a total loss. The street-level building that houses ticket sales, offices, and a maintenance shop, as well as the lift’s bottom terminal, were completely unharmed.

SAM Magazine—Wildwood, Mo., Dec. 13, 2016—Any EB-5 program turmoil, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services backlogs, questions, and delays are, for now, in the rearview mirror for Peak Resorts and its flagship property, Mount Snow, Vt. Earlier today, the USCIS approved the first I-526 petition submitted by an investor in Mount Snow’s EB-5 offering, immediately releasing the $52 million of investor funds that have been sitting idle in escrow for more than two years, delaying some projects and forcing Peak to find alternate funding sources.

SAM Magazine—Jackson, N.H., Dec. 12, 2016—The Northeast’s biggest cross-country ski center just got bigger, thanks to the completion of a $500,000 capital expansion project. New for this season, the Jackson Ski Touring Center added four new trails totaling six kilometers in length, and also built eight new trail bridges. It is the most extensive expansion in the facility’s 44-year history.

SAM Magazine—Harbor Springs, Mich., Dec. 12, 2016—The Main Lodge hotel at Boyne Highlands Resort, Mich., experienced a significant structure fire that began early Sunday morning, leaving 11 people with reportedly non-life threatening injuries, and one in critical condition. There were approximately 113 registered guests occupying 64 rooms Saturday night.

SAM Magazine—Stowe, Vt., Dec. 6, 2016—It’s fairly common for a mountain resort to be breastfeeding-friendly, but Stowe has taken it one step further by installing a Mamava lactation suite in its Spruce Camp Base Lodge—the first ski resort in the nation to do so.

SAM Magazine—Truckee, Calif., Dec. 6, 2016— Nadia Guerriero is the new vice president and general manager at Northstar California Resort, effective immediately. She replaces Beth Howard, who became COO at Beaver Creek, Colo., in October.

SAM Magazine—Rutland, Vt., Dec. 1, 2016—What goes up must come down, and if it doesn’t, it’ll cost you. A Pittsfield, Vt., woman who was stranded in a gondola cabin at Killington for five hours was awarded $750,000 by a Rutland County Civil Court jury on Wednesday.

SAM Magazine—Killington, Vt., Dec. 1, 2016—A reported 30,000 spectators came out to see the first FIS World Cup ski racing event held in the eastern U.S. in 25 years, and the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association thinks that enthusiasm will buoy future growth of alpine ski racing. USST member and World Cup and Olympic champ Mikaela Shiffrin was the big draw for the slalom and GS events, held Nov. 26-27, and she didn’t disappoint, winning the slalom and placing fifth in the GS.

SAM Magazine—Big Bear Lake, Calif., Nov. 28, 2016—Industry leader and former chairman and CEO of Snow Summit Ski Corporation, Richard “Dick” Kun, died at his home Sunday after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease. He was Big Bear Lake's most iconic and influential businessman of the past half century, and one of the nation's most innovative and successful ski resort developers. 

SAM Magazine—Stowe, Vt., Nov. 28, 2016—Barry Pius will take over as Stowe Mountain Resort’s president and CEO following the retirement of Robert McEleney, who has held the position since 2007. McEleney will step down Nov. 30.

SAM Magazine— Londonderry, Vt., Nov. 23, 2016—Having been through its fair share of ownerships and plenty of uncertainty about the future, Vermont’s Magic Mountain has begun a new chapter. Ski Magic LLC, a locally based ownership and operating group, completed its acquisition of the classic New England ski area Tuesday, and plans to make immediate improvements.

SAM Magazine—Waterville Valley, N.H., Nov. 23, 2016—New Hampshire governor-elect Chris Sununu will resign as CEO of Waterville Valley Resort and relinquish his position on the board of directors, effective Dec. 31, 2016. His gubernatorial term begins Jan. 4, 2017. Tim Smith has been promoted to president and GM of the resort, and will report to the Waterville Valley Holdings board of directors.

SAM Magazine—Whistler, B.C., Canada, Nov. 23, 2016—Vail Resorts-owned Whistler Blackcomb broke the news to 60 employees last week that their jobs are being eliminated by May 1, 2017. The layoffs affect IT, marketing, and finance. Two executives will be out of the job as of Dec. 2—senior VP of marketing and sales Stuart Rempel and CFO Jeremy Black.

SAM Magazine—Dover, Vt., Nov. 22, 2016—Less than a week ago, the news about resort openings was a little bleak, with only a handful of areas able to start their season and several others postponing until winter weather showed up. Since then, temps have dropped, snow guns have fired up, and natural snow has accumulated at mountain resorts from coast to coast. For a majority of the continent, winter has arrived.

SAM Magazine—Park City, Utah, Nov. 22, 2016)—Snowsports Industries America just released its annual Snow Sports Market Intelligence Report, detailing the performance of snow sports-related retail sales in North America.

SAM Magazine—Denver, Nov. 18, 2016— As of Oct. 31, advance reservations are up 6.6 percent and revenues are up 13.3 percent for the six months that includes arrivals from November through May compared to the same time last year, according to research firm DestiMetrics. Cooler weather and stories of snow falling in the mountains have traditionally been drivers for winter vacation bookings, but the absence of those drivers during a mild autumn didn’t negatively affected bookings at western mountain destinations for the 2016-17 winter season.

SAM Magazine—Dover, Vt., Nov. 17, 2016—A handful of North American ski areas plan to open in the next couple days, but winter weather remains elusive for much of the continent. Even resorts that still list tomorrow as their opening day haven’t published details about what will be open and when, which is a testament to the marginal conditions many are experiencing.

SAM Magazine—Boston, Mass., Nov. 16, 2016—Thousands of snowsports enthusiasts nationwide have attended a handful of pre-season ski shows in search of great deals, info on what’s new, and of course, stickers.

SAM Magazine—Boston, Mass., Nov. 15, 2016—The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame class of 2016 includes 10 individuals who have all had a major impact on the industry.

Sam Magazine—Copper Mountain, Colo., Nov. 11, 2016—In another partnership between two unaffiliated resorts, Powder Mountain in Utah and Copper Mountain in Colorado are offering three free days of lift access to each other’s season passholders. This reciprocal benefit comes at no extra cost.

SAM Magazine—Salt Lake City, Utah, Nov. 11, 2016—The retail buying shows, which have gone through some schedule changes lately, are poised for more. The Outdoor Retailer (OR) winter and summer shows will move to new dates in 2018, and each show will split into “early” and “late” shows.

Welcome to the November edition of Snow People, our monthly roundup of happenings to prominent ski industry and supplier personnel.

SAM Magazine—Dover, Vt., Nov. 9, 2016—At the beginning of this week, nearly ten more North American ski areas—from Alberta, Canada, to New Mexico—had planned to open for the season on Thursday, Friday, or Saturday. Now, only two remain—Loveland, Colo., and Mammoth, Calif.

SAM Magazine—Dover, Vt., Nov. 4, 2016—When Arapahoe Basin opened for the season on Oct. 21, it was cold and snowy in many parts of the country. It seems that more ski areas were bound to also open shortly after. Right? Not if Ma Nature had anything to say about it. Which she did.

SAM Magazine—Seattle, Wash., Nov. 3, 2016—For the last few months, political advertisements have flooded the media, taking up most of the advertising inventory at premium rates. An unusual victim of this ad frenzy was the Ski Dazzle Seattle Ski and Snowboard Show, which was cancelled because the promoters couldn’t afford spots on TV, radio, and in newspapers. The event was scheduled for Nov. 5 and 6.

SAM Magazine—Kansas City, Mo., Nov. 3, 2016—CNL Lifestyle Properties has entered into a purchase and sale agreement for its portfolio of waterparks, amusement parks and small family entertainment centers, along with its 15 ski resorts.

SAM Magazine—Wildwood, Mo., Nov. 3, 2016—Peak Resorts, has completed its previously announced private placement of its Series A cumulative convertible preferred stock and warrants to purchase common stock to CAP 1 LLC, a family client of Summer Road LLC.

SAM Magazine—Rangeley, Maine, Oct. 27, 2016—The ongoing ownership conundrum of Saddleback Mountain, Maine’s third-largest ski area, could be coming to an end. A group of local business owners and Saddleback season passholders have formed Saddleback Community Mountain Resort LLC, with the intention of purchasing the ski area from the Berry family and turn it into a community owned non-profit enterprise.

SAM Magazine—Waterville Valley, N.H., Oct. 27, 2016—The affordable housing crisis in western resort towns has been well documented, but resorts in the East aren’t immune to the issue. To combat what has been “a long-standing challenge,” Waterville Valley, N.H., partnered with General Properties, LLC, to invest in a property, The Snow Star Inn, which will provide workforce housing.

SAM Magazine—Killington, Vt., Oct. 25, 2016—Killington opened for the 2016-17 winter season today at noon, kicking things off in the East. Today was just for Killington season passholders; the resort plans to open to the general public at 9 a.m. Wednesday.

SAM Magazine—Kellogg, Idaho, Oct. 24, 2016—Idaho ski areas are a hot commodity for individual business owners as of late. Less than a month after Shay Butler purchased Pebble Creek Ski Area in Inkolm, Seattle-area businessman Tryg Fortun bought Silver Mountain for $5 million from Jeld-Wen Holdings.

SAM Magazine— Girdwood, Alaska, Oct. 24, 2016—After seven years as Alyeska Resort’s mountain services manager, Brian Burnett has been promoted to ski area general manager. His new responsibilities include general oversight of ski patrol, snow safety, lift crews, tram operations, mountain maintenance projects, mountain learning center, rentals, mountainside budgeting, CIP management, and guest relations.

SAM Magazine—York, Pa., Oct. 19, 2016— Snow Time Inc., the parent company of Pennsylvania’s Roundtop Mountain Resort, Liberty Mountain Resort, and Whitetail Resort, has made several key staffing changes.

SAM Magazine—Summit County, Colo., Oct. 19, 2016—Thanks to snowmaking efforts that began on Oct. 3, Arapahoe Basin now plans to open for skiing and snowboarding on Friday, Oct. 21.

SAM Magazine—Burlington, Vt., Oct. 18, 2016—In a blow to the status of the SIA Snow Show in Denver, Jan. 26-29, 2017, Burton has said it will not exhibit at the show. Burton had vastly reduced its presence two years ago, but is now exiting the show altogether.

SAM Magazine—Park City, Utah, Oct. 18, 2016—In an effort to solidify its identity, Powdr has undergone a company-wide rebrand that spotlights its transformation into an experiential adventure lifestyle organization with a diverse portfolio.

SAM Magazine—Whistler, B.C., Oct. 18, 2016—Vail Resorts has officially closed on its billion dollar acquisition of Whistler Blackcomb, which is now the tenth destination resort in the company’s portfolio. Both entities are coming off of their most successful winter ever in 2015-16, when each drew record skier visits and saw double-digit revenue growth.

SAM Magazine—Durango, Colo., Oct. 18, 2016—Less than a month after acquiring Hesperus, one of Colorado’s smallest ski areas, James Coleman has acquired the state’s largest snowcat skiing operation with access to more than 35,000 acres of permitted terrain located just outside of Purgatory Resort near Durango. Coleman is the managing partner of a group that owns Purgatory, Sipapu Ski and Summer Resort, N.M., Pajarito Ski Area, N.M., Arizona Snowbowl, Ariz., and Hesperus.

SAM Magazine—Denver, Oct. 17, 2016—The month of September continued the strong gains in aggregated occupancy and revenue that western mountain lodging destinations have seen all summer. Actual occupancy for the month was up 10.4 percent and revenues jumped 19.6 percent as of Sept. 30, according to the most recent report by DestiMetrics. This has been the story all summer, with aggregated occupancy for the season up 6.5 percent and revenues up 14 percent, including on-the-books figures for October.