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  • Pacific Group Resorts, Inc. Submits Top Bid for Jay Peak at $76 Million

    PGRI president and CEO Vern Greco shares his thoughts on the acquisition with SAM. SAM Magazine—Jay, Vt., Sept. 8, 2022—Pacific Group Resorts, Inc. (PGRI) made the highest and best final bid to buy Jay Peak, $76 million, following an auction with multiple bidders. PGRI president and CEO Vern Greco told SAM that after three years spent pursuing the acquisition, PGRI is poised to bring renewed stability to the resort and its staff, and tap into its passion and energy. The prevailing bid remains subject to approval by the United States District Court in Southern Florida during a final hearing scheduled for Sept. 16. Judge Darrin P. Gayles, who has presided over the receivership in federal...

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Colorado’s Lift-Free Bluebird Backcountry to Close

SAM Magazine—– Kremmling, Colo.—July 10, 2023—After three seasons of operation, Bluebird Backcountry, a ski touring-only area operated on a private ranch between Kremmling and Steamboat Springs, is permanently closing, citing future financing and the economy as factors. Bluebird Backcountry co-founder and CEO Jeff Woodward said that the bus...

Pennsylvania Ski Areas Association Lift Training Program Kicks off at Bear Creek

SAM Magazine—Macungie, Pa., July 6, 2023—The Pennsylvania Ski Areas Association (PSAA) held its inaugural lift training program at Bear Creek, Pa., June 20-21. The biannual training supports PSAA’s mission to provide practical, hands-on lift training, and is being offered for free to all Pennsylvania ski areas, drawing nearly 100 percent att...

Fire Destroys Lake Louise Ski Resort Employee Housing, Shuts Down Summer Ops

SAM Magazine—Alberta, Canada, July 5, 2023—Summer operations at Lake Louise Ski Resort are shut down until further notice and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) have arrested and charged a 40-year-old man with arson after a fire on July 3 destroyed a 100,000 square-foot building that houses hundreds of resort staff.  About 160 employees...

Crested Butte Lift Mechanics, Electricians Vote to Unionize

SAM Magazine—Crested Butte, Colo., July 5, 2023—Lift mechanics and electricians at Crested Butte Mountain Resort (CBMR) voted 7 to 3 to form the Crested Butte Lift Maintenance Professional Union, joining the Communications Workers of America (CWA) 7781. This is the second ski area lift maintenance crew in the country to unionize, following the ...

Studies Show Gains in Snowsports, Outdoor Participation

SAM Magazine—Denver, June 28, 2023—Two individual studies released by Snowsports Industries America (SIA) and Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) show positive gains in snowsports participation, and outdoor sports as a whole. Snowsports participation increased significantly in non-alpine activities such as winter running and hiking, with 61 per...

New Zealand’s Central Government Loans $5 Million to Bail Out Ski Areas

SAM Magazine—Auckland, New Zealand, June 27, 2023—Just weeks before the start of the 2023 Southern Hemisphere ski season, the central government of New Zealand has provided a NZD$5 million loan to bail out two financially struggling North Island ski fields that operate on Mt. Ruapehu.  Ruapehu Alpine Lifts (RAL), the operator of Tūroa and Wh...

Jury Clears Mt. Bachelor in Wrongful Death Suit

SAM Magazine—Bend, Ore., July 26, 2022—A Deschutes County jury ruled in favor of POWDR-owned Mt. Bachelor in a $15 million wrongful death lawsuit on Friday. The suit was brought against the resort by the father of a 24-year-old Bend snowboarder, Alfonso Braun, who suffocated and died after falling into a tree well within the resort’s boundary...

SkiCo Owner Jim Crown Dies in Car Crash

SAM Magazine—Aspen, Colo., June 26, 2023—James “Jim” Crown, an owner and managing partner of Aspen Skiing Company, died Sunday in a crash at the Aspen Motorsports Park, according to the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office. Crown was in a single-vehicle accident, colliding with an impact barrier at the private, member-owned motorsports country...

Alajos Fiel Promoted to GM of Mad River Mountain

SAM Magazine—Zanesfield, Ohio, June 26, 2023—Vail Resorts has promoted Alajos (Al) Fiel to the role of general manager of Mad River Mountain.Alajos Fiel Headshot

New Hampshire Approves $18 Million for Cannon Tramway Project

SAM Magazine—Franconia Notch, N.H., June 23, 2023—State-owned Cannon Mountain, which is part of Franconia Notch State Park, can move forward with major improvements to its iconic aerial tramway after the state legislature approved an $18 million appropriation to the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR) to fund “maintenance and ...

Shannon Buhler Appointed VP and GM of Stowe Mountain Resort

SAM Magazine—Stowe, Vt., June 22, 2023—Vail Resorts has named Shannon Buhler as the new vice president and general manager of Stowe Mountain Resort. She begins July 17. Buhler most recently served as senior director of mountain operations at Vail Resorts-owned Northstar California near Lake Tahoe. In a media release, Vail Resorts Eastern Regio...

Anonymous Offer Made on Burke

SAM Magazine—Burke, Vt., June 22, 2023—An unnamed bidder has made an offer of an undisclosed amount to buy Burke Mountain Resort, according to a filing by Michael Goldberg, the court-appointed receiver in charge of overseeing the ski area.  Goldberg will continue to seek other qualified buyers, according to VT Digger. If a matching or higher ...

Snow People—June 2023

In SAM’s Snow People, we highlight recent personnel moves that have been made in the mountain resort industry. From resort hires, promotions, and retirements to supplier news, awards and obits, we celebrate the people that make this industry thrive. PEOPLE LAUREN BURKE, MT. BACHELOR, OR Mt. Bachelor has hired Lauren Burke as director of market...

Summer Ops Camp Heads to Steamboat in September

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., June 15, 2023—SAM's 13th Summer Ops Camp—an immersive, hands-on networking and educational event—is heading to Steamboat, Colo., Sept. 10-12, 2023. This year’s camp curriculum will offer attendees a spectacular mountain environment and engaging activities. We’ll explore the positive effects of communit...

Snow Partners Appoints Jeff Boliba Chief Growth Officer

SAM Magazine—Montville, N.J., June 15, 2023—Snow Partners promoted Jeff Boliba to the newly formed role of chief growth officer. As CGO, Boliba will oversee strategic partnerships and future growth across SNOW Partners’ businesses, which include Big SNOW American Dream and Mountain Creek, N.J., SnowCloud, SNO-GO, and SNOW Operating.  Boliba...

New Upgrades Coming to Belleayre, ORDA Releases Final Plan

SAM Magazine—Highmount, N.Y., June 14, 2023—A number of new capital upgrades including two new lifts and a 4,000-square-foot addition to the Longhouse Lodge are in the planning stages at Belleayre Mountain Ski Center after the New York Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) released its 2023 Unit Management Plan Amendment (UMPA). The rel...

Summer Lodging: Guests Push Back Against High Rates in West

SAM Magazine—Winter Park, Colo., June 14, 2023—Lodging properties at western mountain destinations are facing a more price-sensitive customer this summer, according to the latest Market Briefing from DestiMetrics, part of the business intelligence division of Inntopia. Data collected through May 31 from 17 mountain destinations in seven states ...

Vail Resorts Saw Strong Q3 Results, Spring Pass Sales

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., June 13, 2023—Vail Resorts showed strong visits and revenues for the fiscal third quarter ended April 30. That helped offset soft early-season, weather-related results in the Northeast and Tahoe regions, according the company. VR also reported that early season pass sales for 2023-24 were up 6 percent in units a...

Vermont Skier Visits Rose 10 Percent

SAM Magazine—Montpelier, Vt., June 9, 2023—Vermont’s 27 alpine ski areas reported 4.1 million skier visits for the 2022-23 winter season, a 10 percent increase over the 2021-22 season and 3.6 percent above the 10-year average, according trade association Ski Vermont, which said the Green Mountain State saw the fourth-most visitation of any U....

Matt Davies Named President and GM of Cypress Mountain

SAM Magazine—Boyne Falls, Mich., June 9, 2023—Boyne Resorts named Matt Davies as president and general manager of Cypress Mountain, West Vancouver, B.C. Davies started in the role June 1. He is responsible for growth and overall performance as well as long-term planning and development. Davies reports to Jay Scambio, Boyne Resorts COO of day re...

Maine Ski Areas See Second Highest Visitation in State History

SAM Magazine—Farmington, Maine, June 9, 2023—Despite a late start to winter and fairly lean natural snowfall, Maine ski areas saw 1,372,128 skier visits during the 2022-23 winter season. It’s the second most total visits in the state’s history behind only 2007-08, which had 1,426,543 skier visits during an above-average snow year.  Ski Ma...

Record Visits Projected for Colorado Ski Areas

SAM Magazine—Denver, June 9, 2023—Colorado Ski Country USA (CSCUSA) is projecting a new statewide record of 14.8 million skier visits during the 2022-23 winter season, beating the record set in 2021-22 by one million visits, or 8 percent. The 2022-23 projected statewide total exceeds the five-year average for skier visits in Colorado by 18 perc...

Para Athletes Will Join U.S. Ski and Snowboard Team

SAM Magazine—Salt Lake City, Utah, June 8, 2023—Qualifying paralympic ski and snowboard racers will see their names on the official roster of the U.S. Ski and Snowboard team (USSS) for the first time beginning with the 2023-24 season. Sophie Goldschmidt, USSS president and CEO, told SAM that her team started working with the U.S. Olympic and Pa...

Alterra Sets 2030 Social Responsibility Goals with New ‘Forward Stance’ Initiative

SAM Magazine—Denver, Colo., June 8, 2023—Alterra Mountain Company unveiled its new social responsibility platform, Forward Stance, which focuses on four core pillars: prioritizing people, protecting the planet, investing in community, and operating responsibly. “Alterra Mountain Company has dedicated tremendous effort to identify and set up...

New Hampshire Skier Visits Up 13 Percent

SAM Magazine—Waterville Valley, N.H., June 8, 2023—Ski areas in New Hampshire tallied more than 2.2 million skier and snowboarder visits in the 2022-23 season, an increase of 13 percent over the previous season, according to Ski New Hampshire. The growth was almost double the national average visit growth of 6.6 percent. “After what initiall...

Little Cottonwood Gondola Gains Conditional Approval

SAM Magazine—Salt Lake City, Utah, June 5, 2023—The Wasatch Front Regional Council (WFRC) has voted to approve a long-term regional transportation plan from the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) that includes the widely-debated Little Cottonwood Canyon gondola. Image credit: Gondola Works When asked how significant a step it was for th...

Quebec Posts Best Season in 16 Years

SAM Magazine—Quebec, Canada, June 5, 2023—Quebec’s 75 ski areas saw 6.6 million skier visits during the 2022-23 winter season, and increase of 5 percent over last season, according to the Quebec Ski Areas Association (ASSQ). The result is the best season in 16 years.  The preliminary numbers are part of the 2022-23 Economic and Financial St...

Smuggs’ and Stowe Consider Connector Gondola

SAM Magazine—Jeffersonville, Vt., June 2, 2023—The owners of Stowe Mountain Resort and Smugglers’ Notch Resort are in talks to install a connector gondola between the two properties. The proposed lift would link Spruce Peak at Stowe to Sterling Mountain at Smugglers’ Notch. “Smugglers’ Notch Resort, with support from Stowe Mountain Res...

Perisher Names Nathan Butterworth as VP, GM

SAM Magazine—Perisher Valley, New South Wales, June 2, 2023—Vail Resorts has appointed Nathan Butterworth as the new vice president and general manager of Australia’s Perisher Ski Resort, effective June 12. He succeeds Belinda Trembath, who was named as vice president and COO of Whistler Blackcomb, also owned by Vail Resorts, in April.  But...

Crested Butte Lift Mechanics, Electricians Look to Unionize

SAM Magazine—Crested Butte, Colo., May 31, 2023—Lift mechanics and electricians at Crested Butte Mountain Resort (CBMR) have signed union authorization cards initiating a process to unionize. Resort management and leaders at ownership group Vail Resorts now have the option to voluntary recognize the union, a move that would bypass the need for ...

Alterra Mountain Company to Acquire Schweitzer

SAM Magazine—Denver, June 1, 2023—Alterra Mountain Company has entered into an agreement to purchase Schweitzer, Idaho, from owner and developer MKM Trust. The transaction is expected to close later in 2023 and is subject to closing conditions such as regulatory approvals. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Tom Chasse, who has been ...

Utah Ski Areas Tally Record-Smashing Snow, Skier Visits

SAM Magazine—Salt Lake City, Utah, June 1, 2023—Utah’s 15 ski areas saw a record 7.1 million skier visits during the snowy 2022-23 winter season, beating the old record of 5.8 million in 2021-22 by a whopping 22 percent, according to the state’s ski area trade organization, Ski Utah. The number is unofficial as of now since Snowbird is reop...

Six Resorts Selected for 2023 Rise Up Challenge

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., May 30, 2023—Six lift maintenance teams have been chosen to participate in the third annual Rise Up Challenge, which is supported by Leitner-Poma of America (LPOA). Arapahoe Basin, Colo., Deer Valley, Utah, Killington Resort, Vt., Mansfield Ski Club, Ont., Mt. Hood Meadows, Ore., and Powder Ridge, Minn., were select...

Winter Ended Strong, Summer Looks Weak at Western Destinations

SAM Magazine—Winter Park, Colo., May 25, 2023—The winter 2022-23 ski season ended on a high note courtesy of extraordinary snowfall across the West. But the upcoming months are showing considerable slowing from previous summers. Data collected by DestiMetrics, part of the business intelligence division of Inntopia, through April 30 show notab...

Historic Snow in the West to Delay Some, Not All Summer Activities

SAM Magazine—Bear Valley, Calif., May 23, 2023 – Several ski areas in the West are reporting that their summer operations and activities will move forward mostly as scheduled despite receiving historic snowfalls and extending their winter operating seasons late into the spring.Courtesy of Bear Valley Resort In many cases, hiking and biking trai...

East Peak Resort Gains Initial Approval for 800-Acre Land Lease

SAM Magazine—Valdez, Alaska, May 17, 2023—Alaska’s Southcentral Regional Land Office (SCRO) has given preliminary approval to East Peak Resort (EPR) for a 20-year, 800-acre state land lease that may signify a small step forward for what company officials say could one day be a four-season resort. A final decision is expected by the end of Jun...

Confidence Reigns at CCSAA Conference

SAM Magazine—West Yellowstone, Mont., May 12, 2023—Cross Country Ski Areas Association (CCSAA) held its first in-person spring conference since 2019 on April 3-5, 2023, at West Yellowstone, Mont., where snowpack was on the order of four feet and drifted-in roofs were still on the edge of collapse. Attendance was slightly below the 2019 confere...

Ski Industry Celebrates Success, Shares Cautious Optimism at NSAA National Convention

SAM Magazine—Savannah, Ga., May 12, 2023—The 2023 National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) National Convention and Tradeshow drew more than 840 mountain resort professionals, suppliers, and speakers to Savannah, Ga., for three days of networking, learning, and celebrating what the numbers show was a successful 2022-23 winter season for U.S. ski ar...

U.S. Ski Areas Set New Record for Skier Visits

SAM Magazine—Lakewood, Colo., May 9, 2023—U.S. ski areas recorded record visitation for the 2022-23 season with a total of 64.7 million skier visits, according to preliminary data from the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA). That is a 6.6 percent increase over last year’s record season. A skier visit is recorded every time an individual us...

Vail Resorts Appoints Murphy VP and COO of Beaver Creek

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., May 4, 2023—Vail Resorts named industry veteran Bobby Murphy vice president and COO of Beaver Creek, effective June 1. He has served as VP and general manager of Stowe Mountain Resort in Vermont since 2017, with oversight of Attitash and Wildcat Mountain in New Hampshire, as well. “I am thrilled to have Bobby ...

New Ski Co. CEO Buchheister Talks Leadership, Role Ahead

SAM Magazine—Aspen, Colo., May 4, 2023—Geoff Buchheister has a very big job ahead of him. Aspen Skiing Company named him chief executive officer of Aspen Snowmass on March 1, succeeding longtime CEO Mike Kaplan. While there are larger resort operators in North America, none combine the history, prestige, cachet, and environmental leadership tha...

John Merriman Appointed as Mt. Bachelor President and GM

SAM Magazine—Bend, Ore., May 2, 2023—Powdr has named John Merriman the new president and general manager of Mt. Bachelor Ski & Snowboard Resort, starting May 22. Merriman is the current vice president of finance and sales at Powdr-owned Copper Mountain Resort in Colorado, a role he has held since 2016.   “Working with [John] for the p...

Gregory to Receive NSAA Lifetime Achievement Award

SAM Magazine—Lakewood, Colo., May 2, 2023—The National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) will recognize former Alterra Mountain Company leader Rusty Gregory with a 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award at its National Convention and Tradeshow in Savannah, Ga., May 9.   NSAA’s Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes individuals whose commitment and cont...

DeBerry Named Snow Partners President

SAM Magazine—Montville, N.J., May 1, 2023—SNOW Partners named Frank DeBerry, former president of Crystal Mountain, Wash., and COO of Alterra Mountain Company’s four West Coast resorts, as its new president, effective June 1. New Jersey-based SNOW Partners is the parent company of growth and conversion program SNOW Operating, technology provid...

Windham Mountain Gains New Majority Owners, Multi-Year Capital Investment

SAM Magazine—Windham, N.Y., April 27, 2023—Windham Mountain ownership has secured new investment from two hospitality and resort development families that will provide growth capital for a multi-year development and renovation plan at the resort. The Beall family and Kemmons Wilson family through its investment arm Kemmons Wilson Hospitality Pa...

Jay Peak Seeks Savings, Sustainability with New 3-Megawatt Boiler

SAM Magazine—Jay Peak, Vt., April 26, 2023—Jay Peak Resort plans to install a 3-megawatt (MW) electric boiler capable of providing 100 percent of the heating for the 176-room Hotel Jay and Conference Center and the Pump House indoor water park, as well as numerous resort restaurants and retail spaces.  The $1 million project, reportedly one o...

Accesso Acquires Paradocs

SAM Magazine—Twyford, United Kingdom, April 26, 2023—Enterprise technology provider accesso Technology Group has acquired Paradocs Mountain Software. Paradocs' mountain management solution, MtnOS, will join accesso’s existing product portfolio as accesso Paradox.  "Adding this contemporary and powerful solution to our offering supports acc...

Darbous Named Crystal Mountain (Wash.) President and COO

 SAM Magazine—Denver, Colo., April 26, 2023—Alterra Mountain Company named Matthew Darbous president and COO of Crystal Mountain, Wash., effective immediately. In his new role, Darbous will be responsible for operations, profitability, and oversight of the resort’s strategic development plan.  Darbous joined Crystal one year ago as vice pr...

Boyne Resorts Introduces ForeverProject

SAM Magazine—Boyne Falls, Mich., April 21, 2023—Boyne Resorts has introduced its Master Plan for reducing carbon emissions to net zero by 2030, a goal that was the catalyst to forming the ForeverProject, Boyne Resorts’ long-term pledge to sustainable practices. Largely structured around collective action, the 2030 Master Plan also includes pr...

Vail Resorts Skier Visits, Revenue Up

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., April 21, 2023—While Vail Resorts reported mixed second quarter results in March, with visits up but earnings down from the prior year for the November to January period, results in March and April have improved as expected, according to the company’s latest ski season metrics.  Vail Resorts reported skier vi...

Whistler Blackcomb Names Trembath VP & COO

SAM Magazine—Whistler, British Columbia, April 21, 2023—Vail Resorts has appointed Belinda Trembath as vice president and chief operating officer of Whistler Blackcomb, effective May 15. Trembath most recently served as vice president and general manager at Perisher, Australia.  "Belinda is dedicated to ensuring the preservation of unique mo...

Leitner-Poma to Build $27 Million Manufacturing Plant in Utah

SAM Magazine—Grand Junction, Colo., April 20, 2023—Leitner-Poma of America (LPOA), will build a $27 million manufacturing facility in Tooele, Utah, about 35 miles southwest of Salt Lake City. The new facility, scheduled to be completed by 2024, will be LPOA’s largest facility in the country at more than 130,000 square feet, and will serve as ...

Winter Ends Strong, But Inflation Threatens Summer Business in Western Destinations

SAM Magazine—Winter Park, Colo., April 18, 2023—Widespread snowstorms in March had skiers and riders eagerly booking end-of-season Western mountain vacations, according to the monthly Market Briefing from DestiMetrics, part of the business intelligence division of Inntopia. But the summer season is headed in an entirely different direction, the...

Nominate an Up-and-Comer for the 2023 “10 Under 30”

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., April 17, 2023—The nomination period is now open for SAM’s annual “10 Under 30.” Members of the mountain resort industry are invited to nominate a standout 20-something-year-old who is making an impact at the ski area where they work and is poised to become a leader in the industry.  The chosen 10 rising sta...

MCP Acquires Lee Canyon

SAM Magazine—Las Vegas, Nev., April 13, 2023—Mountain Capital Partners (MCP) has acquired Lee Canyon ski resort, located about 50 miles northwest of Las Vegas, from Powdr Corporation and local partner, the Thomas family. Lee Canyon brings MCP’s ski resort portfolio to 10 properties, including Colorado’s Purgatory Resort and Hesperus ski are...

John Kelly Named Taos Ski Valley COO

SAM Magazine—Taos Ski Valley, N.M., April 13, 2023—Taos Ski Valley promoted vice president of operations John Kelly to chief operating officer. As COO, Kelly will expand his purview to oversee all aspects of the day-to-day operation of the resort, with a focus on enhancing the year-round Taos experience. Among Kelly’s initial projects will ...

Alyeska Joins Ikon

SAM Magazine—Denver, Colo., April 13, 2023—Alyeska Resort, located 40 miles south of Anchorage, Alaska, has joined the Ikon Pass for the 2023-24 season. The Ikon Pass offers access to 56 ski resorts in the U.S and internationally. “We are thrilled to expand into Alaska and invite the Ikon Pass community to discover Alyeska Resort,” said E...

Indy Pass to Meter Growth After Record Volume Halts Sales

SAM Magazine—Grand County, CO—April 10, 2023—Sales of the 2023-24 Indy Pass have been suspended after the volume of renewals and purchases by new passholders exceeded expectations. The pass had only been available to new customers for 10 days. Officials plan to reassess their sales goals in terms of volume and capacity.  “We’re metering...

The 2023 SAMMY Leadership Award Honorees

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., April 7, 2023—The four individuals being recognized with 2023 SAMMY Leadership Awards demonstrate the innovative thinking, collaborative spirit, and transparent leadership needed to guide our industry through its next evolution. This year’s honorees are: Preston Cline, safety advocate; Nadia Pepin, champion of comm...

Four Antelope Butte Board Members Resign Citing Safety Concerns

SAM Magazine—Sheridan, Wyo., April 7, 2023—Four Antelope Butte Foundation (ABF) board members have resigned this week, three citing safety concerns regarding operation of the Antelope Butte Mountain Recreation Area (ABMRA) Summit lift on the mountain’s closing weekend, according to a news release from ABMRA.  The Summit lift did not operate...