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 JJ TOLAND, SUGARBUSH, VT Sugarbush Resort has brought on JJ Toland as vice presiden...

SAM Magazine—Victoria, Australia, June 8, 2022—The winter season has begun in the Southern Hemisphere. Historically early and abundant snowfall this year in Australia has allowed several ski areas to drop ropes ahead of the traditional June 11-13 opening weekend. Courtesy of Falls Creek Resort's Instagram Mount Hotham in Victoria opened June ...

SAM Magazine—Beaupré, Quebec, June 3, 2022—The preliminary results of the 34th Economic and Financial Study of Ski Areas show 6.3 million visits were recorded at Quebec ski areas during the 2021-22 winter season, an increase of 3 percent compared to 2020-21. The recipient of the Réal-Boulanger Award, Mr. Eddy Zajac, surrounded by Mr. Yves Jun...

SAM Magazine—Cambridge, Vt., June 2, 2022—Many of North America’s resorts opened later than they would have liked this winter, but a few standout areas made up for the deficit and leveraged late-season snow to offer late-season turns. There are a still a handful of resorts across the country operating after Memorial Day Weekend, and a few hon...

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., May 31, 2022—Six lift maintenance teams have been chosen to participate in the second annual Rise Up Challenge, supported by Leitner-Poma of America (LPOA): Arizona Snowbowl, Ariz.; Boston Mills Brandywine, Ohio; Magic Mountain, Vt.; Whistler Blackcomb, B.C.; WinSport, Alberta; and Winter Park, Colo. The teams are co...

SAM Magazine—Little Cottonwood Canyon, Utah, May 31, 2022—One of the two new tram cabins being installed at Snowbird, Utah, fell to ground on Saturday, May 29, leaving it damaged beyond repair. The cabin was being lifted by a crane onto the hanger when it fell, according to Snowbird general manager Dave Fields, who said he is grateful no one wa...

SAM Magazine—Lutsen, Minn., and Wausau, Wis., May 25, 2022—Charles Skinner, the owner of Minnesota’s Lutsen Mountains Ski Area and Wisconsin’s Granite Peak Ski Area, has entered a definitive purchase agreement to acquire all of the assets of Big Snow Resort, including more than 1,000 acres of private land, from owner Art Dumke. Big Snow Res...

SAM Magazine—Denver, May 25, 2022—Alterra Mountain Company president Jared Smith will be promoted to chief executive officer, effective Aug. 1, 2022. Current CEO Rusty Gregory will step back from day-to-day operations to become vice chairman of the board. Smith joined Alterra Mountain Company in June 2021, tasked with operating and further dev...

SAM Magazine—Boulder, Colo., May 24, 2022—Outside Inc., owner of several active outdoor media brands and related publications, including SKI magazine, will reduce print production by 80 percent across the company, according to internal communications from company leadership. This includes reducing SKI to one print issue a year, plus the annual ...

SAM Magazine—Nashville, Tenn., May 24, 2022—The National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) held its annual national convention in person for the first time since 2019, and more than 870 ski area operators, industry suppliers, association representatives, and other mountain resort industry people came out for the event in Nashville, Tenn., May 12-15,...

SAM Magazine—Vadito, N.M., May 18, 2022—The largest recorded fire in New Mexico history is threatening two prominent ski resorts and potentially a third. Sipapu and Angel Fire are implementing action plans to mitigate imminent danger from the merged Calf Canyon and Hermit Peaks fires, while Taos Ski Valley is monitoring fire activity. At Sipapu...

SAM Magazine—Bolton, Vt., May 18, 2022—Bolton Valley, Vt., chief financial officer and finance director Nathaniel Mathes will assume the role of vice president and chief operating officer for the company, effective immediately. Mathes had spent eight years as Bolton Valley’s finance chief, and now shifts to overseeing all operating department...

SAM Magazine—Lakewood, Colo., May 13, 2022—U.S. ski areas saw a record 61 million skier visits for the 2021-22 season, an increase of 3.5 percent year over year, according to data from the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA).  The Rocky Mountain region reported a record high number of skier visits, totaling 25.2 million visits. The Northeas...

SAM Magazine—Winter Park, Colo., May 12, 2022—Western mountain destination lodging properties posted several new all-time records for winter season occupancy, daily rates, and revenue, according to the most recent Monthly Market Briefing from DestiMetrics, the business intelligence division of Inntopia. For the first time since early 2021, thou...

SAM Magazine—Denver, Colo., May 12, 2022—Aspen Skiing Company (Ski Co.) and Alterra Mountain Company have acquired e-commerce provider Aspenware through a joint venture. Aspenware will remain a standalone business with ongoing operations to serve its clients and the industry, while maintaining its current staff and leadership. The acquisition w...

SAM Magazine—Government Camp, Ore., May 10, 2022—Mt. Hood Skibowl has suspended its summer bike operations after losing a lawsuit from a man who said he hit a signpost on a ski area bike trail and was paralyzed from the waist down. From Mt. Hood Skibowl's Website In March, a Multnomah County jury awarded $11.4 million to Gabriel B. Owens afte...

SAM Magazine—Portland, Ore., May 10, 2022—The Indy Pass has introduced a new category of resort partners: Allied Resorts. Allied resorts will offer discounted lift tickets to Indy Pass holders, while Indy will offer discounted AddOn passes to allied resort unrestricted season passholders.  The move has allowed Indy to increase its partners in...

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., May 10, 2022— Mike Goar, currently vice president and chief operating officer of Park City Mountain Resort, Utah, will lead Andermatt-Sedrun, Switzerland, Vail Resorts’ first European property.  Goar will serve as VP, COO, and managing director of Adermatt-Sedrun, reporting to Pat Campbell, mountain operation...

SAM Magazine—Jeffersonville, Vt., May 9, 2022—Smugglers’ Notch, Vt. will offer free, full-time childcare for all employees. The benefit will be rolled out in phases beginning this month, and it applies to full-day care for children ages 6 weeks to 3 years old as well as some offerings for older children on days when an employee is working. Di...

SAM Magazine—Vail, Colo., May 4, 2022—The Vail town council voted 4-3 on Tuesday to begin possible condemnation proceedings on a 23-acre parcel of Vail Resorts-owned land in East Vail, citing concerns over the wellbeing of a herd of bighorn sheep in the adjacent natural preservation. The land was selected in 2019 as an approved site for a $17 m...

SAM Magazine—Winter Park, Colo., April 29, 2022—A proposed 10-to-15-year master development plan for Winter Park Resort, Colo., includes a series of gondolas spanning nearly three miles that would connect downtown Winter Park to the Winter Park Resort village, among a variety of other elements that include new and replacement lifts, expanded te...

SAM Magazine—Burlington, Vt., April 29, 2022–Ariel Quiros, the former owner of Jay Peak Resort, was sentenced to serve five years in prison and pay more than $8 million in restitution for his role in a "Ponzi-like" scheme that misused $200 million of EB-5 investor funds raised to support capital projects at Jay Peak and Burke Mountain, as well ...

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., April 28—Vail Resorts (VR) was up 19.4 percent in lift ticket revenue and 12.5 percent in skier visits through mid-April compared to Covid-limited 2020-21, according to the company’s latest shareholder report. CEO Kirsten Lynch said the strong year-over-year performance was “as expected,” and noted that Cov...

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., April 27, 2022—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 already making an impact at the ski area where they work and poised to become a leader in the industry. The chosen 10 rising st...

SAM Magazine—Portland, Ore., April 27, 2022—Indy has rebranded its primary pass product as the Indy Base Pass. The Indy Base Pass—not to be confused with the similar-sounding Ikon Base Pass—will continue to provide two days at Indy’s roster of independent partner resorts, subject to newly reduced blackout dates. The Indy+ Pass will remain...

SAM Magazine—Washington, D.C., April 21, 2022—The U.S. Forest Service issued final directives clarifying e-bike definitions and use management on National Forest System lands. Per the directive, all e-bikes, including Class 1 pedal-assist-only e-bikes, are now classified as motorized vehicles. As such, e-bikes are not allowed on non-motorized t...

SAM Magazine—Lakewood, Colo., April 21, 2022—The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released 35,000 additional H-2B visas for employers with start dates between April 1 and Sept. 30, according to the latest Capitol Watch from the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA). The release more than doubles the 33,000 H-2B visas authorized by statute....

SAM Magazine—Bozeman, Mont., April 21, 2022—The Cross Country Ski Areas Association (CCSAA) held its annual conference, April 5-6, 2022. The event was held virtually via Zoom for the second consecutive year due to Covid concerns. It had a nice balance of U.S. and Canadian participants, including suppliers and specialty retailers from 15 states ...

SAM Magazine—Ludlow, Vt., April 19, 2022—A busy industry events season gathers steam this week with the 45th annual Lift Maintenance Seminar, which began yesterday at Jiminy Peak, Mass. After two years of canceled events and virtual gatherings, in-person events appear to be back in full swing and industry interest looks healthy judging by early...

SAM Magazine—Stowe, Vt., April 19, 2022—Stowe Mountain Resort will implement a new parking plan for the 2022-23 season that includes paid and free parking as well as carpool incentives, according to a letter from general manager Bobby Murphy shared on the resort’s social media channels.  The new strategy aims to reduce traffic congestion on...

SAM Magazine—Lake Placid, N.Y., April 19, 2022—The state Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) board of directors approved more than $91.7 million in upcoming capital projects yesterday, including nearly $20 million for construction of a new lodge at the North Creek Ski Bowl and $38 million for seven new or upgraded lifts at ORDA's Whit...

SAM Magazine—Wildwood, Mo., April 18, 2022—Vail Resorts (VR) has named Tony Santora as the new general manager for Hidden Valley Ski Resort, Mo., effective May 1. He succeeds Brandon Swartz, who became GM of VR-owned Attitash Mountain Resort, N.H., in February. Santora comes from within the VR enterprise. He currently serves as senior manager o...

SAM Magazine—Lakewood, Colo., April 18, 2022—Win Smith and Rob Katz will receive the 2022 National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) Lifetime Achievement and Industry Impact Awards, respectively, on Saturday, May 14, at the 60th annual NSAA National Convention in Nashville. Smith and Katz are both well-known and respected leaders who came to the ski...

SAM Magazine—April 15, 2022, Burlington, Vt.—Former Jay Peak, Vt., president Bill Stenger, 73, was sentenced by a federal judge Thursday to serve 18 months in prison and pay $250,000 in restitution for his role in defrauding foreign investors that were part of the EB-5 program.Last August, Stenger pleaded guilty to providing false documents in ...

SAM Magazine—Stowe, Vt., April 14, 2022—Winter lodging rates and revenue are tracking toward new record levels at western mountain destinations, while summer room rates appear to be softening, according to the most recent Monthly Market Briefing from DestiMetrics, the Business Intelligence division of Inntopia. The report again shares multi-yea...

SAM Magazine—Park City, Utah, April 13, 2022—Powdr Corporation named Chris “Gunny” Gunnarson president of Woodward, its collection of camps and mountain resort experiences geared toward youth participation in action sports. The position was created to grow the Woodward business following its 2018 rebrand.  “I don’t know anyone with a ...

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., April 12, 2022—Vail Resorts (VR) has planned four new investments in employee housing at Park City Mountain, Utah, Whistler Blackcomb, B.C., Vail Mountain, Colo., and Okemo Mountain Resort, Vt. First Chair Employee Housing at VailThe new housing will in total provide affordable housing options to more than 875 VR...

SAM Magazine—Portland, Ore., April 12, 2022—Indy Pass has introduced the new Indy XC Pass for 2022-23, which will include two days of access to seven cross-country ski areas in North America. Photo from Waterville Valley ResortThe pass costs $69 for adults, $29 for youth ages 12 and under. Cross-country access will also be included on the regul...

SAM Magazine—Cambridge, Vt., April 1, 2022—Around the globe, the industry is showing signs of growth with a slew of new construction, expansion, and development projects, all aimed at improving operationsNew base lodge coming to Cranmore. and enhancing the guest experience. The continued proliferation of new capital plans is a promising sign of...

SAM Magazine—Natick, Mass., April 1, 2022—The four individuals being recognized with 2022 SAMMY Leadership Awards symbolize the actions, approaches, and operations that have grown in importance during the past two tumultuous years—small, family-owned ski areas; diversity, equity, and inclusion on our mountains; and transparent marketing commu...

SAM Magazine—Government Camp, Ore., March 31, 2022—A new master development plan from Timberline operators R.L.K. and Company outlines major capital investments to further integrate Summit Pass (formerly Summit Ski Area) with Timberline Ski Area. The plans include a two-stage gondola that would provide game-changing direct, aerial access from t...

Updated April 25, 2022 to acknowledge original reporting by Moonshine Ink. SAM Magazine—Homewood, Calif., March 28, 2022—Homewood Mountain Resort owner JMA Ventures has said the mountain will shift to a semi-private model following a 10-year 40 percent decline in skier visit and 64 percent drop in passholders, as reported by Moonshine Ink. ...

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., March 28, 2022—Vail Resorts (VR) has entered into an agreement to purchase a majority stake in Andermatt-Sedrun Sport AG from Andermatt Swiss Alps AG (ASA). Andermatt-Sedrun is a destination ski resort in central Switzerland, located less than 90 minutes from major metropolitan areas Zurich, Lucerne, and Lugano, ...

SAM Magazine—Aspen Snowmass, Colo., March 24, 2022—Aspen Skiing Company (ASC) president and CEO Mike Kaplan will retire April 30, 2023. At that time, Kaplan will have spent 30 years with the company, and the last 17 years as its president and CEO.   Kaplan joined ASC as a supervisor at the Aspen Mountain Ski School in 1993. He spent six ye...

SAM Magazine—Salt Lake City, Utah, March 23, 2022—The winter and summer Outdoor Retailer trade shows are headed to Salt Lake City, returning to their former home after five years in Denver. The OR shows will be held in January and June at the Calvin L. Rampton Salt Palace Convention Center. Dates will be determined in the coming weeks. Emerald...

SAM Magazine—Park City, Utah, March 23, 2022—Pacific Group Resorts, Inc. (PGRI) has rolled out the pricing for its 2022-23 Mission: Affordable pass. The pass offers unlimited access at PGRI-owned ski areas Wisp Resort, Md., Powderhorn Resort, Colo., Wintergreen, Va., and Ragged Mountain, N.H., as well as seven days at PGRI’s Mt. Washington Al...

SAM Magazine—Durango, Colo., March 23, 2022—Mountain Capital Partners (MCP) has rolled out its 2022-23 Power Pass lineup, which provides access to MCP’s Spider Mountain bike park in Texas and its seven Southwest ski areas: Purgatory and Hesperus, Colo., Arizona Snowbowl, Ariz., Brian Head and Nordic Valley, Utah, and Pajarito and Sipapu, N.M....

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., March 21, 2022—Vail Resorts (VR) unveiled its 2022-23 Epic Pass lineup today, increasing prices slightly over its significantly reduced 2021-22 offerings. New this year, the company also introduced a monthly payment plan and a cheaper tier of the Epic Day pass, with location-restricted access. On a quarterly ear...

SAM Magazine—Winter Park, Colo., March 18, 2022—Occupancy and rates at western mountain destinations have set records for the season through the month of February, according to the most recent Monthly Market Briefing from DestiMetrics, the business intelligence division of Inntopia. The report provides multi-year comparisons back to the pre-pan...

SAM Magazine—Guilford, England, and Park City, Utah, March 17, 2022—Snowsports Industries America (SIA) and Raccoon Events entered a long-term partnership to host the Snowbound Expo, a B2C event last held as the Boston Ski & Snowboard Expo in 2019. Set to take place at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston, Mass., Nov. 18-20, 2022, the expo...

SAM Magazine—Vipiteno, Italy, March 17, 2022—The High Technology Industries Group (HTI) acquired a majority stake in Swiss ropeway company Bartholet Maschinenbau AG. Bartholet joins Leitner Poma, Skytrac, Sigma, Prinoth, and Demaclenko, under the HTI umbrella. HTI purchased the controlling shares from Chinese private equity firm Cedarlake Capi...

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., March 16, 2022—Vail Resorts has named new general managers to two of its northeastern resorts: Brian Suhadolc will take the helm at Mount Snow, Vt., and Ted McDowell will lead Roundtop, Pa.  Suhadolc moves to general manager of Mount Snow from his current position as vice president of mountain operations at Vai...

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., March 15, 2022—Vail Resorts, Inc. (VR) saw visits and ticket revenues rebound from a slow early season, with totals returning to pre-Covid levels, according to the company's second quarter results. Results for ancillary lines of revenue, such as snowsports school and F&B, remained below pre-Covid levels.  ...

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., March 14, 2022—Ahead of its second-quarter earnings call, Vail Resorts rolled out a new incremental annual $175 million investment in its employees that includes a $20 per hour starting wage, a commitment to “aggressively” expand affordable employee housing, and the hiring of more centralized HR staff, among ...

SAM Magazine—Twin Bridges, Calif., March 14, 2022—To celebrate its 75th anniversary as it rises from the ashes of disaster, Sierra-at-Tahoe will reopen for one weekend, April 9–10, 2022. The celebration follows months of work recovering from the impacts of the Caldor Fire, which burned upwards of 80 percent of the trees on property, damaged s...

SAM Magazine—Lincoln, N.H., March 11, 2022—Vice president of operations Brian Norton has been named the new president and general manager of Loon Mountain Resort, effective April 1, 2022. Norton succeeds Jay Scambio, who was promoted in October to chief operating officer – day areas for Loon parent company Boyne Resorts. Norton has served at...

SAM Magazine—Carrabassett Valley, Maine, March 8, 2022—Boyne Resorts has unveiled pricing for the 2022-23 New England Pass products, which provide access to Sunday River and Sugarloaf, Maine, and Loon Mountain, N.H., and also introduced the new N.E. Day ticket pack products, available for two to five days of access to the three resorts. Three d...

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., March 8, 2022—Vail Resorts is extending the 2021-22 ski and ride season at seven of its resorts, weather and snow conditions permitting. The seven are Stevens Pass, Wash., Heavenly and Kirkwood, Calif., Vail Mountain, Colo., Boston Mills, Ohio, Hunter Mountain, N.Y., and Mount Snow, Vt. The extension aims to pro...

SAM Magazine—Enumclaw, Wash., March 7, 2022—A recently unveiled $100 million capital investment by parent company Alterra will address key capacity concerns at Crystal Mountain, Wash., according to resort president Frank DeBerry, through expanded parking, skier services, lift, and terrain. The projects, he said, address "the issues that our sk...

SAM Magazine—Greenville, Maine, March 7, 2022—A Superior Court Justice ordered James Confalone and his company Moosehead Mountain Resort Inc., owner of Big Moose Mountain ski area, a.k.a. Big Squaw Mountain, in Greenville, to deposit $3,831,000 into an escrow account because he failed to maintain the ski area that he purchased in 1995.Big Moose...