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College Subscriptions
The next generation of leaders are SAM readers. SAM offers discounted magazine subscriptions for college students and professors teaching industry-related courses. Explore the options below or reach out to karolyn@saminfo.com if your program has different needs. 50% Off Individual Subscriptions College students interested in subscribing to SAM magazine receive 50% off an annual subscription. This includes: 6 print issues, delivered in January, March, May, July, September, and November. Unlimited access to the digital archives, and early access to magazine content. Discounts on SAM programs and events. Shipping Location Price with Discount United States $32....
Choosing your next summer attraction or service is made easier with company and product descriptions, videos, testimonials, and contact information. Click on a logo to learn more. Defining De...
Choosing a technology supplier is made easier with company and product descriptions, videos, testimonials, and contact information. Click on a logo to learn more or view our full Tech Supplier overview from the November issue. ...
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Rise Up Challenge ...
The Risk of Not Investing in Tech A look at the costs of investing—or not investing—in the latest the latest software and what the future may bring. ...
Check out the 2025 Groomer Report along with all our grooming articles—in one place! ...
Snowmaking Articles ...
Explore key themes and insights discovered by Metric Centric during the customer listening sessions they held over the past year. ...
A good lift mechanic is hard to find. Leitner-Poma of America wants to help the industry rise up to the challenge of supporting the next generation of lift mechanics, with the fifth annual Rise Up Challenge. To enter, nominate an up-and-comer in your lift department who exemplifies a passion for a career in lift maintenance. Six resorts will b...
Welcome to our spotlight on tech products and services to help operators continue to enhance their guests' experience, collect important information digitally, and streamline commerce. We will continually add to this list, so check back often. If you have a product or service you’d like SAM to profile, email cole@saminfo.com for details. MODER...
SAM has joined forces with Senan Gorman of North Pole Design and the Tiki Task Force for a live event at the 2021 virtual NSAA Winter Show. Join us on Wednesday, February 3 at 4 p.m. EST for a live chainsawing of a ski tiki of YOUR choice. Check out the designs, fill out the poll below, and join us on Wednesday to watch the winning design be u...
By Paul Thallner, High Peaks Group “This is the lesson: never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.” - Winston Churchill Many of us ...
Welcome to the Capacity Management Video Series brought to you in partnership with SNOW Operating. In this 4-Part video series, we will share some insights on how resorts can manage capacity. Using real data collected at Big SNOW American Dream, SNOW Operating will illustrate how to use basic Lean Six Sigma concepts in helping to plan your physical...
Welcome to our spotlight on products and services to help operators navigate this winter season during the pandemic. We will continually add to this list, so check back often. If you have a product or service you’d like SAM to profile, email cole@saminfo.com for details. COVID-19 STAFF TRAINING AND PROTOCOLS PuroClean of South R...
The I AM a Snowmaker contest highlights the hard work, determination and camaraderie of snowmakers, and recognizes how critical they are to the success of the mountain resort industry. I AM was started in the winter of 2013-14, and has since had various forms, all in keeping with this mission. CONGRATULATION BRISTOL MOUNTAI...
The I AM a Snowmaker contest highlights the hard work, determination and camaraderie of snowmakers, and recognizes how critical they are to the success of the mountain resort industry. I AM was started in the winter of 2013-14, and has since had various forms, all in keeping with this mission.This season the I AM is celebrating the legacy of Herman...
The I AM a Snowmaker contest highlights the hard work, determination and camaraderie of snowmakers, and recognizes how critical they are to the success of the mountain resort industry. I AM a Snowmaker was started in the winter of 2013-14, and has since had various forms, all in keeping with this mission.In 2022 the I AM a Snowmaker contest celebra...
As different as this winter will likely be, it also presents opportunities. Improving processes, leveraging technology, and making genuine connections with new guests are just some of the efforts resorts have been focusing on. Resorts are also exploring alternative, revenue-driving activities to offer those new guests, because many will be seeking ...
Thank You for Registering Thank you for registering for the 2020 Summit Series Bootcamp: Resilient Leadership Training. You will receive access to the program within 48 hours, so stay tuned for a registration email from Paul Thallner of High Peaks Group. The entire program is built to be flexible to work with your schedul...
12th ANNUAL WHAT’S IN YOUR PARKBY: ILISSA MAIATICOIt’s remarkable that this is the twelfth year we’ve put out the call for entries to our annual terrain park contest. We received numerous submissions from all corners of the earth, and the creativity continues to be next level. We hope these interesting and elaborate ideas will once again...
What’s In Your Park? 2015 EVENTS Back In Blue – Ober Gatlinburg, Tenn. Held the Friday before Thanksgiving, the Back In Blue rail jam is the southeast’s earliest on-snow contest. Snowmaking beings in early October, thanks to SnowMagic. The contest is held in the area’s 300-foot by 100-foot tubing area, allowing ampl...
Welcome judges! Thank you for contributing to the 2020 Terrain Park Contest. This year, we're asking you to look through the past five years of submissions to choose your favorites: 5 features and 3 local or participant-focused events. Tell us why you chose them, and how they might inspire future builds or ideas. Send your choices and comments to ...
The SAM Terrain Park Contest (TPC) is all about showcasing the creativity and hard work of park crews from around the world and inspiring the growth and progression of this vital aspect of mountain operations. Mountain resorts are invited to submit entries from the 2024-25 season for the 20th annual contest no later than Sept. 5. The November 2...
We will be staying on top of the impacts on our industry from COVID-19 and sharing expert insight and resources. This page will be updated regularly with news and resources. In addition, visit our Huddle page for discussions on the current situation and our Social Good page for stories on our mountain community giving back....
As resorts are ramping up to open for the summer and planning for the winter, there are many concerns on the minds of resort operators. In discussion with Aspenware customers and industry leaders, three common operational themes consistently rise to the top of the list: reducing or eliminating lines for tickets, food, and other services; managing d...
DANIELLE KRISTMANSON AND M-J LEGAULT ORIGIN DESIGN AND COMMUNICATIONS DAVY RATCHFORD GENERAL MANAGER, SNOWBASIN, UTAH KEN GAITOR VICE PRESIDENT OF OPERATIONS, SNOWSHOE, W.VA. RICK SCHMITZ, OWNER: NORDIC MOUNTAIN CO-OWNER: LITTLE SWITZERLAND, THE ROCK SNOWPARK RSVP to Sarah Wojcik, sarahw@saminfo.com by...
Stories of our mountain resort community giving back and making a difference. Do you have any social good to share? Email sarahw@saminfo.com. Arapahoe Basin Partners with Denver Public Library to Offer Accessible Ski and Ride Experience to Lower-Income Families Arapahoe Basin, Colo., and the Denver Public Library (DPL) have partnered to create ...
SAM teamed up with North Pole Designs chief creative guy Senan Gorman to produce a weekly cartoon, apropos to the challenges our industry and its people are facing. We all need a little levity right now, so we hope these put a smile on your face. January 12: Don't Be a Mask-hole! Calling all masked heros! Perks include a complimentary ski p...
Sooner or later, every generation gets to forge its own way. And we’ve seen, through this annual celebration of under-30 talent, how quickly a new generation can begin to shape our resorts. This year’s group is typical in that regard, as well as noteworthy for their individual accomplishments. We chose this group not because they are the 10 mo...
Do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life, right? It’s a credo brought to life every year with SAM’s young guns, 10 (or, in this case, 11) individuals under 30 who are making a difference with their passion, smarts and dedication. This year’s class is no exception. From a director of food and beverage who manages a full pla...
It was hard to tell during the Great Recession (those years were, after all, ironically good snow years), but as you read this year’s 10 Under 30 interviews, I think you will agree with me: the days of taking the public’s interest for granted are done.This generation of future leaders, forged by some of the toughest years the industry had faced...
About six years ago, leaders across the industry looked around and asked themselves, “where are the future leaders who will take over for us when we want to retire?” A good deal of anxiety followed, as upper management didn’t see an obvious line of succession.To help clarify the outlook, SAM profiled a “Top 10 under 30” of likely candid...
About five years ago, there was a general feeling among top managers that the resort industry faced a looming succession shortage. Guys (and it was mostly guys) looked around after 25, 30, or 40 years of running their resorts and they didn't see many folks capable of replacing themselves when they retired.Now, some of that was surely ego; we're tal...
They like chocolate. They are powder junkies. Nominated by their peers, bosses and former professors, this year’s crop of the hottest young talent in the ski industry is a varied group, working in such disparate positions as ski patrol, risk management and marketing. But, like their love of powder and Snickers bars, they share some common traits:...
When we debuted the "Under 30" list last year, we really had no idea what we were getting into. We thought it would be a nice way to recognize some of the hard working young people of the industry, those people who aren't quite SAMMY eligible yet but show great promise early in their careers.The response to the article, however, was far greater tha...
A religion major who hung with NBA stars, a park manager who fashions park features at his desk out of paperclips, and a marketing wizard who wants to bring the sex back to skiing. These are a few of SAM's 15 future leaders--the next hot commodities in the ski industry. These are the individuals who are not only here to stay, but have already made ...
Skip the fruitcake. Give your coworkers a sweet gift they actually want—the gift of SAM, even sweeter for the holidays.
Year three of the Summit Series brings together mentors from across the U.S., from large and small resorts, independent and corporate, day visit and destination markets, to share their experiences and stories with our mentees. We are incredibly fortunate to have this accomplished group of individuals leverage their knowledge and expertise to help g...
Thank you to everyone who applied and nominated potential mentees into the Summit Series program. We have a wonderful group of mentees participating in year three of the program. The Mentees Mark Adamczyk, Director of Outdoor Adventure, Winter Park Resort, Colo. Mark Adamczyk left the East Coast to take a position as a lift operator in the...
Thank you to everyone who applied and nominated potential mentees into the Summit Series program. We have a wonderful group of mentees participating in year three of the program. The Mentees Mark Adamczyk, Director of Outdoor Adventure, Winter Park Resort, Colo. Mark Adamczyk left the East Coast to take a position as a lift operator in...
Thank you so much for your interest in the PEAK Navigator program. Please fill out the form below to be notified of future cohorts and other leadership development opportunities.
We all know that opening day doesn't happen by flipping a switch. Managing a mountain resort is tough and the industry is constantly evolving and creating new challenges to meet. SAM is here to help, with news, articles, trends, podcasts, boot camps, and more to support the industry and all the people in it who make it happen. Limited wi...
U.K. based firm, Real World Group, has developed an exceptional senior leader self-assessment called the Performance Leader Identifier. The Performance Leader Indicator is a key tool used in the Peak Navigator Program to help leaders get a read on the critical leadership behaviors that are shown to impact business success. Too often, a leader is s...
You can purchase your advance copy of Chris Diamond's books, Ski Inc 2020 and Ski Inc. below. But did you know, you can get Ski Inc. 2020 for FREE if you subscribe to SAM Magazine or renew your subscription by Oct. 27. One click here and get the book for FREE, a SAM subscription and access...
We are incredibly fortunate to have three wonderful facilitators and partners in the Summit Series program, which would not run without their support.
Thank you for signing up for the PEAK Navigator program presented by SANY, PSAA, and SAM taking place at the ISKINY/PSAA Expo on Sept. 18. The PEAK Navigator program is a big first step in tuning up your leadership skills. It is aimed at helping you learn how to maximize the performance of your staff and increase the success of your organization.&n...
Thank you for signing up for the PEAK Navigator program. The landscape of leadership in the mountain resort industry is changing rapidly and the skills required to take the industry into the future become more varied. The PEAK Navigator program is the first step in tuning up your leadership skills. On this page you will find additional inform...
Thank you for your interest in leadership development opportunities from SAM and High Peaks Group. Please fill out the form below and a member of the SAM and High Peaks Group team will be in touch about other leadership development opportunities. In the meantime, check out the SAM Summit Series and listen to a few podcasts that came out of those co...
The landscape of leadership in the mountain resort industry is changing rapidly and the skills required to lead the industry into the future are becoming more varied. In an effort to support the mountain resort industry during this transition SAM Magazine has partnered with High Peaks Group—a firm specializing in leadership and team development f...
The ski industry is on the cusp of a major shift. Nearly 40 percent of U.S.-based resort general managers are age 60 or over, according to NSAA. When all of these leaders retire, they’ll take about 3,000 years of experience with them.Enter the young guns. Our industry has long thrived on superstars in supporting roles, but perhaps more th...
This year’s 10 are an impressive bunch. From Alberta to Massachusetts, nominations poured in from operations big and small; from urban ski hills with 300 feet of vertical to mega resorts with more than a million annual skier visits. Many of this year’s group received multiple nominations, one from people who work at competing or neighbo...
This year’s “10 Under Thirty” seem to defy the easy classification of their titles. From a finance director who understands the atomization and nucleation involved in snowmaking to a marketing director who can and still does run the kitchen cash register, these 10 wear multiple hats—and wear them well.The 10 hail from across North Ameri...
Three mentors answer tough questions, posed by a group of inquiring young managers, about handling thorny issues around risk.
Resort leaders speak frankly about the essentials for sustainable resorts: commitment, culture, collaboration, and a champion.
This year’s 10 Under 30 know how to hustle. The staff accountant from A-Basin will crunch numbers, bus tables, shovel walkways and remit 1099s all in the same day. The tramway supervisor at Ober can not only shorten a haul rope and change a circuit card, she also makes snow and sells tickets. These men and women are happy to get their han...
SAM magazine is always on the look out for the freshest talent for our annual "10 Under 30," which profiles up-and-coming employees in their 20s who are rapidly making an impact in our industry and are well on their way to doing big things. The nomination period for SAM's annual "10 Under 30" typically opens in March and runs through mid-April. K...
Packages are all-inclusive of two nights of lodging at the Steamboat Grand, all meals, sessions, workshops, outdoor demos, drink tickets, activities, and a welcome bag. All package prices are per person. Double occupancy packages will need two registrants to complete. Pricing for Summer Ops Camp 2023—September 10-12, 2023—at Steamboat is as fo...
Season two of the SAM Summit Series kicked off in November with a new group of 10 talented up-and-comers who were chosen from dozens of nominations gathered in the fall. This group will benefit from the insights and knowledge of an incredible collection of 10 industry leaders who will serve as advisers throughout the series.
In year two of the SAM Summit Series—a collaborative leadership development project where industry up-and-comers learn from respected resort bigwigs—our 10 mentees take a more active role in the program, increasing their opportunities to learn the ropes from 10 renowned industry leaders.
