SAM Coverage
Summer
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Getting Trails Ready for Winter
It pays to do work during the summer so trails can open with less snow come winter. In the last decade or so, no…
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The Challenges of Selling Summer
Guests really enjoy summer in the mountains. So why don’t they return more often?
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Mountain Spy :: July 2025
The Spy asks: “I have an infant. Can I bring her on the chairlift?” Ski resorts often tout their family-friendliness and multigenerational appeal—and the…
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Inbound International Visits, Occupancy at Western Destinations Continue to Decline for Summer
SAM Magazine—Winter Park, Colo., June 17, 2025—Booking reticence for summer vacations persists while bookings by international visitors from Canada, western Europe, and now Mexico,…
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The Wisdom of Whistler Blackcomb
How the largest resort in North America mastered summer, and how you can, too. The simple secret of Whistler Blackcomb’s summer ops success: maximize…
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Marriage Partners
It takes commitment for resorts to realize the many benefits the wedding business can bring. The tradition of the dowry is the ancient practice…
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SAM Taps Whistler Blackcomb to Host 2025 Summer Ops Camp
SAM Magazine—Whistler, British Columbia, March 18, 2025—SAM’s Summer Ops Camp will be held at Whistler Blackcomb, Sept. 2-4, 2025, offering three days of education,…
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Summer Ops Around the Globe
Ski area operators from Europe, Australia, and Japan share insights about the activities and trends shaping their non-winter business. There is opportunity in summer…
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The State of Summer Operations
Analysis of a fall survey on summer operations at North American ski areas offers insights on activities and programming, profitability, and growth goals. Summer…
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Funding the Fight Against Wildfires
Western ski areas are figuring out how to fund costly, but necessary, vegetation management projects to mitigate wildfire risk. With the increased need for…
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Summertime is not Slumbertime
Resorts look to weddings, mountain biking, and more to bolster summer operations, a small but growing piece of the revenue pie. In early June,…
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Coasting Along
The mountain coaster market is expanding and new tech is improving safety and throughput. This story is from the SAM print archive Subscribers…
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From Tee to Green
How to improve your golf course—and maybe its ranking—without breaking the bank. This story is from the SAM print archive Subscribers can read…
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New ‘Loam Pass’ for Mountain Bikers Hits the Trails
SAM Magazine—Eagle Mountain, Utah, March 1, 2024—A new mountain biking pass offering more than 60 days of riding at 30-plus destinations hits the market…
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Sugarloaf Opens West Mountain Terrain Expansion
SAM Magazine—Carrabassett Valley, Maine, Feb. 16, 2024—Today, Sugarloaf is opening West Mountain, a new 120-acre terrain expansion served by a high-speed detachable quad with…
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Capital Ideas for Summer
Experts dish on how to survive (and thrive during) summer construction projects. During summer, the challenge of balancing capital improvement construction zones, staff schedules…
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Defining Summer Success
When it comes to a successful operation, profit is only a piece of the puzzle. What defines success for a resort’s summer operations? Claire…
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Cockaigne for Sale, Will Not Open This Season
SAM Magazine—Cherry Creek, N.Y., Oct. 26, 2023—Officials at Cockaigne Resort announced on Monday that the ski area, including food and beverage operations, will not…