SAM Magazine—Whistler, British Columbia, Sept. 9, 2025—The fourteenth annual SAM Summer Ops Camp convened Sept. 2-4, at the world-class indoor and outdoor classroom of Whistler Blackcomb for three days of immersive learning, forward-thinking discussions, and genuine connection. 
A full day on the mountain allowed both resort operators and vendor partners to explore the host resort’s dynamic summer offerings. From hiking at the top of Blackcomb Peak and a ride on the Peak 2 Peak Gondola to a thrilling walk across the Cloudraker suspension bridge on Whistler Peak and guided descents through the resort’s industry-leading bike park, Whistler Blackcomb offered up ample food for thought on how to maximize your assets and optimize your summer ops.
Pop-up talks from Whistler Blackcomb leadership and industry thought leaders helped guide the conversation. A staff-led hike on Blackcomb’s family-certified interpretative trail provided an opportunity to explore the value of family programming, while a stop at the Roundhouse Lodge’s Umbrella Bar showcased how F&B can be the main attraction. A ride up the Top of the World lift to the Raven’s Eye viewing platform and the Whistler Mountain Inukshuk highlighted how “Instagrammable” moments can be curated, and a trip off-site to the immersive Vallea Lumina night walk allowed for insights into extending the visitor experience into the evening.
Panelists riffed on global trends, with Origin’s MJ Legault facilitating a lively discussion between Justin Downes (Hanazono Resort, Japan), Henrik Volpert (OK Bergbahnen, Germany), and Janelle Visser (Arival Travel) talking everything from destination traveler data (hint: they are experience and TikTok driven) to air conditioning, water-based activities, food with a view, and investing in KOLs (key opinion leaders, aka, influencers).
Master planning experts Claire Humber of SE Group, Rob McSkimming of Select Contracts, and Adam Schroyen of Ecosign shared insights on the trends shaping four-season master planning, penciling out the ROI on summer, and the activities that operators may be sleeping on (including wooden ball tracks, powered zip-to-rail rides, and kids programming, among other things).
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Photo credit: Ryan Robinson, MTNPIX & SAM
Education sessions bookended on-hill activities, with experts providing takeaways on calculating the risk vs. reward in summer with best practices shared by Eric Stein from Safehold Special Risk and Tim Hendrickson of MountainGuard. A deep dive into the power of events and festivals with Whistler Blackcomb’s Wendy Robinson and Bob Andrea from the Resort Municipality of Whistler. In addition, a case study on Grand Targhee’s “Mellowstone” summer positioning was presented by Origin’s John Entwistle and Grand Targhee’s Jill Gaylord. And finally, Humber had several resorts in attendance present on strategic planning for summer ops.
In an opening night keynote moderated by Whistler Blackcomb senior director of base area operations and business development Kate Roddick, Whistler Blackcomb COO Belinda Trembath, chief administrative officer of the Resort Municipality of Whistler Ginny Cullen, and Tourism Whistler president and CEO Barrett Fisher offered insights into the unique coalition that makes Whistler such a compelling and popular year-round destination.
The resort’s leadership was integral to the success of the event, with Whistler Blackcomb senior manager of planning and business development Wendy Robinson and business development senior analyst Omer Dagan facilitating not only access to the resort’s many iconic offerings but also key learnings throughout the three-day event.
Summer Ops Camp provides education on the move and offers campers the opportunity to experience summer like their customers. To that end, campers were able to partake in several ancillary activities on their way to and from camp, including tours of the Whistler bike park and rental shop, tours of Whistler Village with its master planners, Sasquatch Zipline tours, and stops at neighboring Grouse Mountain, Cypress Mountain, and the Sea to Sky Gondola.
This year, SAM also collaborated with president and CEO Christopher Nicolson and the Canada West Ski Areas Association (CWSAA) team to give campers the opportunity to add-on attendance to the association’s well-respected Bike Park Forum. Attendees of both events overlapped for a combined lunch on the last day of Summer Ops Camp and first day of the Bike Park Forum.
A special thank you to the Summer Ops Camp vendor partners and title sponsors. Learn more about them here. The full camp program can be viewed here.
