The Voice of the Mountain Resort Industry  |  Est. 1962

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  • AI: Opening Pandora’s Chatbot

    How to identify the risks and capitalize on the opportunities of Artificial Intelligence. Artificial Intelligence is your new best friend, and it has the potential to be your new worst enemy.  With the relatively recent release of several AI services, such as Google’s Vertex AI and ChatGPT, AI can automate tasks, analyze vast data sets,…

  • The Training Conundrum

    To develop the next generation of mountain ops employees, we must find new ways to provide crucial training and pass along expertise. Raise your hand if you’ve heard the term “YouTube University” thrown around in your shop. Now, keep it raised if you yourself have said it. (Insert raised hand here.) It’s time to retire…

  • 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 unionization of…

  • SAM’s Annual Best & Worst in Marketing 2022-23

    From splashy to small, this year’s marketing hits and misses covered it all.   In each of the past few years, resort marketing seemed to follow a certain trend, such as leaning in on humor or establishing trust through transparency. For 2022-23, it was a decidedly mixed bag. Resorts from coast-to-coast took a variety of…

  • Investing in Retention of Interest

    Smart capital investments are made with a broad, long-term return in mind. While owners and operators have long been familiar with determining the best “bang for the buck” for their capital expenditures, today the scope, scale, and complexity of decision-making extends beyond the familiar investments and expectations for return. Strategic investments are now more likely…

  • Inclusive Marketing is Authentic Marketing

    Authentic, values-driven storytelling is the key to inclusive marketing that has a real impact. Over the past few years, we have seen a tidal wave of change toward inclusive marketing across many industries. It was impressive to see how much change was made so quickly, although the speed with which things shifted created a swell…

  • Mountain Spy :: May 2023

    Will there still be corduroy if it’s snowing? THE QUESTION: ”IF I COME THERE WHEN IT’S SNOWING, WILL THERE STILL BE CORDUROY TO SKI?” When the Spy picked up the phone in spring to begin this mission, historic snow totals throughout Utah and California were rolling in fast and furious with more storms in the…

  • Child Care: A Critical Benefit

    More resorts are investing in the employee child care experience in order to attract and retain staff—despite financial and logistical obstacles. Access to quality and affordable child care is very limited in many mountain towns, and can be the difference between a talented employee being able to work or not. More and more resorts are recognizing this…

  • 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 community run ski areas; Mike Solimano, builder of teams; and…

  • Vail Resorts to Offer “My Epic Gear”

    SAM Magazine—Broomfield Colo., March 30, 2023—Vail Resorts (VR) plans to introduce a new membership program called My Epic Gear, which could replace the habit of owning gear with renting, for the day or for the season. The program will launch in 2024-25 at selected resorts, according to the plan, following a pilot program, with a…