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Peer Reviews: 2021-22

Resort marketers highlight noteworthy efforts from their contemporaries. Marketers at resorts of all sizes work hard to capture and sell the unique essence of their mountain. Of course, most can’t help but watch the competition, too, whether for strategic reasons, inspiration, or just because it’s fun to see all the clever, creative, and clear-eyed…
Screen Time

Ski areas are increasingly turning to digital signs to inform guests and smooth ops. Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, Wyo., has received much attention for its decision to limit daily visitor capacity in the 2021-22 season, and the impact is underscored on a giant outdoor digital sign near the resort’s iconic Aerial Tram: on a late-season…
Target Marketing

How to gather, analyze, and use guest data to improve your marketing and enhance the guest experience. There’s guest data and there’s marketing, but where do the dots connect? It’s a simple question with hundreds of answers. From being sure you capture the right data to understanding which data points create the biggest marketing and…
The Path to Progress

Commitment and accountability are the keys to making the mountains more inclusive, equitable, and diverse. In February 2005, SAM hosted a “Diversity Summit” in Steamboat, Colo. It was facilitated by the New Haven Group and sponsored by big names like Pepsi, Sprint, Anheuser-Busch, and United Airlines. High-level management from resorts across North America attended, and…
Uphill Uptick

How to handle ever-increasing uphill traffic. In preparation for the winter of 2021-22, and in response to increasing demand, Vermont’s Sugarbush Resort expanded its uphill travel offerings. While uphill remained free of charge, resort management—having experienced a few near misses over the years involving uphillers and equipment—clarified routes and timeframes for uphillers on its Lincoln…
Publisher’s Memo :: May 2022

Sixty years of SAM and NSAA Cheers! SAM isn’t the only industry institution celebrating its 60th anniversary this year. In 1962, the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) was founded and at least 20 North American ski areas opened, too. Diamond anniversaries abound! What a ride we’ve all been on, taking the foundations built by those…
Winter Park Proposed Master Plan Calls for Gondola to Connect Town and Resort

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 terrain, new facilities, and…
2021 SAMMY Award Winners

SAMMY Leadership Award 2021 honorees embody many of the mountain resort industry’s hallmarks: creativity, work ethic, entrepreneurship, selflessness, and involvement. The class of 2021 includes: Katie Brown, an involved mentor, promoter, and champion for female leaders; Robert McClendon, a coach and jack-of-all-trades; Jon Schaefer, an innovator for the greater good; and Christian Théberge, community ski…
By Popular Demand

Overcrowding is a problem for both operators and guests. The solution? Create resort-wide balance. Editors’ Note The strong demand that the industry is experiencing should be cause for celebration; this surge of guests is filling the till. However, the pitfalls of popularity have made national headlines. Overcrowding has led to unhappy guests, fueling a narrative that points…
Luxury Gone Wild

The growth in popularity of glamping, a.k.a. glamorous camping, cannot be ignored. Learn from resorts that are making the most of the opportunity. Glamping, a.k.a. glamorous camping, is on the rise. Chic, rustic retreats where accommodations range from yurts to safari tents to covered wagons have popped up all over the country. Consumer interest in…