We're continuing year three of the Summit Series with a discussion on problem solving and strategic thinking with mentors David Perry, Alterra Mountain Co.; Amy Ohran, Boreal and Soda Springs, Calif.; and Hiram Towle, Mt. Ashland, Ore. When we first held this conversation in November of 2019, we had no idea how much the industry, and the world, would change come spring, and how strongly the insights shared by the three mentors would resonate amid the COVID-19 crisis.

Follow along with our special six-episode run here on PodSAM and in the pages of SAM Magazine.

This episode is supported by MountainGuard.

The PodSAM theme music is by Breakmaster Cylinder.

Support this podcast by subscribing to SAM Magazine at www.saminfo.com/subscribe

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Play or elsewhere and stay up to date on industry happenings at saminfo.com.

On this episode we’re bringing you a Huddle from our sister publication, Adventure Park Insider. For many in the aerial adventure industry, the pandemic forced closures just as the season was about to begin. Now that social distancing guidelines are starting to lessen in many states, how do operators look at their marketing and sales? How do we communicate with guests and what messages should be out in the marketplace? Join us as we look forward to how we encourage guests to come back and recreate with us.

Our theme music is by Breakmaster Cylinder. The PodSAM adviser is Alex Kaufman, the Wintry Mix podcast guy.

Support this podcast by subscribing to SAM Magazine at www.saminfo.com/subscribe

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Play or elsewhere and stay up to date on industry happenings at saminfo.com.

The concept of the SAM Huddle has been to invite mountain resort operators to gather virtually and share the challenges and solutions in front of us due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

On this episode of our special Huddle mini-series we take a broader view and gather insights from other industries facing similar challenges and looking for ways to be more resilient. On Monday, May 4, we welcomed a panel of business leaders from the pro sports, airline, restaurant, construction, hotel, and entertainment industries, all of which face many of the same challenges as mountain resorts.

Our theme music is by Breakmaster Cylinder. The PodSAM advisor is Alex Kaufman, the Wintry Mix podcast guy.

Support this podcast by subscribing to SAM Magazine at www.saminfo.com/subscribe

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Play or elsewhere and stay up to date on industry happenings at saminfo.com.

On this episode we partnered with Tom Foley of Inntopia and Destimetrics to speak with folks from the industry about their season pass strategies. As of the date of this conversation, April 27, many resorts have reported being significantly off the pace of their season pass sales as compared to this same time last year. As resorts begin to put some effort behind season pass sales we talk about how the products and messaging are evolving.

Our theme music is by Breakmaster Cylinder. The PodSAM advisor is Alex Kaufman, the Wintry Mix podcast guy.

Support this podcast by subscribing to SAM Magazine at www.saminfo.com/subscribe

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Play or elsewhere and stay up to date on industry happenings at saminfo.com.

On this episode, we bring you a Huddle from our sister publication Adventure Park Insider.

As stay-at-home requirements begin to ease up, some adventure parks may be able to reopen. It will look different, though, and your customers will be nervous, cautious, concerned. What will this mean for your operations – your recreational offerings, the supporting guest services, and your brand? On this episode, we look at several scenarios operators may face over the next several months.

Our theme music is by Breakmaster Cylinder. The PodSAM adviser is Alex Kaufman, the Wintry Mix podcast guy.

Support this podcast by subscribing to SAM Magazine at www.saminfo.com/subscribe

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Play or elsewhere and stay up to date on industry happenings at saminfo.com.

On this episode we’re taking a break from the immediate–and important–crisis management to ponder what’s next. The sun will come out tomorrow and mountain resort operations need to be ready. Eventually, today’s social distancing requirements will begin to relax. We don’t know when, but it may allow for some summer operations. We don’t know specifics, since each state will have its own rules, And although none of us want to consider it possible, a future resurgence of this virus, or the arrival of another, remains a new reality. Will we need to implement short-term fixes or longer term pivots?

This is new territory that requires new thinking.

Our theme music is by Breakmaster Cylinder, the PodSAM advisor is Alex Kaufman, the Wintry Mix podcast guy.

Support this podcast by subscribing to SAM Magazine at www.saminfo.com/subscribe

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Play or elsewhere and stay up to date on industry happenings at saminfo.com.

On this episode we’re bringing you a Huddle from our sister publication, Adventure Park Insider. Like all of us, the aerial adventure industry has been greatly impacted by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and operators are uncertain what adaptations will need to be made in order to reopen in the new normal that is fast approaching all of us.

On this Huddle, we lead a question-storming session to frame the challenge ahead of us in terms of reopening operations and it is a challenge, but one that we can certainly overcome.

Support this podcast by subscribing to SAM Magazine at www.saminfo.com/subscribe

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Play or elsewhere and stay up to date on industry happenings at saminfo.com.

On this episode we brought together industry leaders to discuss the most important part of the business, the people. Our complex resort operations can only happen when we have healthy, skilled, and engaged people working with us. People are also one of our biggest expenses and therefore one of our most important assets. We’ll talk about some people and staffing issues resorts are facing today and the solutions they’re coming up with.

Want to join in the next one or have any questions or comments? Email [email protected]. We will be doing these weekly for as long as they make sense.

Our theme music is by Breakmaster Cylinder. The PodSAM Adviser is Alex Kaufman, the Wintry Mix podcast guy.

Support this podcast by subscribing to SAM Magazine at www.saminfo.com/subscribe

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Play or elsewhere and stay up to date on industry happenings at saminfo.com.

On this episode we’re bringing you a Huddle from our sister publication, Adventure Park Insider. The aerial adventure park industry has been hit with an equal amount of uncertainty in the current pandemic crisis and in an effort to share challenges, ideas, and resources about how and when we can open up our summer adventure parks, we gathered industry leaders to huddle, virtually, and discuss the current situation and what we’re learning.

Want to join in the next one or have any questions or comments? Email [email protected] or [email protected]. We will be doing these weekly for both publications for as long as they make sense.

Our theme music is by Breakmaster Cylinder. The PodSAM adviser is Alex Kaufman, the Wintry Mix podcast guy.

Support this podcast by subscribing to SAM Magazine at www.saminfo.com/subscribe

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Play or elsewhere and stay up to date on industry happenings at saminfo.com.

Let's talk finance. Congress rolled out the small business bail out package, specifically the Paycheck Protection Program, on April 3rd and things got off to a rocky start. We discuss what went wrong and get some advice on next steps for operators.  We also discuss other loan options and get some insight on how operators should prioritize spending during this crisis and look ahead to challenges down the road. Finally, we check in with the optimism factor and do a poll of our audience about summer operations.

Want to join in the next one or have any questions or comments? Email [email protected]. We will be doing these weekly for as long as they make sense.

Our theme music is by Breakmaster Cylinder. The PodSAM adviser is Alex Kaufman, the Wintry Mix podcast guy.

Support this podcast by subscribing to SAM Magazine at www.saminfo.com/subscribe

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Play or elsewhere and stay up to date on industry happenings at saminfo.com.