During the 6th annual Summit Series leadership development program, six of our mentors and an expert voice discuss what it takes to balance the weight of the workforce and workplace on your shoulders, while striking a balance within yourself and your team.

As we welcome mentee nominations for this year's Summit Series, we will be sharing those conversations on PodSAM. 

Learn more about the Summit Series at saminfo.com. 

During the 6th annual Summit Series leadership development program, six of our mentors and an expert voice discuss how to build trust, communicate, and problem solve with your teams, with our group of mentees. 

As we welcome mentee nominations for this year's Summit Series, we will be sharing those conversations on PodSAM. You can also find a recap in the pages of SAM Magazine's March 2024 issue.

Learn more about the Summit Series at saminfo.com. 

During our 6th annual Summit Series leadership development program, four of our mentors and an expert voice discuss a wide range of topics around leadership, like leadership styles, delegating, prioritizing tasks and more, with our group of mentees.

As we welcome mentee nominations for this year's Summit Series, we will be sharing those conversations on PodSAM. You can also find recaps in the pages of SAM Magazine's January 2024 issue. 

Learn more about the Summit Series at saminfo.com. 

Mary Walsh, writer, announcer, and longtime Snowboarder Magazine staff editor joined Parker Bohon, host of The Blade Dive Podcast, in a discussion with industry icons looking at how far we’ve come in the last 20 years and what’s next for the freestyle terrain park world. Topics covered include:
- Where We’ve Come From: Origins and History of the Terrain Park; Evolution of the Park Department
- Technology, Trends, and Getting a Seat at the Table
- Where We’re Going and What the Future Holds

Explicit

Sponsored by Prinoth

Steve Nilsen, more commonly known as Stix, is a legendary brand marketer, having worked with brands such as PBR, Red Bull, and now he serves as the VP of Cult Indoctrination at Liquid Death Mountain Water. If you're not familiar with Liquid Death, they've taken water to a whole new level with an insanely creative approach to their brand. In May of 2023, Stix joined the SAM team at Timberline, Mt. Hood, Ore., at Cutter's Camp, to share his insight into building powerful brand culture in the park and on the mountain. WARNING: this podcast contains a few swears.

This two-part discussion will cover how organizations move beyond setbacks to grow through challenges and how to be a place where people thrive. Let's face it, we are all a bit stressed and burnt out after a couple of years of facing serious challenges, both professionally and personally. 

Part 2: Finding courage, confidence, and scaling resilience to be sustainable for individuals, teams, and organizations.

This two-part discussion covers how organizations move beyond setbacks to grow through challenges and how to be a place where people thrive. Part one defines resilience, what we're doing wrong, and stress triggers.  

Learn more about SAM's Summit Series at www.saminfo.com/the-summit-series

Sustainability encompasses so much more than going “green.” The growth of sustainability specialist positions at mountain resorts and beyond has us asking, “What does it really mean to be a sustainable business?” We’ve gathered a group of sustainability leaders to hear about how they approach sustainability, the results of their current efforts, and future plans. Join us as we share stories and actionable takeaways for resorts big and small.

• Mike Nathan, Sustainability Manager, Arapahoe Basin, Colo.
• Amy Fonte, Sustainability Specialist, Big Sky, Mont., and Mari Kissinger, Director of Skier Services and Sustainability, The Highlands, Mich.
• Dawn Boulware, Vice President of Environmental and Social Responsibility, Taos Ski Valley, N.M.
• Bonnie Hickey, Sustainability Director, Bridger Bowl, Mont.
• Christian Knapp, Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, Pacific Group Resorts, Inc., and Tommy Royther, Sustainability Coordinator, Wisp Resort, Md.
• Co-host: Erika Kazi, Vice President of Social Impact and Sustainability, flaik 
• and SAM's Associate Editor, Sarah Wojcik and Publisher, Olivia Rowan

This Huddle is presented in partnership with flaik.

This PodSAM is a must-listen for any leader or future leader in the industry. Tune in to the second topic in our Summit Series Leadership forum where we gather top industry leaders and 10 emerging leaders to discuss approaches to "Values-Driven Leadership."

"We can't operate without the team. We can't accomplish any of our business goals or initiatives without the team in place to do it. And so, in a values-driven organization, I've also found that you have to accept the values of others, right? And it creates a really dynamic conversation. And that's the way you get people on board, is really by having the conversation instead of telling them, these are our values. —Dee Byrne, President and COO, Palisades Tahoe, California

The mentors on this episode are:

• David Norden, CEO of Taos Ski Valley, New Mexico
• Tim Foster, Chief of Mountain Operations at Sun Peaks, British Columbia
• Dee Byrne, President and COO, Palisades Tahoe, California
• Tara Schoedinger, Vice President and General Manager of Crested Butte Mountain Resort, Colorado
• Dan Fuller, General Manager, Bristol Mountain, New York
• Facilitator: Mark Gasta, Associate Director of the Outdoor Recreation Economy program at CU Boulder.
• Moderator: Olivia Rowan, Publisher, SAM Magazine

For a list of all 10 mentees click here https://www.saminfo.com/the-summit-series/10212-meet-the-mentees-class-of-2022-2023

SAM sat down with Sierra-at-Tahoe GM John Rice to reflect on the remediation and reopening process after the Caldor Fire blazed through 16 months ago. While the work is far from done, Sierra-at-Tahoe’s recovery efforts offer valuable lessons in environmental and social resilience.