The Storm Skiing Journal and Podcast

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About Bear Den

Transcripts

There are two transcripts. Both are generated by robots. Both are helpful and defective in their own unique ways. I do not proofread either of them.

Transcript 1: Click the “transcript” button at the top of this article. This is the transcript that the robots create when I upload the podcast to the internet. The cool thing about it is that you...

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Today’s episode answers questions from paid subscribers. I’m not including the Zoom transcript since I am the only one speaking, and the built-in transcript (click button above) will take you to any point in the audio when you click on the associated text block.

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About Caberfae

Owned by: The Meyer Family

Year founded: 1937

Pass affiliations:

* Ikon Pass: 2 days, blackouts

* Freedom Pass: 3 days, no blackouts

Base elevation: 1,076 feet

Summit elevation: 1,561 feet

Vertical drop: 485 feet

Skiable Acres: 200

Average annual snowfall: 120 inches

Lift count: 5 (1 fixed-grip quad, 3 triples, 1 carpet – view Lift Blog’s inventory of Caberfae’s lift fleet)

The Zoom transc...

The Storm Skiing Journal and Podcast likes it when ski areas are run by people who are good at running ski areas. Please subscribe to the email newsletter to get new posts the moment they’re live. Thank you for supporting independent ski journalism.

About Camelback

Owned by: EPR Properties, managed by Peregrine Hospitality (formerly KSL Resorts)

Located in: Tannersville, Pennsylvania

Year founded: 1963

Pass affiliations:

* Ikon Pass: 7 days, no blackouts

* Ikon Base Pass: 5 days, holiday blackouts

Closest neighboring ski areas: Shawnee Mo...

The Storm Skiing Journal and Podcast is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Welcome to the Storm’s short-form, news-focused podcast. Don’t worry, I still write long-form newsletters. Paid subscribers can leave a comment in the article below, or by joining The Storm’s chat (also below). I’ll respond to some comments in the next episode, which is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 16.

Transcript update

Following up on yesterday’s feedback, there are now two transcripts available for each podca...

The Storm Skiing Journal and Podcast is going to cover Midwestern skiing whether you like it or not. Don’t worry, Colorad-Bro, it’s your turn tomorrow.

Welcome to the Storm’s short-form, news-focused podcast. Don’t worry, I will still write newsletters too. To browse a (robot-generated) podcast transcript, click the “transcript” button above - click on any block of text and the audio will jump to that point in the conversation. Paid subscribers can leave a comment in the article below, or by joining The Storm’s chat (also below). I’ll respond to some comments...

The Storm Skiing Journal and Podcast supports bears, quadrangles, and liberal interpretations of The Iliad. Sign up for the free or paid newsletter to get updates on none of these things. Thank you for supporting independent ski journalism.

Welcome to the Storm’s short-form, news-focused podcast. Don’t worry, I will still write newsletters too. Paid subscribers can leave a comment in the article below, or by joining The Storm’s chat (also below). I’ll respond to some comments in the next episode, which is scheduled for Monday, Sept. 14.

The Zoom transcript (click “t...

The Storm Skiing Journal and Podcast is a reader-supported publication. The only way to interact with the podcast is to upgrade to The Storm’s paid tier. Thank you for supporting independent ski journalism.

Welcome to the Storm’s short-form, news-focused podcast. Don’t worry, I will still write newsletters too (I blasted out this post on Smuggs joining Indy Pass this morning). To browse a podcast transcript, click the “transcript” button above - click on any block of text and the audio will jump to that point in the conversation. Paid subscribers can leave a comment...

Welcome to the Storm’s short-form, news-focused podcast. Don’t worry, I will still write newsletters too. To browse a podcast transcript, click the “transcript” button above - click on any block of text and the audio will jump to that point in the conversation. Paid subscribers can leave a comment below - I’ll respond to some in the next episode. Thank you for supporting independent ski journalism.

/:

The Zoom transcript (click “transcript” above for the Substack transcript, which will zoom to any point in the video when you click on the associated tex...

The Storm Skiing Journal and Podcast still has a podcast. Get new episodes the moment they’re live by subscribing to the email newsletter:

Who

John Kelly, CEO of Taos Ski Valley, New Mexico

Recorded on

November 13, 2025

About Taos Ski Valley

Click here for a mountain stats overview

Owned by: Louis Bacon (since December 2013)

Located in: Taos Ski Valley, New Mexico

Year founded: 1955

Pass affiliations:

* Ikon Pass – 7 days, no blackouts

* Ikon Base Pass – 5 days...

Who

Dan Skelton, President and Chief Operating Officer of Blue Mountain, Ontario

Recorded on

October 27, 2025

About Blue Mountain, Ontario

Click here for a mountain stats overview

Owned by: Alterra Mountain Company

Located in: The Blue Mountains, Ontario, Canada

Year founded: 1941

Pass affiliations: Unlimited on Ikon and Ikon Base

Base elevation: 229 feet/750 meters

Summit elevation: 1,480 feet/451 meters

Vertical drop: 730 feet/223 meters

Skiable acres: 364 acres/147 hectares

Average annual snowfall: 154 inches/391 centimeters

...

Who

Tim Smith, President and General Manager of Waterville Valley, New Hampshire

Recorded on

November 12, 2025

About Waterville Valley

Click here for a mountain stats overview

Owned by: The Sununu Family

Located in: Waterville Valley, New Hampshire

Year founded: 1966

Pass affiliations:

* Indy Pass, Indy+ Pass: 2 days, no blackouts

* White Mountain Super Pass: unlimited, no blackouts

* Indy Learn-to-Turn: 3 days, includes rentals, lesson, lift ticket; limited lift access

* Ski New Hampshire Kids Passport: 1 day with holiday...

Who

Susan Cross, Vice President of Operations at Aspen Skiing Company (and former Mountain Manager of Snowmass)

Recorded on

November 14, 2025 - which was well before I traveled to Snowmass and chased Cross around a bit in the pow. There she is tiny in the distance:

About Aspen Skiing Company

Aspen Skiing Company (Skico) is part of something called Aspen One. Don’t ask me what that is because even though they rolled it out two years ago I still have no idea what they’re talking about. All I know...

Who

Shaun Sutner, snowsports columnist for the Worcester Telegram & Gazette and Telegram.com

Recorded on

November 24, 2025

Why I interviewed him

Hey Man, we do this every year:

What we talked about

The psychology of injury recovery; the power of being there; the “gladiatorial atmosphere” of ski racing; the East’s strong winter; a Canadian facepalm; the Black Mountain, New Hampshire co-op; Hermon Mountain, Maine for sale; how to make a crappy old ski area into a modern-seeming ski area without big infrastructure upgrades; is every ski ar...

Who

Jimmy Ackerson, General Manager of Corralco, Chile

Recorded on

July 24, 2025

About Corralco

Click here for a mountain stats overview

Located in: Curacautín, Araucanía, Chile

Year founded: 2003, by Enrique Bascur

Pass affiliations: Indy Pass, Indy+ Pass – 2 days, no blackouts

Base elevation: 4,724 feet (1,440 meters)

Summit elevation: 7,874 feet (2,400 meters) top of lifts; 9,400 feet (2,865 meters) hike-to

Vertical drop: 3,150 feet (960 meters) lift-served; 4,676 feet (1,425 meters) hike-to

Skiable acres: 2,475 acres lift served; 4,448 acres (1,800 hectares), including hike-to terrain

Aver...

Who

Ryan Brown, Director of Golf & Ski at The Mountaintop at Grand Geneva, Wisconsin

Recorded on

June 17, 2025

About the Mountaintop at Grand Geneva

Click here for a mountain stats overview

Owned by: Marcus Hotels

Located in: Lake Geneva, Wisconsin

Year founded: 1968

Pass affiliations: None

Closest neighboring U.S. ski areas: Alpine Valley (:23), Wilmot Mountain (:29), Crystal Ridge (:48), Alpine Hills Adventure Park (1:04)

Base elevation: 847 feet

Summit elevation: 962 feet

Vertical drop: 115 feet

Skiable acres: 30<...

Who

Mike Giorgio, Vice President and General Manager of Stowe Mountain, Vermont

Recorded on

October 8, 2025

About Stowe

Click here for a mountain stats overview

Owned by: Vail Resorts, which also owns:

Located in: Stowe, Vermont

Year founded: 1934

Pass affiliations:

* Epic Pass: unlimited access

* Epic Local Pass: unlimited access with holiday blackouts

* Epic Northeast Value Pass: 10 days with holiday blackouts

* Epic Northeast Midweek Pass: 5 midweek days with holiday blackouts

* Access on Epic...

The Storm explores the world of lift-served skiing year-round. Join us.

Who

Lonie Glieberman, Founder, Owner, & President of Mount Bohemia, Michigan

Recorded on

November 19, 2025

About Mount Bohemia

Click here for a mountain stats overview

Owned by: Lonie Glieberman

Located in: Lac La Belle, Michigan

Year founded: 2000, by Lonie

Pass affiliations: None

Reciprocal partners: Boho has developed one of the strongest reciprocal pass programs in the nation, with lift tickets to 34 partner mountains. To protect the...

Who

Deb Hatley, Owner of Hatley Pointe, North Carolina

Recorded on

July 30, 2025

About Hatley Pointe

Click here for a mountain stats overview

Owned by: Deb and David Hatley since 2023 - purchased from Orville English, who had owned and operated the resort since 1992

Located in: Mars Hill, North Carolina

Year founded: 1969 (as Wolf Laurel or Wolf Ridge; both names used over the decades)

Pass affiliations: Indy Pass, Indy+ Pass – 2 days, no blackouts

Closest neighboring ski areas: Cataloochee (1:25), Sugar Mountain (1:26)

...

Who

Wes Kryger, President and Ayden Wilber, Vice President of Mountain Operations at Greek Peak, New York

Recorded on

June 30, 2025

About Greek Peak

Click here for a mountain stats overview

Owned by: John Meier

Located in: Cortland, New York

Year founded: 1957 – opened Jan. 11, 1958

Pass affiliations: Indy Pass, Indy+ Pass – 2 days

Closest neighboring U.S. ski areas: Labrador (:30), Song (:31)

Base elevation: 1,148 feet

Summit elevation: 2,100 feet

Vertical drop: 952 feet

Skiable acres: 300

Aver...

Who

Barry Owens, General Manager of Treetops, Michigan

Recorded on

June 13, 2025

About Treetops

Click here for a mountain stats overview

Owned by: Treetops Acquisition Company LLC

Located in: Gaylord, Michigan

Year founded: 1954

Pass affiliations: Indy Pass, Indy+ Pass – 2 days

Closest neighboring ski areas: Otsego (:07), Boyne Mountain (:34), Hanson Hills (:39), Shanty Creek (:51), The Highlands (:58), Nub’s Nob (1:00)

Base elevation: 1,110 feet

Summit elevation: 1,333 feet

Vertical drop: 223 feet

Skiable acres: 80

Average annual snowfall: 140 inch...

Take 20% off a paid annual ‘Storm’ subscription through Monday, Oct. 27, 2025.

Who

Jared Smith, Chief Executive Officer of Alterra Mountain Company

Recorded on

October 22, 2025

About Alterra Mountain Company

Alterra is skiing’s Voltron, a collection of super-bots united to form one super-duper bot. Only instead of gigantic robot lions the bots are gigantic ski areas and instead of fighting the evil King Zarkon they combined to battle Vail Resorts and its cackling mad Epic Pass. Here is Alterra’s current ski-bot stable:

Alterra of course a...

Take 20% off an annual Storm subscription through 10/22/2025 to receive 100% of the newsletter’s content. Thank you for your support of independent ski journalism.

Who

Phill Gross, owner, and Mike Solimano, CEO of Killington and Pico, Vermont

Recorded on

July 10, 2025

About Killington

Click here for a mountain stats overview

Owned by: Phill Gross and team

Located in: Killington, Vermont

Year founded: 1958

Pass affiliations: Ikon Pass: 5 or 7 combined days with Pico

Reciprocal partners: Pico access is included on...

Who

Alan Henceroth, President and Chief Operating Officer of Arapahoe Basin, Colorado – Al runs the best ski area-specific executive blog in America – check it out:

Recorded on

May 19, 2025

About Arapahoe Basin

Click here for a mountain stats overview

Owned by: Alterra Mountain Company, which also owns:

Pass access

* Ikon Pass: unlimited

* Ikon Base Pass: unlimited access from opening day to Friday, Dec. 19, then five total days with no blackouts from Dec. 20 until closing day 2026

Base elevation

* 10,520 feet at b...

Who

Stephanie Cox, CEO of the National Ski Patrol

Recorded on

June 3, 2025

About National Ski Patrol

From the organization’s website:

The National Ski Patrol is a federally-chartered 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership association. As the leading authority of on-mountain safety, the NSP is dedicated to serving the outdoor recreation industry by providing education and accreditation to emergency care and safety service providers.

With a primary focus on education and training, the organization includes more than 30,000 members [Cox says 32,000 on the pod] serving 650 patrols in the U.S...

Who

Rob Katz, Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer, Vail Resorts

Recorded on

August 8, 2025

About Vail Resorts

Vail Resorts owns and operates 42 ski areas in North America, Australia, and Europe. In order of acquisition:

The company’s Epic Pass delivers skiers unlimited access to all of these ski areas, plus access to a couple dozen partner resorts:

Why I interviewed him

How long do you suppose Vail Resorts has been the largest ski area operator by number of resorts? From how the Brobots prattle on...

The Storm does not cover athletes or gear or hot tubs or whisky bars or helicopters or bros jumping off things. I’m focused on the lift-served skiing world that 99 percent of skiers actually inhabit, and I’m covering it year-round. To support this mission of independent ski journalism, please subscribe to the free or paid versions of the email newsletter.

Who

Greg Pack, President and General Manager of Mt. Hood Meadows, Oregon

Recorded on

April 28, 2025

About Mt. Hood Meadows

Click here for a mountain stat...

Who

Ron Schmalzle, President, Co-Owner, and General Manager of Ski Big Bear operator Recreation Management Corp; and Lori Phillips, General Manager of Ski Big Bear at Masthope Mountain, Pennsylvania

Recorded on

April 22, 2025

About Ski Big Bear

Click here for a mountain stats overview

Owned by: Property owners of Masthope Mountain Community; operated by Recreation Management Corporation

Located in: Lackawaxen, Pennsylvania

Year founded: 1976 as “Masthope Mountain”; changed name to “Ski Big Bear” in 1993

Pass affiliations:

* Indy Pass – 2 days, select blackouts

* Ind...

The Storm Skiing Journal and Podcast is a reader-supported publication. Whether you sign up for the free or paid tier, I appreciate your support for independent ski journalism.

Who

Erik Lambert, Co-Founder of Bluebird Backcountry, Colorado and founder of Bonfire Collective

Recorded on

April 8, 2025

About Bluebird Backcountry

Located in: Just east of the junction of US 40 and Colorado 14, 20-ish miles southwest of Steamboat Springs, Colorado

Years active: 2020 to 2023

Closest neighboring U.S. ski areas: Steamboat (:39), Howelsen Hill (:45),

Base elevation: 8,600...

The Storm Skiing Journal and Podcast explores the world of lift-served skiing year-round. Join us.

Who

Pete Sonntag, Chief Operating Officer and General Manager of Sun Valley, Idaho

Recorded on

April 9, 2025

About Sun Valley

Click here for a mountain stats overview

Owned by: The R. Earl Holding family, which also owns Snowbasin, Utah

Pass affiliations:

* Ikon Pass – 7 days, no blackouts; no access on Ikon Base or Session passes; days shared between Bald and Dollar mountains

* Mountain Collective – 2 days...

The Storm Skiing Journal and Podcast is a reader-supported publication (and my full-time job). To receive new posts and to support independent ski journalism, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Who

Chris Cushing, Principal of Mountain Planning at SE Group

Recorded on

April 3, 2025

About SE Group

From the company’s website:

WE ARE

Mountain planners, landscape architects, environmental analysts, and community and recreation planners. From master planning to conceptual design and permitting, we are your trusted partner in creating ex...

The Storm Skiing Journal and Podcast is a reader-supported publication (and my full-time job). To receive new posts and to support independent ski journalism, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Who

Joe Hession, CEO of Snow Partners, which owns Mountain Creek, Big Snow American Dream, SnowCloud, and Terrain Based Learning

Recorded on

May 2, 2025

About Snow Partners

Snow Partners owns and operates Mountain Creek, New Jersey and Big Snow American Dream, the nation’s only indoor ski center. The company also developed SnowCloud resort ma...

The Storm Skiing Journal and Podcast is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and to support independent ski journalism, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Who

Trent Poole, Vice President and General Manager of Hunter Mountain, New York

Recorded on

March 19, 2025

About Hunter Mountain

Click here for a mountain stats overview

Owned by: Vail Resorts

Located in: Hunter, New York

Year founded: 1959

Pass affiliations:

* Epic Pass, Epic Local Pass – unlimited access

...

The Storm Skiing Journal and Podcast is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and to support independent ski journalism, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Who

Jeff Colburn, General Manager of Silver Mountain, Idaho

Recorded on

February 12, 2025

About Silver Mountain

Click here for a mountain stats overview

Owned by: CMR Lands, which also owns 49 Degrees North, Washington

Located in: Kellogg, Idaho

Year founded: 1968 as Jackass ski area, later known as Silverhorn, operated intermittently in the 1980s...

The Storm Skiing Journal and Podcast is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and to support independent ski journalism, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Who

Tyler Fairbank, General Manager of Jiminy Peak, Massachusetts and CEO of Fairbank Group

Recorded on

February 10, 2025 and March 7, 2025

About Fairbank Group

From their website:

The Fairbank Group is driven to build things to last – not only our businesses but the relationships and partnerships that stand behind them. Since 2008, we have been expanding our eclectic po...

For a limited time, upgrade to ‘The Storm’s’ paid tier for $5 per month or $55 per year. You’ll also receive a free year of Slopes Premium, a $29.99 value - valid for annual subscriptions only. Monthly subscriptions do not qualify for free Slopes promotion. Valid for new subscriptions only.

Who

Iain Martin, Host of The Ski Podcast

Recorded on

January 30, 2025

About The Ski Podcast

From the show’s website:

Want to [know] more about the world of skiing? The Ski Podcast is a UK-based p...

For a limited time, upgrade to ‘The Storm’s’ paid tier for $5 per month or $55 per year. You’ll also receive a free year of Slopes Premium, a $29.99 value - valid for annual subscriptions only. Monthly subscriptions do not qualify for free Slopes promotion. Valid for new subscriptions only.

Who

Stuart Winchester, Founder, Editor & Host of The Storm Skiing Journal & Podcast

Recorded on

March 4, 2025

Editor’s note

1) The headline was not my idea; 2) Erik said he would join me as the guest for episode 199 if he could i...

The Storm Skiing Journal and Podcast is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and to support independent ski journalism, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Who

Erik Mogensen, Director of Indy Pass, founder of Entabeni Systems, and temporary owner and General Manager of Black Mountain, New Hampshire

Recorded on

February 25, 2025

About Entabeni Systems

Entabeni provides software and hardware engineering exclusively for independent ski areas. Per the company’s one-page website:

Entabeni: noun; meaning: zulu - "the mountain"

We ta...

The Storm Skiing Journal and Podcast is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and to support independent ski journalism, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

As of episode 198, you can now watch The Storm Skiing Podcast on YouTube. Please click over to follow the channel. The podcast will continue to stream on all audio platforms.

Who

Eric Clark, President and Chief Operating Officer of Mammoth and June Mountains, California

Recorded on

January 29, 2025

Why I interviewed him

Mammoth is ridiculous, improbable...

This podcast hit paid subscribers’ inboxes on Jan. 23. It dropped for free subscribers on Jan. 30. To receive future episodes as soon as they’re live, and to support independent ski journalism, please consider an upgrade to a paid subscription. You can also subscribe to the free tier below:

Who

Justin Steck, owner of Steeplechase ski area, Minnesota

Recorded on

January 7, 2025

About Steeplechase

Owned by: Justin Steck

Located in: Mazeppa, Minnesota

Year founded: 1999, by Kevin Kastler; closed around 2007; re-opened Feb. 4, 2023 by Steck