Times Were A-Changing for the Ski Industry in 2022

As the year closes out, it is worth recapping some of the changes that took place during 2022 in the ski industry. One of the more significant changes was the explosion of resorts that belong to the Indy Pass but there are others.

Indy is now up to 120 resorts having added 40 plus since last season. It still is probably the best value of all the available pass programs. Cost is $345 but prices will increase after 12/31.

Most veteran skiers and snowboarders know that the Indy Pass specializes in smaller, less crowded venues with a couple of exceptions. One of the exceptions in terms of size is Vermont’s Jay Peak which brings us to another big change in 2022 when the long-awaited sale of the resort finally happened thanks to Pacific Group Resorts, the entity that purchased the property.

The saga of Jay Peak has been ongoing for years and has claimed a number of casualties including industry veteran Bill Stenger. He was sentenced to 18 month in prison for his role in the alleged mismanagement of Vermont’s Northern Kingdom resort.

Another high-profile change stemmed from the hiring of a female to head up the Professional Ski Instructors of America/American Association of Snowboard Instructors (PSIA-AASI). This is the third major industry association to hire a female in an industry that has a reputation for being a male dominated one. Meegan Moszynski was the first female to land a top association post when she was hired by the National Ski Patrol in 2017 to be Executive Director. She didn’t last that long – about three years. She resigned citing a conflict of interest. She is now with Alterra. Kelly Pawlak is the president of the National Ski Areas Association. She replaced long-time president Michael Berry in 2018. She was president of Mt Snow prior to the NSAA hiring.

Now, former Marketing Director for Colorado’s Arapahoe Basin Peggy Hiller replaces Nick Herrin as the CEO of PSIA-AASI. She starts January 16, 2023. Herrin served from 2016-2022. What is even more interesting is the fact that the chairman of the PSIA-AASI board also is a woman – Eliza Kuntz.

Does this mean that the ski industry is turning over a new leaf? Anybody want to comment?