Park City, Utah — POWDR shocked the ski industry last week by announcing the sale of Killington & Pico to local investors. Perhaps more shocking than this initial news was that they also announced they intend to put three more ski resorts on the market soon.
Stacey Hutchinson, POWDR’s VP of communications, issued the following statement to Ski Area Management last week:
“To strategically manage POWDR’s portfolio in alignment with our founder’s and stakeholders’ goals, we aim to balance our ski business with new ventures in the National Parks sector and Woodward. Over the coming weeks, we will list three of our ski resorts—Eldora, Mt. Bachelor, and SilverStar—for sale, with JP Morgan Chase managing the process. Until the sales of these four resorts (including Killington) are finalized, we will remain dedicated to our current operations at those ski resorts, plus Copper and Snowbird, which we are retaining, Woodward camps and mountain centers, and our two National Park concessions contracts. In addition, we are dedicated to a seamless transition at all four resorts.”
Here’s a rundown of those three mountains and what they offer.
Eldora Mountain Resort is the closest ski resort to Boulder, which is both a blessing and a curse. It’s a moderately sized mountain, with 680 skiable acres and a vertical drop of 1400 feet. Due to its moderate size and proximity to Denver, finding a parking spot can be challenging, and lift lines can emerge.
Some of the lift infrastructure needs modernization, especially on Little Hawk Mountain. Eldora has no slopeside lodging, as it’s in Roosevelt National Forest. In 2019, they had a terrain expansion approved by the U.S. Forest Service. However, the Jolly Jug expansion has yet to be implemented. While it seems like an obvious mountain for Alterra Mountain Company or Vail Resort to pick up, antitrust issues will probably deter them from bidding.
Mt. Bachelor is an expansive ski resort located on a dormant stratovolcano in Oregon. The ski resort is massive, with 4323 skiable acres and a 3365-foot vertical drop. They get a ton of snow each season, with them averaging 410″. Last season, the new Skyliner Express upgraded Mt. Bachelor’s lift fleet, but the lift infrastructure is aging. It’s conveniently located under thirty minutes from Bend, making it have the potential to be a destination resort. However, no slopeside lodging exists unless you want to bring your RV or van up.
SilverStar is one of the many skiing gems in British Columbia. The Canadian ski resort has a vertical drop of 2500 feet, roughly 3000 skiable acres, and a modern lift network. They average 23 feet (276 inches) of snow each winter, which is considered below average for British Columbia’s ski industry. However, this powder has a drier snow quality, unlike the ski resorts closer to the Pacific Ocean. It’s remote but not super challenging to reach for international travelers because it is less than sixty miles from Kelowna International Airport. The ski resort also features a colorful ski-in/out village, making it a vacation destination.
In terms of bold predictions, I think that Mt. Bachelor will end up with the Alterra Mountain Company, Mountain Capital Partners will pick up Eldora, and SilverStar will go to independent investors. In terms of why I don’t think Vail Resorts will be one of the suitors, I think they’re focused on European expansion at the moment.
Image Credits: Eldora Mountain Resort, Mt. Bachelor, SilverStar Mountain Resort
