There’s an old joke that goes “Want to make a small fortune in the ski industry?” “Take a large fortune and buy a ski area”.
Not a very positive spin on a huge winter recreational business, but it’s true that there are half as many ski areas in the USA (502 in 2003; Ski Magazine) as there were in 1975. The financial challenges of a seasonal business would be large enough without energy, transportation, liability insurance, climate change, and other higher costs associated with skiing and riding.
That said, I’d guess every skier and rider has a small, hidden fantasy of wondering what it would be like to own your own ski area? Here’s your chance: Mt. Abram in Locke Mills, Maine is for sale. For $1.8 million, you can own 644 acres including a ski area with 44 trails and the largest tubing park in Maine. Mt. Abram’s has a 1,150 ft. vertical drop and strong weekend and night-time skiing programs for kids. This is your ‘classic’ New England local ski area. The present owner bought it for only $325,000 in 2000 in foreclosure; this sale occurs while the area is operating and apparently succeeding. I’d expect it will be a mark of the strength of the skiing industry if it sells and it will be interesting to see if the buyer is a sole proprietor or a larger corporation.