Saddleback yet to finalize sale, putting ski season in further doubt
Despite a reassurance last month that it had entered serious talks with a prospective buyer, Saddleback Mountain, the third-largest winter employer in Franklin County, will not be open for one of its busiest periods during ski season: February school vacation.
The announcement is in stark contrast to the hopeful outlook resort officials had in January when they said it was “just down to finishing the complicated paperwork” with a prospective buyer, according to The Portland Press Herald.
The current owners, Bill and Irene Berry, purchased Saddleback in 2003 and invested $40 million in the ski area over the years, but have been operating at a financial deficit for the past six, according to resort officials.
“The Berry family has made the decision not to pressure the buyer but to be supportive of the situation,” the company said in a statement released on Monday. “We are very grateful to the condominium owners, season pass holders and local businesses for being so supportive of our position.”
In July, the Berry family announced that it would be forced to close the resort’s winter operations unless it could secure the $3 million needed to replace the 4,120-foot mountain’s aging ski lift.
Monday’s announcement is sure to have a far greater impact than to just season pass holders and the more than 300 workers employed by Saddleback during the winter ski season, as Franklin County business owners are dealing with the uncertain future of an economic mainstay in the area. The mountain draws between 80,000 and 100,000 skiers yearly.
“The combination of Saddleback not being open and not good conditions in terms of the amount of snow is definitely not having a good impact on the businesses,” said Karen Ogulnick, executive director of the Rangeley Lakes Region Chamber of Commerce, told The Portland Press Herald.
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