The Saddleback ski resort announced on its website Friday it expects a sale to a “prospective new owner” and plans to open in late January.
The posting also said that skiers who purchased season passes can request a full refund immediately, since the resort will open a month later than usual. Season pass holders who choose to wait for the resort to open “will receive an additional 50% resort credit bonus” that can be used for items such as meals, lift tickets, lessons and equipment rentals – or toward future season passes.
Saddleback, located outside Rangeley in western Maine, announced in July that it would close if it could not secure $3 million to replace an aging chairlift. The owners, Bill and Irene Berry, were unable to get the financing but by early September said they were exploring options to sell the resort.
Friday’s statement was the first in months on the resort’s future.
“Our prospective new owner and the Berry family feel confident that we will complete a transaction – opening by late January,” the posting said.
Saddleback general manager Chris Farmer would not comment Friday other than to say, “This is our plan and we feel good about it.”
Dec. 19 marks the traditional opening day on the mountain, which Farmer said is why the resort’s owners wanted to let season pass holders know where they stood in the sale of Saddleback.
Because there’s been no snow, the delayed opening doesn’t bother Jayce Oparowski, who bought a season pass to the mountain for the first time this year.
He doesn’t plan to get a refund.
Oparowski, 30, of Plainville, Connecticut, had a season pass to Sugarloaf last year, but after a trip to Saddleback, decided to switch.
“I love that mountain,” he said. “It’s like a different world.”
He said the resort has been responsive to his concerns, and he believes it will open as planned.
“I think they’re doing all the right things,” he said.
In the past 15 years the Berry family has invested $40 million in the ski area. Farmer told the Portland Press Herald in July the owners have operated the resort at a financial deficit for the past six years. Mark Berry, son of Bill and Irene, said that Saddleback has drawn between 80,000 and 100,000 skiers annually for the past four years. The ski resort has been the third largest employer in Franklin County during the winters with more than 300 seasonal workers.
Staff Writer Leslie Bridgers contributed to this report.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.