DENVER (BRAIN) — With two big mergers announced this week, the ski resort industry will soon be dominated by two huge companies. Many of the resorts involved host summer recreational mountain biking and major events.
Earlier this week, Aspen Skiing Co. announced an alliance with KSL Capital, a Denver private equity firm, to acquire six resorts from Intrawest Resort Holdings. KSL already owned Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows in California, while Aspen Skiing owned four resorts in Colorado. The six Intrawest resorts purchased are Colorado's Winter Park and Steamboat, Vermont's Stratton, Québec's Mont Tremblant, West Virginia's Snowshoe and Blue Mountain in Ontario.
Then on Wednesday the Aspen/KSL alliance bought California's Mammoth Mountain, June Mountain, Snow Summit and Bear Mountain, bringing its resort count to 15.
The Aspen/KSL alliance's only rival now is Vail Resorts, which owns 11 major resorts in British Columbia, California, Colorado, Utah and Vermont, and three urban resorts in the Midwest.
