Change of ownership could take Arizona ski area to new heights
Oct 19, 2017, 7:10 AM
(Screenshot)
PHOENIX — The sale of a ski area near Flagstaff to a bigger operator promises eye-catching changes come winter.
Arizona Snowbowl was finalizing a deal to buy Elk Ridge Ski Area on Bill Williams Mountain near Williams from longtime owner Tammy Fountain, the Williams News reported this week.
“The sale is bittersweet, it’s been my home for 12 years,” Fountain told the newspaper. “But the new owners will literally be able to take the ski area to the next level.”
Arizona Snowbowl planned to replace surface lifts, add all-year recreational activities and eventually add a chairlift.
With the change in ownership, Kaibab National Forest officials were seeking public input on issuing a new permit for the 37-acre site.
Forest officials have to approve the sale before it can be completed.
The current permit authorized public operation of the ski area, about 30 miles west of Flagstaff, from November through April for downhill skiing and tubing.
The ski area opened in the 1960s as Williams Ski Area. Fountain Outdoor Recreation bought the site in 2005 but in the past few years staying open became more difficult, between the cost of replacing equipment or having to shut down during wildfire season.
“Elk Ridge has been open very little in the past and the forest would like to see that change so that more visitors are able to take advantage of winter recreation opportunities in the Williams area,” Kaibab National Forest Supervisor Heather Provencio told the newspaper.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.