Front Range skiers could snag discount passes to Steamboat Ski & Resort as soon as next winter now that Intrawest has agreed to buy the resort for $265 million.
If the deal announced Tuesday closes as expected next spring, the company hopes to package Steamboat with the two other Colorado resorts it has a stake in – Copper Mountain and Winter Park Resort.
“We believe there is inherent opportunity to drive demand across all three resorts by having them part of the same family,” Intrawest president and chief operating officer Alex Wasilov said. The sale is subject to regulatory approval.
The deal includes 3,498 acres of mountain terrain under a long-term special-use permit from the U.S. Forest Service. It also includes six parcels of developable base-area land, 13 dining venues and the management of the Steamboat Grand Resort Hotel and Condominiums.
And further changes could be in store for the area. A group of privately owned properties in Steamboat’s base village also is up for sale, including the 351-room Sheraton Steamboat Resort & Conference Center and the Ski Time Square commercial buildings.
This winter, Intrawest’s Rocky Mountain Super Pass gives Front Range skiers and snowboarders unlimited days at Copper and Winter Park for $369. A season pass to Steamboat started at $935.
Steamboat was put on the market in July by Park City, Utah-based American Skiing Co. The financially troubled company almost sold the north-central Colorado resort to an investor group four years ago for $91 million but backed out at the last minute.
