After a month on the market, Catamount Ski Area has been purchased by the owners of Berkshire East Mountain Resort. According to the Berkshire Eagle, the deal is expected to close in two weeks.
Roy Schaefer and his sons Jim and Jon will acquire the ski area, located on the Massachusetts-New York border. Catamount's management team will remain in place.
The new owners hope to use some of their Berkshire East business model at Catamount, while gaining access to a new market. Berkshire East primarily draws from Western Massachusetts and Connecticut, while Catamount draws from New York.
According to a source, Berkshire East had previously considered acquiring Ski Blandford last year.
The Schaefer family has owned Berkshire East since 2007, when Roy and Jim bought out Union Terminal Piers' stake in the area. Roy Schaefer and Union Terminal Piers had owned Berkshire East since the late 1970s.
Following the acquisition, the Schaefers made Berkshire East into a four season resort by adding zip lines, downhill mountain biking, and a mountain coaster. In addition, a wind turbine and solar array were installed, covering the ski area's energy consumption.
Catamount's present ownership group acquired the ski area in 1973. A major timeshare and mountain development deal fell apart in 2015 after legal challenges from a local lodging facility. Owner Bill Gilbert passed away in 2016.
With the Catamount deal, four groups will own the seven commercial ski areas in Western Massachusetts, as the owner of Ski Butternut acquired Otis Ridge and Blandford in recent years. Bousquet is currently on the market.
