Big news for skiers: Brian Head owner buys Lee Canyon
By Dave Berns Las Vegas Review-Journal
Signage for Lee Canyon, where the ski resort was sold from POWDR Corp. and the Thomas family to Mountain Capital Partners, on Thursday, April 13, 2023, outside of Las Vegas. (L.E. Baskow/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @Left_Eye_Images
Groomers work on the slope above the restaurant at the Lee Canyon ski resort on on Thursday, April 13, 2023, outside of Las Vegas. The resort has been sold from POWDR Corp. and the Thomas family to Mountain Capital Partners. (L.E. Baskow/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @Left_Eye_Images
One of the lifts is idle on a maintenance day at the Lee Canyon ski resort on on Thursday, April 13, 2023, outside of Las Vegas. The resort has been sold from POWDR Corp. and the Thomas family to Mountain Capital Partners. (L.E. Baskow/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @Left_Eye_Images
The mountains are reflected in a snow-melt puddle at the Lee Canyon ski resort on on Thursday, April 13, 2023, outside of Las Vegas. The resort has been sold from POWDR Corp. and the Thomas family to Mountain Capital Partners. (L.E. Baskow/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @Left_Eye_Images
The restaurant and lifts are idle on a maintenance day at the Lee Canyon ski resort on on Thursday, April 13, 2023, outside of Las Vegas. The resort has been sold from POWDR Corp. and the Thomas family to Mountain Capital Partners. (L.E. Baskow/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @Left_Eye_Images
The restaurant is idle on a maintenance day at the Lee Canyon ski resort on on Thursday, April 13, 2023, outside of Las Vegas. The resort has been sold from POWDR Corp. and the Thomas family to Mountain Capital Partners. (L.E. Baskow/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @Left_Eye_Images
Bicyclists hang out near the restaurant and downhill mountain bike park at the Lee Canyon resort 35 miles northwest of Las Vegas on Monday, Sept. 12, 2022. (Rachel Aston/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @rookie__rae
Skiers and snowboarders enjoy the slope as people ride chairlifts Monday, Dec. 26, 2022, at the Lee Canyon resort 35 miles northwest of Las Vegas. (Chitose Suzuki/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @chitosephoto
Parker Wasiak, 9, of Las Vegas, is ready to ski Monday, Dec. 26, 2022, at the Lee Canyon resort 35 miles northwest of Las Vegas. (Chitose Suzuki/Las Vegas Review-Journal via AP)
The operators of Lee Canyon announced Thursday that it sold the local ski resort to Durango, Colorado-based Mountain Capital Partners — a deal that adds Lee Canyon to a family that includes nearby Brian Head Resort in Brian Head, Utah.
“We’re definitely excited,” Lee Canyon General Manager Dan Hooper said. “It’s going to help realize the next step for Lee Canyon — more skiing, snowboarding and mountain experiences.”
Powdr Corp. and the Thomas family sold Lee Canyon on Mount Charleston for an undisclosed price.
Mountain Capital said in a news release that it would retain Lee Canyon’s leadership team and support staff. The company’s Power Pass will also be upgraded to include access to Lee Canyon.
Lee Canyon’s season pass products will offer reciprocal days at other Mountain Capital resorts, according to the news release. There will also be a new Power Kids offering, a free, no-strings-attached season pass for children ages 12 and younger that offers unlimited ski and bike park access at Lee and every Power Pass resort.
Hooper said that it’s too early to say what the purchase could mean for additional capital projects on Mount Charleston, but he noted that the resort’s new owners have “a significant track record of investment in other properties.”
A 2021 report released by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Economic Analysis noted that the nation’s outdoor recreation industry accounts for $454 billion, or 1.9 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product.
Mountain Capital owns and manages 12 ski resorts and bike parks, including Lee Canyon; Hesperus Ski Area in Durango, Colorado; Willamette Pass Resort in Crescent Lake, Oregon; and Spider Mountain Bike Park in Burnet, Texas.
