The Canyons Resort in Utah under New Ownership

American Skiing Co. was at one time a prominent player in the snow skiing world, with holding interests in numerous ski resorts. However, the company will be dissolved following the sale of its final resort, The Canyons Resort near Salt Lake City. A subsidiary of the Toronto-based ski resort operator Talisker Corp, has reportedly paid an amount of R123 million to take over ownership of The Canyons Resort.

Other resorts unloaded by American Skiing Co. include Maine’s Sunday River and Sugarloaf. Colorado’s Steamboat Springs was bought by Canadian resort operator, Intrawest Corp in March 2007. Vermont’s Mount Snow, Killington and Pico, New Hampshire’s Attitash Resort and California’s Heavenly Mountain Resort were all previously owned by American Skiing Co.

The Canyons is the first ski resort to be owned by Talisker, and the company’s chairman, Jack Bistricer, reportedly stated that they are looking forward to unlocking the potential of The Canyons resort, and intend to play an active role as members of the community. Ski Utah president, Nathan Rafferty, welcomed the closure of the deal which he believes will provide some long overdue stability. Talisker has earned a good reputation for other work they have done in Park City and everyone concerned is confident that The Canyons will benefit from Talisker’s solid business foundation.

There has been some controversy surrounding the sale of The Canyons Resort to Talisker, in that Colorado-based Vail Resorts believed that they were first in the running to buy the resort. However, American Skiing accepted Talisker’s offer, prompting Vail to file a lawsuit in an attempt to overturn the sale to Talisker. A request by Vail Resorts for a preliminary injunction to halt the sale to Talisker was denied in October and reportedly the litigation continues.

The Canyons Resort is one of the largest single ski and snowboard resorts in North America. It offers 3,700 acres of diverse terrain incorporating 155 trails and eight mountains, with three world-class lodging properties. The 17 lifts ensure that snow skiing enthusiasts waste no time in getting to the slopes.

The Canyons Resort is already a popular Utah snow skiing destination, which is set to become even better under its new ownership.