Small towns reclaim abandoned ski areas as nonprofits

CUCHARA, Colorado

It’s been the longest wait, their whole lives, in fact. But Race Lessar and Landen Ozzello are finally right where they want to be, on a snowy slope close to home, molding snow into a ski jump.

Their local ski mountain just reopened.

“I’m happy that it’s open for at least one year,” Lessar said. It opened as a nonprofit, and that may be the key. “I didn’t know that there was a hope,” he said.

His ties to the mountain are so close, he’s practically named after it. His dad used to race here and named his son for what brought him joy. Chad Lessar first skied on hand-me-down gear and later worked summers at a nearby ranch to earn money for more nimble racing equipment.

“We’ve never been very rich,” Chad said of Huerfano, one of the poorest counties in the state. “It’s nice to see a little area open up on the cheap,” he said. The ski runs here are short, but the fact it’s affordable just might be enough to keep it up and running.

Under the gaze of the imposing Spanish Peaks in southern Colorado, the 50-acre Parker-Fitzgerald Cuchara Mountain Park is the story of so many American ski areas, only the community was determined to change the script.

Ski resorts boomed in the 70s and 80s, emerging even in areas that didn’t have the climate or workers to sustain them long-term. First-time ski resort owners took on debt and quickly filed for bankruptcy after a bad snow season.

Ownerships transferred numerous times before resorts calcified into ghost towns.

But some communities are now finding a niche, offering an alternative to endless lift lines and soaring ticket prices.

They’re reopening, several as nonprofits, offering a mom-and-pop experience at a far lower cost than corporate-owned resorts.

“It’s not necessarily about drawing overnight or out-of-town guests, but about bringing positive economic impact and a source of physical and mental wellness for the community,” said Adrienne Isaac, marketing director for the National Ski Areas Association.

There’s no guidebook for how to reopen an abandoned ski area, especially as a nonprofit, so some community groups are making common cause, and learning from each other.

Will Pirkey had heard of a nonprofit ski area 600 miles north in Wyoming, and sought them out as soon as he joined the volunteer board. The Antelope Butte Foundation had been running a nonprofit ski area in northern Wyoming since 2018 after a closure that lasted 15 years. With a limited, mostly volunteer staff, it opens Friday through Monday.

Keeping skiing affordable, especially for children, is key to its mission.

For $320, a child can receive a season pass to the Wyoming mountain, rentals, and four lessons. The foundation covers families who can’t afford the cost. They also host classes for area schools that introduce kids to cross country and downhill skiing.