MCP Acquires Lee Canyon - Ski Area Management

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SAM Magazine—Las Vegas, Nev., April 13, 2023—Mountain Capital Partners (MCP) has acquired Lee Canyon ski resort, located about 50 miles northwest of Las Vegas, from Powdr Corporation and local partner, the Thomas family. Lee Canyon brings MCP’s ski resort portfolio to 10 properties, including Colorado’s Purgatory Resort and Hesperus ski area, Arizona Snowbowl, Ariz., Utah’s Brian Head and Nordic Valley, New Mexico’s Sipapu and Pajarito Mountain, Willamette Pass, Ore., and Valle Nevado, Chile. The purchase price was not disclosed.

MCP managing partner James Coleman said Lee Canyon encapsulates everything he and his team love about the Southwest. “We’re eager to put to work the best practices we’ve learned over the last two decades while also understanding how to best continue Lee Canyon’s unique success and position it for even more growth in the future,” adding that future resort investments are being explored and will be announced at a later date.

MCP will retain the Lee Canyon leadership team and all support staff, according to a press release. In peak season, Lee Canyon employs roughly 275 people.

“While we’ve been proud to be part of the Powdr family for the past two decades, I’m confident that Lee Canyon will be in good hands with MCP,” said Lee Canyon general manager Dan Hooper. “They have a record of excellent resort leadership … I am proud of the team here at Lee Canyon and look forward to welcoming the team at MCP to our family.”

Powdr purchased Las Vegas Ski & Snowboard Resort in 2003 in partnership with its owner and Las Vegas local Tom Thomas and his family. The ski area reverted to its original name of Lee Canyon in 2016.

"We are proud of the resort as it stands today and the infrastructure investments we made over the years to showcase all that Lee Canyon has to offer," said Powdr CEO Jason Sibley. "We wish the new owners the best ... We know we are leaving this great 'Vegas escape' in great hands."

MCP’s Power Pass will include access to Lee Canyon for 2023-24. This season, Lee Canyon has reported more than 260 inches of snow and is scheduled to close April 30.

MCP also manages Spider Mountain Bike Park, Texas, and Purgatory Snowcat Adventures, Colo. Earlier this spring, the company acquired Silver Creek Golf Course, Ariz., that includes the oversight of neighboring Bison Golf Club.