Vail Resorts to take over Mount Sunapee

The recent sale of the Mount Sunapee ski resort to Vail Resorts, a Colorado company that owns several ski areas, has raised concerns about the lease arrangements involving the state-owned land.

While Mount Sunapee is a privately-run ski area, the mountain and land where the operation is located is owned by the state of New Hampshire.

The state owned and operated Mount Sunapee for many years until 1998, when it sold rights to the skiing operation through a lease arrangement. Now, the family that ran the area is selling its three ski resorts - Mount Sunapee, Crested Butte in Colorado, and Okemo in Vermont -- to Vail Resorts.

While the lease arrangement provided the state with revenue through lease payments and a percentage of the area’s operation revenue, it didn’t give the state any control over what happens in the event that the company holding those leases is sold. That has some people worried, including the state’s attorney general.

“This lease agreement needs to be changed to ensure that when that asset is transferred by means of this transfer of ownership mechanism, the state is protected. It gets to weigh in on that,” said Attorney General Gordon MacDonald.

However, others express concern that increasing government regulation would overly complicate such transactions and deter potential buyers.

Should state officials have more control over lease agreements involving state-owned property? Leave a comment and join the debate.