No buyer yet for Devil’s Elbow ski hill but realtor says there’s lots of interest

Devil’s Elbow ski resort near Bethany is still for sale, said the realtor who’s handling the listing, although there’s been plenty of interest since it was reported last week the resort is on the market.

David Marsh of ReMax said there has been “lots of action” but no buyer yet since the owners of the resort announced last week they were selling – and also that the resort will be closed for skiing this winter.

Devil’s Elbow, a family-run resort, has been in operation for 54 years.

The ski hill has been for sale for the last few years without a buyer, according to an email sent out to resort members last week.

Meanwhile the co-owner and general manager of the familyrun resort, John Holmberg, coped with "a serious health issue" for most of last winter.

"After much consideration, we have made the extremely difficult decision to close down skiing operations," states the email.

The real estate website Zolo.ca had a listing price of $2.9 million for the resort.

Marsh said in an interview Tuesday that price includes the ski hill, all the equipment and the resort's name.

Devil's Elbow has 14 runs with six chairlifts (four quad and two double), as well as snow-making and grooming machines. It also has a large chalet, as well as a ski school and pro shop.

Marsh said last week the resort is a “turnkey operation” and that the hope is that a buyer will want to continue to operate the hill as a ski resort.

Although it isn’t every day that a ski resort is put up for sale in Ontario, there has been recent consolidation of ownership in the

ski industry in North America.

In 2017, the company that owned both Blue Mountain ski resort in Collingwood and Mont Tremblant in Quebec was taken over by a U.S.-based company in a $1.5-billion deal.

Intrawest Resorts Holdings Inc., was taken over by the Alterra Mountain Co. last year, the company announced.

Alterra is based in Denver, Col. and now owns a dozen ski resorts across North America, including Blue Mountain and Mont Tremblant.

At the time of the takeover last year, Simcoe.com quoted Blue Mountain president Dan Skelton as saying it was great news for the resort.

“The acquisition will support our strategies to continue delivering great experiences for our guests and season pass-holders,” Skelton told Simcoe.com.

But there was later discontent among skiers, CBC reported in March, when Alterra announced season pass-holders would have to pay in U.S. funds.

Skiers were also unhappy, CBC reported, when a popular pass that allowed skiers to use the resort any day of the week but Saturday was changed so it’s good only for weekdays (not on Sundays).