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Aspen Skiing Company and KSL Capital Partners have formed a new entity and entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Intrawest in a deal valued at $1.5 billion USD.
Intrawest resorts include Steamboat CO, Winter Park CO, Tremblant QC, Stratton VT, Snowshoe WV and Blue Mountain ON.
Under the terms of what the parties are calling a “merger agreement,” Intrawest stockholders will receive $23.75 in cash for each share of Intrawest common stock, representing a total valuation of approximately $1.5 billion including debt obligations to be assumed or refinanced net of cash at closing. The transaction is expected to close by the end of the third quarter of calendar year 2017 and is subject to certain closing conditions, including regulatory approvals.
“This transaction creates significant opportunity for Intrawest and delivers tremendous value to our current shareholders,” said Thomas Marano, Intrawest’s chief executive officer. “The cash consideration of $23.75 per share represents a 40 percent premium over $16.97 per share, Intrawest’s closing stock price on January 12, 2017, the trading day prior to Reuters’ report speculating that the Company was exploring a potential sale.”
He continued, “Our new partners bring additional financial resources and a shared passion for the mountains and our mountain communities. Both Aspen and KSL are committed to helping Intrawest accelerate our plans to bring more value to our guests, more opportunities for our employees, and more investment into our local communities.”
“Intrawest is a collection of remarkable properties in exceptional locations. Each has its own unique story and its own unique sense of place,” said Eric Resnick, chief executive officer of KSL. “We are committed to honoring the deep traditions of each resort, while working with Intrawest’s talented management team and employees to continue to serve both their guests and local communities.”
“We are excited to be part of the investment group that is going to work hard to help realize the collective potential of Intrawest’s portfolio of resorts,” said Mike Kaplan, chief executive officer of Aspen.
For the 2017-18 winter season, each Intrawest resort will continue to honor the resort’s existing pass products that are currently on sale, including the Rocky Mountain Super Pass + and the M.A.X. Pass.
While not a condition to the merger, Squaw Valley Ski Holdings, the parent company of Squaw Valley /Alpine Meadows resort and an affiliate of KSL, will also become part of the entity at closing, but continue to operate under its current management.
