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The Newfoundland government, which owns and operates Marble Mountain Ski Resort, has issued a request for proposals (RFP) from potential private investors, or even new owners for the resort. According to reports, Marble Mountain hasn’t turned a profit in years, but there’s significant opportunity to develop the area and add year-round operations to make it profitable.
“Government probably are not the best managers of a ski hill,” Finance Minister Tom Osborne said. But he also said the government is committed to keeping Marble Mountain open as a ski area, regardless of the level of private sector involvement. To do so, core assets of the ski area operation, including chairlifts and the snowmaking equipment, will remain government owned.
The reason for the RFP is because the government doesn’t have the money to invest in improvements or expansion that could help put the resort in the black. Marble Mountain is Atlantic Canada’s largest ski area, and does offer some non-winter activities on site, such as scenic chairlift rides.
The government’s RFP states “the province’s preferred method of disposition is via sale or lease of the facility,” although the document said other ideas will be considered.
The ski hill gets an annual subsidy of close to $1 million. Osborne said the ski area attracts about 70,000 annual skier visits. The deadline for proposals is August 3.
