RANGELEY — The closure of Saddleback Mountain last winter was a tremendous blow to Rangeley’s economy, and that of the region in general, said Steve Philbrick at the Aug. 25 Farmington Rotary meeting.

However, better times appear to be on the horizon.

Philbrick, of Rangeley, is part of a local non-profit group that is looking to buy Saddleback Ski Area and operate it as a for-profit entity. They are hoping to turn the ski area into a co-operative where businesses, individuals and families can buy shares and agree to minimum yearly purchases. In return, those shareholders would become partial owners, get voting rights on mountain operations and development, and get benefits such as discounts on mountain services or yearly dividends that could be used for any mountain purchases.

“Saddleback is extremely important,” said Philbrick. “Our goal is to open this year.”

In order to make the ski area self-sustaining, $20 million will need to be raised over four years, according to https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/6M5NXGN.

“Right now, we have over $3 million worth of interest. We did that in four days,” said Philbrick. “It’s going to be a very good non-profit that you’ll feel comfortable supporting.”

The mountain had been owned by the Berry family since 2003, but they have been looking for a buyer. They had announced in July of 2015 that Saddleback would not open for the 2015-16 ski season unless they could secure $3 million in financing to replace the Rangeley Double Chairlift with a four-person lift. Last September, they said they had exhausted all financing options and were trying to find someone to purchase the mountain.

Philbrick confirmed that the non-profit group had been having conversations with the family recently about purchasing the ski area.

The core ski area is 723 acres. Philbrick said the non-profit’s goals include replacing the Rangeley Double Chairlift with a six-place chair with a fixed grip. The new ski lift would be low profile, meaning it wouldn’t be visible from the Appalachian Trail corridor on top of the mountain.

Other plans in the works include expanding glade skiing opportunities at Saddleback, and upgrading the base lodge. Philbrick said the non-profit group will seek to protect the mountain’s environment, preserve skiing, and embrace the snowmobile industry.

He pointed out that roughly 80 percent of the mountain’s users are intermediate skiers. That market has never been addressed at Saddleback, he said.

“That is a necessary component to the success of Saddleback,” said Philbrick. “The lifts are paramount.”

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