The family that owns Maine’s third-largest ski mountain is seeking a buyer who will reopen the alpine and nordic resort near Rangeley next winter.
By Doug Fletcher
Staff Writer

Unless a buyer comes along, Saddleback Ski Area won’t reopen next winter.

Owner Donald Breen, 73, is retiring from the ski business, said his daughter, Kitty Breen. He’s run the area for 25 years. Saddleback was started in 1959 by Rangeley area business people intent on creating an economic stimulus for what was then a three-season recreational mecca.

“While we are suspending operations, our intent is to preserve the ski area for the next owner of this unique property,” said Kitty Breen in a statement Thursday announcing her family’s decision.

Saddleback has been on the market for several years. The Breen family is asking $2.5 million for the ski area itself, or $7.5 million for Saddleback and 8,000 acres of wooded mountain peaks and nearby lakes.

Sotheby International’s Boston office is marketing the real estate offering.

Kitty Breen said Thursday evening that until now, the ski area and land was being sold as a package.

She said the family decided to offer the ski operation separately due to economic conditions nationally.

She also said that the Breens had been negotiating with a buyer for the past half year, and while a deal was set, they realized the buyer wasn’t able to close it. That led to the decision to split the offering, although she added that “our hope is to sell it as a package.”

At one time the family wanted to expand ski terrain on the mountain. The Breens spent years negotiating with the National Park Service for corridors and covenants for the Appalachian Trail, which crosses Saddleback’s 4,116-foot summit. The discussions were successfully concluded in 2000.

The mountain’s peak and its mile-long ridge offer outstanding panoramic views.

Kitty Breen said local, state and now federal officials have all expressed their support for future development of the ski area and its surrounding lands.

“We’ve worked hard at getting the necessary permits,” she said, “and are hopeful of finding a new owner this summer” who could reopen the ski operations and possibly work to expand it.

The permits will go with the ski area, she added.

“It’s a magical place, and now we’re waiting to see some magic on the mountain,” Breen said.

She said the family would like to sell its holdings to someone who will develop it to its maximum – the permits include provisions for 3,000 mountainside guest beds – but who also will “honor the natural resources” of the area.

Besides the mountain, resources include two alpine ponds and a mile-long lake.

For skiers, Saddleback offers 40 alpine trails nearly evenly divided to serve beginner, intermediate and expert skiers. The trails criss-cross a slope nearly three miles wide. The ski area’s vertical drop exceeds 1,800 feet. Two double chairlifts and three T-bar lifts serve skiers and snowboarders.

The mountain typically sees more than a 200-inch annual snowfall. It also has snowmaking ability to cover about half of its skiable terrain.

Snow-Guide.com says Saddleback offers “uncrowded big mountain skiing.”

Saddleback also has 50 kilometers of Nordic trails that radiate from the Saddleback base lodge.

The lodge includes a cafeteria that offered breakfast and lunches, a tavern with deli sandwiches, a rental shop, ski shop and a nursery for kids.

Lodging at the mountain includes condominiums and trailside homes available for rent.

Saddleback operations typically employ 60 to 80 people seasonally, Breen said.

The ski area is about seven miles from the Rangeley business district. Besides skiing, the area is known for its snowmobiling opportunities in the winter, outstanding spring and summer fishing, camping at Rangeley Lake State Park and big and small game hunting.

Earlier this month, Black Mountain Ski Area in Rumford changed hands. The Maine Winter Sports Center group bought the mountain from a community organization, citing its hopes to keep skiing as a community based activity benefiting young people in particular.

Andy Shepard, head of MWSC, didn’t immediately return a calling inquiring into his group’s possible interest in Saddleback.

Breen said she’s seeing renewed interest in the property now that its being actively marketed again.

“We hope to find a buyer soon, and that the mountain will reopen next winter,” she said.