Mt. Rose is For Sale

[ExcelsiorTheFathead]

According to a statement issued late on Saturday afternoon, Fritz Buser, majority owner of the Reno-area winter resort since 1971, “is looking to sell the resort”

 

“From a business perspective, the timing is right with the 2014-15 season proving highly successful despite enduring the leanest snow season in the history of the mountain,” the statement said. “In addition, the 2015-16 winter is currently on track to be one of the strongest in the last 10 years and prove exactly what the resort is capable of achieving in a typical or above average snow year.”

 

Marketing director Mike Pierce said that staff were told earlier this week that Buser intended to put the property up for sale.

Mount Rose Ski Tahoe is the closest ski resort to Reno, Nevada. It is located about 30 miles (50 km) south of Reno in the Carson Range. Mt. Rose is Tahoe's highest base elevation at about 8,260 ft (2,520 m) and the summit is 9,700 ft (3,000m). The resort area is 1,200 acres (4.9 km2), and is located in the Toiyabe National Forest.

 

Despite the name, the resort is actually on the slopes of Slide Mountain rather than Mount Rose, which is on the other side of Nevada State Route 431.

 

The resort first opened in 1953, starting with the "Reno Ski Bowl" located on the east face of Slide Mountain. Later renamed to the "Slide Mountain Ski Area", it operated side-by-side with the "Mount Rose Ski Area", opened in 1964 on the north side of Slide Mountain. The two areas merged in 1987.

 

"There is ability to develop real estate on that side," Pierce said.

 

Fritz Buser, principal owner of Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe, was born in the small farming village of Hemmiken in the northern part of Switzerland on April 29, 1921. He grew up with the daily hardships, surviving by milking cows and harvesting apples and potatoes. From these experiences his entrepreneurial spirit was ignited; at an early age he sought to break away from his humble beginnings. He secured agreements with various prominent Swiss manufacturers to represent their products as a salesman in the United States, including the ski boot company ‘Henke’ – the first company that produced buckled (vs laced) boots. In the United States, Fritz became an early investor in Mt. Rose after meeting some of the founders at the ski shows he attended annually for the previous twenty years promoting Henke boots. He became the company’s majority shareholder in 1971 and has controlled the growth and direction of Mt. Rose ever since.

 

Mt. Rose screamed into the 21st century with its first high speed lift when the Northwest triple was replaced with the Northwest Magnum 6. Following in its wake was the upgrade of the Zephyr quad lift to the Blazing Zephyr 6 high speed chair in 2004 giving Mt. Rose dual high speed, base–to-summit rides to the top. But big fast chairs were only the tip of the proverbial iceberg.

 

2015 Brings the addition of 9 additional Pole Cat snow-makers as well as the realignment of the Ponderosa Chair – now becoming the Wizard Lift accessing the 4 new trails of the new Enchanted Forest family zone. These improvements continue to take Mt. Rose boldly into the future to provide one of the best winter recreation options in Lake Tahoe.

 

The statement Saturday did not give any timeline for a sale other than saying that the process, “is expected to take some time,” and that day-to-day operations would continue as usual.

 

"The basics are that Fritz is a healthy 95 years young and is ready to hang up his skis and retire," the statement said.