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CNL Lifestyle Properties Acquires Mount Sunapee Ski Resort,
Okemo Mountain Resort and Colorado's Crested Butte Ski Resort
 for $132 million

By Kevin Landrigan, The Telegraph, Nashua, N.H.McClatchy-Tribune Regional News

December 6, 2008 --CONCORD -- A massive Florida-based resort management trust bought Mount Sunapee Ski Resort in Newbury and two other U.S. ski resorts for $132 million.

CNL Lifestyle Properties Inc., of Orlando, Fla., closed on the sale Friday to add Mount Sunapee, Okemo Mountain Resort in Ludlow, Vt., and Colorado's Crested Butte Ski Resort to its vast holdings.

The new owners stressed the purchase will not change operation of all three resorts as Tim and Diane Mueller with Triple Peaks LLC will continue to manage them, CNL officials said.

"This transaction provides Triple Peaks the opportunity for immediate enhancement to these popular mountain destinations that will improve the overall skier experience and extend the resorts' offerings for all four seasons," said Byron Carlock, president and CEO of CNL Lifestyle Properties. "Tim and Diane Mueller have positioned the properties of Triple Peaks for ongoing success. We are proud to establish a relationship with such seasoned and respected operating partners and enable them to carry out their vision for these properties over the long-term."

The CNL trust also owns $13 billion of real estate and 116 resort properties. In 2006, the group bought the historically significant Mount Washington Hotel, Bretton Woods Ski Resort and Bretton Woods Hotel for $45 million.

They also fully or partially own several other properties, including Sugarloaf and Sunday River in Maine, Loon Mountain in Lincoln, the Village at Squaw Valley in California and seven former theme parks that had been "Six Flags" amusement centers.

CNL does not manage day-to-day activity at any of its ski resorts.

"Our focus has been delivering outstanding service and a positive skier experience since we entered this industry with the purchase of Okemo in 1982," said Tim Mueller, president and co-owner of Triple Peaks in a statement issued Friday.

"We anticipate that this new relationship with CNL Lifestyle Properties will enable us to continue to do what we do best -- create a unique and memorable experience at our mountains for our visitors," Mueller said.

"With the stable capital and long-term focus of this relationship, we are in a stronger position than ever to enhance our resort operations to ensure our long term popularity."

CNL is contributing $85 million in cash and the rest of the sale came in loans from Triple Peaks.

The proceeds will allow Triple Peaks to finance planned improvements at Sunapee, a new conference center at Okemo and a new lodge at Crested Butte.

"CNL is an active player in the industry," said Michael Berry, president of the National Ski Areas Association. "CNL has been in and around the ski industry for the better part of five years."

New Hampshire Resources and Economic Development Director George Bald said the new owners will produce the same, guaranteed lease payment to the state as the Muellers have over the past decade.

"The state is very well protected and given the number of resorts CNL owns across the country, they are very professional and look to have ambitious and positive plans for the future," Bald said.

"Skiers will not know anything much different now and can continue to enjoy the wonderful experience they've always had on Mount Sunapee."

What remains unclear is whether this changes the 2007 lawsuit in which the Muellers accuse Gov. John Lynch of breaking a lease agreement by refusing to let Triple Peaks expand Sunapee ski trails on 175 acres of state park land.

The Muellers wanted to build 250 slope-side condominiums to support the bigger ski resort on land in Goshen that that they own.

"I know only enough about that litigation to be dangerous," said a CNL Lifestyles spokesperson deferring questions to a general counsel who could not be reached.

The Muellers' argument was there had been an error in the property lines described in the original lease. They claim that the resort's boundaries were understood to extend to the northern and western boundaries of the state park but that a surveying mistake failed to note that.

Lynch turned down the Mueller's request to bring the expansion to the Executive Council assuring that he'd veto the plan if the council ever voted to pass it.

"That's a very fascinating question," said Sen. Robert Odell, R-Lempster, whose district includes the Sunapee resort and neighboring communities with residents and town officials split over whether the expansion would be a good idea. "I hadn't heard of this but there's a lot of consolidation in the ski industry."

Tom Elliott is an environmental activist opposed to the expansion and critical of the Muellers in the past.

"It sure would be nice if the new owners decided that they have no history with this litigation so there's little reason for it to continue, but with the Muellers continuing to manage, this may be too much to hope for," said Elliott Friday during a telephone interview while at a business conference in Denver.

Elliott has charged that Triple Peaks had over-leveraged itself purchasing the Colorado ski area several years ago and making more than $20 million of upgrades to Sunapee and Okemo.

"Before approving the transfer of the lease, the state should do a very vigorous financial and management review," Elliott said.

But Bald said state law doesn't allow that and clearly states he may not "unreasonably withhold approval" of any lease transfer.

"If there were something weird here that called into question whether the new owner could manage the operation that would be one thing," Bald explained.

"But fundamentally this is passing paper to a new owner and at the same time signing an agreement that will have the Muellers keep running it," Bald said.

Some lawmakers cite the Sunapee upgrades for why they support privatizing the only remaining state-run ski area at Cannon Mountain in Franconia.

But the Legislature has repeatedly rejected the move at Cannon, home to the first passenger tramway built in America that lawmakers endorsed 73 years ago.

Area residents, ski enthusiasts, history buffs and state employees fiercely want Cannon kept in state hands with its rugged terrain, jaw-dropping scenery ranked third best in the U.S., best consumer value score in the East and a peak 1,300 feet higher than Sunapee.

Sunapee is ranked number one in grooming and in the top three in snow quality according to Ski Magazine's recent ranking of leading Eastern North American resorts.

The mountain offers 65 trails; 22 miles of skiing terrain with 97 percent covered by snowmaking and at 1,500 vertical the steepest drop in southern New Hampshire.

Terrain is open for all abilities on 16 trails and six lifts that cover 26 percent of the mountain with plans to have 40 percent open by the middle of next week.

Weekend lift passes are $50 for adults, $42 for young adults and seniors and $31 for juniors and super seniors.

Sunday is Cares and Shares Day that lets anyone ski for $30 if they bring in five non-perishable food items.

-----

To see more of The Telegraph, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.nashuatelegraph.com

Copyright (c) 2008, The Telegraph, Nashua, N.H.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.



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