And then there was this today:
By
Rick Moriarty | rmoriarty@syracuse.com
Fabius, N.Y. -- The man who bought
Toggenburg Mountain last year -- admittedly to shut it down and lessen competition among Central New York’s ski resorts -- has put the Fabius ski resort up for sale.
Last year’s move by Peter Harris angered many longtime customers and this winter has prompted a small but loyal group of Toggenburg skiers to call for reopening its lifts and runs.
In turn, Harris, president of Intermountain Management (also known as
SkiCNY.com), has posted a “For Sale” sign on the resort’s sign on Toggenburg Road. He’s asking for
$1.5 million for the 160-acre property and its 23,000-square-foot lodge. That’s double what he paid for it six months ago.
Owner Peter Harris has put Toggenburg Mountain up for sale, less than a year after he bought the Fabius ski resort and closed it. (Rick Moriarty |
rmoriarty@syracuse.com)
Harris, who also owns nearby ski resorts at Song and Labrador mountains, told syracuse.com | The Post-Standard he has not listed Togg with a Realtor and is not actively marketing it. However, he said he will entertain offers. He said he has not received any yet.
“If somebody called me up and said, you know, this is what I want to do and this is how much I’ll give you, but that’s not happening,” he said. “So, it’s not like I’ve got people lining up trying to buy the place.”
His decision comes as some say the two other ski resorts owned by Harris are messier and less well-run compared with previous winters. Earlier this month,
about 50 skiers were stuck on a ski lift at Song Mountain for two hours and had to be rescued.
Harris denies any poor management. He says this year’s crowds at his two open resorts are products of fewer weekends with ideal skiing weather combined with Covid-19 cabin fever.
Harris bought Togg from John and Christine Meier, owners of Greek Peak Mountain Resort in the Cortland County town of Virgil, in August for $750,000.
The purchase gave Harris ownership of three of Central New York’s four major ski resorts. But he promptly announced that Togg would not open this winter, saying there was not enough business to support three ski resorts located within a 12-mile radius. He also cited pandemic-related labor shortages.
His decision
angered many longtime Togg skiers, prompting one to create a
reopen TOG! Facebook page that has nearly 900 members and distribute 2,000 “#reopen TOG” bumper stickers at local stores.
Scott Phillips, a pharmaceutical sales representative from Cazenovia, said he started the Facebook page on Jan. 26 and spent $840 to have the bumper stickers printed because he was angered that Harris bought the resort simply to close it.
Phillips said he and his family began skiing and snowboarding at Togg in 1998 and made a lot of friends at the resort, which is just a 15-minute drive from his home. The resort appeared to have a good year last year, helped by the boost that much of the ski industry got from the coronavirus pandemic, he said.
“It wasn’t closed due to bankruptcy,” said Phillips. “It wasn’t closed due to a lack of business. They had a record year a year ago, winter of 2021. The lodge was jam packed. The lines were very long, even with three lifts open.
He has asked people not to criticize Song or Labrador on the Facebook page, but that has not stopped some from doing so. Some skiers have complained of long lift lines and unkempt bathrooms and grounds at the two resorts and attributed some of that to Togg’s closing.
“Lodge food area was a mess - hot chocolate dispensers not working properly - bathrooms out of TP - soap dispenser broken - parking lot a mess!” wrote Brandy Aldrich Ouderkirk about Song. “Hill was a mess garbage / beer cans / soda cans all over! No need for this!”
Harris denied Song and Labrador are not being maintained and said the longer-than-usual lift lines were only partly the result of the bump in business the two resorts have gotten from Togg’s closing. Sunny skies and the season’s first major snowstorm earlier this month spurred many skiers to head to the two resorts, creating one particularly busy weekend, he said.
The trails at Toggenburg Mountain ski resort in Fabius are a lonely place these days. Peter Harris, owner of nearby Song and Labrador mountains, bought Toggenburg in 2021 and closed it. (Rick Moriarty |
rmoriarty@syracuse.com)
Harris said he has not decided whether he will restrict a sale of Togg to buyers who agree not to reopen the resort for skiing. He said he also has not ruled out retaining ownership of the mountain and reopening the resort if there is enough business to support it.
In the meantime, he said Togg’s ski lifts are still in place, he is keeping the lodge heated and his staff is using another building on the property as a maintenance facility.
“I’m kind of warming up to the property,” he said. “I’ve had it for a little while. It’s a beautiful piece of property. I’ve got people kicking around some ideas as to what to do or not to do with it.”
New owner Peter Harris closed Toggenburg Mountain after buying the Fabius ski resort in 2021. Photo shot Monday, Feb. 21, 2022. (Rick Moriarty |
rmoriarty@syracuse.com)
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