Ragged gets a new GM

[drjeff]

Ragged Mountain Sold

That $6.4 million dollar amount listed seems low if thats for the entire ski area and the surrounding land its on, doesn't it?

 

[deadheadskier]

$6.4M. Damn. You couldn't replace the Spear HSQ for that little coin.

 

[AdironRider]

I assume PGR is going to keep running the place?

I feel like at that low rate, the place must be a total money suck and nowhere near profitable. That is basically land value.

 

[Newpylong]

They are turning a profit. As to how much, unknown.

 

[deadheadskier]

Obviously with a change of hands, most people hope for investment.

What do people feel Ragged needs most. For me, in order of importance.

1. Snowmaking enhancements. They are still one of the slowest games in town with early season terrain expansion.

2. Lodge improvements. At minimum a mandated bag storage area to make what they have more user friendly. Adding square footage and seating would be really ideal though. That lodge can be a disaster on busy days.

3. A lower mountain lift servicing the terrain park and nearby trails to help syphon some traffic away from the 6 pack.

 

[shpride]

the $6.4m is probably just the real estate portion. The asset part of the deal wouldn’t be filed with the registrar of deeds so is unknown.

 

[jimmywilson69]

There is no way that a mid-sized place like Ragged was sold for $6.4 million. For reference when Peak bough the Southcentral PA Snowtime Resorts, that was $75 million in 2018. As mentioned above that is probably just the land

 

[Newpylong]

My biggest complaint is snowmaking, notably the rollout speed. Some of that is technical (lack of pumping capacity), but most of it is the policy of putting enough base down to not have to return to a trail, ever. That can be partially alleviated by installing an in-house air plant instead of renting. Right now when the compressors leave in late January that's all she wrote. They don't have the ability to make snow after that. But it's going to take a change in policy as well.

I would like to see the top of Easy Winder reworked to get rid of the uphill/plateau and have the missing guns and pipe reinstalled. Ragged sorely needs a true novice route off the top. Cardigan and everything off the Ragged side aren't sufficient for that.

 

[Abubob]

Obviously with a change of hands, most people hope for investment.

What do people feel Ragged needs most. For me, in order of importance.

1. Snowmaking enhancements. They are still one of the slowest games in town with early season terrain expansion.

2. Lodge improvements. At minimum a mandated bag storage area to make what they have more user friendly. Adding square footage and seating would be really ideal though. That lodge can be a disaster on busy days.

3. A lower mountain lift servicing the terrain park and nearby trails to help syphon some traffic away from the 6 pack.

1. I think the “rollout is intentional. They rarely go back to patch. It’s one and done with them.

2. Cubbies that were removed ought to be put back. Other than that how would they expand? Enclose the deck area? That one of my favorite places come March.

3. Ditto on the lower area lift. A platter pull or t-bar would work great for skiers. Maybe a moving carpet for the snowboarders?

My biggest complaint is snowmaking, notably the rollout speed. Some of that is technical (lack of pumping capacity), but most of it is the policy of putting enough base down to not have to return to a trail, ever. That can be partially alleviated by installing an in-house air plant instead of renting. Right now when the compressors leave in late January that's all she wrote. They don't have the ability to make snow after that. But it's going to take a change in policy as well.

I would like to see the top of Easy Winder reworked to get rid of the uphill/plateau and have the missing guns and pipe reinstalled. Ragged sorely needs a true novice route off the top. Cardigan and everything off the Ragged side are sufficient for that.

I’ve often wondered at the renting of compressors myself. Obviously they see some advantage. Maybe new management will see things differently? No doubt they will bring some changes but only time will tell what those changes are and if they’re advantageous.

I’d love to see snow making on Easy Winder too. That saddle is a pia to be sure but I don’t think that would help beginners. Those top two pitches are solid blues even when groomed. A friend of mine completed the Bebe Woods course but still had extreme difficulty making it down through the middle section of Ragged and the steeper parts of Cardigna Turnpike. The only solution for them might be to restore the short lift on Village Green. Then again an upgrade to a detachable on Barnyard would serve. All the talk of added lifts are a pipe dream though with costs the way they are.

 

[joshua segal]

There is no way that a mid-sized place like Ragged was sold for $6.4 million. For reference when Peak bough the Southcentral PA Snowtime Resorts, that was $75 million in 2018. As mentioned above that is probably just the land

It's always a shock to me when ski areas sell for less than the price of one of their major lifts. That being said, my understanding is that the typical sale price is a fixed dollar amount (x) multiplied by the skier visit average of the previous y years. Perhaps someone more knowledgeable than I, can fill in the values of x and y.

 

[drjeff]

It's always a shock to me when ski areas sell for less than the price of one of their major lifts. That being said, my understanding is that the typical sale price is a fixed dollar amount (x) multiplied by the skier visit average of the previous y years. Perhaps someone more knowledgeable than I, can fill in the values of x and y.

I have also heard that lately a common price point is some where between 5 to 10x EBITDA (Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) when buyers and sellers are looking to negotiate a deal. Not very clear, based on that press release, what exactly is involved in this case currently

 

[machski]

Also, and this is more likely the case, the new owners bought for such an apparently low amount because they took on whatever debt load the resort had going. Since it was a private sale, that figure likely need not be released. But add the sale cost and the debt load incurred, that would be the more realistic selling price.

 

[crystalmountainskier]

That $6.4 million dollar amount listed seems low if thats for the entire ski area and the surrounding land its on, doesn't it?

Could be right. Ski areas generally go for around 10x earnings. I could see Ragged only making $640,000 a year. New England ski areas are not western ski areas from a profitability perspective.

 

[thetrailboss]

The article from SAM. Pacific Group will help with the transition, but is not going to run it.....

Ragged Mountain Sold to Local Investor Group

SAM Magazine—Danbury, N.H., Nov. 6, 2025— SF Mountain Co., LLC (SFMC), a group of local investors with lifelong ties to Ragged Mountain, has acquired the s

www.saminfo.com

 

[AdironRider]

With PGR pulling out I can't see how Ragged makes any money if they got that much acreage for that little coin. Most ski areas don't actually own the land they operate on (or if they do its just a base area for the most part and the rest FS lease) so this was basically a land deal and PGR and its principal wanted out. My impression is they run a pretty efficient operation too so I'm not sure where they could cut costs.

Can't really ask for a better new ownership group though, assuming they are well capitalized, than a bunch of die hard locals that grew up riding the place.