Ski Resorts

Snell & Wilmer’s Ski Resorts team leverages the talent and experience of attorneys across multiple disciplines in a strategic way that helps our clients successfully purchase, entitle, develop, operate, and expand their ski resort properties. We represent some of the largest ski resorts in the United States and Canada, with resorts from Vermont through the Rockies, Oregon and California — and we understand the business, regulatory, and environmental challenges our clients face. With our significant experience in the following practice areas, we routinely represent ski-related businesses and resorts in connection with:

• Real estate, land use and retail and resort operations leasing
• Water rights
• Construction
• Commercial litigation
• Environment
• Tribal law and considerations
• Labor and employment
• Mixed-use development
• Real estate finance
• Zoning and land use
• Corporate and securities
• General operations contracting

Ski Resort Acquisitions and Sales

• Represented leading ski resort operator in the asset sale of the Alpine Meadows ski resort in California, stock acquisition of the Las Vegas Ski & Snowboard Resort in Nevada, and asset purchase of the Copper Mountain Resort in Colorado
• Represented leading ski resort operator in the acquisition of real property supporting ski uses in the Mt. Bachelor ski resort in Oregon
• Acquisition and operation of ski resorts in Vermont, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, Oregon, and California, including the expanding operations of such resorts for adventure and lifestyle experiences in extreme sports, rafting, and heliskiing

Ski Resort Operations

• Negotiated and drafted various operational contracts for ski resorts, including Park City Mountain Resort and Snowbird Resort in Utah; Copper Mountain Resort in Colorado; Mt. Bachelor in Oregon; and Las Vegas Ski & Snowboard Resort in Nevada
• Construction agreements, sponsorship agreements, agreements for ski and snowboarding championships and similar events, service agreements, catering agreements, license agreements, parking agreements, homeowners’ association agreements, forest service leases, property management agreements, and easement agreement

Ski Resort Retail Leases

• Negotiated and drafted real estate leases for retail locations supporting various ski resort uses

Ski Resort Water Rights

• Negotiated sale of and rendered title opinion on more than 500 acre-feet of water rights sold to Sundance Ski Resort and surrounding community
• Conducted due diligence on water rights in acquisition of the Las Vegas Ski & Snowboard Resort in Nevada and Copper Mountain Resort in Colorado
• Conducted due diligence on water rights in the acquisition of the Gorgoza Tubing Park in Park City, Utah
• Assisted with the expansion of snowmaking under water rights used at Las Vegas Ski & Snowboard Resort in Nevada and Copper Mountain Resort in Colorado

Ski Resort Land Uses

• Represented leading ski resort operator in connection with obtaining entitlements for Park City Mountain Ski Resort, Utah and other resort properties in Colorado, California, Nevada, and Oregon
• Represented leading ski resort operator in receiving the transfer of United States Forest Service special use permits for Las Vegas Ski & Snowboard Resort and Copper Mountain Resort in Colorado

Environmental

• Assisted Nevada ski resort in obtaining from the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection a completion determination that no further cleanup action was needed in responding to leaking underground fuel storage tanks
• Conducted environmental due diligence in searching for past releases of hazardous substances and evaluating risks associated with historic operations at Nevada and Utah ski resorts
• Lead counsel in confirming compliance with and securing the transfer of permits, licenses and government approvals for wetlands, air emissions, electrical systems, fuel storage tanks, hazardous waste generation, and other operations at Nevada and Colorado ski resorts