It appears Pennsylvania’s Seven Spring Mountain Resort is about to be acquired by Colorado-based Booth Creek Ski Holdings, the fourth-largest ski area operator in the nation. Booth Creek has offered $100 million to the 27 shareholders of Seven Springs, consisting mostly of descendants of Seven Springs founders Adolph and Helen Dupre.

Seven Springs is a popular ski area in the D.C. region, and the most popular ski area in the Pittsburgh region. Seven Springs was recently highlighted as one of the top 50 resorts in the nation by readers of Mountain Sports and Living magazine, formerly known as Snow Country magazine.

If the sale is approved, the resort, which receives over 400,000 skier and snowboarder visits per year, would become one of 12 properties operated by Booth Creek. Booth Creek has expressed an interest in improving the resort starting next summer, with the possible addition of new terrain and expanded lifts. Additional real estate development and a new golf course are also being considered.

The past several years have witnessed a trend of consolidation in the skiing industry, with large corporations such as Intrawest, Vail Resorts, and the American Skiing Company purchasing ski areas. Many people argue that the magic of “mom and pop” ski areas is being lost by this consolidation, while others argue that the corporations are capable of investing substantial capital in resort improvements that couldn’t otherwise be made.

Other local ski areas may change hands in the coming months. Check back with DCSki for the latest information on local ownership changes and what impact this may have on area skiers and snowboarders.