Red Lodge Mountain Sells to Calif. Firm, Told to Keep Locals in Mind

By Lucia Stewart, 11-05-07

The purchase of Red Lodge Mountain Resort, a small seven-lift ski area and golf course in Southwest Montana, was finalized last week to JMA Ventures, a California-based development firm.

Red Lodge Mountain, first named Grizzly Mountain, was originally financed and opened by the townspeople in 1960 to attract winter-season tourist for a town that sits near Yellowstone National Park’s Northeast entrance and the Beartooth Highway — both closed in the winter.

JMA Ventures completes all aspects, including financing, construction and management, of large residential and commercial redevelopment projects, mostly revitalization projects in the Bay Area.

JMA entered the ski resort industry in 2006 with the purchase of Lake Tahoe’s Alpine Meadows and Homewood ski resorts. This is their first project outside of California.

“Now, it’s really important, I think, for the owners to come down and be seen and talk to all different kinds of people here, so that they establish themselves as a really partnering presence, not absentee landowners with a distant sense of what Red Lodge is,” said Beth Hutchinson, executive director of the Red Lodge Area Chamber of Commerce, reported The Billings Gazette.

She hopes the growth of the mountain is synonymous with the growth of local businesses, as the community is adamant about remaining integrated. Red Lodge turned to tourism for their main revenue source when the mining economy collapsed in the 1940’s.

JMA’s interest is in keeping Red Lodge Mountain a family-oriented resort, similar to Homewood, which since its purchase in June 2006 has added a new high-speed chairlift, snowmaking operation and made plans for a residential development at the base of the mountain.

Red Lodge Mountain’s first project will be to increase snowmaking on beginner and intermediate runs.

Initially before any major development plans, JMA said they want to spend time within the community of Red Lodge before deciding what amenities and developments are needed. No employees will be asked to leave, but become involved in the discussion of the future.

The ski area currently offers 1,600 acres of ski and snowboard terrain, serviced by seven chairlifts and one surface lift spanning 2,400 vertical feet.

Currently, the mountain boasts the largest snowmaking system, covering 31 percent of the terrain and supplied by a 15 million-gallon reservoir. This is a necessity on the dry eastern slope of the Beartooths where the average annual snowfall is reported to be 250 inches, and reaching this average is becoming less frequent over the years.