Crystal Mountain in Washington State has become the 55th former independent ski run (or formerly run by a previous but now defunct large group like Intrawest) to be snapped up by one of the four current largest multi-ski resort owning conglomerates in the US.
The Alterra Group, established last year, announced their purchase of the ski area, their second acquisition this summer, to take their tally of resorts to 14. Vail Resorts have recently purchase four areas, including Colorado's Crested Butte, to take their total to 18. Two other groups, Peak Resorts and Booth Creek, own a further 23 ski areas between them.
Most of the ski areas are in the US but the acquisitions also include Canada's leading areas of Whistler Blackcomb in BC and Tremblant in Quebec as well as Australia's biggest resort, Perisher.
Vail and Alterra are engaged in a major sales battle with their respective multi-resort season passes which each cover their own resorts and dozens more partner areas in North and South America, Europe, Asia and Australia and New Zealand; Vail's Epic Pass and Alterra's Icon Pass.