Willard Mountain Files Bankruptcy

Before filing for bankruptcy protection last week, Willard Mountain had lost a potentially devastating legal battle with the family that owns a major portion of the land at the popular Washington County ski area.

Willard Mountain filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Thursday, and owner Charles "Chic" Wilson and his wife, who have run the business since 1994, are looking to sell the facility, likely after the next winter season.

In documents filed last week in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Albany, Wilson said he sought bankruptcy protection after losing a legal battle with the family that owns the land used for Willard's parking lot.

However, court and property records show that the land in question — owned by siblings Philip Kosowsky Jr. and Lynda Keyes — also includes 50 acres at the base of Willard Mountain. In addition to the parking lot, the parcel includes many important features at the ski area, including the main lodge, the restaurant and bar, the ski rental shop and the house in which Wilson and his wife live, as well as certain ski lifts and the runs that they serve.

http://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Ski-mountain-s-owners-faced-costly-legal-defeat-6331296.php

Hate to see these feeder areas go under .

Wow, that sounds like there was some nasty feelings between the both, if they weren't able to meet halfway. Maybe they should have tried arbitration first. Just getting them to sit down and make it all a win win? I have biked by that mountain a lot (never skied there), and I can't imagine what would actually make their land worth a million dollars, other than,well, having a revenue generating ski hill there. It's too high and steep for farming, which is what most of the land around it is used for. There's not a lot of first or second homes up there that say, "money inside". The opposite, most of the time. It's way too far from anywhere to be valuable. So maybe now it will just be another plot of land up there with a "For Sale, Acreage" sign that sits there for years, like many I have passed on the bike.
Too bad, I always thought they were doing OK. The few times I drove up there in the winter, the parking lot was full. Looked like a cool place to learn.

Mountain has no value if you can't run a ski slope and their property is worth a lot less than a million without it.

Talk about a text book case for needing an arbitrator.

nice little mountain to start your kids. fair value. they have a decent teaching program and rental program. taught my kids there when they were 3-8 years old.

Maybe the family(ies) who own the parcels in question have planned this all out as a way to take over the ski area, while removing debt and reducing the value.     Owner says he wants 1M to sell.    Family says "we will pay $250k"    Owner says I have debt and want to make a profit....  Family says...too bad.    It goes to forclosure sale and they get it for $180k....

Who knows.    


Sad all around tho.

This is the most detailed and best explanation I've read so far of what happened at Willard:

Ski center faces murky future: COURT RULES WILLARD MOUNTAIN OPERATORS DEFRAUDED LAND OWNERS

Despite the headline, Willard Mountain and Chic Wilson have a long-standing great reputation in the Saratoga - Capital District community.  The words most often used to describe Chic are "affable" and "pied piper of skiing." I've met Chic and spoken with him several times, and I find "defrauded" hard to swallow.  Perhaps interpreted lease terms differently than the other party.  There are two sides to every story.
Despite the "murky future," my best guess is that Willard will continue to operate.  Chic stated that they want to put this behind them and get on with life, and I suspect they will.  As Sig said, Willard has one of the best learning programs in the area, and their programs sell out every year.
Best of luck to Chic and to Willard. We log a number of ski days at Willard every winter (especially my son who skis there every week with a school program), and we'll be back next winter.

Really is too bad to see this.  When my wife was learning we were there at least twice a week.  Best value in the area.  Fun adult night with drink specials.  Overall just good vibe.  And agreed... the only value to that mountain if you can't ski on it is the cell tower at the top.  Chic knew his audience and how to get the most out of that mountain.  I remember being there one night and there was about 30 or 40 of us left on the hill at 7:30pm.  We were all sitting in the lodge complaining that the main face had firmed up and was no good to ski on.  He shut down the run, grabbed the keys to the cat, and put fresh cord down.  We went up and skied that fresh 8pm stuff until they shut down the lifts.  Try getting that kind of service at any other hill.  

Footer wrote

I remember being there one night and there was about 30 or 40 of us left on the hill at 7:30pm.  We were all sitting in the lodge complaining that the main face had firmed up and was no good to ski on.  He shut down the run, grabbed the keys to the cat, and put fresh cord down.  We went up and skied that fresh 8pm stuff until they shut down the lifts.  Try getting that kind of service at any other hill.

Great story.

In fairness to bigger mountains, that kind of service is harder to scale.

I remember Plattekill's first "Facebook Day."  The mountain was trying to build FB fanbase and had free admission for all fans, hoping to make up the cost of lift ops on F&B.

It was a spring day and the skiing was incredible.  Lift's were to close at 4pm.  I was skiing with Laszlo and it was getting close to 4, and I asked "you think we can get one more run in?"

We lapped the double until the terrain went into the shadows at 4:45. He sent the lifties home and we moved over to the triple and skied another 45 mins.


Laz: "It ain't over til it's over."

I too have heard great things about Chic. Small mountains are great, hoping Willard will be back in action soon.

That story reads like the operators of Willard we playing a little fast and loose, they probably had a lean year and since the rent was based on revenue and not profits they juggled the books, got away with it and then it became a regular occurrence. I don't know Chic but it sounds like he fessed up. Too bad. My guess is that just like the F-up at PCR, Willard may loose their lease and if they can ever sell, the owners of the base area hold all the cards.

looks like willard resolved its issues with the land owners and will be open for business this season. read the article in
the timesunion newspaper online

Sig's ^^ link:

Willard Mountain secures future with bankruptcy settlement