Potential Buyers of White Pass Ski Area Identified

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The group of local buyers offering to purchase White Pass Ski Area includes five Yakima residents who have long ties to the region and to the ski area, according to a news release.

A Yakima-based partnership led by Andrew Sundquist, David Severn, Dan Plath, Adam Dolsen and Patrick Smith made the purchase offer earlier this month, and it will be considered by shareholders in a Tuesday vote, said Kevin McCarthy, the former White Pass general manager and current board president.

If approved by the group of about 150 shareholders, the transaction is expected to close by the end of this year.

In a statement, McCarthy said each of the partners lives in Yakima. They have families that have been here for generations, and are regulars at White Pass each weekend skiing with their kids who range in age from 1 to 15.

"We started our succession planning process several years ago and have taken a slow, methodical approach to find the right opportunity," McCarthy said. "We could not be more excited about having a young, local group of active and interested skiers take the reins of our ski area.

"Although there has been significant change in the ski business as of late both locally and nationally, this transaction provides an alternate path where White Pass will continue to be owned and operated locally by the next generation," he added. "The response from the majority of our shareholders to this potential sale has been overwhelmingly positive."



If the transaction proceeds, the current management and staff will continue to run the ski area on a day-to-day basis just as they have been doing for years, the statement noted. McCarthy will continue in his role as president and Rikki Cooper will continue in her role as general manager.

"We feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to work with and be guided by the team at White Pass. They and so many others in our community over the years have put a lot of effort into making White Pass a truly exceptional place — a tradition we aim to continue," said David Severn, one of the potential new buyers, in the statement.

"Also, as this is the mountain that each of us grew up skiing with our families as little kids and are now doing the same with our own young kids, we understand the importance of maintaining the family-friendly culture of the ski area."

"White Pass is a truly amazing place that is dearly loved by my family, my friends, and the larger community as well," added partner Andrew Sundquist. "Our goal and motivation to become involved with White Pass is to keep it locally owned and operated, and to ensure that it maintains the skier-friendly, relaxed, home mountain environment we have all come to love and appreciate."

White Pass Ski Area is located on U.S. 12 between Naches and Packwood. It was originally founded in 1955 by a group of local Yakima residents. Today, the resort comprises 1,402 acres, eight lifts, more than 2,000 feet of vertical terrain, and two on-mountain lodges.