Deal To Sell Resort Falls Through

A deal to sell Grand Targhee Ski Resort to Seattle investor Gary Rogers fell through at the last moment.

Rogers said he traveled to Jackson, Wyo., last week to sign the papers in the presence of the U.S. Forest Service, but resort operator Mory Bergmeyer never showed.

“That’s right,” Bergmeyer said Wednesday, but declined to comment further.

Rogers said he has negotiated with Bergmeyer to purchase the resort just across the border into Wyoming since March, and that he has already helped to finance the resort’s two new quad lifts.

“We’re still interested in acquiring the resort, but the terms and the conditions would probably change drastically,” Rogers said.

Meanwhile, Grand Targhee’s scheduled opening today has been pushed back until another couple of feet of snow fall at the ski hill known for deep powder.

Grand Targhee employs 350 seasonal employees.

Bergmeyer said he is interested in selling the resort because, “I’m getting too old” at 58. He added he might choose to maintain ownership, though he would take on investors to fund improvements.

In 1994, the Forest Service, owner of the land there, approved a master plan with $26 million in developments, including 590 rooms, three new restaurants and several new chairlifts.

Bergmeyer has long said most of those developments cannot happen unless the Forest Service agrees to a land swap so he can acquire title to the base of the mountain. Without that, bank financing won’t happen.