Ski Industry Veteran Hired At Schweitzer Resort, New General Manager Faced With Uncertain Future

To steer Schweitzer Mountain Resort through a rocky year, the resort has tabbed a Seattle man and 20-year veteran of the ski industry as its new general manager.

Peter Gillis, 42, was put in charge Wednesday to get the mountain ready for a planned Thanksgiving Day opening. Gillis spent the past seven years as vice president at Crystal Mountain near Seattle and took the Schweitzer job knowing the future ownership of the resort is in question.

“The resort has some challenges, but I have confidence it will all straighten out,” Gillis said. “There is too much at stake for Schweitzer and the community for it not to. It’s just a matter of time before we are off and running again.”

The ski hill has been deep in debt for years and now owes creditors and U.S. Bank some $28 million. The bank stepped in last week and handed the resort another $750,000 so the mountain could open this winter.

“The bank provided us the financial resources to stay open and our immediate goal is to offer the best product and service we can in an affordable way,” Gillis said. “Our goals are short-term at this point, to get the place open and running efficiently. Beyond that the future is uncertain.”

In February, the resort went into receivership and a judge appointed Sandpoint attorney Ford Elsaesser to manage the mountain.

He was charged with selling the resort to help the Jim Brown family, which has owned Schweitzer since 1963. The family was unable to repay about $21 million U.S. Bank loaned them to develop and operate Schweitzer.

A deal was signed last month to sell the resort to Harbor Properties Inc. in Seattle for about $18 million. Two family members, Bobbie Huguenin and her mother, Jean Brown, have since reneged on the sale. They are protesting the sale in court, suing U.S. Bank and oppose Elsaesser’s appointment as trustee.

Federal Judge Edward Lodge is scheduled to hear the case Tuesday, but appeals could tie up the resort ownership for months.

Gillis was hired by Elsaesser to make sure the resort runs smoothly while the legal battles are waged. He replaces Tim Hinderman, who left Schweitzer in June to develop a golf course in Montana.

Harbor Properties officials said they still want to buy Schweitzer and are “comfortable” with Gillis at the helm.

“Hiring Peter is a good move,” said Ron Cook, Harbor’s chief financial officer. “We’ve come across Peter as competition and have been impressed by him over the last several years. He’s a quality guy that represents the ski industry well.”

Harbor owns the Stevens Pass ski area and recently bought Mission Ridge near Wenatchee. Crystal Mountain, where Gillis formerly worked, competed with Stevens Pass for skiers.

Gillis also worked three years as assistant general manager for Bretton Woods, a ski area in New Hampshire, and at Heavenly in Lake Tahoe. He was being recruited by several ski areas before accepting the job at Schweitzer.

“He had a number of opportunities and we are very fortunate to have him,” said Gordon Zimmerman, Schweitzer’s chief financial officer.

“He can take this resort, with the team that is already here, get it open and be a valuable asset for whoever actually comes in and owns the resort. We all hope that will be Harbor Properties.”

It was risky taking a post at a resort mired in controversy, Gillis said, adding he is ready for the challenge.

“I would rather be in a place where I can have input into the growth and development of the area, rather than one that is already mature,” he said.

Gillis said he visited Schweitzer about four years ago and fell in love with Sandpoint and the ski hill. He was looking for an opportunity to move here since then. One appealing aspect, he said, is the resort is on private land, not U.S. Forest Service property. That means fewer hurdles in developing the resort.

Schweitzer has started selling season passes and Gillis said lift ticket prices will be the same as last year at $34 for adults.

Skiers will see little change in the ski area this season as crews concentrate on maintenance and getting open, he said.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo