PINEDALE — It’s official, White Pine Ski and Summer Resort has formally traded hands with owners Alan and Robyn Blackburn announcing on April 22 that they have completed the transaction with Joe Ricketts. The 363-acre property now belongs to the Bondurant billionaire. 

“Selling White Pine is bittersweet for us,” said Alan Blackburn. “I’ll miss being such a big part of the heart of Sublette County, but feel tremendous peace with transferring ownership to Joe because I know he shares my ultimate goal of keeping the resort as such a strong and dependable part of the community. I have total faith in his vision.”

The property had been on the market for four years. It was announced on Thursday, Feb. 22, that Rickets would take ownership of the ski hill at the end of the 2023-2024 season, which concluded on April 6. 

General Manager Katie Lane is staying on through the transition and said White Pine’s cabins, campground and trails will be open this summer, with the venue already booked for a wedding and another event in June. 

According to the Blackburns, Ricketts is “committed to investing in and improving the Sublette County Ski Resort” and is actively exploring snow-making capabilities to increase the longevity of the ski season.

A source close to White Pine said work is being done to obtain snow-making equipment and have it in place for the upcoming 2024-2025 ski season, but because of all the necessary steps, like obtaining proper permits from the United States Forest Service and groundwater testing, it’s more likely that the snowmaking capabilities will be up and running for the 2026-2027 season.

As always, the upcoming ski season is dependent on snow conditions. White Pine’s ski hills usually open the first weekend of December but during good powder years, pass holders have been able to shred the slopes as early as Thanksgiving. Lane said, “The hope is that the snowmaking will ensure a guaranteed opening date rather than waiting on Mother Nature.” 

Lane told the Roundup that 2024-2025 season passes for White Pine will be on sale soon. 

Sarah Rothman, a spokesperson for Ricketts and Lede Company, declined to discuss the costs associated with the purchase and operation of snowmaking equipment such as internal- and external-mix snow guns and snow fans. According to Snow Brains, new technology like low-energy pumps and valves allow ski resorts to reduce the energy spent on making snow by up to 50 percent, but a facility can spend anywhere from $200 to $1,000 per inch of artificial snow on a given day, not including manpower. An older report from 2013 by ESPN estimated ski resorts at that time spent anywhere from $500,000 and $3.5 million a season, with a cost of $1,000-$2,000 to cover one acre with a foot of snow. The largest costs associated with snowmaking are labor and electricity, according to Snow Brains. 

White Pine Ski and Summer Resort is one of Wyoming’s oldest ski areas. It’s nestled within Forest Service land in the Wind River Mountain Range about 10 miles north of Pinedale. The resort, home to the Pinedale High School Alpine and Nordic Ski teams, features two lifts, nearly 30 runs with a 1,100-foot vertical, a tubing hill, rustic accommodations and miles of Nordic trails for winter skiing and summer hiking. White Pine has been a mainstay for local Sublette County residents for years and it has been voted the No. 1 Resort in Wyoming for beginner skiers. 

“My hope is to ensure that White Pine remains a strong part of the community and continues the tradition of serving local residents,” said Ricketts.

Ricketts has assembled a Board of Advisors “to strategically guide the business, ensuring its success in both the short-term and long-term.” 

The board includes community members Roy DeWitt as chairman, Derek Schupp as president, Dave Jensen as vice president, Brad White as secretary, Ryan Persinger as treasurer and Robin Schamber, Kari DeWitt, Adam D’Illard, Marie McGuire, Alan Blackburn, Steve Christensen, Travis McNiven and Ricketts as advisory members.