According to Summit Daily News, Intrawest, the ski resort owner, may explore selling some assets to reduce debt. The possible sales come as its parent, New York-based Fortress Investment Group, a public hedge fund and private equity firm, has been taken a hit in the market.

“The reality is, in this global economic challenge, that we have to take every step to survive. We're looking at all the options to reduce our debt,” said Bill Jensen, Intrawest's CEO told Summit Daily News, when asked to address rumors that Copper Mountain is for sale.


“Copper is not one we want to sell,” Jensen continued. “There are some assets that are core to our business. But we're exploring all the options.”


Another path could be to finance some of the company's various businesses independently, Jensen said. For example, Intrawest's Quebec assets could be financed separately in Quebec, he explained.


Jensen said that Copper and Winter Park, which Intrawest operates for the City of Denver, both performed well given current economic conditions, as did several of Intrawest's Eastern resorts.


In western Canada, poor snow made it more challenging for Whistler-Blackcomb, he said.

The season was strong until President's Day, Jensen added, when destination visits dropped off dramatically