Who wants to buy a ski resort? Mount Waterman, a long-shuttered Los Angeles ski area that was supposedly undergoing a transformation into an exclusive resort, has recently gone back on the market.
Located on Waterman Mountain in the San Gabriel Mountains of the Angeles National Forest in Los Angeles County, the public ski area was owned by the same family from its founding in 1939 through the 1990s. Then, it was sold to a group of businessmen, but was closed from 2001 through 2008, due to failure to meet U.S. Forest service operating requirements. That year, the area was once again sold to a group of friends, who reopened the resort – which was subsequently plagued by low snowfall, wildfires and road closures.
Then, in 2024, a group of investors called Angeles Mountain Partners issued a press release saying they had acquired Mount Waterman. They further outlined plans to renovate the area and transform it into an exclusive, members-only resort which would offer private powder days and helipad access.
However, it seems that the dream of a private Mount Waterman was not a reality. As SFGate reports, Angeles Mountain Partners never actually closed escrow on Mount Waterman before making their announcement.
Now, the resort is for sale once again – for a cool $3,275,000. According to listing agent Marc Ramirez, that price doesn’t include any actual land, but rather a 20-year special permit from the U.S. Forest Service to operate the ski area and associated infrastructure.
“I’m trying to find the right individual or group who will utilize it most effectively and have it open to the public as much as possible, and not someone who will go ahead and make it a private resort,” Ramirez told SFGate.
