Matt McFerran and his wife paid $149,000 for Soldier Mountain. McFerran, who has worked in the industry for years, says the chance to run his own ski facility is a dream come true.
“We’ve been working really hard during our due diligence period to finally execute some ideas and plans on this," says McFerran. "It has been an absolute whirlwind.”
He and his wife currently live in Bend, Ore., but will soon move to Idaho.
“The initial thought process was to split time. But after spending time around Fairfield and Soldier Mountain, we’ve decided to move out fulltime.”
Previously, actor Bruce Willis owned Soldier Mountain. Willis donated it in 2012, creating a non-profit to run the resort. But Soldier Mountain struggled financially with poor snow years and low attendance.
McFerran says his first priority will be making snow so they can open the mountain this year. The couple hopes to make the 65-year-old ski mountain a destination for people beyond the area.
So far, Idaho weather is giving the new owners some reason for hope. The summit at Soldier Mountain already has about eight inches of snow.
Find Frankie Barnhill on Twitter @FABarnhill
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