SAM Magazine—Vernon, N.J., June 8, 2015—The Koffman family, one of four partners that purchased New Jersey’s Mountain Creek from Intrawest in 2010, became the sole owner of the resort on June 4. The Koffman family was also a partner in the original Great Gorge ski area in the 1970s. The transaction provides for improvement and expansion capital as the resort enters its 50th anniversary year, Mountain Creek president Bill Benneyan told SAM.

Not that Mountain Creek had been lacking for capital: Since 2010, the partners had invested more than $30 million in assets and improvements, including a 50,000 square foot base lodge, tubing center, the world’s first Terrain Based Learning center, and half a dozen new summer rides and attractions, including an alpine coaster and the world’s tallest Drop Box waterslide, which arrived with the re-branding of Action Park last summer.

Mountain Creek, located 47 miles from New York City, has earned a reputation for innovation. It was an early hotbed of terrain park development and in 2007 opened a dedicated all-mountain terrain park, with base lodge and two high-speed quads serving 65 acres. It pioneered Terrain Based Learning in 2011, a move that helped Mountain Creek win the NSAA Conversion Cup in 2013.

Benneyan said that the momentum has continued this spring. The highly-regarded DH Bike Park has enjoyed record visits this season, he noted, and recently hosted the Pro GRT event. Action Park is scheduled to open for the season on June 13.