SAM Magazine - Alyeska, AK, November 29, 2006 - Alaska's Alyeska resort has been sold. The purchaser, John Byrne III, a hardcore skier who regularly tops 100 days each winter, says he'll be a very hands-on owner who will play an active roll in the resort. Byrne, who currently lives in Alta, Ut, purchased the resort from Japanese company Seibu Holdings Inc., which has owned and operated the resort since 1980.

The sale by Seibu was part of a large divestment of the company's resort holdings. Chris Von Imhof, who has spent 30 years at the resort, most recently as chief executive, plans to step down. A replacement has not been named and it is expected that Imhof will remain involved with Alyeska in an advisory position.

While no immediate plans for investment in Alyeska have been announced, change should be forthcoming at the resort which currently features 2,500 feet of vertical, served by nine lifts.

"I want to have more of a kids' facility," Byrne (who has two children) told the Anchorage Daily News. "That will enhance the experience for both the parents and the children."

Under the agreement Byrne will also operate the city-owned O'Malley Golf Course, which Alyeska currently runs under a lease agreement. \