Attorney Eric Mungai, a limited investor, told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that the new owners consider Blue Knob to be “a diamond in the rough. The investors see enormous opportunity. It is one of the best ski/snowboard mountains in the Mid-Atlantic.” Mungai has been skiing at Blue Knob since high school. All six investors are snowsports enthusiasts.

While the group did not disclose the purchase price, Terry Brady, press secretary of the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, said the new owners signed a 29-year lease with the department. They will pay $62,500 annually for the first 10 years, $100,000 per year for the next 10 years and $120,000 annually for the last nine years, according to the report in the Post-Gazette. Nearly a third of the 1,385-acre property is State Park land.

Work is already underway to address deferred maintenance, and the new owners hope to update the lodge and the snow grooming fleet, as well as other potential improvements, including “year-round activities/amenities, snowmaking, lift capacity, [the trail network], lodging/hotel accommodations, and parking,” said Mungai. The marketing team is currently working on developing a new website.

The investors have applied for a $2.5 million grant from the state Redevelopment Capital Assistance Program—which has yet to be funded by the state legislature. Nonetheless, if the grant is approved, the money could be used to re-grade the learning area and install a covered conveyor lift, build a terrain park, install a handle tow and automated snowmaking, and increase the snowmaking system’s pumping capacity.

Former Seven Springs CEO and NSAA board member Scott Bender helped facilitate the sale. Bender said he is acting as an adviser in the rehabilitation and development of the resort.

Blue Knob, about two hours east of Pittsburgh, is the second tallest mountain in Pennsylvania, and the tallest ski area, with a summit elevation of 3,146 feet. It has vertical drop of 1,072 feet and 100 acres of skiable terrain spread across 34 trails served by five lifts: two triples, two doubles, and a surface lift.