SAM Magazine—Fabius, N.Y., March 10, 2025—A New York State judge has ruled that Intermountain Management, owner of Labrador Mountain and Song Mountain ski areas, violated state antitrust law when it purchased and shut down neighboring Toggenburg ski area in 2021.

The ruling, issued by Judge Robert E. Antonacci II and granting the Office of the Attorney General’s motion for summary judgment, found that Intermountain bought and closed Toggenburg to eliminate competition in the Syracuse market and drive up profits. The court also found that a noncompete agreement prohibiting Toggenburg’s sellers from operating within 30 miles for five years, and from hiring Intermountain employees, lacked a legitimate business purpose.

The decision follows more than two years of litigation after Toggenburg’s sale and abrupt closure in August 2021. 

New York Attorney General Letitia James, who filed suit in October 2022, alleged Intermountain’s tactics—including imposing deed restrictions to permanently bar Toggenburg from reopening as a ski area—reduced options for skiers, raised prices, and contributed to overcrowding at the remaining resorts.

James also alleged Intermountain paid a premium for Toggenburg to prevent future competition and that partners Peter Harris and Richard Sykes collaborated for years to buy and close the resort, including staging a “faux buy” through a third party to approach Toggenburg’s former owner, John Meier.

“Syracuse skiing families and workers long benefited from fierce competition among their local ski mountains, but this experience went downhill fast after Intermountain bought Toggenburg,” James said in a statement. “Intermountain paid a premium price to destroy competition because its owners knew they could raise prices and profit more with a monopoly. Now Intermountain’s anticompetitive scheme is put on ice.”

The court has yet to determine what remedies will be imposed on Intermountain. In January 2024, James filed asking the court to compel the sale of Toggenburg and assess a $1 million fine against Intermountain for the antitrust violations.