Local grain farmers buy Ski Valley resort

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This article was published 23/05/2024 (678 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

To find a buyer for their ski resort just north of Minnedosa, outgoing owners Don Horner and Nancy MacKay only ended up having to look across the valley.

Last week, they closed a deal to sell Ski Valley to Jay and Elin Klym, grain farmers whose property is within eyeshot of the resort.

The 140-acre property has nine runs of varying skill levels as well as a full-service restaurant. Horner originally purchased it with his father in 1978, before buying out his dad’s share a decade later.

Reached by phone on Wednesday, Horner said he thought what got a deal done after originally listing it in 2018 was an announcement last month that he had spent his final winter operating the resort.

“There were three different groups all of a sudden that were interested in looking at the place,” Horner said.

Though the old and new owners have yet to meet to talk about the transition process, Horner said he’s willing to lend a hand.

“I want to help, but I don’t want to make the decisions anymore,” he said.

Speaking to the Sun from his tractor, Jay said taking over Ski Valley is a bit of a full-circle moment for him — he remembers taking his first lessons from MacKay 30 years ago and has been a ski instructor there for the past couple of years.

“I sold my cows a few years ago and my winter got a little slower,” he said. “So I started hanging out there a little more, and it’s such a fun place to hang out and work.”

Jay didn’t want to disclose the exact price he bought the resort for, but said it was below the $1.3 million it was listed for.

He said Horner has been successful in running the business, but he and his wife have a few fresh ideas they’d like to try out in the future. They’d like to maintain Ski Valley’s fun atmosphere, though.

“Everyone who comes to go skiing is there to have a good time,” he said. “All the stuff is so good. We’ll never find anyone more bubbly than Nancy. It’s just a great place to hang out.”

With so few ski hills in Manitoba, Jay said they’d like to take advantage of Horner’s knowledge of how to make snow and maintain the property.

Even though he’ll be in charge now, Jay said he hopes he’ll still have time to hit the slopes himself once operations kick off. It’ll be weather-dependent, but he hopes to get his first season going partway through December.

Reflecting on 35 years running the place, Horner said his favourite part was helping kids develop their skills as they aged.

“That was fun because a lot of them, even the earlier ones, still keep in touch,” he said. “The people I’ve met from all walks of life from all over the world, that’s been the great part.”

Even though Horner and MacKay are no longer the owners of the ski hill, they’re not going very far.

They’ve carved out a couple of acres on top of the hill where they’re building a new house.

“We’ll be the first ones to buy a season pass every winter just to come ski and stuff because we still love it here,” Horner said. “I’m 68 and I don’t know how many years I’ve got left. I’ll pass on what little knowledge I have and a new generation can take over.”

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