NY Attorney General Looks Into Ski Resorts For Unfair And Illegal Practices

New York Attorney General Letitia James today took two actions to stop unlawful and monopolistic business practices by ski resort operators in Central New York. Attorney General James is suing Intermountain Management (Intermountain) for buying its main competitor, Toggenburg Mountain, then shutting it down to direct skiers to its own ski mountains.

In addition, Attorney General James today ended an illegal agreement between the owner of Greek Peak Mountain (Greek Peak), John H. Meier, and Intermountain that prohibited Mr. Meier from competing with Intermountain or hiring any of its employees. As a result of a settlement with the Office of the Attorney General (OAG), Mr. Meier is required to pay $195,000 to the state and will cooperate with the litigation against Intermountain.

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“Intermountain tried to freeze out competitors to increase its profits and dominate the region’s ski market. Today we are taking action to end these illegal arrangements and protect workers, skiers, and consumers,” said Attorney General James.

“Monopolies are not a game. They harm consumers, drive up prices, and limit workers’ opportunities. Intermountain’s greedy behavior left skiers out in the cold all so they could line their own pockets and be on top of the ski market. Illegal and unfair practices by businesses big and small will not be tolerated by my office.”

In August 2021, John Meier, operator of Greek Peak Mountain, sold Toggenburg Mountain — a mainstay for Syracuse-area skiers and snowboarders — to its main competitor, Intermountain. Intermountain owns and operates the only other two ski resorts in the Syracuse area, Labrador and Song Mountains.

The OAG lawsuit alleges that Intermountain only purchased Toggenburg to shut out competition, which was made clear when it immediately closed Toggenburg and announced that Toggenburg would not reopen for the upcoming season. Instead of continuing to operate Toggenburg, Intermountain suggested its customers drive to Labrador or Song Mountain, so that Intermountain could capture the additional sales. 
Intermountain also publicly announced that it would insert a deed restriction barring future buyers from using Toggenburg as a ski resort ever again, thereby asserting itself as the only ski operator in the Syracuse area.