Mad River Glen Cooperative Board Votes To Exercise Its Right Of First Refusal To Buy Surrounding 1,100 Acres

Mad River Glen’s cooperative board has voted to exercise its right of first refusal to buy the surrounding 1,100 acres, matching a $2.5 million offer and moving to secure long‑term control of land that frames the Vermont ski area. The decision begins a shareholder approval process that could preserve public access and the mountain’s skier‑owned identity.

The Mad River Glen Cooperative (MRG) board voted unanimously to exercise its contractual right of first refusal after an outside party, identified as Lyme Mill Brook LLC and managed by Lyme Timber Company, offered $2.5 million for roughly 1,100 acres of land that surrounds the ski area. The parcel includes terrain known locally as the 19th and 20th areas, land north of Route 17, and acreage across Route 17 from the Battleground, all of which are contiguous with the ski area’s existing footprint.

The vote was triggered earlier this fall when the current landowner received a purchase offer from Lyme Mill Brook LLC, a family foundation managed by the Lyme Timber Company. Under the terms of a 30-year-old agreement, the Cooperative held the right to match any third-party offer to acquire the property, which includes cherished backcountry terrain known to locals as the "19th" and "20th" holes.

The right of first refusal was triggered on October 16, 2025, giving the co‑op a 30‑day window to decide whether to match the offer by November 15; exercising that right obligates the cooperative to seek shareholder approval within 75 days of the decision. Those procedural deadlines set a clear timetable for members to weigh the financial and conservation implications of the purchase.

"This is a unique opportunity to bring the entirety of Stark Mountain back under one ownership," said Ry Young, Mad River Glen’s marketing and events manager. "Owning the land and keeping it in a state of conservation is the goal."

The land in question was originally part of a larger holding owned by Betsy Pratt, the former owner and founder associated with Mad River Glen. Pratt previously split the property when the ski area was sold to the cooperative, a move intended to make the transition financially viable while keeping the mountain’s core assets intact. Acquiring the surrounding acreage would reunify much of that split ownership and give the co‑op greater control over future development, conservation, and public access decisions.

For a cooperative that markets itself as “America’s only skier‑owned mountain,” the acquisition is framed as both a defensive and strategic move: it prevents outside timber or development interests from altering the character of the slopes and adjacent terrain, and it offers the co‑op a chance to steward the land in line with its membership’s values.

While the land is currently protected from heavy development, the Cooperative board feared that ownership by a timber investment firm could alter public access or change the character of the forests that frame the legendary ski area.

"After 30 years, the co-op is in its strongest financial position ever," Young noted, but he emphasized that the mountain will not take on long-term debt to fund the purchase. Instead, MRG is partnering with the Stark Mountain Foundation to raise the necessary capital through donations.

The community response has been swift. According to cooperative officials, over $500,000 was pledged or donated almost immediately after the fundraising efforts began, leaving roughly $2 million to be raised before the closing deadline.

Mad River Glen’s leadership has presented the options and timeline to shareholders and the broader community, and members will now decide whether to commit the co‑op’s resources to the purchase or to waive the right and allow the third‑party sale to proceed. The outcome will shape the future of the mountain and its surrounding landscape for years to comesaminfo.com.