Douglas Wheeler has purchased the shuttered Central New York ski area and plans to rebuild it for the 2027–28 season, following the state’s antitrust case against Intermountain Management. This marks a significant step towards the Toggenburg Mountain reopening.

Toggenburg Mountain has a new owner and a planned return to skiing. New York Attorney General Letitia James announced October 16 that Intermountain Management has completed the sale of the property to local business owner Douglas Wheeler, who plans to rebuild and reopen the resort for the 2027–28 ski season, paving the way for the much-anticipated Toggenburg Mountain reopening.

The sale is the latest development in a case over Intermountain’s purchase and immediate closure of Toggenburg in 2021. It moves the dispute from a court finding about lost competition toward a practical remedy: returning the property to an owner who intends to operate it as a ski resort.

The announcement is about a future reopening. It does not mean Toggenburg is ready for skiers this winter. The stated target is the 2027–28 season, and the release does not announce ticket prices, an opening date or a construction schedule, but it emphasizes the importance of the Toggenburg Mountain reopening.

What changed since the earlier court ruling?

In March 2025, a judge ruled that Intermountain violated New York antitrust law by buying and closing its competitor and imposing an unlawful hiring restriction. Phoenix covered that ruling when it was announced.

At that point, further proceedings were needed to decide the remedy. The October 16 announcement supplies a new development: a completed sale under a settlement with the Office of the Attorney General.

According to the AG’s office, Intermountain closed its sale to Wheeler on October 16. Wheeler intends to restore the property’s use as a ski facility, rather than pursue the housing-development proposal described in the release.

The difference matters. A ruling can establish that conduct was unlawful without immediately restoring the service consumers lost. A sale to an independent operator is intended to make renewed competition possible.

What does the settlement require?

The AG’s announcement identifies three main parts of the resolution:

• Intermountain must sell Toggenburg to Wheeler, who plans to reopen the property as a ski resort.
• Intermountain must pay $30,000 to New York.
• For four years, Intermountain cannot seek to reacquire Toggenburg or enforce the “no-poach” agreement.

The sale has closed, according to the release. Rebuilding and reopening remain future steps. The $30,000 payment is to the state; the announcement does not describe it as a refund fund for skiers or an investment in the resort.

The restriction on reacquisition helps separate the new operation from the company whose conduct prompted the lawsuit. The hiring provision addresses another part of the case: competition for workers, alongside competition for customers.

How did the antitrust case begin?

Intermountain owns and operates Labrador and Song Mountains. In 2021, it purchased Toggenburg and immediately shut it down, according to the AG’s office.

The office said Intermountain also paid Toggenburg’s sellers to accept a five-year noncompetition agreement covering a 30-mile radius. The agreement included a restriction preventing the sellers from trying to hire Intermountain employees.

James sued in October 2022. The state alleged that eliminating Toggenburg as a competitor harmed Syracuse-area skiers through higher prices and more crowded facilities. These claims concern the market examined in the case, rather than every ski destination throughout Central New York.

In the March 10, 2025 announcement, the AG’s office reported that Judge Robert E. Antonacci II granted its motion for summary judgment. The court found that the acquisition and closure reduced consumer choice and that the no-poach agreement lacked a valid justification.

Why did the buyer’s plans matter?

After winning the case, the AG’s office sought a court-ordered sale to an owner who would operate Toggenburg as a ski resort.

Intermountain instead sought approval for a sale to a buyer proposing a housing development, according to the new announcement. The office described that proposed buyer as having no experience in the Syracuse area.

The settlement requires a sale to Wheeler, whose stated plan is to rebuild and reopen the ski facility. That intended use connects the transaction to the purpose of the case: restoring a choice that skiers lost when the mountain closed.

The release does not provide the sale price or identify a budget for rebuilding. It also does not list specific repairs, lift improvements or amenities. Those details should be established through future announcements rather than assumed from the reopening target.

What does this mean for Central New York skiers?

For people who travel within Central New York for winter recreation, the prospect of another operating resort is a meaningful development. The immediate news is renewed potential for choice. The practical benefit will depend on the facility reopening and the services its owner ultimately offers.

“Competition among Syracuse ski areas means more choices and better prices and services for New York skiers,” James said in the announcement.

James also said her office would continue protecting consumers and workers against unlawful monopolies. Her comments describe the state’s goals. They do not establish what Wheeler will charge for a pass or whether any particular family’s skiing costs will fall.

Readers considering future trips should wait for confirmed operating information before making plans around Toggenburg. The announcement does not offer advance ticket sales, lessons or lodging packages.

Questions readers are asking

Is Toggenburg reopening for the 2026–27 winter?

The announced plan is for the 2027–28 ski season. No earlier reopening is stated in the release.

Who owns Toggenburg now?

The AG’s office says the sale to local business owner Douglas Wheeler closed October 16 under the settlement with Intermountain.

Does Intermountain still own Labrador and Song Mountains?

The announcement identifies Intermountain as their owner and operator. It describes the sale of Toggenburg, rather than a sale of those two resorts.

What comes next?

The next developments to watch are Wheeler’s rebuilding plans, work at the property and confirmed details for the intended opening season. Those steps will show how a legal remedy becomes an operating ski area.

The case was handled by the AG’s Antitrust Bureau, including Assistant Attorneys General Ben Cole and Isabella Pitt, Senior Enforcement Counsel Michael Schwartz, Legal Assistant Chelle Velez and Deputy Bureau Chief Amy McFarlane, under Bureau Chief Elinor Hoffmann. The bureau is part of the Division for Economic Justice, overseen by Chief Deputy Attorney General Chris D’Angelo and First Deputy Attorney General Meghan Faux.

Source: New York Attorney General’s October 16 announcement, also received by email, and the office’s March 2025 case update. Featured image: AI-generated conceptual illustration, not a photograph of the property.