week of 1/8/03
 
 
 


Cataloochee Ski Resort buys ski area property from owners
SMN
Phoenix Ski Corporation, management company of Cataloochee Ski Area in Maggie Valley, has purchased the 110 acres of land on which the ski area operates from Sheep Pasture Development Corporation, a company led by Birmingham businessmen James Shepherd and Clarence Blair.

Thomas Alexander, Jr., president of Phoenix and son of Cataloochee founder Tom Alexander, said he feels with this sale of land the ski area’s place in the community is now assured. These sentiments were echoed by Tony Waddell, general manager and majority stockholder. Waddell said that since he came to Cataloochee he had hoped to make this purchase and ensure the long-term prospects of the area.

“During the last 12 years we have quadrupled the number of skiers and snowboarders at Cataloochee, added two new chairlifts (including a quad), as well as increased snowmaking capacity fivefold,” Waddell said. “This purchase of land from Sheep Pasture will put us in a position to continue this growth.’

Cataloochee Ski Area was operated for many years by the Alexander family, owners of the 1,000 acre Cataloochee Ranch on Fie Top Mountain. In 1961, on a hill behind the Cataloochee Ranch ranch house, Tom Alexander opened the first ski run south of Virginia using the new technology of snowmaking to bring skiing to the Deep South and wintertime tourists to the Southern Appalachians. The area moved to its present location in 1968 and was sold by the family in 1986 to Southeast Holding Company, a Charlotte-based company which operated it for three years before encountering financial difficulties.

Blair and Shepherd purchased the area in October of 1990 and leased it back to the Alexander family who formed Phoenix Ski Corporation and with Tony Waddell have operated it since that time. Blair stated that he and Shepherd have enjoyed their association with Cataloochee, and it was appropriate that it now be sold to the Alexanders and Waddell. “We have enjoyed sharing in the growth of Cataloochee,” said Blair, “and I have no doubt the best years are still ahead. The area is experiencing excellent growth and it will certainly continue.”

During the winter months Cataloochee Ski Area is a major tourism attraction and provides a large economic boost to Haywood County and most particularly to Maggie Valley during the shoulder season. It brings skiers from all over the southeastern United States, with especially large numbers from Florida and Georgia.