CRUCIAL YEAR FOR CHINA PEAK

While ski season is already underway, this year is an important one for China Peak. Another down year could mean the end of operations at the Central Valley’s only ski resort.

The resort is privately funded by owner Tim Cohee and his investors. After taking what Cohee described as “a multi-million dollar loss” last year, it cannot afford another down year.

Cohee has been in the ski industry for over 40 years. He has spent his time as a ski instructor, competitor, and most recently a senior executive at Kirkwood Mountain Resort. After buying Sierra Summit for $3.8 million dollars in 2010, Cohee and his small partnership group, China Peak LLC., changed the name back to the original.

The resort received just over two feet of snow for this year’s opening weekend and is hoping to stay open through the season. Last year, China Peak closed in early January.

If there is enough snow to have a good Christmas,  the resort will most likely be able to have a profitable season. This means expanding China Peak’s snow making system with another multi-million dollar investment to affirm that it will stay open for years to come.