Cohee finalizes Fresno area ski resort deal, leaves Kirkwood

After a brief delay due to the issuing of a new 40-year special use permit by the U.S. Forest Service, the purchase of Sierra Summit Mountain Resort by ski industry veteran Tim Cohee closed May 21.

Cohee immediately returned the resort to its former name, China Peak.

“These types of transactions always have challenges at the very end,” Cohee, who has a history with China Peak, having been a member of the Snow Summit Ski Corporation management team when the resort was purchased in 1982, and until recently a member of the parent companies’ board of directors, said in a statement. “The Forest Service, specifically our local district team of Nancy Woolsey and Ray Porter in Prather, did a masterful job of moving our permit through the various levels, completing the process in three weeks, an amazing time frame given the amount of documentation necessary.”

Cohee, a 36-year ski industry veteran who spent the past 17 years as president of Kirkwood Mountain Resort, has indicated he will focus on providing a higher quality experience for the 2010-11 season, including overall service levels, food quality and an overall friendly vibe at China Peak.

Cohee resigned from his job at Kirkwood on April 30.