Attorney General James Announces Reopening of Toggenburg Mountain, Restoring Competition to Syracuse Ski Resorts

NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced that Intermountain Management (Intermountain) has sold Toggenburg Mountain (Toggenburg) to a new owner who plans to rebuild and reopen it for the 2027-28 ski season, restoring competition among Syracuse ski resorts. In October 2022, Attorney General James sued Intermountain for buying its only competitor, Toggenburg, and shutting it down, forcing Syracuse skiers to the two resorts owned by Intermountain. In March 2025, Attorney General James won her case when a judge ruled that Intermountain violated state antitrust law by stifling competition when it shut down Toggenburg and instituted a “no poach” agreement preventing Toggenburg’s owner from hiring any Intermountain employees at his other New York ski resorts. Under a settlement with the Office of the Attorney General (OAG), Intermountain today closed its sale of Toggenburg to Douglas Wheeler, a local business owner who plans to reopen the ski facility.

“Competition among Syracuse ski areas means more choices and better prices and services for New York skiers,” said Attorney General James. “We’re putting an end to Intermountain’s illegal monopoly that allowed it to raise prices and take advantage of skiers. I am thrilled that New Yorkers will once again have access to Toggenburg Mountain, and I will always fight to protect consumers and workers from illegal monopolies that try to profit at their expense.”

In 2021, Intermountain, the owner and operator of Labrador and Song Mountains, purchased and immediately shut down its only competitor, Toggenburg. At the same time, Intermountain paid the owners of Toggenburg to sign a non-competition agreement, prohibiting them from competing within a 30-mile radius for five years. The agreement even prevented the owners from attempting to hire Intermountain employees. As a result, Intermountain has been the only ski operator in the Syracuse area. Intermountain’s monopoly has meant that skiers have faced higher prices and more crowds with the elimination of Toggenburg, which has been abandoned since Intermountain purchased it.

After Attorney General James won her case against Intermountain, OAG advocated for a court-ordered sale of Toggenburg to an owner who would operate the property as a ski resort. Instead, Intermountain sought approval to sell Toggenburg to a buyer with no experience in the Syracuse area who proposed a housing development. The OAG has secured a settlement with Intermountain requiring it to sell Toggenburg to Mr. Wheeler, who will reopen the property as a ski resort. In addition to the sale of Toggenburg to Mr. Wheeler, Intermountain must pay $30,000 to New York and cannot seek to reacquire Toggenburg or enforce the “no-poach” agreement for four years.

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