Attorney general: Vail’s deal to buy New Hampshire ski area requires state approval

NEWBURY, N.H. (AP) — A public information session is set for Tuesday on a proposed takeover of the Mount Sunapee ski area by Vail Resorts.

Attorney General Gordon MacDonald wrote to Republican Gov. Chris Sununu on Friday saying the deal can’t proceed without the approval of the state Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

Vail announced on June 4 that it would be acquiring the operating rights to three ski areas owned by the Mueller family: Sunapee, Okemo in Vermont and Crested Butte in Colorado.

Since New Hampshire opted to lease out the previously-state-run Mount Sunapee in 1998, critics have complained that many of the ski area’s financial arrangements have been less than transparent.

The information session will be held Tuesday morning at the Newbury town offices.