{{Short description|American resort operator}} {{Use American English|date=January 2026}} {{Use mdy dates|date=September 2022}} {{More citations needed|date=May 2017}} {{Infobox company | name = Boyne Resorts | logo = Boyne Resorts.png | type = Private | founded = 1947 (as Boyne Ski Lodge) | hq_location = Boyne Falls, Michigan | key_people = Stephen Kircher, President and CEO | num_employees = 10,500+ full time and seasonal (2023) | website = {{URL|http://www.boyneresorts.com/}} }} '''Boyne Resorts''' is an owner and operator of ski and golf resorts in North America. The company employs over 10,000 full-time and seasonal staff. It operates 12 resort properties including 10 ski resorts, an adventure park, and 12 golf courses. The company, based in Boyne Falls, Michigan, owns and operates properties in the U.S. states of Michigan, Montana, Washington, Maine, New Hampshire, Tennessee, and Utah, and the Canadian province of British Columbia.<ref>https://www.nsaa.org/NSAA/Media/Who_Owns_Which_Mountain_Resorts.aspx</ref>
== History == Boyne Resorts was founded by Everett Kircher, Jim Christianson and John Norton in 1947.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.northernexpress.com/michigan/article-3808-ski-empire-boyne-mountain-celebrates-its-60th-anniversary.html |title=Ski Empire: Boyne Mountain celebrates its 60th anniversary |website=northernexpress.com |date=March 22, 2009 |access-date=3 July 2020}}</ref> They purchased a steep hill in Northern Michigan for $1 from former State Senator Pierson.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=-JLvKdmbA1AC&dq=jim+christianson+boyne&pg=PA37 Skiing Heritage Journal], Vol. 15, No. 2, June 2003, Published by International Skiing History Association, ISSN 1082-2895</ref> Then the co-founders bought a single chairlift from Sun Valley in Idaho and installed it at their Northern Michigan resort as its first lift. This chairlift was the first ever built and is still in service today, it has been upgraded several times.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Boyne-USA-Resorts-Company-History.html |title=Boyne USA Resorts |access-date=2008-01-17 |editor-last=Pederson |editor-first=Jay |year=2005 |work=International Directory of Company Histories, Vol. 71 |publisher=St. James Press }}</ref> In 1954, Boyne built and opened Gatlinburg SkyLift in Tennessee, a scenic chairlift that operated as a year-round tourist attraction.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.crainsdetroit.com/recreation/birth-and-growth-boyne-usa-northern-michigans-outdoor-sporting-empire |title=The birth and growth of Boyne USA, Northern Michigan's outdoor sporting empire |date=July 7, 2019 |website=Crain's Detroit Business}}</ref> In 1963, Boyne Highlands in Northern Michigan was added and by 1967, Boyne Mountain expanded to include additional lifts and a golf course. Robert Trent Jones designed the first resort course in the region at Boyne Highlands in 1966.{{Citation needed|date=December 2020}}
After Boyne passed opportunities to acquire Telluride Ski Resort in Colorado and Jackson Hole Mountain Resort in Wyoming,{{Citation needed|date=March 2022}} they closed a deal to purchase Chet Huntley's Big Sky Resort in 1976, only a few years after its opening in December 1973, and now is the second-largest ski resort in the United States by acreage.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/10/realestate/commercial/a-ski-resort-grows-under-an-expansive-montana-sky.html |title=A Ski Resort Grows Under an Expansive Montana Sky |website=The New York Times |date= Jan 10, 2017 |access-date=3 July 2020}}</ref> In 1986, Boyne purchased Brighton outside of Salt Lake City, Utah. In the 1990s, Boyne purchased golf courses in Michigan and Florida. 1997 brought along the company's fifth ski resort, Crystal Mountain, Washington.{{Citation needed|date=December 2020}}
In 2001, Boyne added its first Canadian resort, Cypress Mountain outside Vancouver, British Columbia. Cypress Mountain was the host to all the Freestyle and Snowboard events for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. In 2002, the company's founder and visionary, Everett Kircher died; his children maintained Boyne as a privately held company (Kircher had transferred ownership of the company to his children in 1976). Son, John Kircher oversaw the Brighton, Cypress Mountain, and Crystal Mountain operations. Son, Stephen Kircher was overseeing the Midwest operations as well as operations at Big Sky Resort. Daughter, Amy Kircher Wright served as the Chairperson of the board.<ref>{{cite news | first=Wolfgang | last=Saxon | title= Everett Kircher, Ski Resort Owner, Dies at 85 | date=2002-01-24 | url =https://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/24/business/everett-kircher-ski-resort-owner-dies-at-85.html | work =The New York Times | access-date = 2008-01-17 }}</ref> In 2007, Boyne Resorts entered into a sale and leaseback arrangement with CNL Income Properties on the Gatlinburg SkiLift, Brighton and Cypress Mountain. The leases run for at least 40 years to Boyne for operations and all have buy back provisions. Later in 2007, Boyne purchased Sunday River and Sugarloaf in Maine from The American Skiing Company and entered into a sale and leaseback arrangement with CNL Income Properties with similar 40-year leases.
On September 19, 2007, Boyne announced their purchase of CNL Income Properties leases for The Summit at Snoqualmie, Washington, and Loon Mountain, New Hampshire, from Booth Creek Resorts.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.snowindustrynews.com/articles/2018/september/boyne-resorts-names-leadership-of-newly-defined-regions/ |title=Boyne Resorts Names Leadership Of Newly Defined Regions |date=Sep 6, 2018 |website=snowindustrynews.com |access-date=3 July 2020}}</ref> This purchase made Boyne the largest family owned ski resort operator in North America in terms of number of resorts, and second in number of skier visits at almost 3.6 million visitors.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.boyneresorts.com/pressreleases/Releases/2007/CoastToCoastExpansio.html |url-status=dead |title=Boyne USA Resorts Announces Coast-To-Coast Expansion Acquisitions Expected to Increase Company Skier Days to 3.6 Million |date=September 19, 2007 |website=boyneresorts.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110513151039/http://www.boyneresorts.com/pressreleases/Releases/2007/CoastToCoastExpansio.html |archive-date=2011-05-13}}</ref>{{citation needed|date=July 2020}}
Boyne Resorts also holds or held numerous patents on snowmaking technologies and has unveiled its latest technology in the Boyne Low E Fan Gun throughout its eastern resorts.
In 2016, CNL Income Properties sold all six of the ski resorts they leased to Boyne to Och-Ziff Capital Management. On March 31, 2017, John Kircher, son of co-founder, acquired Crystal Mountain by trading it with his shares in the company.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2017/04/21/john-kircher-crystal-mountain-ski-resort-upgrades.html |title=John Kircher has big plans after buying out Crystal Mountain Ski Resort's owners |website=Puget Sound Business journal |date=Apr 21, 2017}}</ref> In March 2018, Boyne Resorts purchased Sunday River, Sugarloaf, The Summit at Snoqualmie, Loon Mountain, Brighton, Cypress Mountain Ski Area, and Gatlinburg SkyLift from Och-Ziff Capital Management after years of leasing the properties.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.saminfo.com/headline-news/9033-boyne-resorts-to-buy-seven-properties-from-oz-real-estate |title=Boyne Resorts to Buy Seven Properties from Oz Real Estate |website=saminfo.com |date=March 13, 2018 |access-date=3 July 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sltrib.com/news/business/2018/03/14/after-running-brighton-ski-area-for-years-boyne-will-own-it-again/ |title=After running Brighton ski area for years, Boyne will own it again |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180315011438/https://www.sltrib.com/news/business/2018/03/14/after-running-brighton-ski-area-for-years-boyne-will-own-it-again/ |url-status=live |archive-date=2018-03-15 |date=March 14, 2018 |website=The Salt Lake Tribune}}</ref> Crystal Mountain was sold to Alterra Mountain Company in 2018.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Geers|first=Kourtney|date=October 2, 2018|title=Alterra Mountain Company now has 14 destinations, nearing Vail Resorts' total|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/denver/news/2018/10/02/alterra-mountain-company-crystal-mountain-closing.html|access-date=February 17, 2021|website=Denver Business Journal}}</ref>
==Properties==
===Ski Resorts=== *Boyne currently owns and operates ten ski resorts in six U.S. states and one Canadian province. {|class="wikitable sortable" |- !Name !Location !Number of lifts !Date opened !Date acquired !Notes |- |Boyne Mountain |Boyne Falls, Michigan |10 |1947 |1948 | |- |The Highlands |Harbor Springs, Michigan |8 |December 26, 1963 |1963 | |- |Big Sky Resort |Madison County, Montana |36 |December 1973 |March 4, 1974 | |- |Brighton |Brighton, Utah |6 |1936 |1986 | |- |Cypress Mountain |Cypress Provincial Park, British Columbia |6 |1970 |2001 | |- |The Summit at Snoqualmie |Snoqualmie Pass, Washington |19 |1967 |rowspan="2"|October 5, 2007 |rowspan="2"|Acquired from Booth Creek Ski Holdings in 2007.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newenglandskihistory.com/skiareamanagement/boothcreekskiholdingsinc.php|title=Booth Creek Ski Holdings, Inc. - NewEnglandSkiHistory.com|website=www.newenglandskihistory.com|accessdate=18 April 2024}}</ref> |- |Loon Mountain |Lincoln, New Hampshire |13 |December 1966 |- |Pleasant Mountain |Bridgton, Maine |5 |January 23, 1938 |October 21, 2021 | |- |Sugarloaf |Carrabassett Valley, Maine |12 |1953 |rowspan="2"|August 8, 2007 |rowspan="2"|Acquired from ASC in 2007. |- |Sunday River |Newry, Maine |19 |December 19, 1959 |}
===Other Properties===
{| class="wikitable" ! Name !! Location !! Notes |- | Inn at Bay Harbor || Petoskey, Michigan |- | | Avalanche Bay Indoor Waterpark || Michigan || |- | Gatlinburg SkyPark || Tennessee || Damaged by fire in 2016, opened Gatlinburg SkyBridge in 2019 |}
== Retail stores == Boyne Resorts owns Boyne Country Sports, a sporting goods store chain with seven locations across Michigan.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Stores|url=https://boynecountrysports.com/pages/stores|access-date=2021-11-20|website=Boyne Country Sports|language=en}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * [http://www.boyneresorts.com Boyne Resorts] - Official site * [http://www.newenglandskihistory.com/skiareamanagement/boyneusaresorts.php Boyne USA Resorts - NewEnglandSkiHistory.com]
Category:Resorts in Michigan Category:Companies based in Michigan Category:Tourist attractions in Charlevoix County, Michigan Category:Skiing organizations