A Mountain Stays in Good Hands Pomerelle's New Owners Are Anything But Outsiders

In an era when beloved independent ski areas are increasingly swallowed up by resort conglomerates, a small mountain tucked into the Albion range of southern Idaho is bucking the trend — and the community couldn't be more relieved.

Pomerelle Mountain Resort, a 500-acre powder paradise located roughly 45 minutes south of Burley and about 76 miles from Twin Falls, has officially changed hands. The Anderson family — who have owned and operated the resort since the early 1970s — have reached an agreement to sell the mountain to Zach Alexander, Pomerelle's longtime mountain manager, and his wife, Crystal. Ski Idaho confirmed the deal this week, and reaction across the Magic Valley was swift and warm.

"It's pretty much like keeping it in the family," Ski Idaho noted in its announcement — and that sentiment runs deeper than a polite press release. Zach Alexander is the grandson of Barry Whiting, Pomerelle's recently retired director of snowsports instruction, a man whose name is practically synonymous with the mountain itself. Crystal Alexander has her own roots at the resort, having previously worked there as a ski instructor. Together, the couple have four children and have spent the better part of their lives on these slopes.

For Zach, the transition from manager to owner is the culmination of nearly two decades of quiet, dedicated stewardship. He has spent those years not just keeping the lifts running, but cultivating the tight-knit culture that makes Pomerelle what it is. "I know my guests by name. I know every employee by name," he has said. "They're not just numbers. They're my extended family."

That philosophy — rare at any ski resort, let alone one that sees around 500 inches of snowfall annually — is exactly what loyal visitors have feared losing. Pomerelle has long prided itself on being the antithesis of the modern destination ski resort. There are no slope-side condos, no high-speed detachable quads, no Gucci boutiques in the lodge. What it does have is exceptional snow, reliably excellent grooming, a summit elevation of 8,762 feet (making it the second-highest base in Idaho, behind only Sun Valley), 31 trails, night skiing, and lift tickets priced so that a family from Burley or Twin Falls can actually afford a day on the mountain without taking out a second mortgage.

The resort also participates in the Indy Pass, placing it alongside dozens of other independent mountains that have banded together as an alternative to the Vail and Alterra empires, which now control dozens of resorts across North America — though none yet in Idaho.

Pomerelle's history stretches back to 1940, making it one of the oldest ski areas in the American West. The Anderson family took over in the early 1970s under patriarch Woody Anderson, who passed away in 2019, and Sandy Anderson has carried on the family's legacy in the years since. Their decision to sell to the Alexanders, rather than to an outside investor or a corporate entity, speaks volumes about what the family values most.

For the broader skiing community, the sale is a quiet but meaningful victory — proof that a mom-and-pop mountain can survive, and even thrive, on its own terms. In an industry that has seen consolidation reshape the landscape at a dizzying pace, Pomerelle remains stubbornly, proudly local.

The next chapter will look a lot like the last one: the same 500 acres of wind-sculpted Albion Mountain snowpack, the same familiar faces behind the rental counter, the same lift-line conversations between neighbors. Just with a new name on the deed — and, by all accounts, the right one.

Pomerelle Mountain Resort is located at 961 E. Howell Canyon Road, Malta, Idaho. More information is available at pomerelle.com.