Concord, NH – Leasing Cannon Mountain ski area in Franconia Notch, N.H., has been discussed on and off again for years. But the state’s lawmakers have now put the process into motion by sponsoring an amended version of House Bill 74, which would mandate that the state put the ski area out for lease.

The State of New Hampshire actually owns two ski areas. The second, Mount Sunapee in the southern town of Newbury, has been leased since 1998 to Triple Peaks LLC, the family owned conglomerate that owns and operates Okemo Mountain in Ludlow, Vt., and Crested Butte Mountain Resort in Colorado. Profits from that lease are reinvested into Cannon Mountain.

The bill was debated last week in the New Hampshire statehouse. Advocates for privatization argued that while the ski area earned a $1 million profit this winter, the state can’t afford to shell out for necessary capital improvements to the resort. Proponents advocate pumping the proposed lease payments for Cannon Mountain back into the state’s park system.

New Hampshire Governor John Lynch has previously voiced his opposition to privatizing Cannon. If the Senate Finance Committee votes the bill out of committee in the next two weeks, it will be voted on by the full Senate and if passed, will go on to the state House for review.