Pinedale, WY – It’s likely to be a long winter for skiers and snowboarders in Pinedale, Wyo., for White Pine Resort in the Wind River Mountains north of town won’t operate this season.

The decision by the community group Citizens to Save White Pine is the latest loss for skiing and snowboarding in Wyoming. The group purchased the resort from Wind River Resort Inc. (WRR) in October 2010 after WRR declined to open the ski area for 2010-11.

“It is with regret that our group, Citizens to Save White Pine, announces that White Pine Resort will not be opening for the 2011-2012 winter alpine ski season,” the group announced in a press release on Thursday. “All current operations will be suspended as of October 1st. We appreciate the community’s support for last season. Pre-purchased season passes can be refunded through the Great Outdoor Shop.”

First opened in 1939 as Surveyor Park Ski Area, the name was changed to White Pine in the 1960s before closing in 1988. It was rebuilt by WRR and reopened in 1999 before Citizens to Save White Pine stepped in to operate the ski area for the winter of 2010-11. White Pine ski area logged just over 16,000 skier visits this past season, largely from local residents.

Citizens to Save White Pine hope that the ski area can be revived if outside investment or a buyer can be found. Sublette County Commissioners in August declined to purchase the ski area from the group.

Pinedale-area skiers will be forced this winter to travel more than 80 miles this winter to Jackson Hole Mountain Resort in Teton Village for lift-served skiing and riding, or slightly less to Snow King in Jackson if the that resort operates this winter.