Rhodes, South Africa – At an auction held Thursday in Johannesburg, South African business man and former Tiffindell skier Lew Campbell purchased the nation’s only ski resort for a relative bargain price of R5.5 million — or about US$669,000. It last sold in 2007 for an estimated R22 million (US$2.68 million)

Thursday’s auction of Tiffindell ski area was absolute, which meant that there was no minimum bid required. Included in the sale price are all of the 250-acre resort’s facilities, including lifts, snowmaking, overnight accommodation, restaurant, lounge, retail shop and more, as well as a 99-acre parcel already approved for additional development just below 3,000-meter Ben McDhui, the country’s highest peak.

Campbell owns Ski Deck, an indoor ski training facility in Ferndale, South Africa that teaches newcomers to the skiing and snowboarding using moving carpets.

Tiffindell’s new owner indicated that the ski area will require renovation work, and as a result he hopes to get the resort, closed since 2007, back up and running to welcome the country’s skiers and snowboarders by 2013 or 2014. Until then, local snow sliders will continue to have available AfriSki, just across the border in the tiny African nation of Lesotho.