Cherry Creek, NY – New York State’s 2011-12 ski and snowboard season will launch later this month with one less ski area from which to choose.

After a dismal 2011 which included the total destruction by fire of its historic base lodge last winter, vandalism to virtually every one of its lifts this summer, and a burglary in August, the owners of Cockaigne Ski Area in Cherry Creek have thrown in the towel and the ski hill will not open this winter for the first time since 1955. Instead, they’re putting the ski area up for sale.

Without a base lodge it will be difficult to open this winter, says Cockaigne’s owner, 82-year-old Jack VanScoter, who adds that he’s reluctant to take on debt to rebuild. VanScoter says that they’ll actively market the resort in the far southwestern corner of New York State, 75 minutes south of Buffalo, and that several parties have already expressed interest in acquiring it.

The closure is expected to remove 200 seasonal jobs from the Chautauqua County economy.