North Powder, OR – Ski Anthony Lakes in eastern Oregon may have a new owner next year: Baker County.nThe ski area has been losing approximately $45,000 annually in recent years, and its owners for the past 12 years — Lee and Connie Kearney and Parke and Gail Ball of Vancouver, Wash., and Kim and Dana Kutsch of Salem, Ore. — have offered to transfer the ski area’s assets to the county. County officials, meanwhile, have been seriously considering the deal.

Skiers and snowboarders, as well as area businesses that rely upon the region’s only ski area, expressed support for the idea at a Wednesday meeting of the Baker County Board of Commissioners. County officials are considering using lodging tax revenue to offset a one year operating loss while they develop a business plan that potentially includes stronger marketing efforts, using county employees for maintenance and leasing out the restaurant facilities. A non-profit structure is also under consideration.

Ski Anthony Lakes has operated within Wallowa-Whitman National Forest in the Blue Mountains of eastern Oregon since the 1930s. It claims the state’s highest base elevation, while a triple chair and poma lift serve 300 acres of skiable terrain spanning 900 feet. Snowcat and cross-country skiing are also available.

Ski Anthony Lakes’ owners have asked the county to reach a decision by the end of August.