CHARLEMONT — Jon Schaefer, whose family owns Berkshire East Mountain Resort, has conquered another mountain and taken over operations of Burke Mountain Resort in northern Vermont.

The $11.5 million purchase, which was approved by U.S. District Court Judge Darrin Gayles in Miami, Florida, in April, marks the end of a 10-year federal receivership for the mountain, and a new beginning under Schaefer and Bear Den Partners LLC.

In a memo sent to Berkshire East and Catamount Mountain Resort season pass holders, Schaefer said he and his partners had been working to purchase Burke Mountain Resort for four years with the goal of preserving the old-school charm of the nearly 70-year-old resort. He added he hopes to provide stability for the business’ future and celebrate its history, which has ties to the Schaefer family.

“My wife grew up skiing at Burke Mountain, my bachelor party was at the Kingdom Trails, and ever since I’ve been with her that’s been my home, too. It is also an amazing community with many of the same ethics as the Berkshires,” Schaefer wrote. “It’s been a pretty open secret at Berkshire East and Catamount, but for nearly the past five years I’ve been working on business plans, infrastructure development strategies and operational plans in order to make a run at buying Burke out of receivership with a great group of partners.”

Bear Den Partners is comprised of the Schaefer family; the Graham family represented by Ken Graham, whose father had briefly owned the resort in the early 2000s; Burke Mountain Academy, represented by Head of School Willy Booker; and other investors such as employees, pass holders and ski enthusiasts.

“Employees, pass holders, condo owners, residents and frequent visitors who stuck with this mountain through nine years of limbo, you are rock stars. You made it,” Schaefer wrote. “For the first time in nearly a decade, Burke Mountain isn’t the central player in an international investment scandal.”

Burke Mountain was placed under a federal receivership in 2016 after owner Ariel Quiros was accused of defrauding foreign investors more than $200 million.

Schaefer wrote that Bear Den Partners has prepared short-term and long-term plans for the resort, which include an additional $10 million in infrastructure upgrades.

Immediate priorities include expanding the resort’s snowmaking capacity and tripling the number of snow makers, and focusing on correcting years of deferred maintenance, such as repairing and upgrading lifts, in time for the 2025-2026 ski season, according to Schaefer. Bear Den Partners also plans to widen existing trails, clear new trails, and improve food, beverage and hotel offerings.

“First, we’re rebuilding the snowmaking system, long underpowered, to deliver more consistent, earlier and better snow. … At the same time, we will optimize the lift systems and take care of the other deferred maintenance that’s been put off for too long. And we’ll back our food and beverage and hospitality teams with better systems, more intelligent workflows and the resources they need to deliver,” Schaefer wrote. “The work is complex, but the goal is simple: we want you to go up the mountain more reliably, go down as many different trails as possible, eat and drink to your heart’s content, and sleep well in the community you call home — even if you live somewhere else.”

Bear Den Partners’ long-term plans for Burke Mountain include expanding other mountain sports options, such as cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and mountain biking.

“There’s so much more to come, more creative ways to optimize the resort, more rehabilitation of old facilities, more bike trails to enjoy, more thoughtful ways to add to the Burke experience and more chances to talk in person as we shape this new chapter together,” Schaefer wrote.

Reach Madison Schofield at 413-930-4579 or mschofield@recorder.com.