MARYSVILLE — The Great Divide Ski Area is now officially under new ownership.
In early January, Shane and Betsy Moran and Travis and Rose Crawford took over the ski area outside Marysville. They purchased it from the previous owners, Kevin and Nyla Taylor.
The new owners say they’re settling in well to their new roles.
“Things have been going well,” said Travis Crawford. “We’ve had phenomenal skiing, we’ve had good numbers – we’ve had a good season so far.”
While they’re in new positions, the owners are very familiar with Great Divide. Betsy Moran is the former owners’ daughter, and Travis Crawford was previously the ski area’s general manager.
“We’ve all had a long history at the mountain,” Crawford said. “I think we all have a deep understanding of the mountain and the operations, and we have a desire to consider Kevin and Nyla’s tradition moving forward.”
The Taylors had owned Great Divide for almost 35 years. They had announced plans to transfer it to new owners in the fall of 2018, but the deal did not move forward.
“We didn’t want some out-of-state corporation coming in and buying the mountain and making big changes,” Crawford said. “We wanted to maintain the community feel; we wanted the ability for families to come up and feel that Montana ski area – that they can put their equipment down and not worry about what’s going on with it or anything, they can bring their family up here. It’s a very relaxed atmosphere, and we’re committed to maintaining that atmosphere.”
Crawford said the new owners want to make sure everything is running smoothly at Great Divide, then begin work on a long-term plan.
“Our overall goal is to raise our children here, and we want other Helena families to be able to bring their family up, learn to ski and fall in love with the sport,” he said.
Great Divide opened its season on Nov. 9. In recent years, the season has continued until early May.
You can find more information about Great Divide at https://skigd.com/.
