For the first time in its 49-year history, Powder Ridge Winter Recreation Area is now locally owned. On July 8, Layne Anderson and Jerry Wahlin purchased the ski area from the Stone family. “We had been discussing it the last six months and consummated the deal three months ago,” said Wahlin, who is from Cold Spring. “This is a good move for (Layne and me).” The previous owners, the Stone family, ran Powder Ridge since 1965 when they bought it from Don Dean, the St. Cloud businessman who opened it in 1958. The Minneapolis-based Stone family also owns Buck Hill in Burnsville. They hired Wahlin 19 years ago as a general manager and Anderson two years before that. Anderson, from Litchfield, started off as a lift operator and was quickly promoted to the position of operations manager. During his time as operations manager, Anderson worked closely with Wahlin and the two ended up managing Powder Ridge. “They (the Stone family) pretty much let us do what we wanted,” said Anderson. It was within the past two years that both men realized the Stone family owners were getting older and the possibility of Powder Ridge going up for sale was growing imminent. Anderson and Wahlin, however, were concerned that the arrival of new owners would bring major changes to Powder Ridge. “We’ve worked hard to get (Powder Ridge) to a position where it is a good business,” Wahlin said. “We want to keep it the way it is.” Wahlin estimates that he and Anderson have been running Powder Ridge for at least the last 18 years. In that time several improvements were made. They added 40 feet to the hill and installed a new chair lift. The size of the chalet was also increased to provide more seating room for functions and a new kitchen was built four years ago to boost the food service. But that’s just a summary of all that they have done. “There have been a lot of improvements,” Wahlin said. “We’ve done an awful lot (the last 18 years).” Now, after months of negotiating and dealing with the Stone family, Powder Ridge is theirs, split equally. But not much will change for Anderson and Wahlin. To them, taking over Powder Ridge was mainly to insure that things remain the same. Their new job titles may call for new responsibilities occasionally, but for the most part they will perform the same duties they did a month ago. “There will be no real changes for us,” Wahlin said. “We’ve run it before.” Powder Ridge will open its doors to snow-loving central Minnesotans in mid-November, as long as winter arrives on schedule, Wahlin added.
