Burke Mountain Resort has emerged from approximately nine years in federal receivership after Bear Den Partners bought the Northeast Kingdom ski area $11.5 million in April, ending the long-running EB-5 saga. The sale was finalized on May 2, 2025. The infusion of private capital and a fast-tracked redevelopment plan give campground, RV-park and outdoor-hospitality suppliers new reasons to pay attention to East Burke, Vermont.
The new owners say they will turn the winter-centric hill into a four-season playground within two years, overhauling lifts and snowmaking while adding bike trails, guest-tech upgrades and fresh food-and-beverage options.
Bear Den Partners blends regional know-how and operational muscle. Ken Graham, founder of Inverness Graham Investments and a Burke Mountain Academy graduate, supplies private-equity acumen. Jon Schaefer operates Berkshire East and Catamount Mountain Resort in Massachusetts and New York. Willy Booker, head of school at Burke Mountain Academy, rounds out the team with deep youth-snowsports ties.
That trio plans to triple snowmaking capacity, catching up on years of deferred maintenance and giving the resort a longer, more reliable season. A resortwide lift inspection is under way, and crews will replace worn components before next winter.
Operators of campgrounds eyeing their own infrastructure projects may note that pairing new pumps with variable-frequency drives and low-pressure guns can unlock utility rebates and lower power bills—savings that translate just as well to bathhouse boilers or pool systems.
Terrain expansion is next. New summit trails are on the drawing board, and the former Willoughby chair will be relocated and upgraded to serve an intermediate pod equipped with full snowmaking. The move offers a template for RV-park owners considering adventure-park spurs or hiking loops on adjacent acreage.
Summer revenue will get equal attention. Bear Den Partners is working with Kingdom Trails to cut additional mountain-bike routes, and a Nordic–snowshoe connector will link the Dashney Nordic Center with Mid-Burke.
An enlarged Mid-Burke Lodge will house a rental fleet that flexes with the calendar—bikes in July, touring skis in January. Parking-lot concerts, bundled QR-code passes that package hotel rooms with RV hookups, and cross-trained staff who pivot from lift operations to bike-park patrols show how properties of any size can stretch income beyond peak months.
Improvements continue indoors. Plans call for new reservation software, stronger Wi-Fi and expanded dining at the 116-room Burke Mountain Hotel.
A single cloud-based property-management system, contactless check-in kiosks and oversized conduit for future EV-charger circuits illustrate how to modernize guest tech without reopening trenches later.
Throughout the build-out, the partners say they will preserve Burke’s local character, rely on area vendors and boost the regional tourism workforce. Nearby campgrounds and RV parks could see an occupancy bump if bundled passes steer skiers and bikers into their sites.
Construction starts this summer with the snowmaking overhaul; the lift relocation is slated for the following off-season, and bike-trail design has already begun, according to a project outline. Industry peers watching for proof that a small ski hill can evolve into a year-round engine will be tracking Burke’s progress over the next 24 months.