and the town chose to retain ownership of the ski area while leasing it to a separate company, Alpine Associates. On 22 December 2010, the Connecticut State Bond Commission approved $500,000 to be spent on maintenance on Powder Ridge. On 24 May 2011, the town of Middlefield approved a plan to sell the ski area to Alpine Ridge LLC, a Pennsylvania-based operator of ski areas. At the time, Alpine Ridge said it planned to upgrade facilities at the area, with a reopening by December 2013. However, on 25 October 2011, the town of Middlefield announced that Alpine Ridge had on 20 October informed the town's board of selectmen it no longer plans to buy the ski area. In February 2012, Middlefield approved a $1 million bid from Brownstone Exploration & Discovery Park, based in Portland, Connecticut, to buy Powder Ridge. In July 2012, the two parties signed an agreement for Brownstone to buy the ski area for $700,000, to be paid in $100,000 annual increments. Brownstone also agreed to invest $2 million into Powder Ridge to restore the ski area, though the company estimated it would cost an additional $1.5 million to bring the facilities to current standards. The sale closed on 13 September, and after some delays in the planned reopening for the 2013-2014 season, the park was reopened for skiing in early January 2014. During this time, Powder Ridge created a new rule requiring helmets while skiing/snowboarding on the mountain, making them the only mountain in Connecticut to have this rule in place. Mountain statistics Powder Ridge has 19 named trails on of skiable terrain. Snowmaking is available on , and night skiing on . 42% of trails are rated as beginner runs, 37% are intermediate, 21% advanced, and no runs rated as expert. There are a total of 6 lifts. The vertical drop is from the summit at an elevation of to the base at . Park features The park's total area covers , and includes facilities for freestyle skiing, snowboarding, snowtubing, racing, and snowbiking such as rails, jumps, and a full size half-pipe. There is also a restaurant/lodge and a retail store. The Mattabesett Trail crosses the summit of Powder Ridge. Summer Powder Ridge offers a variety of activities during the summer, including disk golf, synthetic skiing and snowboarding, mountain biking, tubing, and zip lines. References External links Powder Ridge Mountain Park & Resort 2014 Powder