A skier at Anthony Lakes Mountain Resort in March 2023.

BAKER CITY — After 14 years as general manager of Anthony Lakes Mountain Resort, Peter Johnson isn’t ready to leave the ski area in the Elkhorn Mountains northwest of Baker City.

But he is hoping to bring a fresh perspective to managing the resort.

Johnson will continue to oversee the Anthony Lakes Outdoor Recreation Association, which in addition to the ski area manages several Forest Service campgrounds, The Trailhead bike and ski shop in downtown Baker City, and the city-owned Quail Ridge Golf Course.

He has proposed that ALORA hire a new general manager who will focus on the ski area, both its winter operations and its summer offerings including meals and beverages from the Starbottle Saloon on summer weekends.

Johnson emphasized, though, that the transition is not a certainty.

“This is not something we have to do,” he said. “We won’t be doing it unless we find the right person. We’re not going to hire someone just to hire someone.”

He said his idea was prompted in part by the organization’s expanded role over the past decade or so.

When Johnson started, he managed the ski area only, and there was only one summer event on the mountain — the archery competition.

But since then the nonprofit has won contracts to manage Forest Service campgrounds near the ski area, at Phillips Reservoir and near Sumpter, opened The Trailhead, and signed a lease to manage the golf course.

“We’ve added a lot,” Johnson said.

John Wilson, president of the board of directors for ALORA, said he and Johnson have talked about seeking a new general manager for the ski area for the past three or four years.

Wilson agrees with Johnson that the key to the recruitment, which Johnson is overseeing, is to find a candidate who is well-suited to Anthony Lakes and the reputation it has built over its 61 years of operation as a locally run, family-friendly resort known for its powder snow and short lift lines.

“We need the right fit,” Wilson said.

He said ALORA’s goal is to hire a new general manager before the ski season starts late this year.

Wilson said that although the nonprofit has expanded its operations during Johnson’s tenure, to include campgrounds and the golf course, among others, ALORA has had to turn down other possible offers, including managing more campgrounds.

Wilson said ALORA officials have also talked with the Umatilla National Forest about the possibility of reopening Spout Springs ski area near Tollgate, which has been closed for several years.

If the nonprofit hires a new general manager for the ski area, that would allow Johnson to take the lead on possible new projects, Wilson said.

“If the opportunity to grow within our mission presents itself we’re going to take a hard look at it,” he said. “We have a reputation for getting things done.”

Johnson said a new general manager, in addition to overseeing the ski area, could help guide the effort to turn items in the resort’s 2023 master development plan into reality.

That document lists more than a dozen potential projects that ALORA would like to pursue, working with the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest. The ski area is on public land, and it operates under a permit from the Forest Service.

Projects in the development plan include building new downhill and cross-country ski trails as well as mountain bike trails, building new yurts, widening the Anthony Lakes Highway, building new employee housing, and installing a new septic system.

Johnson said a top priority is building a new ski and snowboard rental shop.

The overriding goal, he said, is to improve the resort while maintaining its traditional attributes.

Johnson said that although he’s excited about the potential to add a new general manager to ALORA’s leadership team, he is confident about the ski area’s future due to its staff, many of whom have been working there for at least a decade.

“I cannot thank our crew enough for their dedication and contribution in creating one of our favorite places to be,” he said. “It is an absolute honor to work with each and every one of them.”

“This is not something we have to do. We won’t be doing it unless we find the right person. We’re not going to hire someone just to hire someone.”

— Peter Johnson, general manager, Anthony Lakes Mountain Resort