UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549



FORM 10-Q

☒  QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the quarterly period ended January 31, 2017.

OR

☐    TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the transition period from                   to                  .

Commission file number 001-35363

Peak Resorts, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)



(636) 938-7474
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.

Yes ☒   No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).

Yes ☒   No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company.  See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Large accelerated filer ☐Accelerated filer ☒

Non-accelerated filer   ☐  (Do not check if a smaller reporting company)Smaller reporting company  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).Yes ☐   No ☒

As of March 9, 2017,  13,982,400 shares of the registrant’s common stock were outstanding.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

PART I FINANICAL INFORMATION





 

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PART I:  FINANCIAL INFORMATION



Item 1.    Financial Statements



Peak Resorts Inc. and Subsidiaries

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets

(In thousands, except share and per share data)

See Notes to Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

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Peak Resorts, Inc. and Subsidiaries

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Earnings (Loss) (Unaudited)

(In thousands, except share and per share data)



See Notes to Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

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Peak Resorts Inc. and Subsidiaries

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Stockholders' Equity (Unaudited)

(In thousands except share data)

Nine Months ended January 31, 2017



See Notes to Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements. 

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Peak Resorts, Inc. and Subsidiaries

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (Unaudited)

(In thousands)

Nine Months ended January 31,

                          

See Notes to Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

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PEAK RESORTS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Three and Nine Months Ended January 31, 2017 and 2016

Note 1. Nature of Business

Description of business:  Peak Resorts, Inc. (the “Company”) and its subsidiaries operate in a single business segment—ski resort operations. The Company’s ski resort operations consist of snow skiing, snowboarding and snow sports areas in Wildwood and Weston, Missouri; Bellefontaine and Cleveland, Ohio; Paoli, Indiana; Blakeslee and Lake Harmony, Pennsylvania; Bartlett, Bennington and Pinkham Notch, New Hampshire; West Dover, Vermont; and Hunter, New York; and an eighteen‑hole golf course in West Dover, Vermont. The Company also manages hotels in Bartlett, New Hampshire; West Dover, Vermont; and Hunter, New York.

In the opinion of management, the accompanying financial statements have been prepared in accordance with United States generally accepted accounting principles for interim financial information and with Rule 10‑01 of Regulation S‑X and include all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring accruals) considered necessary for fair presentation of the interim periods presented.

Results for interim periods are not indicative of the results expected for a full fiscal year due to the seasonal nature of the Company’s business. Due to the seasonality of the ski industry, the Company typically incurs significant operating losses during its first and second fiscal quarters. The accompanying unaudited consolidated interim financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2016. 

Note 2. Significant Accounting Policies

Preferred Stock

The Company considers whether substantive redemption features exist in the instrument in which case it may be classified outside of equity, such as temporary equity or as a liability. Additionally, the Company evaluates whether the instrument contains any embedded or stand-alone instruments, which require separate recognition.  The Company presents mandatorily redeemable preferred stock as a liability and contingently redeemable preferred stock and preferred stock that is redeemable outside the control of the Company as temporary equity on the consolidated balance sheets. 

Warrants

The Company accounts for its warrants as either equity or liabilities based upon the characteristics and provisions of each instrument. Warrants classified as equity are recorded at fair value as of the date of issuance on the Company’s balance sheet and no further adjustments to their valuation are made. Warrants classified as a liability are recorded at fair value at each reporting period, and the corresponding non-cash gain or loss is recorded in current period earnings.  When warrants are issued in conjunction with preferred stock, the warrants are recorded based on the proceeds received allocated to the two elements’ relative fair values.



Basic and Diluted Earnings (Loss) per Common Share

Basic earnings (loss) per common share is computed by dividing net income (loss) available to common shareholders by the weighted average common shares issued and outstanding for the period. Net income (loss) available to common shareholders represents net income adjusted for preferred stock dividends including dividends declared, accretions of discounts on preferred stock issuances and cumulative dividends related to the current dividend period that have not been declared as of year-end. In addition, for diluted earnings (loss) per common share, net income (loss) available to common shareholders can be affected by the conversion of the registrant’s convertible preferred stock. Where the effect of this conversion would have been dilutive, net income (loss) available to common shareholders is adjusted by the associated preferred dividends. This adjusted net income (loss) is divided by the weighted average number of common shares issued and

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outstanding for each period plus amounts representing the dilutive effect of stock options outstanding, restricted stock, restricted stock units, outstanding warrants, and the dilution resulting from the conversion of the registrant’s convertible preferred stock, if applicable. The effects of convertible preferred stock and outstanding warrants and stock options are excluded from the computation of diluted earnings (loss) per common share in periods in which the effect would be antidilutive. Dilutive potential common shares are calculated using the treasury stock and if-converted methods.



New Accounting Standards

In July 2015, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued guidance in Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2015-11, Inventory (Topic 330): “Simplifying the Measurement of Inventory” ("ASU 2015-11”), which requires the Company to subsequently measure inventory at the lower of cost and net realizable value rather than the lower of cost or market. For public business entities, the guidance is effective on a prospective basis for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016, with early adoption permitted.  Pursuant to the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act (“JOBS Act”), the Company is permitted to adopt the standard for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016, and interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017.  The amendments in this update should be applied prospectively with earlier application permitted for all entities as of the beginning of an interim or annual reporting period. The Company plans to evaluate the impact of the adoption of ASU 2015-11 during fiscal year 2018 and its impact on financial statements, systems, and internal controls of the Company.  Based on the results of the evaluation, the Company will determine a transition approach and determine the full impact of the adoption on the financial statements. 

In November 2015, the FASB issued guidance in ASU 2015-17, Income Taxes (Topic 740): “Balance Sheet Classification of Deferred Taxes,” ("ASU 2015-17”) which requires deferred tax liabilities and assets be classified as noncurrent in a classified statement of financial position. For public business entities, the guidance is effective for financial statements issued for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016, and interim periods within those annual periods.  Pursuant to the JOBS Act, the Company is permitted to adopt the standard for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017 and interim periods within annual periods beginning after December 15, 2018.  Early application is permitted for all entities as of the beginning of an interim or annual reporting period. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of the adoption of ASU 2015‑17 on the consolidated financial statements.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, “Leases (Topic 842)” ("ASU 2016-02”). The pronouncement requires the recognition of a liability for lease obligations and a corresponding right-of-use asset on the balance sheet and disclosure of key information about leasing arrangements. This pronouncement is effective for reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2018 using a modified retrospective adoption method.  While the Company is currently evaluating the provisions of ASU 2016-02 to determine how it will be affected, the primary effect of adopting the new standard will be to record assets and obligations for current operating leases. 

 

In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-08, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606)” (“ASU 2016-08”), an update of ASU 2014-09, requiring an entity to recognize the amount of revenue to which it expects to be entitled for the transfer of promised goods or services to customers. ASU 2016-08 will replace most existing revenue recognition guidance under U.S. generally accepted accounting principles when it becomes effective and permits the use of either a full retrospective or retrospective with cumulative effect transition method. Early adoption is not permitted. The updated standard becomes effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016, including interim periods within that reporting period. Pursuant to the JOBS Act, the Company is permitted to adopt the standard for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017 and interim periods within annual periods beginning after December 15, 2018. The Company currently expects to adopt the new revenue standards in its first quarter of fiscal year 2020 utilizing the full retrospective transition method.  The Company does not expect adoption of the new revenue standards to have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements.

 

In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-09, “Compensation - Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting.” The new guidance requires entities to record all excess tax benefits and tax deficiencies as income tax expense or benefit in the income statement when the awards vest or are settled. The guidance also requires entities to present excess tax benefits as an operating activity and cash paid to a taxing authority to satisfy statutory withholding as a financing activity on the statement of cash flows. Additionally, the guidance allows entities to make a policy election to account for forfeitures either upon occurrence or by estimating forfeitures. The standard is effective for financial statements issued for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016.  Pursuant to the JOBS Act, the Company is permitted to adopt the standard for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017 and interim periods within annual periods beginning after December 15, 2018. Early adoption is permitted. The Company has not yet selected a transition method and is currently evaluating the effect that the updated standard will have on the consolidated financial statements.

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In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-15, “Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments.”  The new guidance is intended to reduce diversity in practice in how certain transactions are classified in the statement of cash flows.  For public business entities, the standard is effective for financial statements issued for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, and interim periods within those fiscal years. Pursuant to the JOBS Act, the Company is permitted to adopt the standard for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, and interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019. Early adoption is permitted, provided that all of the amendments are adopted in the same period. The guidance requires application using a retrospective transition method.  The Company is currently evaluating the impacts the adoption of this accounting standard will have on the Company’s statement of cash flows.



In November 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-18, “Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Restricted Cash.”  The new guidance is intended to add and clarify guidance on the classification and presentation of restricted cash in the statement of cash flows.  For public business entities, the standard is effective for financial statements issued for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, and interim periods within those fiscal years. Pursuant to the JOBS Act, the Company is permitted to adopt the standard for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, and interim periods thereafter. Early adoption is permitted. The guidance requires application using a retrospective transition method to all periods presented.  The Company expects to implement this standard in its first quarter of fiscal year 2020 utilizing the retrospective transition method. The Company, although still evaluating the impact, believes the adoption of this accounting standard will have an impact on the Company’s  presentation of the statement of cash flows.

In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-01, “Business Combinations (Topic 805)”. This update clarifies the definition of a business with the objective of adding guidance to assist entities with evaluating whether transactions should be accounted for as acquisitions (or disposals) of assets of businesses. ASU 2017-01 is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017 on a prospective basis. Pursuant to the JOBS Act, the Company is permitted to adopt the standard for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, and interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019. The Company is currently evaluating the impact that this update will have on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-04, “Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment (Topic 350)” (“ASU 2017-04”).  This update eliminates the current two-step approach used to test goodwill for impairment and requires an entity to apply a one-step quantitative test and record the amount of goodwill impairment as the excess of a reporting unit's carrying amount over its fair value, not to exceed the total amount of goodwill allocated to the reporting unit. ASU 2017-04 is effective for fiscal years, including interim periods within, beginning after December 15, 2019 (upon the first goodwill impairment test performed during that fiscal year). Pursuant to the JOBS Act, the Company is permitted to adopt the standard for interim or annual goodwill impairment tests in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2020. Early adoption is permitted for interim or annual goodwill impairment tests performed on testing dates after January 1, 2017. A reporting entity must apply the amendments in ASU 2017-04 using a prospective approach. The Company does not expect the adoption of ASU 2017-04 to have a material impact to its consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flow.

Note 3. Income Taxes

Deferred income tax assets and liabilities are measured at enacted tax rates in the respective jurisdictions where the Company operates. In assessing the ability to realize deferred tax assets, the Company considers whether it is more likely than not that some portion or all deferred tax assets will not be realized and a valuation allowance would be provided if necessary. The FASB Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 740, “Income Taxes,” also provides guidance with respect to the accounting for uncertainty in income taxes recognized in a Company’s consolidated financial statements, and it prescribes a recognition threshold and measurement attribute criteria for the consolidated financial statement recognition and measurement of a tax position taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. The Company does not have any material uncertain tax positions.

The income tax receivable is a result of the expected tax rate for the fiscal year ending April 30, 2017 applied to the loss before income tax for the nine months ended January 31, 2017. Due to the seasonality of the ski industry, the Company typically incurs significant operating losses during its first and second fiscal quarters.

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Note 4. Long‑term Debt / Line of Credit

Long‑term debt at January 31, 2017 and April 30, 2016 consisted of borrowings pursuant to the loans and other credit facilities discussed below, as follows (dollars in thousands):



Debt Restructure

On November 10, 2014, in connection with the Company’s initial public offering, the Company entered into a Restructure Agreement with certain affiliates of EPR Properties (“EPR”), the Company’s primary lender, providing for the (i) prepayment of approximately $75.8 million of formerly non-prepayable debt secured by the Crotched Mountain, Attitash, Paoli Peaks, Hidden Valley and Snow Creek resorts and (ii) retirement of one of the notes associated with the future development of Mount Snow (the “Debt Restructure”). On December 1, 2014, the Company entered into various agreements in order to effectuate the Debt Restructure, as more fully described in the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 5, 2014 and below (collectively, the “Debt Restructure Agreements”).  Pursuant to the Debt Restructure, the Company paid a defeasance fee of $5.0 million to EPR in addition to the consideration described below.

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In exchange for the prepayment right, the Company granted EPR a purchase option on the Boston Mills, Brandywine, Jack Frost, Big Boulder and Alpine Valley properties, subject to certain conditions.  If EPR exercises a purchase option, EPR will enter into an agreement with the Company for the lease of each such acquired property for an initial term of 20 years, plus options to extend the lease for two additional periods of ten years each. All previously existing option agreements between the Company and EPR were terminated.

Over the years, the Company has depreciated the book value of these properties pursuant to applicable accounting rules, and as such, it has a low basis in the properties. As a result, the Company will realize significant gains on the sale of the properties to EPR if the option is exercised. The Company will be required to pay capital gains tax on the difference between the purchase price of the properties and the tax basis in the properties, which is expected to be a substantial cost. To date, EPR has not exercised the option.

Additionally, the Company agreed to extend the maturity dates on all non-prepayable notes and mortgages secured by the Mount Snow, Boston Mills, Brandywine, Jack Frost, Big Boulder and Alpine Valley properties remaining after the Debt Restructure by seven years to December 1, 2034, and to extend the lease for the Mad River property, previously terminating in 2026, until December 31, 2034 (the “Lease Amendment”).

The Company also granted EPR a right of first refusal to provide all or a portion of the financing associated with any purchase, ground lease, sale/leaseback, management or financing transaction contemplated by the Company with respect to any new or existing ski resort property for a period of seven years or until financing provided by EPR for such transactions equals or exceeds $250 million in the aggregate. Proposed financings from certain types of institutional lenders providing a loan to value ratio of less than 60% (as relates to the applicable property being financed) are excluded from the right of first refusal. The Company granted EPR a separate right of first refusal in the event that the Company wishes to sell, transfer, convey or otherwise dispose of any or all of the Attitash ski resort for seven years.  The Attitash right excludes the financing or mortgaging of Attitash.

In connection with the Debt Restructure, the Company entered into a Master Credit and Security Agreement with EPR (the “Master Credit Agreement”) governing the restructured debt with EPR. Pursuant to the Master Credit Agreement, EPR agreed to maintain the following loans to the Company following the prepayment of certain outstanding debt with proceeds from the Company’s initial public offering: (i) a term loan in the amount of approximately $51.1 million to the Company and its subsidiary Mount Snow, Ltd., (included in the table above as the “Attitash/Mount Snow Debt”); (ii) a term loan in the amount of approximately $23.3 million to the Company and its subsidiaries Brandywine Ski Resort, Inc. and Boston Mills Ski Resort, Inc. (the “Boston Mills/Brandywine Debt”); (iii) a term loan in the amount of approximately $14.3 million to the Company and its subsidiary JFBB Ski Areas, Inc. (the “JFBB Debt” and together with the Boston Mills/Brandywine Debt, included in the table above as the “Credit Facility Debt”); and (iv) a term loan in the amount of approximately $4.6 million to the Company and its subsidiary Sycamore Lake, Inc. (included in the table above as the “Sycamore Lake (Alpine Valley) Debt”).

Interest will be charged at a rate of (i) 10.13% per annum as to each of the Boston Mills/Brandywine Debt and JFBB Debt; (ii) 10.40% per annum as to the Sycamore Lake (Alpine Valley) Debt; and (iii) 10.93% per annum pursuant to the Attitash/Mount Snow Debt.  Each of the notes governing the restructured debt provides that interest will increase each year by the lesser of the following: (x) three times the percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index as defined in the notes (“CPI”) from the CPI in effect on the applicable adjustment date over the CPI in effect on the immediately preceding adjustment date or (y) 1.5% (the “Capped CPI Index).  Past due amounts will be charged a higher interest rate and be subject to late charges.

 The Master Credit Agreement further provides that in addition to interest payments, the Company must pay the following with respect to all restructured debt other than the Attitash/Mount Snow Debt: an additional annual payment equal to 10% of the gross receipts attributable to the properties serving as collateral of the restructured debt (other than Mount Snow) for such year in excess of an amount equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (i) the annual interest payments payable pursuant to the notes governing the restructured debt (other than with respect to the Attitash/Mount Snow Debt) for the immediately preceding year by (ii) 10%.  The Company must pay the following with respect to the Attitash/Mount Snow Debt: an additional annual payment equal to 12% of the gross receipts generated at Mount Snow for such year in excess of an amount equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (i) the annual interest payments payable under the note governing the Attitash/Mount Snow Debt for the immediately preceding year by (ii) 12%.  An additional interest payment of $0.2 million was due for the three and nine months ended January 31, 2017.

  The Master Credit Agreement includes restrictions on certain transactions, including mergers, acquisitions, leases, asset sales, loans to third parties, and the incurrence of certain additional debt and liens. The Master Credit Agreement includes certain financial covenants, some of which were modified by the terms set forth in the Modification of Master Credit Agreements entered into by the Company and EPR effective as of October 24, 2016 (the “Modification Agreement”). The

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Modification Agreement modified the financial covenants of the Master Credit Agreement, Hunter Mountain Credit Agreement and Bridge Loan Agreement, as defined herein (together, the “EPR Credit Agreements”).

Financial covenants set forth in the Master Credit Agreement consist of a maximum leverage ratio (as defined in the Master Credit Agreement) of 65%, above which the Company and certain of its subsidiaries are prohibited from incurring additional indebtedness, and a consolidated fixed charge coverage ratio (as defined in the Master Credit Agreement) covenant. As modified by the Modification Agreement, no later than 30 days after the closing of the Private Placement with CAP 1 LLC, as defined in Note 5, “Private Placement,”  the Company shall deliver to the lender either (the “One Month Interest Obligation”) (i) a letter of credit in favor of the lender in the amount equal to one month of the lease payment obligations and debt service payments, as defined in the EPR Credit Agreements; or (ii) cash equal to the same amount. The terms of the Modification Agreement further provide that the lender may draw upon any letter of credit issued pursuant to the Modification Agreement upon the occurrence of certain events (the “Letter of Credit Events”), including, but not limited to, (i) any event of default under the EPR Credit Agreements; (ii) the Company’s failure to maintain a consolidated fixed charge coverage ratio of 1.50:1.00 on a rolling four quarter basis, as calculated pursuant to the terms of the EPR Credit Agreements, on or after May 1, 2017; and (iii) at any time within 60 days prior to the expiration date of any letter of credit. In the event of the occurrence of any Letter of Credit Events, the Company must replace the One Month Interest Obligation with (i) a replacement letter of credit in favor of the lender in the amount equal to three months of lease payment obligations and debt service payments, as defined in the EPR Credit Agreements; or (ii) cash in the same amount. Pursuant to the terms of the Modification Agreement, the Company must obtain the consent of the lender prior to redeeming any preferred or common stock.  The Private Placement closed on November 2, 2016, and the Company provided EPR with the One Month Interest Obligation letter of credit (the “Interest Letter of Credit”) in the amount of $1.1 million on December 1, 2016 in accordance with the terms of the Modification Agreement. The Interest Letter of Credit is collateralized by a certificate of deposit in the amount of $1.1 million.  The Master Credit Agreement prohibits the Company from paying dividends if the fixed charge coverage ratio is below 1.25:1.00 and during default situations. During the first two quarters of fiscal year 2017, the Company’s fixed charge coverage ratios fell below the required ratios, resulting in the actions described above. As of January 31, 2017, the Company is in compliance with all debt covenants. 

Under the terms of the Master Credit Agreement and pursuant to the Master Cross Default Agreement, as amended, the occurrence of a change of control is an event of default. A change of control will be deemed to occur if (i) within two years after the effective date of the Hunter Mountain Credit Agreement, the Company’s named executive officers (Messrs. Timothy Boyd, Stephen Mueller and Richard Deutsch) cease to beneficially own and control less than 50% of the amount of the Company’s outstanding voting stock that they own as of the effective date of the Master Credit Agreement, or (ii) the Company ceases to beneficially own and control less than all of the outstanding shares of voting stock of those subsidiaries which are borrowers under the Master Credit Agreement.  Other events of default include, but are not limited to, a default on other indebtedness of the Company or its subsidiaries.

None of the restructured debt may be prepaid without the consent of EPR. Upon an event of default, as defined in the Debt Restructure Agreements, EPR may, among other things, declare all unpaid principal and interest due and payable.  Each of the notes governing the restructured debt matures on December 1, 2034.

As a condition to the Debt Restructure, the Company entered into the Master Cross Default Agreement with EPR (the “Master Cross Default Agreement”). The Master Cross Default Agreement provides that any event of default under existing or future loan or lien agreements between the Company or its affiliates and EPR, and any event of default under the Lease Amendment, shall automatically constitute an event of default under each of such loan and lien agreements and Lease Amendment, upon which EPR will be entitled to all of the remedies provided under such agreements and Lease Amendment in the case of an event of default.

Also in connection with the Debt Restructure, the Company and EPR entered into the Guaranty Agreement (the “2014 Guaranty Agreement”).  The 2014 Guaranty Agreement obligates the Company and its subsidiaries as guarantors of all debt evidenced by the Debt Restructure Agreements. The table below illustrates the potential interest rates applicable to the Company’s fluctuating interest rate debt for each of the next five years, assuming an effective rate increase by the Capped CPI Index:



(1)  For 2017, the dates of the rates presented are as follows: (i) April 1, 2016 for the Attitash/Mount Snow Debt; (ii) October 1, 2016 for the Credit Facility Debt; (iii) January 6, 2016 for the Hunter Mountain Debt; and (iv) December 1, 2016 for the Sycamore Lake (Alpine Valley) Debt.

The Capped CPI Index is an embedded derivative, but the Company has concluded that the derivative does not require bifurcation and separate presentation at fair value because the Capped CPI Index was determined to be clearly and closely related to the debt instrument.

Wildcat Mountain Debt

The Wildcat Mountain Debt due December 22, 2020 represents amounts owed pursuant to a promissory note in the principal amount of $4.5 million made by WC Acquisition Corp. in favor of Wildcat Mountain Ski Area, Inc., Meadow Green‑Wildcat Skilift Corp. and Meadow Green‑Wildcat Corp. (the “Wildcat Note”). The Wildcat Note, dated November 22, 2010, was made in connection with the acquisition of Wildcat Mountain, which was effective as of October 20, 2010. The interest rate as set forth in the Wildcat Note is fixed at 4.00%.

Hunter Mountain Debt

On January 6, 2016, the Company completed the acquisition of the Hunter Mountain ski resort located in Hunter, New York through the purchase of all of the outstanding stock of each of Hunter Mountain Ski Bowl, Inc., Hunter Mountain Festivals, Ltd., Hunter Mountain Rentals, Inc., Hunter Resort Vacations, Inc., Hunter Mountain Base Lodge, Inc., and Frosty Land, Inc. (collectively, “Hunter Mountain”) pursuant to the terms of the Stock Purchase Agreement with Paul Slutzky, Charles B. Slutzky, David Slutzky, Gary Slutzky and Carol Slutzky-Tenerowicz entered into on November 30, 2015.  The Company acquired Hunter Mountain for total cash consideration of $35.0 million plus the assumption of two capital leases estimated at approximately $1.7 million. A portion of the Hunter Mountain acquisition price was financed pursuant to the Master Credit and Security Agreement (the “Hunter Mountain Credit Agreement”) entered into between the Company and EPR as of January 6, 2016.

The Hunter Mountain Debt due January 5, 2036 represents amounts owed pursuant to a promissory note (the “Hunter Mountain Note”) in the principal amount of $21.0 million made by the Company in favor of EPR pursuant to the Hunter Mountain Credit Agreement, which was effective as of January 6, 2016.  The Company used $20.0 million of the Hunter Mountain Debt to finance the Hunter Mountain acquisition and $1.0 million to cover closing costs and to add to its interest reserve account.

The Hunter Mountain Credit Agreement and Hunter Mountain Note provide that interest will be charged at an initial rate of 8.00%, subject to an annual increase beginning on February 1, 2017 by the lesser of the following: (x) three times the percentage increase in the CPI (as defined in the Hunter Mountain Note) from the CPI in effect on the applicable adjustment date over the CPI in effect on the immediately preceding adjustment date or (y) 1.75%.  Past due amounts will be charged a higher interest rate and be subject to late charges.

The Hunter Mountain Credit Agreement further provides that in addition to interest payments, the Company must pay an additional annual payment equal to 8.00% of the gross receipts in excess of $35.0 million that are attributable to all collateral under the Hunter Mountain Note for such year.

 The Hunter Mountain Credit Agreement includes restrictions or limitations on certain transactions, including mergers, acquisitions, leases, asset sales, loans to third parties, and the incurrence or guaranty of certain additional debt and liens. Financial covenants and dividend restrictions set forth in the Hunter Mountain Credit Agreement are identical to those set forth in the Master Credit Agreement, as modified by the Modification Agreement, described above.  In accordance with the terms of the Modification Agreement, the Company provided EPR with the Interest Letter of Credit on December 1, 2016 in the amount of $1.1 million, collateralized by a certificate of deposit for the same amount.  During the first two quarters of fiscal year 2017, the Company’s fixed charge coverage ratios fell below the required ratios, resulting in the actions described above.     As of January 31, 2017, the Company is in compliance with all debt covenants. 

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 Under the terms of the Hunter Mountain Credit Agreement, the occurrence of a change of control is an event of default. A change of control will be deemed to occur if (i) within two years after the effective date of the Hunter Mountain Credit Agreement, the Company’s named executive officers (Messrs. Boyd, Mueller and Deutsch) cease to beneficially own and control less than 50% of the amount of the Company’s outstanding voting stock that they own as of the effective date of the Hunter Mountain Credit Agreement, or (ii) the Company ceases to beneficially own and control less than all of the outstanding shares of voting stock of those subsidiaries which are borrowers under the Hunter Mountain Credit Agreement.  Other events of default include, but are not limited to, a default on other indebtedness of the Company or its subsidiaries.

The Hunter Mountain Note may not be prepaid without the consent of EPR. Upon an event of default, as defined in the Hunter Mountain Note, EPR may, among other things, declare all unpaid principal and interest due and payable. The Hunter Mountain Note matures on January 5, 2036.

In connection with entry into the Hunter Mountain Credit Agreement on January 6, 2016, the Company entered into the Amended and Restated Master Cross-Default Agreement with EPR, which adds the Hunter Mountain Credit Agreement, Hunter Mountain Note and related transaction documents to the scope of loan agreements to which the cross-default provisions of the Master Cross Default Agreement apply. 

Also on January 6, 2016, in connection with entry into the Hunter Mountain Credit Agreement, the Company entered into a Guaranty Agreement for the benefit of EPR, which adds the Company’s new Hunter Mountain subsidiary borrowers under the Hunter Mountain Credit Agreement as guarantors pursuant to the same terms of the 2014 Guaranty Agreement and adds the debt evidenced by the Hunter Mountain Credit Agreement and Hunter Mountain Note to the debt guaranteed by the Company pursuant to the 2014 Guaranty Agreement.

Substantially all of the Company’s assets serve as collateral for the Company’s long-term debt.

Future aggregate annual principal payments under all indebtedness (including the Company’ line of credit, current debt and long-term debt) reflected by fiscal year are as follows (in thousands):







Deferred financing costs are net of accumulated amortization of $1,192 and $482 at January 31, 2017 and April 30, 2016, respectively. Amortization of deferred financing costs will be $221 for the remainder of the year ending April 30, 2017, $939 for the year ended April 30, 2018 and $932 for each of the three years ending April 30, 2019,  2020 and 2021.

Line of Credit / Royal Banks of Missouri Debt

The remaining $15.0 million of the Hunter Mountain acquisition price was financed with funds drawn on the Company’s line of credit with Royal Banks of Missouri pursuant to the Credit Facility, Loan and Security Agreement (the “Line of Credit Agreement”) between the Company and Royal Banks of Missouri, effective as of December 22, 2015. The Company drew an additional $0.5 million to pay closing costs.  On July 20, 2016, the Company borrowed an additional $1.75 million under the Line of Credit Agreement for working capital purposes.  Additionally, on August 5, 2016, the Company borrowed the remaining $2.75 million under the Credit Agreement for working capital purposes, bringing the total principal amount borrowed under the Line of Credit Agreement to $20.0 million.

The Line of Credit Agreement provides for a 12-month line of credit for up to $20.0 million to be used for acquisition purposes and working capital of up to 5.0% of the acquisition purchase price, subject to the Company’s ability to extend the line of credit for up to an additional 12-month period upon the satisfaction of certain conditions. In connection with entry into the Line of Credit Agreement, the Company executed a promissory note (the “Initial Line of Credit Note”) in favor of Royal Banks of Missouri, pursuant to which the initial amounts borrowed under the Line of Credit Agreement matured on December 22, 2016 and January 6, 2017 and were repaid or converted, as described in the paragraph below. The additional $1.75 million borrowed by the Company on July 20, 2016 was borrowed pursuant to the terms of the Initial Line of Credit Note.  The remaining $2.75 million drawn under the Line of Credit Agreement on August 5, 2016 was borrowed

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pursuant to a second promissory note executed by the Company on August 5, 2016 (the “Second Line of Credit Note”), maturing on August 5, 2017.

On December 15, 2016 and January 5, 2017, the Company repaid $0.5 million and $5.0 million, respectively, of the total amount outstanding under the Line of Credit Agreement with proceeds from the Private Placement described in Note 5. On January 6, 2017, pursuant to the terms of the Line of Credit Agreement, the Company elected to convert $10.0 million of the outstanding amount to a term loan (included in the table above as the “Royal Banks of Missouri Debt”). The terms of the Royal Banks of Missouri Debt are evidenced by a promissory note in favor of Royal Banks of Missouri in the principal amount of $10.0 million, dated as of January 6, 2017 (the “Royal Banks Note”).

The Royal Banks of Missouri Debt bears interest at the prime rate plus 1.0% per annum. The Royal Banks Note matures on February 6, 2020. Except in the case of default, the Company may prepay the Royal Banks of Missouri Debt without penalty. From and after maturity of the Royal Banks Note and in the case of any default, interest on the unpaid principal and interest shall accrue at an annual rate equal to five percentage points over the rate of interest otherwise payable on outstanding amounts. Events of default under the Royal Banks Note include any default under the terms of the Line of Credit Agreement.

The Royal Banks Note is subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the Line of Credit Agreement, as described herein.

As of January 31, 2017, a total of $4.5 million remained outstanding under the Line of Credit Agreement, which includes $1.75 million borrowed pursuant to the terms of the Initial Line of Credit Note and $2.75 million borrowed pursuant to the Second Line of Credit Note. The remaining line of credit debt is included as a current liability given the initial 12-month term.

Interest on the amounts borrowed pursuant to the Initial Line of Credit Note is charged at the prime rate plus 1.0%, provided that past due amounts shall be subject to higher interest rates and late charges.  The effective rate at January 31, 2017 was 4.75% on the line of credit borrowings made pursuant to the Initial Line of Credit Note.

Interest on the amount borrowed pursuant to the Second Line of Credit Note is charged at 6.00% per annum, provided that past due amounts shall be subject to higher interest rates and late charges. The Company is required to make interest only payments under the Second Line of Credit Note.

The Line of Credit Agreement includes restrictions or limitations on certain transactions, including mergers, acquisitions, leases, asset sales, loans to third parties, and the incurrence of certain additional debt and liens. Financial covenants set forth in the Line of Credit Agreement consist of a maximum leverage ratio (as defined in the Line of Credit Agreement) of 65%, above which the Company is prohibited from incurring additional indebtedness, and a debt service coverage ratio (as defined in the Line of Credit Agreement) of 1.25:1.00 on a fiscal year basis.  The Line of Credit Agreement requires that the Company comply with the consolidated fixed charge coverage ratio requirements and provisions set forth in the Master Credit Agreement, as modified by the Modification Agreement, and includes identical dividend payment restrictions as the Master Credit Agreement.  In accordance with the terms of the Modification Agreement, the Company provided EPR with the Interest Letter of Credit on December 1, 2016 in the amount of $1.1 million, collateralized by a certificate of deposit for the same amount. During the first two quarters of fiscal year 2017, the Company’s fixed charge coverage ratios fell below the required ratios, resulting in the actions described above.  As of January 31, 2017, the Company is in compliance with all debt covenants.

If the outstanding line of credit debt is not paid in full by the maturity date, and the Company is otherwise in full compliance with the terms and conditions of the Line of Credit Agreement and Initial Line of Credit Note, the Company may elect to convert only the outstanding debt borrowed pursuant to the Initial Line of Credit Note to a three-year term loan, subject to an additional extension, with principal payments amortized over a 20-year period bearing interest at the prime rate plus 1.00% per annum. The amount borrowed pursuant to the Second Line of Credit Note is not subject to the renewal and conversion provisions of the Line of Credit Agreement.

Except in the case of a default, the Company may prepay all or any portion of the outstanding line of credit debt and all accrued and unpaid interest due prior to the maturity date without prepayment penalty.

In the case of a default, the outstanding line of credit debt shall, at the lender’s option, bear interest at the rate of 5.0% percent per annum in excess of the interest rate otherwise payable thereon, which interest shall be payable on demand.

Under the terms of the Line of Credit Agreement, the occurrence of a change of control is an event of default. A change of control will be deemed to occur if (i) for so long as the line of credit debt is outstanding and such individuals are employed by the Company, the Company’s key shareholders (Messrs. Timothy Boyd, Stephen Mueller and Richard Deutsch) cease to beneficially own and control less than 50% of the amount of the Company’s outstanding voting stock that they own

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as of the effective date of the Line of Credit Agreement, or (ii) the Company ceases to beneficially own and control less than all of the outstanding shares of voting stock of the subsidiary borrowers.  Other events of default include, but are not limited to, a default on other indebtedness of the Company or its subsidiaries.

Amounts outstanding under the Line of Credit Agreement are secured by the assets of each of the subsidiary borrowers under the Line of Credit Agreement.

West Lake Water Project and Carinthia Ski Lodge EB-5 Debt

The Company established two affiliate limited partnerships of Mount Snow, Carinthia Group 1, L.P. and Carinthia Group 2, L.P. (collectively, the ‘‘Partnership’’), to operate two Mount Snow development projects funded by $52.0 million raised by the Partnership pursuant to the U.S. government’s Immigrant Investor Program, commonly known as the EB-5 program (the “EB-5 Program”). The EB-5 Program was first enacted in 1992 to stimulate the U.S. economy through the creation of jobs and capital investments in U.S. companies by foreign investors. In turn, these foreign investors are, pending petition approval, granted visas for lawful residence in the U.S. Mount Snow GP Services LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Mount Snow, Ltd. (wholly owned by the Company), serves as the general partner for the Partnership.  The Company has evaluated the Partnership under ASC 810, “Consolidations,” and determined the Partnership does not require consolidation because the Company does not have a variable interest in the Partnership.

The Mount Snow development projects include: (i) the West Lake Water Project, which includes the construction of a new water storage reservoir for snowmaking; and (ii) the Carinthia Ski Lodge Project, which includes the construction of a new skier service building. In December 2016, the first I-526 petition submitted by an investor in the EB-5 Program was approved, and the $52.0 million was released from escrow to the Partnership. Upon release of the EB-5 Program funds, the Company was reimbursed in full for the approximately $15.0 million that the Company had invested in the construction of the Mount Snow development projects while awaiting release of the funds. The remaining $36.5 million is included in long-term asset restricted cash, construction, due to the earmark associated with the Mount Snow development project.

Mount Snow, Ltd.  formed West Lake Water Project LLC and Carinthia Ski Lodge LLC, each wholly owned by Mount Snow, Ltd., to manage the construction of the West Lake Water Project and Carinthia Ski Lodge Project, respectively.

Pursuant to the terms of the EB-5 Program, the Partnership is obligated to invest or loan the funds raised from its EB-5 investors in or to a business carrying on a commercial venture. In accordance with these requirements, on December 27, 2016, the Partnership entered into a loan agreement with West Lake Water Project LLC providing West Lake Water Project LLC a line of credit of up to $30.0 million (the “West Lake Loan Agreement”) to be used in the construction of the West Lake Water Project. In connection with entry into the West Lake Loan Agreement, West Lake Water Project LLC executed a line of credit note in favor of the Partnership in the amount of $30.0 million (the “West Lake Note”). The debt owed pursuant to the West Lake Loan Agreement and West Lake Note is included in the table above as the “West Lake Water Project EB-5 Debt.”

Also on December 27, 2016, the Partnership entered into a loan agreement with Carinthia Ski Lodge LLC providing Carinthia Ski Lodge LLC a line of credit of up to $22.0 million (the “Carinthia Lodge Loan Agreement”) to be used in the construction of the new Carinthia skier service building. In connection with entry into the Carinthia Lodge Loan Agreement, Carinthia Ski Lodge LLC executed a line of credit note in favor of the Partnership in the amount of $22.0 million (the “Carinthia Lodge Note”). The debt owed pursuant to the Carinthia Lodge Loan Agreement and Carinthia Lodge Note is included in the table above as the “Carinthia Ski Lodge EB-5 Debt.” Amounts borrowed pursuant to the EB-5 Loan Agreements, as defined below, can be used only for construction of the West Lake Water Project and Carinthia Ski Lodge Project.

The terms of the West Lake Loan Agreement and Carinthia Lodge Loan Agreement (together, the “EB-5 Loan Agreements”) and the West Lake Note and Carinthia Lodge Note (together, the “EB-5 Notes”) are identical. Amounts outstanding under the EB-5 Notes accrue simple interest at a fixed rate of 1.0% per annum until the maturity date, which is December 27, 2021, subject to extension of up to an additional two years at the option of the borrowers with lender consent. If the maturity date is extended, amounts outstanding under the EB-5 Notes will accrue simple interest at a fixed rate of 7.0% per annum during the first year of extension and a fixed rate of 10.0% per annum during the second year of extension.

Upon an event of default, amounts outstanding shall bear interest at the rate of 5.0% per annum, subject to the extension increases. Events of default under the EB-5 Loan Agreements include failure to make payments due; breaches of covenants, representations and warranties; incurrence of certain judgments and liens against the borrowers or assets; assignments or notice of bulk sales of assets on behalf of creditors; commencement of bankruptcy or dissolution proceedings; and cessation of the West Lake Water Project or Carinthia Ski Lodge Project prior to completion.

For so long as amounts under the EB-5 Loan Agreements are outstanding, the borrowers are restricted from taking certain actions without the consent of the lenders, including, but not limited to, transferring or disposing of the properties or

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assets financed with the loan proceeds; selling equity interests to any person other than the Company; merging; and making loans to or investing in affiliates or other persons.

The borrowers under the EB-5 Notes are prohibited from prepaying outstanding amounts owed if such prepayment would jeopardize any of the EB-5 investor limited partners’ ability to be admitted to the U.S. via the EB-5 Program.

As a condition to entry into each of the EB-5 Loan Agreements, the Company executed guaranties of collection (the “EB-5 Guaranties”) with respect to each of the West Lake Loan Agreement and Carinthia Lodge Loan Agreement pursuant to which the Company unconditionally guaranteed all amounts due under the EB-5 Notes owed to the Partnership. Pursuant to the terms of the EB-5 Guaranties, which are guaranties of collection rather than of payment, in the event the borrowers under the EB-5 Loan Agreements fail to make any payments due, or upon the acceleration of payments due, the lenders must exhaust any and all legal remedies for collection against the borrowers before proceeding against the Company.

Bridge Loan Financing

On September 1, 2016, the Company entered into the Master Credit and Security Agreement with EPR (the “Bridge Loan Agreement”) pursuant to which EPR agreed to loan up to $10.0 million to the Company for working capital purposes, subject to certain conditions and adjustment as provided in the Bridge Loan Agreement and as previously disclosed. Amounts borrowed pursuant to the Bridge Loan Agreement were evidenced by a promissory note (the “Bridge Loan Note”), also dated as of September 1, 2016. The Company borrowed a total of $5.5 million under the Bridge Loan Agreement and Bridge Loan Note. The total outstanding balance and all interest due was repaid by the Company upon receipt of the proceeds from the Private Placement, as defined in Note 5, which closed on November 2, 2016. 



Note 5. Private Placement



Purchase Agreement



On August 22, 2016, the Company entered into the securities purchase agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”) with CAP 1 LLC (the “Investor”) in connection with the sale and issuance (the “Private Placement”) of $20 million in Series A Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock, par value $0.01 per share (the “Series A Preferred Stock”), and three warrants (the “Warrants”) to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.01 per share (the “Common Stock”), as follows: (i) 1,538,462 shares of Common Stock at $6.50 per share; (ii) 625,000 shares of Common Stock at $8.00 per share; and (iii) 555,556 shares of Common Stock at $9.00 per share.  



The Purchase Agreement also grants to the Company the right to require the Investor to purchase an additional 20,000 shares of Series A Preferred Stock for $1,000 per share, along with additional warrants, all on the same terms and conditions as the Private Placement, as long as (i) there is no material adverse effect; (ii) the average closing price of the Common Stock for the ten trading days prior to the execution of the documents for such additional shares is not less than the average closing price of the Common Stock for the ten trading days prior to the execution of the Purchase Agreement; (iii) the Investor is reasonably satisfied with the manner in which the Company intends to use the net cash proceeds of such issuance; and (iv) the Company has successfully implemented an EB-5 Program with respect to Mount Snow and one investor’s application has approved.  The Company’s right to require the additional purchase expires two years from the closing of the Private Placement.



The Company’s stockholders approved the issuance of the Series A Preferred Stock and the Warrants at the Company’s 2016 Annual Meeting of Stockholders held on October 24, 2016. On November 2, 2016, the Company completed the sale and issuance of the Series A Preferred Stock and Warrants to the Investor.



On November 4, 2016, the Company used a portion of the proceeds from the Private Placement to repay the entire $5.5 million borrowed pursuant to the Bridge Loan Agreement and Bridge Loan Note described in Note 4 and an additional $1.1 million of the proceeds to fund the Interest Letter of Credit also described in Note 4.



The rights and preferences of the Series A Preferred Stock are set forth in the Certificate of Designation of Series A Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock filed by the Company with the Missouri Secretary of State on October 26, 2016 (the “Certificate of Designation”), and include, among other things, the following:



Ranking; Seniority



The Series A Preferred Stock shall generally rank, with respect to liquidation, dividends and redemption, (i) senior to common stock and to any other junior capital stock; (ii) on parity with any parity capital stock; (iii) junior to any senior

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capital stock; and (iv) junior to all of the Company’s existing and future indebtedness (except indebtedness issued on or prior to the Expiration Date (as defined below) that is convertible into or exercisable for any class or series of capital stock). 



Additionally, until the earlier of (i) such date as no Series A Preferred Stock remains outstanding and (ii) January 1, 2027 (such earlier date, the “Expiration Date”), the Company is prohibited from (i) creating or issuing capital stock (or securities convertible into capital stock) that grants holders the right to receive dividends or interest prior to the Expiration Date when there are accrued or unpaid dividends with respect to the Series A Preferred Stock or the right to receive any liquidation payment prior to the Expiration Date at a time when the Series A Preferred Stock holders have not received their full liquidation value of $1,000 per share of Series A Preferred Stock (the “Liquidation Value”); (ii) paying any dividend or interest on capital stock (or securities convertible into capital stock) when there are accrued or unpaid dividends with respect to the Series A Preferred Stock; (iii) paying any liquidation payment on capital stock (or securities convertible into capital stock) at a time when the Series A Preferred Stock holders have not received their full Liquidation Value; or (iv) issuing any indebtedness convertible into or exercisable for capital stock.



The Company shall not make any redemption payment on any capital stock (or any security convertible into capital stock) at any time prior to the Expiration Date when any shares of Series A Preferred Stock have not been redeemed except for the redemption of junior securities to the extent permitted under “Dividend Rights” below.  The foregoing shall not restrict the Company’s ability to create, authorize the creation of, issue, sell, or obligate itself to issue (i) any indebtedness (other than, prior to the Expiration Date, indebtedness convertible into capital stock); or (ii) any common stock (or any capital stock convertible into common stock (other than any capital stock that is prohibited by this paragraph)).



Dividend Rights



From and after the date that is nine months from the date of issuance, cumulative dividends shall accrue on the Series A Preferred Stock on a daily basis in arrears at the rate of 8% per annum on the Liquidation Value.  All accrued and accumulated dividends on the Series A Preferred Stock shall be paid prior and in preference to any dividend or distribution on or redemption of any junior securities, provided that the Company may, prior to the payment of all accrued and accumulated dividends on the Series A Preferred Stock, (i) declare or pay any dividend or distribution payable on the common stock in shares of common stock; or (ii) repurchase common stock held by employees or consultants of the Company upon termination of their employment or services pursuant to agreements providing for such repurchase.  The Company may also redeem or repurchase junior securities at any time when there are no accrued or accumulated unpaid dividends on the Series A Preferred Stock.



Liquidation



In the event of any liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Company, the holders of Series A Preferred Stock shall be entitled to be paid out of the assets of the Company available for distribution to its stockholders, before any payment shall be made to the holders of junior securities, and subject to the rights of any parity or senior securities, an amount in cash equal to $1,000 per share plus all unpaid accrued and accumulated dividends. The Series A Preferred Stock shall not be entitled to any further payment or other participation in any distribution of the available assets of the Company.  Neither the consolidation nor merger with or into any other person or entity, nor the voluntary sale, lease, transfer or conveyance of all or substantially all of the Company’s property or business, shall be deemed to constitute a liquidation.   



Redemption



The Series A Preferred Stock is subject to redemption at the option of the Company at a price per share equal to 125% of the Liquidation Value, plus all unpaid accrued and accumulated dividends, whether or not declared, at any time on or after the third anniversary of the issuance of the Series A Preferred Stock that the average closing price of the common stock on the 30 trading days preceding notice of the exercise of the redemption right is greater than 130% of the Conversion Price, as defined below (the “Redemption Price”).



In addition, upon a change of control, any holder of Series A Preferred Stock shall have the right to elect to have all or any portion of its then outstanding Series A Preferred Stock redeemed for cash at the Redemption Price by the Company or the surviving entity of such change of control.  The Redemption Price may, at the option of the Company, be paid in shares of common stock.  The change in control redemption features results in the Company not being solely in control of the redemption feature.  This means the Company does not control settlement by delivery of its own common shares (because, there is no cap on the maximum number of common shares that could be potentially issuable upon redemption). As such cash settlement of the instrument could be presumed and the instrument is currently classified as temporary equity. As of January

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31, 2017, the Series A Preferred Stock has not been adjusted to its redemption amount as the Company does not currently expect to exercise its redemption option and a change of control is not within the Company’s control.



Conversion



Upon the earlier of a change of control or the nine-month anniversary of the date of issuance, the holders of the Series A Preferred Stock have the right to convert the Series A Preferred Stock into shares of common stock equal to the number of shares to be converted, times the Liquidation Value, divided by the Conversion Price and receive in cash all accrued and unpaid dividends. The initial conversion price per share is $6.29, subject to adjustment pursuant to the terms of the Certificate of Designation (the “Conversion Price”). The conversion feature is not considered to be a beneficial conversion feature. Holders of the Series A Preferred Stock also have basic anti-dilution rights.



Voting Rights



Each holder of Series A Preferred Stock shall be entitled to vote, on an as-converted basis, with holders of outstanding shares of common stock, voting together as a single class, with respect to any and all matters presented to the stockholders of the Company.



Warrants



The terms of the Warrants issued in the Private Placement are all identical except for the number of shares for which the Warrants are exercisable and the exercise prices of each of the Warrants, which are as stated above. Each of the Warrants may be exercised in whole or in part at any time for a period of 12 years from the date of issuance. The exercise price must be paid in cash. The exercise price of the Warrants and the number of shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants are subject to adjustment in the event of a stock split, stock dividend, reorganization, reclassification, consolidation, merger, sale and similar transaction.



The following table shows the warrants outstanding for the nine months ending January 31, 2017.







Registration Rights Agreement

 

In connection with the closing of the Private Placement, on November 2, 2016, the Company entered into a Registration Rights Agreement with the Investor that grants the following registration rights with respect to the common stock issuable upon conversion of the Series A Preferred Stock and exercise of the Warrants, exercisable by the holders of a majority of the registrable securities: (i) at any time after six months following the closing date, demand registration rights on a Form S-3 (i.e., a short-form registration); (ii) at any time after six months following the closing date, demand registration rights on a Form S-1 (i.e., a long-form registration); and (iii) piggyback registration rights.

 

The Company is not required to effect more than four short-form registrations or two long-form registrations during any nine-month period or any demand registration unless the number of registrable securities sought to be registered is at least 30% of the registrable securities for a short-form registration or 50% of the registrable securities for a long-form registration and, in any event, not less than 100,000 registrable securities. The Company may delay the filing of or causing to be effective any registration statement if the Company determines in good faith that such registration will (i) materially and adversely affect the negotiation or consummation of any actual or pending material transaction; or (ii) otherwise have a material adverse effect, provided that the Company may not exercise such right to delay more than once in any consecutive 12 month period or for more than 90 days. The Registration Rights Agreement also includes customary provisions regarding market standoffs, registration procedures and expenses, blackout periods, indemnification, reporting required to comply with Rule 144 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and confidentiality.

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Stockholders’ Agreement



On November 2, 2016, in connection with the closing of the Private Placement, the Company entered into the Stockholders’ Agreement (the “Stockholders’ Agreement”) together with Timothy D. Boyd, Stephen J. Mueller and Richard K. Deutsch (the “Management Stockholders”) and the Investor.

 

The Stockholders’ Agreement provides that Investor has a right to nominate a director to sit on the Company’s board of directors so long as it beneficially owns, on a fully diluted, as-converted basis, at least 20% of the outstanding equity securities of the Company, subject to satisfaction of reasonable qualification standards and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee approval of the nominee. On November 2, 2016, the board of directors appointed Rory A. Held to serve as a director of the Company upon the nomination of the Investor pursuant to the terms of the Stockholders’ Agreement and the recommendation of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee.



The Stockholders’ Agreement restricts transfers of the Company’s securities by the Investor and the Management Stockholders, or subjects such transfers to certain conditions, except (i) to permitted transferees; (ii) pursuant to a public sale; (iii) pursuant to a merger or similar transaction; or (iv) with respect to the Investor, with the prior consent of the Company, which shall not be unreasonably withheld. Transferees of Management Stockholders (other than transferees pursuant to a public sale or merger or similar transaction) generally remain bound by the Stockholders’ Agreement. Transferees of the Investor (other than affiliates) do not have all of the Investor’s rights thereunder.

 

In the event of a desired transfer of equity securities held by Management Stockholders (other than pursuant to clauses (i) through (iii) in the paragraph above) the Investor may exercise a right of first offer to purchase all, but not less than all, of the offered shares and has tag along rights providing the Investor the right to participate in the transfer in accordance with the terms of the Stockholders’ Agreement.  In the event of a desired transfer of equity securities held by the Investor (other than pursuant to clauses (i) through (iii) in the paragraph above) the Company shall have a right of first refusal to purchase all, but not less than all, of the offered shares.

 

Pursuant to the terms of the Stockholders’ Agreement, for so long as at least 50% of the Series A Preferred Stock issued in the Private Placement is outstanding and the Investor beneficially owns, on a fully diluted, as-converted basis, at least 11.4% of the outstanding equity securities of the Company (the “11.4% Ownership Requirement”), the Investor shall have pre-emptive rights with respect to future issuances of securities, subject to standard exceptions. Furthermore, for so long as the Investor meets the 11.4% Ownership Requirement, the Investor’s approval is required in order for the Company or any subsidiary to (i) materially change the nature of its business from owning, operating and managing ski resorts; (ii) acquire or dispose of any resorts, assets or properties for aggregate consideration equal to or greater than 30% of the enterprise value of the Company and its subsidiaries; or (iii) agree to do any of the foregoing.

 

The Stockholders’ Agreement terminates upon the earliest of (i) the date on which none of the Investor or the Management Stockholders owns any equity securities; (ii) the dissolution, liquidation or winding up of the Company; (iii) a change of control; or (iv) the unanimous agreement of all stockholders party to the Stockholders’ Agreement.



Note 6. Acquisition



Effective January 6, 2016, the Company acquired all of the outstanding common stock of Hunter Mountain in Hunter, New York, for $35.0 million paid to the sellers in cash and the Company’s assumption of $1.7 million in capitalized lease obligations. During the year ended April 30, 2016, the Company incurred approximately $0.1 million in transaction costs.  The Company also incurred $1.3 million of financing costs which were capitalized as deferred financing costs associated with the debt obligations.

The Company financed $20.0 million of the acquisition price pursuant to the terms of the Hunter Mountain Credit Agreement and Hunter Mountain Note with EPR, which bears interest at a rate of 8.0%, subject to annual increases as discussed in Note 4, “Long-term Debt/Line of Credit/Bridge Loan Financing.”  The Company borrowed an additional $1.0 million under the Hunter Mountain Credit Agreement to fund closing and other costs. Debt under the Hunter Mountain Note requires monthly interest payments until its maturity on January 5, 2036. An additional $15.0 million of the Hunter Mountain acquisition price was financed through a draw on the Company’s line of credit with Royal Banks of Missouri, which bears interest at the prime rate plus 1.0% and matures on December 22, 2016, as discussed in Note 4.

Hunter Mountain’s results of operations are included in the accompanying consolidated financial statements for the quarter ended January 31, 2017 from the date of acquisition. The allocation of the purchase price is as follows (in thousands):





 

The Company paid $35.0 million for the transaction and as part of the allocation received $1.6 million in cash, resulting in a net cash change of $33.4 million in cash. As part of the transaction, the Company has recognized goodwill associated with the expected synergies of combining operations as well as the overall enterprise value of the resort.  No goodwill will arise for income tax purposes and accordingly, none of the book goodwill will be deductible for tax purposes.  Hunter Mountain will be considered its own reporting unit with respect to goodwill impairment, which will be completed at least annually. 



The following presents the unaudited pro forma consolidated financial information as if the acquisition of Hunter Mountain was completed on May 1, 2015, the beginning of the Company's 2016 fiscal year. The following pro forma financial information includes adjustments for depreciation and interest paid pursuant to the Hunter Mountain Note and property and equipment recorded at the date of acquisition. This pro forma financial information is presented for informational purposes only and does not purport to be indicative of the results of future operations or the results that would have occurred had the acquisition taken place on May 1, 2015 (in thousands except per share data): 







































Note 7. Financial Instruments and Concentrations of Credit Risk

The following methods and assumptions were used to estimate the fair value of each class of financial instruments to which the Company is a party:

Cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash:  Due to the highly liquid nature of the Company’s short‑term investments, the carrying values of cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash approximate their fair values.

Accounts receivable:  The carrying value of accounts receivable approximate their fair value because of their short‑term nature.

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Accounts payable and accrued expenses:  The carrying value of accounts payable and accrued liabilities approximates fair value due to the short‑ term maturities of these amounts.

Long‑term debt:  The fair value of the Company’s long‑term debt is estimated based on the quoted market prices for the same or similar issues or on the current rates offered to the Company for debt of the same remaining maturities. The interest rates on the Company’s long‑term debt instruments are consistent with those currently available to the Company for borrowings with similar maturities and terms and, accordingly, their fair values are consistent with their carrying values.

Concentrations of credit risk:  The Company’s financial instruments that are exposed to concentrations of credit risk consist primarily of cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash. The Company’s cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash are on deposit with financial institutions where such balances will, at times, be in excess of federally insured limits. Excess cash balances are collateralized by the backing of government securities. The Company has not experienced any loss as a result of those deposits.

Note 8. Commitments and Contingencies

Restricted cash:  The provisions of certain of the Company’s debt instruments generally require that the Company make and maintain a deposit, to be held in escrow for the benefit of the lender, in an amount equal to the estimated minimum interest payment for the upcoming fiscal year.  In addition, the Company is holding the earmarked construction funds associated with the West Lake Water and Carinthia Ski Lodge EB-5 Projects in restricted cash. 

Construction commitment: As of January 31, 2017, the Company had $4.2 million in third party commitments currently outstanding with its main contractor on the Mount Snow development project.

Loss contingencies:  The Company is periodically involved in various claims and legal proceedings, many of which occur in the normal course of business. Management routinely assesses the likelihood of adverse judgments or outcomes, including consideration of its insurable coverage and discloses or records estimated losses in accordance with ASC 450, “Contingencies”. After consultation with legal counsel, the Company does not anticipate that liabilities arising out of these claims would, if plaintiffs are successful, have a material adverse effect on its business, operating results or financial condition.

Leases:  The Company leases certain land, land improvements, buildings and equipment under non‑cancelable operating leases. Certain of the leases contain escalation provisions based generally on changes in the CPI with maximum annual percentage increases capped at 1.5% to 4.5%. Additionally, certain leases contain contingent rental provisions which are based on revenue. The amount of contingent rentals was insignificant in all periods presented. Total rent expense under such operating leases was $432 and $1,245 for the three and nine months ended January 31, 2017, respectively, and $438 and $1,298 for the three and nine months ended January 31, 2016, respectively. The Company also leases certain equipment under capital leases.

Future minimum rentals under all non‑cancelable leases with remaining lease terms of one year or more for years subsequent to January 31, 2017 are as follows (in thousands):

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Note 9.  Earnings (Loss) Per share

The computation of basic and diluted earnings (loss) per share for the three and nine month periods ended January 31, 2017 and 2016 is as follows (in thousands except share and per share data):





The Company has 50,283 outstanding unvested restricted stock units and 3,179,650 shares reserved for issuance upon the conversion of the Series A Preferred Stock as of January 31, 2017, and 21,336 outstanding unvested restricted stock units as of January 31, 2016 that have not been included in the calculation of diluted earnings per share because the impact is anti-dilutive due to the net loss for the periods.    













Note 10. Subsequent Events

Declaration of Cash Dividend

On February 15, 2017, the Company’s board of directors declared a cash dividend of $0.07 per common share payable on March 10, 2017 to shareholders of record on February 27, 2017. 

ITEM 2.   MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The following discussion of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with the condensed consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto included elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and with the audited consolidated financial statements included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2016. In addition to historical condensed consolidated financial information, the following discussion contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. See “Forward-Looking Statements” included elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.

Unless the context suggests otherwise, references in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q to the “Company”, “Peak”, “our”, “us”, or “we” refer to Peak Resorts, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries.

Overview



We are a leading owner and operator of high-quality, individually branded ski resorts in the U.S.  We currently operate 14 ski resorts primarily located in the Northeast and Midwest, 13 of which we own. The majority of our resorts are

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located within 100 miles of major metropolitan markets, including New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, Cleveland and St. Louis, enabling day and overnight drive accessibility. Our resorts are comprised of nearly 1,650 acres of skiable terrain that appeal to a wide range of ages and abilities. We offer a breadth of activities, services and amenities, including skiing, snowboarding, terrain parks, tubing, dining, lodging, equipment rentals and sales, ski and snowboard instruction and mountain biking and other summer activities. We believe that both the day and overnight drive segments of the ski industry are appealing given their stable revenue base, high margins and attractive risk-adjusted returns. We have successfully acquired and integrated 11 ski resorts since our incorporation in 1997 and we expect to continue executing this strategy.



We and our subsidiaries operate in a single business segment—resort operations. The consolidated unaudited financial data presented in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q is comprised of the data of our 14 ski resorts. Also included in the financial information presented are ancillary services, primarily consisting of food and beverage services, equipment rental, ski instruction, hotel/lodging and retail.

Seasonality and Quarterly Results

Our resort operations are seasonal in nature. In particular, revenue and profits for our operations are substantially lower and historically result in losses from late spring to late fall, which occur during our first and second fiscal quarters. Revenue and profits generated by our summer operations are not sufficient to fully offset our off-season expenses from our operations. Therefore, the operating results for any interim period are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be achieved for any subsequent quarter or for a full year.



Recent Events

We experienced unfavorably warm weather across all of our resorts during the 2015/2016 ski season. While weather trends during the 2016/2017 ski season have still trailed historical average levels, we have not experienced the significant weather challenges during the three months ended January 31, 2017 as experienced during the same period last year. Season pass sales from the beginning of the 2016/2017 ski season through the end of the third quarter were up 28.0% in units and 23.0% in dollars, compared to the prior year. In addition, paid skier visits for the Company’s 14-resort portfolio were up 40.0% through the end of the third quarter compared to the same prior-year period.  These preliminary, unaudited results are interim period data for the individually branded ski resorts and are subject to completion of the Company's customary year-end closing procedures.

We unveiled the new Peak Pass for the 2016/2017 winter season, which is our new multi-resort ski pass product that features a total of six pass options valid at seven different mountain locations across four states in the Northeast, including Mount Snow in Vermont; Attitash, Wildcat and Crotched Mountains in New Hampshire; Hunter Mountain in New York; and Jack Frost and Big Boulder in Pennsylvania.

At the beginning of fiscal 2017, the Company experienced lower than normal liquidity levels. The unfavorably warm weather during the 2015/2016 ski season resulted in fewer ski days and lower profitability for the Company. Furthermore, the Company experienced unexpected delays in the release of funds raised pursuant to the U.S. government’s Immigrant Investor Program (the “EB-5 program”), as more fully discussed in “Liquidity and Capital Resources – Significant Uses of Cash,” to finance the development of two capital projects at our Mount Snow resort—the West Lake Water Project and the Carinthia Ski Lodge Project. We raised $52.0 million for the Mount Snow development projects, which was sitting in escrow pending the approval of the first program investor’s I-526 Petition, as defined herein, at the beginning of fiscal 2017.

Based on the timeline originally anticipated for approval of the first investor’s I-526 Petition and corresponding release of EB-5 program funds from escrow, we commenced construction of the West Lake Water Project in the second half of calendar year 2015. Through the second quarter of fiscal 2017, we had funded approximately $15.0 million of the West Lake Water Project costs, for which we would be reimbursed once the EB-5 funds were released from escrow.  In December 2016, we received approval from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) for our first investor’s I-526 Petition, allowing the funds spent by the Company to be released from escrow and reimbursed to the Company in full.  We now estimate the West Lake Water Project will be substantially completed in advance of the 2017-2018 ski season, and the Carinthia Lodge Project substantially completed in advance of the 2018-2019 ski season.       

Due to our constrained liquidity position as a result of the unfavorable weather during the prior ski season and delay in the release of EB-5 program funds, the Company took a number of steps in fiscal 2017 to manage cash flow and improve the Company’s liquidity position. The Company borrowed additional funds for working capital and received significant capital in connection with a private placement, as discussed in more detail below. As a result of these steps, and with the release of EB-5 funds from escrow, we believe that we are now in a strong cash position to carry us through the 2017/2018 ski season.

Financing

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On July 20, 2016 and August 5, 2016, the Company borrowed an additional $1.75 million and $2.75 million, respectively, under its line of credit with Royal Banks of Missouri for working capital purposes. In addition, the Company entered into a new credit agreement with EPR Properties (“EPR”), its primary lender, pursuant to which the Company borrowed $5.5 million as a bridge loan for working capital purposes. See “Liquidity and Capital Resources—Line of Credit” and “Liquidity and Capital Resources—Bridge Loan Financing” for additional information. On November 4, 2016, we used a portion of the proceeds from the closing of the Private Placement discussed below to repay the entire $5.5 million outstanding under this credit agreement.

Private Placement

On August 22, 2016, the Company entered into the securities purchase agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”) with CAP 1 LLC (the “Investor”) in connection with the sale and issuance (the “Private Placement”) of $20 million in Series A Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock, par value $0.01 per share (the “Series A Preferred Stock”), and three warrants (the “Warrants”) to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock, as follows: (i) 1,538,462 shares of common stock at $6.50 per share; (ii) 625,000 shares of common stock at $8.00 per share; and (iii) 555,556 shares of common stock at $9.00 per share.   

The Purchase Agreement also grants to the Company the right to require the Investor to purchase an additional 20,000 shares of Series A Preferred Stock for $1,000 per share, along with additional warrants, all on the same terms and conditions as the Private Placement, as long as (i) there is no material adverse effect; (ii) the average closing price of the common stock for the ten trading days prior to the execution of the documents for such additional shares is not less than the average closing price of the common stock for the ten trading days prior to the execution of the Purchase Agreement; (iii) the Investor is reasonably satisfied with the manner in which the Company intends to use the net cash proceeds of such issuance; and (iv) the Company has successfully implemented an EB-5 program with respect to Mount Snow and one investor’s application has been approved.  The Company’s right to require the additional purchase expires two years from the closing of the Private Placement.

In order to close the Private Placement, the Company’s stockholders were required to approve amendments to the Company’s amended and restated articles of incorporation to provide for an increase in the number of authorized shares of common stock and authorize the creation of preferred stock. Pursuant to applicable rules of The Nasdaq Stock Market, the Company’s stockholders were also required to approve the issuance of the Series A Preferred Stock and the Warrants, as well as the issuance of shares of common stock upon the conversion of the Series A Preferred Stock and exercise of the Warrants pursuant to the terms of the Private Placement. The Company’s stockholders approved these matters on October 24, 2016 at the Company’s 2016 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. On November 2, 2016, the Company completed the sale and issuance of the Series A Preferred Stock and the Warrants to the Investor in the Private Placement.

The terms of the Series A Preferred Stock are set forth in the Certificate of Designation filed by the Company with the Missouri Secretary of State on October 26, 2016. The key terms of the Series A Preferred Stock are as follows:

The terms of the Warrants issued in the Private Placement are all identical except for the number of shares for which the Warrants are exercisable and the exercise prices of each of the Warrants. Each of the Warrants may be exercised in whole or in part at any time for a period of 12 years from the date of issuance. The exercise price must be paid in cash. The exercise price of the Warrants and the number of shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants are subject to

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adjustment in the event of a stock split, stock dividend, reorganization, reclassification, consolidation, merger, sale and similar transaction.

Concurrently with the closing of the Private Placement, the Company entered into the Registration Rights Agreement with the Investor providing the Investor with certain on-demand and piggy-back registration rights with respect to the common stock issuable upon conversion of the Series A Preferred Stock and exercise of the Warrants. In addition, the Company, management stockholders and the Investor executed the Stockholders’ Agreement upon the Private Placement closing, generally granting the Investor pre-emptive rights, rights of first offer, director nomination rights and approval rights over certain changes in the Company’s business and certain acquisitions and divestitures.

On November 2, 2016, the board of directors appointed Rory A. Held to serve as a director of the Company upon the nomination of the Investor pursuant to the terms of the Stockholders’ Agreement and the recommendation of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee.

Modification Agreement

The Company is currently a party to credit agreements with EPR that required the Company to pay to EPR an additional three months of lease payment obligations and debt service payments upon the Company’s failure to maintain a consolidated fixed charge coverage ratio of 1.50:1.00 on a rolling four quarter basis. In June 2016, the Company and EPR had determined that the Company did not maintain the necessary consolidated fixed charge coverage ratio for the year ended April 30, 2016.  The amount of the additional debt service deposits due to EPR was approximately $3.23 million.

Effective as of October 24, 2016, the Company and EPR entered into an agreement that eliminates the need of the Company to pay these additional debt service deposits, as required by the credit agreements. Instead, pursuant to the modification agreement, the additional debt service deposits due to EPR have been reduced to $1.1 million in cash or letter of credit, subject to increase upon failure to meet the fixed charge coverage ratio, which will not be measured again until on or after May 1, 2017.

The terms of the modification agreement became effective in connection with the closing of the Private Placement on November 2, 2016. On December 1, 2016, the Company provided a letter of credit to EPR in the amount of $1.1 million in satisfaction of the terms of the modification agreement. See “Liquidity and Capital Resources—Debt Restructure” for a more detailed discussion of the modification agreement.

Resort Acquisition

On January 6, 2016, the Company completed the acquisition of the Hunter Mountain ski resort located in Hunter, New York, through the purchase of all of the outstanding stock of each of Hunter Mountain Ski Bowl, Inc., Hunter Mountain Festivals, Ltd., Hunter Mountain Rentals, Inc., Hunter Resort Vacations, Inc., Hunter Mountain Base Lodge, Inc., and Frosty Land, Inc. (collectively, “Hunter Mountain”) pursuant to the terms of the Stock Purchase Agreement with Paul Slutzky, Charles B. Slutzky, David Slutzky, Gary Slutzky and Carol Slutzky-Tenerowicz entered into on November 30, 2015.  The Company acquired Hunter Mountain for total cash consideration of $35.0 million plus the assumption of two capital leases estimated at approximately $1.7 million.

A portion of the Hunter Mountain acquisition price was financed pursuant to the Master Credit and Security Agreement (the “Hunter Mountain Credit Agreement”) entered into between the Company and EPR, the Company’s primary lender, on January 6, 2016. The remainder was financed with funds drawn on the Company’s line of credit with Royal Banks of Missouri pursuant to the Credit Facility, Loan and Security Agreement (the “Line of Credit Agreement”) between the Company and Royal Banks of Missouri, effective as of December 22, 2015. See “Liquidity and Capital Resources—Significant Sources of Cash” for additional information.

Capital Projects 

The Company did not have any major capital projects in the quarter ended January 31, 2017.  In fiscal 2016, the Company had one major capital project. We started the construction of the West Lake Water Project at Mount Snow which has been financed through the EB-5 program.  The West Lake Water Project includes the construction of a new water storage reservoir for snowmaking with capacity of up to 120 million gallons.

 Results of Operations



The following historical unaudited consolidated statements of operations during the three and nine months ended January 31, 2017 and 2016 have been derived from the condensed unaudited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.  Effective January 6, 2016, we acquired the Hunter Mountain ski resort. The results of operations of Hunter Mountain have been included in our financial statements since the date of the acquisition.



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Comparison of Operating Results for the Three Months Ended January 31, 2017 and 2016



The following table presents our condensed unaudited consolidated statements of operations for the three months ended January 31, 2017 and 2016 (dollars in thousands):





















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Revenue increased $17.7 million, or 45.8%, for the three months ended January 31, 2017 compared to the three months ended January 31, 2016. The increase is attributable to more normalized weather patterns compared to the same period in the prior year.  In addition the full period impact of the Hunter Mountain acquisition, which was effective January 6, 2016, had a favorable impact in all revenue categories.

Resort operating expenses increased $8.3 million, or 32.8%, for the three months ended January 31, 2017 compared to the same period in the prior year.  This was primarily attributable to the impact of increased revenues in all categories and the full period impact of the Hunter Mountain acquisition.     

Depreciation and amortization increased $0.7 million, or 25.4%, for the three months ended January 31, 2017 compared to the three months ended January 31, 2016 as a result of assets acquired from the Hunter Mountain acquisition.

General and administrative expenses increased $0.7 million, or 62.4%, for the three months ended January 31, 2017 compared to the three months ended January 31, 2016 primarily driven by an increase in salary expense due to the adoption of the Annual Incentive Plan (“AIP”), a performance-based incentive program for key management employees.  In addition, there was an increase in director compensation due to the additional work associated with the closing of the Private Placement.  

During the three months ended January 31, 2016, the Company’s Mad River Mountain resort burned down due to a fire, resulting in a gain on involuntary conversion during the period.  The same period in the current year did not have any involuntary conversions. 

The increase in interest expense of $0.5 million resulted from the additional interest associated with the debt incurred for the acquisition of Hunter Mountain as well as additional borrowings associated with our Royal Banks of Missouri line of credit. 

Income tax expense increased $2.9 million as a result of an increase in the income before income tax expense of $7.4 million for the three months ended January 31, 2017 compared to the three months ended January 31, 2016.   

Comparison of Operating Results for the Nine Months Ended January 31, 2017 and 2016 



The following table presents our condensed unaudited consolidated statements of operations for the nine months ended January 31, 2017 and 2016 (dollars in thousands):













Revenues increased $21.7 million, or 43.2%, for the nine months ended January 31, 2017 compared to the nine months ended January 31, 2016 as a result of the addition of Hunter Mountain to our portfolio as well a return to more normalized weather patterns across our resort portfolio.    Increases were seen across all revenue categories.

Resort operating expenses, including labor and labor related expenses, retail and food and beverage cost of sales, power and utilities, and other expenses, were up $12.1 million, or 26.1%, for the nine months ended January 31, 2017 compared to the nine months ended January 31, 2016, primarily related to the addition of Hunter Mountain to our portfolio and associated costs related to improved revenue streams during the period.    

Depreciation and amortization increased $2.2 million, or 29.1%, for the nine months ended January 31, 2017 compared the nine months ended January 31, 2016 as a result of the addition of Hunter Mountain to our portfolio. 

General and administrative expenses increased $1.6 million, or 52.6%, for the nine months ended January 31, 2017 compared the nine months ended January 31, 2016 primarily driven by an increase in professional fees related to incremental legal costs and public company expenses as well as from an increase in salary expense due to the adoption of the AIP bonus program.

Real estate and other taxes increased $0.2 million, or 13.5%, for the nine months ended January 31, 2017 compared the nine months ended January 31, 2016 as a result of the addition of Hunter Mountain to our portfolio. 

During the nine months ended January 31, 2016, the company’s Mad River Mountain resort burned down due to a fire, resulting in a gain on involuntary conversion during the period.  The same period in the current year did not have any involuntary conversions.

The increase in interest expense of $1.4 million for the nine months ended January 31, 2017 compared to the nine months ended January 31, 2016 was primarily a result of the additional debt associated with our Hunter Mountain acquisition as well as additional borrowings associated with our Royal Banks of Missouri line of credit and EPR bridge loan financing.

Income tax benefit decreased $1.5 million as a result of a decrease in the loss before income tax benefit of $4.1 million for the nine months ended January 31, 2017 compared to the nine months ended January 31, 2016.  



Non-GAAP Financial Measures

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Reported EBITDA is not a measure of financial performance under U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”).   The following table includes a reconciliation of Reported EBITDA to net loss (in thousands):







We have chosen to specifically include Reported EBITDA (defined as net income before interest, income taxes, depreciation and amortization, gain on sale leaseback, investment income, other income or expense and other non‑recurring items) as a measurement of our results of operations because we consider this measurement to be a significant indication of our financial performance and available capital resources.  Because of large depreciation and other charges relating to our ski resorts, it is difficult for management to fully and accurately evaluate our financial results and available capital resources using net income. Management believes that by providing investors with Reported EBITDA, investors will have a clearer understanding of our financial performance and cash flow because Reported EBITDA: (i) is widely used in the ski industry to measure a company’s operating performance without regard to items excluded from the calculation of such measure, which can vary by company primarily based upon the structure or existence of their financing; (ii) helps investors to more meaningfully evaluate and compare the results of our operations from period to period by removing the effect of our capital structure and asset base from our operating structure; and (iii) is used by our management for various purposes, including as a measure of performance of our operating entities and as a basis for planning.

Items excluded from Reported EBITDA are significant components in understanding and assessing financial performance or liquidity. Reported EBITDA should not be considered in isolation or as alternative to, or substitute for, net income, net change in cash and cash equivalents or other financial statement data presented in the consolidated financial statements as indicators of financial performance or liquidity. Because Reported EBITDA is not a measurement determined in accordance with GAAP and is susceptible to varying calculations, Reported EBITDA as presented may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures of other companies.



Liquidity and Capital Resources



Significant Sources of Cash



Our available cash is the highest in our fourth quarter primarily due to the seasonality of our resort business. At the beginning of fiscal 2017, the Company experienced lower than normal liquidity levels.  The weather during the 2015/2016 ski season was unfavorably warm, which resulted in fewer ski days and lower profitability for the Company.  We had $33.9 million of cash and cash equivalents at January 31, 2017 compared to $5.4 million at April 30, 2016.  Cash of $2.1 million was provided from operating activities during the nine months ended January 31, 2017 compared to $8.1 million of cash provided from the nine months ended January 31, 2016 due to the increase in aged accounts payable during the first nine months of fiscal 2016 as a result of the liquidity issues during that period described above. We generate the majority of our cash from operations during the ski season, which occurs in our third and fourth quarters of our fiscal year. We currently anticipate that cash flow from operations will continue to provide a significant source of our future cash flows.  We expect that our liquidity needs for the near term and the next fiscal year will be met by continued operating cash flows (primarily those generated in our third and fourth fiscal quarters) and current cash reserves. 

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As described in more detail in “—Significant Uses of Cash,” the USCIS approved the first I-526 Petition submitted by an investor in the Company’s EB-5 program, upon which the $52.0 million raised in the EB-5 offering was released from escrow. The Company was reimbursed in full for the approximately $15.0 million of operating cash that the Company had used to begin construction on the West Lake Water Project. In addition, on November 2, 2016, the Company completed the Private Placement with the Investor pursuant to which it issued to the Investor 20,000 Shares of Preferred Stock and Warrants in exchange for $20.0 million. These actions have significantly strengthened the liquidity position of the Company and are discussed in more detail throughout this “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.”

Long-term debt at January 31, 2017 and April 30, 2016 consisted of borrowings pursuant to the loans and other credit facilities with EPR, our primary lender as follows (dollars in thousands):









Debt Restructure

On November 10, 2014, in connection with our initial public offering, we entered into a Restructure Agreement (the “Restructure Agreement”) with certain affiliates of EPR, providing for the (i) prepayment of approximately $75.8 million of formerly non-prepayable debt secured by the Crotched Mountain, Attitash, Paoli Peaks, Hidden Valley and Snow Creek

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resorts and (ii) retirement of one of the notes associated with the future development of Mount Snow (the “Debt Restructure”). On December 1, 2014, we entered into various agreements in order to effectuate the Debt Restructure, as more fully described in the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on December 5, 2014 and below (collectively, the “Debt Restructure Agreements”).  Pursuant to the Debt Restructure, we paid a defeasance fee of $5 million to EPR in addition to the consideration described below.

In exchange for the prepayment right, we granted EPR a purchase option on the Boston Mills, Brandywine, Jack Frost, Big Boulder and Alpine Valley properties, subject to certain conditions.  If EPR exercises a purchase option, EPR will enter into an agreement with the Company for the lease of each such acquired property for an initial term of 20 years, plus options to extend the lease for two additional periods of ten years each. All previously existing option agreements between the Company and EPR were terminated.

Additionally, we agreed to extend the maturity dates on all non-prepayable notes and mortgages secured by the Mount Snow, Boston Mills, Brandywine, Jack Frost, Big Boulder and Alpine Valley properties remaining after the Debt Restructure by seven years to December 1, 2034, and to extend the lease for the Mad River property, previously terminating in 2026, until December 31, 2034 (the “Mad River Lease Amendment”).

The Company also granted EPR a right of first refusal to provide all or a portion of the financing associated with any purchase, ground lease, sale/leaseback, management or financing transaction contemplated by the Company with respect to any new or existing ski resort property for a period of seven years or until financing provided by EPR for such transactions equals or exceeds $250 million in the aggregate. Proposed financings from certain types of institutional lenders providing a loan to value ratio of less than 60% (as relates to the applicable property being financed) are excluded from the right of first refusal. We granted EPR a separate right of first refusal in the event that the Company wishes to sell, transfer, convey or otherwise dispose of any or all of the Attitash ski resort for seven years.  The Attitash right excludes the financing or mortgaging of Attitash.

In connection with the Debt Restructure, the Company entered into a  Master Credit and Security Agreement with EPR (the “Master Credit Agreement”) governing the restructured debt with EPR. Pursuant to the Master Credit Agreement, EPR agreed to maintain the following loans to the Company following the prepayment of certain outstanding debt with proceeds from the Company’s initial public offering: (i) a term loan in the amount of approximately $51.1 million to the Company and its subsidiary Mount Snow, Ltd., (included in the table above as the “Attitash/Mount Snow Debt”); (ii) a term loan in the amount of approximately $23.3 million to the Company and its subsidiaries Brandywine Ski Resort, Inc. and Boston Mills Ski Resort, Inc. (the “Boston Mills/Brandywine Debt”); (iii) a term loan in the amount of approximately $14.3 million to the Company and its subsidiary JFBB Ski Areas, Inc. (the “JFBB Debt” and together with the Boston Mills/Brandywine Debt, included in the table above as the “Credit Facility Debt”); and (iv) a term loan in the amount of approximately $4.6 million to the Company and its subsidiary Sycamore Lake, Inc. (included in the table above as the “Sycamore Lake (Alpine Valley) Debt”).

Interest will be charged at a rate of (i) 10.13% per annum as to each of the Boston Mills/Brandywine Debt and JFBB Debt; (ii) 10.40% per annum as to the Sycamore Lake (Alpine Valley) Debt; and (iii) 10.93% per annum pursuant to the Attitash/Mount Snow Debt.  Each of the notes governing the restructured debt provides that interest will increase each year by the lesser of the following: (x) three times the percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index as defined in the notes (“CPI”) from the CPI in effect on the applicable adjustment date over the CPI in effect on the immediately preceding adjustment date or (y) 1.5%.  Past due amounts will be charged a higher interest rate and be subject to late charges.

  The Master Credit Agreement further provides that in addition to interest payments, the Company must pay the following with respect to all restructured debt other than the Attitash/Mount Snow Debt: an additional annual payment equal to 10% of the gross receipts attributable to the properties serving as collateral of the restructured debt (other than Mount Snow) for such year in excess of an amount equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (i) the annual interest payments payable pursuant to the notes governing the restructured debt (other than with respect to the Attitash/Mount Snow Debt) for the immediately preceding year by (ii) 10%.  The Company must pay the following with respect to the Attitash/Mount Snow Debt: an additional annual payment equal to 12% of the gross receipts generated at Mount Snow for such year in excess of an amount equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (i) the annual interest payments payable under the note governing the Attitash/Mount Snow Debt for the immediately preceding year by (ii) 12%.  An additional interest payment of $0.2 million was due for the three and nine months ended January 31, 2017.

The Master Credit Agreement includes restrictions on certain transactions, including mergers, acquisitions, leases, asset sales, loans to third parties, and the incurrence of certain additional debt and liens. The Master Credit Agreement includes certain financial covenants, some of which were modified by the terms set forth in the Modification of Master Credit Agreements entered into by the Company and EPR effective as of October 24, 2016 (the “Modification Agreement”). The Modification Agreement modified the financial covenants of the Master Credit Agreement, Hunter Mountain Credit Agreement and Bridge Loan Agreement, as defined herein (together, the “EPR Credit Agreements”).

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Financial covenants set forth in the Master Credit Agreement consist of a maximum leverage ratio (as defined in the Master Credit Agreement) of 65%, above which the Company and certain of its subsidiaries are prohibited from incurring additional indebtedness, and a consolidated fixed charge coverage ratio (as defined in the Master Credit Agreement) covenant. As modified by the Modification Agreement, no later than 30 days after the closing of the Private Placement, the Company shall deliver to the lender either (the “One Month Interest Obligation”) (i) a letter of credit in favor of the lender in the amount equal to one month of the lease payment obligations and debt service payments, as defined in the EPR Credit Agreements; or (ii) cash equal to the same amount. The terms of the Modification Agreement further provide that the lender may draw upon any letter of credit issued pursuant to the Modification Agreement upon the occurrence of certain events (the “Letter of Credit Events”), including, but not limited to, (i) any event of default under the EPR Credit Agreements; (ii) the Company’s failure to maintain a consolidated fixed charge coverage ratio of 1.50:1.00 on a rolling four quarter basis, as calculated pursuant to the terms of the EPR Credit Agreements, on or after May 1, 2017; and (iii) at any time within 60 days prior to the expiration date of any letter of credit. In the event of the occurrence of any Letter of Credit Events, the Company must replace the One Month Interest Obligation with (i) a replacement letter of credit in favor of the lender in the amount equal to three months of lease payment obligations and debt service payments, as defined in the EPR Credit Agreements; or (ii) cash in the same amount. Pursuant to the terms of the Modification Agreement, the Company must obtain the consent of the lender prior to redeeming any preferred or common stock.  The Private Placement closed on November 2, 2016, and the Company provided EPR with the One Month Interest Obligation letter of credit (the “Interest Letter of Credit”) in the amount of $1.1 million on December 1, 2016 in accordance with the terms of the Modification Agreement. The Interest Letter of Credit is collateralized by a certificate of deposit in the amount of $1.1 million. The Master Credit Agreement prohibits the Company from paying dividends if the fixed charge coverage ratio is below 1.25:1.00 and during default situations.  During the first two quarters of fiscal year 2017, the Company’s fixed charge coverage ratios fell below the required ratios, resulting in the actions described above.  As of January 31, 2017, the Company is in compliance with all debt covenants.

Under the terms of the Master Credit Agreement and pursuant to the Master Cross Default Agreement, as amended, the occurrence of a change of control is an event of default. A change of control will be deemed to occur if (i) within two years after the effective date of the Hunter Mountain Credit Agreement, the Company’s named executive officers (Messrs. Timothy Boyd, Stephen Mueller and Richard Deutsch) cease to beneficially own and control less than 50% of the amount of the Company’s outstanding voting stock that they own as of the effective date of the Master Credit Agreement, or (ii) the Company ceases to beneficially own and control less than all of the outstanding shares of voting stock of those subsidiaries which are borrowers under the Master Credit Agreement.  Other events of default include, but are not limited to, a default on other indebtedness of the Company or its subsidiaries.

None of the restructured debt may be prepaid without the consent of EPR. Upon an event of default, as defined in the Debt Restructure Agreements, EPR may, among other things, declare all unpaid principal and interest due and payable.  Each of the notes governing the restructured debt matures on December 1, 2034.



 Wildcat Mountain Debt

The Wildcat Mountain Debt due December 22, 2020 represents amounts owed pursuant to a promissory note in the principal amount of $4.5 million made by WC Acquisition Corp. in favor of Wildcat Mountain Ski Area, Inc., Meadow Green-Wildcat Skilift Corp. and Meadow Green-Wildcat Corp. (the “Wildcat Note”). The Wildcat Note, dated November 22, 2010, was made in connection with the acquisition of Wildcat Mountain, which was effective as of October 20, 2010. The interest rate as set forth in the Wildcat Note is fixed at 4.00%.

Hunter Mountain Debt

The Hunter Mountain Debt due January 5, 2036 represents amounts owed pursuant to a promissory note (the “Hunter Mountain Note”) in the principal amount of $21.0 million made by the Company in favor of EPR pursuant to the Hunter Mountain Credit Agreement in connection with the Company’s acquisition of Hunter Mountain, which was effective as of January 6, 2016.  The Company used $20.0 million of the Hunter Mountain Debt to finance the Hunter Mountain acquisition and $1.0 million to cover closing costs and to add to its interest reserve account.

The Hunter Mountain Credit Agreement and Hunter Mountain Note provide that interest will be charged at an initial rate of 8.00%, subject to an annual increase beginning on February 1, 2017 by the lesser of the following: (x) three times the percentage increase in the CPI (as defined in the Hunter Mountain Note) from the CPI in effect on the applicable adjustment date over the CPI in effect on the immediately preceding adjustment date or (y) 1.75%.  Past due amounts will be charged a higher interest rate and be subject to late charges.

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The Hunter Mountain Credit Agreement further provides that in addition to interest payments, the Company must pay an additional annual payment equal to 8.00% of the gross receipts in excess of $35.0 million that are attributable to all collateral under the Hunter Mountain Note for such year.

 The Hunter Mountain Credit Agreement includes restrictions or limitations on certain transactions, including mergers, acquisitions, leases, asset sales, loans to third parties, and the incurrence or guaranty of certain additional debt and liens. Financial covenants and dividend restrictions set forth in the Hunter Mountain Credit Agreement are identical to those set forth in the Master Credit Agreement, as modified by the Modification Agreement, described above.  In accordance with the terms of the Modification Agreement, the Company provided EPR with the Interest Letter of Credit on December 1, 2016 in the amount of $1.1 million, collateralized by a certificate of deposit for the same amount.  During the first two quarters of fiscal year 2017, the company’s fixed charge coverage ratios fell below the required ratios, resulting in the actions described above.  As of January 31, 2017, the Company is in compliance with all debt covenants.

Under the terms of the Hunter Mountain Credit Agreement, the occurrence of a change of control is an event of default. A change of control will be deemed to occur if (i) within two years after the effective date of the Hunter Mountain Credit Agreement, the Company’s named executive officers (Messrs. Timothy Boyd, Stephen Mueller and Richard Deutsch) cease to beneficially own and control less than 50% of the amount of the Company’s outstanding voting stock that they own as of the effective date of the Hunter Mountain Credit Agreement, or (ii) the Company ceases to beneficially own and control less than all of the outstanding shares of voting stock of those subsidiaries which are borrowers under the Hunter Mountain Credit Agreement.  Other events of default include, but are not limited to, a default on other indebtedness of the Company or its subsidiaries.

The Hunter Mountain Note may not be prepaid without the consent of EPR. Upon an event of default, as defined in the Hunter Mountain Note, EPR may, among other things, declare all unpaid principal and interest due and payable. The Hunter Mountain Note matures on January 5, 2036.

As a condition to the Debt Restructure described above, the Company entered into the Master Cross Default Agreement with EPR (the “Master Cross Default Agreement”), which provides that any event of default under existing or future loan or lien agreements between the Company or its affiliates and EPR, and any event of default under the Mad River Lease Amendment, shall automatically constitute an event of default under each of such loan and lien agreements and Mad River Lease Amendment, upon which EPR will be entitled to all of the remedies provided under such agreements and Mad River Lease Amendment in the case of an event of default. In connection with entry into the Hunter Mountain Credit Agreement on January 6, 2016, the Company entered into the Amended and Restated Master Cross-Default Agreement with EPR, which adds the Hunter Mountain Credit Agreement, Hunter Mountain Note and related transaction documents to the scope of loan agreements to which the cross-default provisions of the Master Cross Default Agreement apply. 

Also in connection with the Debt Restructure, the Company and EPR entered into the Guaranty Agreement (the “2014 Guaranty Agreement”).  The 2014 Guaranty Agreement obligates the Company and its subsidiaries as guarantors of all debt evidenced by the evidenced by the Master Credit Agreement and other Debt Restructure agreements.  On January 6, 2016, in connection with entry into the Hunter Mountain Credit Agreement, the Company entered into a Guaranty Agreement for the benefit of EPR, which adds the Company’s new Hunter Mountain subsidiary borrowers under the Hunter Mountain Credit Agreement as guarantors pursuant to the same terms of the 2014 Guaranty Agreement and adds the debt evidenced by the Hunter Mountain Credit Agreement and Hunter Mountain Note to the debt guaranteed by the Company pursuant to the 2014 Guaranty Agreement.

Substantially all of the Company’s assets serve as collateral for the Company’s long term debt.

Line of Credit / Royal Banks of Missouri Debt

The remaining $15.0 million of the Hunter Mountain acquisition price was financed with funds drawn on the Company’s line of credit with Royal Banks of Missouri pursuant to the Credit Facility, Loan and Security Agreement (the “Line of Credit Agreement”) between the Company and Royal Banks of Missouri, effective as of December 22, 2015. The Company drew an additional $0.5 million to pay closing costs.  On July 20, 2016, the Company borrowed an additional $1.75 million under the Line of Credit Agreement for working capital purposes.  Additionally, on August 5, 2016, the Company borrowed the remaining $2.75 million under the Credit Agreement for working capital purposes, bringing the total principal amount borrowed under the Line of Credit Agreement to $20.0 million.

The Line of Credit Agreement provides for a 12-month line of credit for up to $20.0 million to be used for acquisition purposes and working capital of up to 5.0% of the acquisition purchase price, subject to the Company’s ability to extend the line of credit for up to an additional 12-month period upon the satisfaction of certain conditions. In connection with entry into the Line of Credit Agreement, the Company executed a promissory note (the “Initial Line of Credit Note”) in favor of Royal Banks of Missouri, pursuant to which the initial amounts borrowed under the Line of Credit Agreement matured on December 22, 2016 and January 6, 2017 and were repaid or converted, as described in the paragraph below. The

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additional $1.75 million borrowed by the Company on July 20, 2016 was borrowed pursuant to the terms of the Initial Line of Credit Note.  The remaining $2.75 million drawn under the Line of Credit Agreement on August 5, 2016 was borrowed pursuant to a second promissory note executed by the Company on August 5, 2016 (the “Second Line of Credit Note”), maturing on August 5, 2017.

On December 15, 2016 and January 5, 2017, the Company repaid $0.5 million and $5.0 million, respectively, of the total amount outstanding under the Line of Credit Agreement with proceeds from the Private Placement. On January 6, 2017, pursuant to the terms of the Line of Credit Agreement, the Company elected to convert $10.0 million of the outstanding amount to a term loan (included in the table above as the “Royal Banks of Missouri Debt”). The terms of the Royal Banks of Missouri Debt are evidenced by a promissory note in favor of Royal Banks of Missouri in the principal amount of $10.0 million, dated as of January 6, 2017 (the “Royal Banks Note”).

The Royal Banks of Missouri Debt bears interest at the prime rate plus 1.0% per annum. The Royal Banks Note matures on January 6, 2020. Except in the case of default, the Company may prepay the Royal Banks of Missouri Debt without penalty. From and after maturity of the Royal Banks Note and in the case of any default, interest on the unpaid principal and interest shall accrue at an annual rate equal to five percentage points over the rate of interest otherwise payable on outstanding amounts. Events of default under the Royal Banks Note include any default under the terms of the Line of Credit Agreement.

The Royal Banks Note is subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the Line of Credit Agreement, as described herein.

As of January 31, 2017, a total of $4.5 million remained outstanding under the Line of Credit Agreement, which includes $1.75 million borrowed pursuant to the terms of the Initial Line of Credit Note and $2.75 million borrowed pursuant to the Second Line of Credit Note. The remaining line of credit debt is included as a current liability given the initial 12-month term.

Interest on the amounts borrowed pursuant to the Initial Line of Credit Note is charged at the prime rate plus 1.0%, provided that past due amounts shall be subject to higher interest rates and late charges.  The effective rate at January 31, 2017 was 4.75% on the line of credit borrowings made pursuant to the Initial Line of Credit Note.

Interest on the amount borrowed pursuant to the Second Line of Credit Note is charged at 6.00% per annum, provided that past due amounts shall be subject to higher interest rates and late charges. The Company is required to make interest only payments under the Second Line of Credit Note.

The Line of Credit Agreement includes restrictions or limitations on certain transactions, including mergers, acquisitions, leases, asset sales, loans to third parties, and the incurrence of certain additional debt and liens. Financial covenants set forth in the Line of Credit Agreement consist of a maximum leverage ratio (as defined in the Line of Credit Agreement) of 65%, above which the Company is prohibited from incurring additional indebtedness, and a debt service coverage ratio (as defined in the Line of Credit Agreement) of 1.25:1.00 on a fiscal year basis.  The Line of Credit Agreement requires that the Company comply with the consolidated fixed charge coverage ratio requirements and provisions set forth in the Master Credit Agreement, as modified by the Modification Agreement, and includes identical dividend payment restrictions as the Master Credit Agreement.  In accordance with the terms of the Modification Agreement, the Company provided EPR with the Interest Letter of Credit on December 1, 2016 in the amount of $1.1 million, collateralized by a certificate of deposit for the same amount.  During the first two quarters of fiscal year 2017, the Company’s fixed charge coverage ratios fell below the required ratios, resulting in the actions described above.     As of January 31, 2017, the Company is in compliance with all debt covenants.

If the outstanding line of credit debt is not paid in full by the maturity date, and the Company is otherwise in full compliance with the terms and conditions of the Line of Credit Agreement and Initial Line of Credit Note, the Company may elect to convert only the outstanding debt borrowed pursuant to the Initial Line of Credit Note to a three-year term loan, subject to an additional extension, with principal payments amortized over a 20-year period bearing interest at the prime rate plus 1.00% per annum. The amount borrowed pursuant to the Second Line of Credit Note is not subject to the renewal and conversion provisions of the Line of Credit Agreement.

Except in the case of a default, the Company may prepay all or any portion of the outstanding line of credit debt and all accrued and unpaid interest due prior to the maturity date without prepayment penalty.

In the case of a default, the outstanding line of credit debt shall, at the lender’s option, bear interest at the rate of 5.0% percent per annum in excess of the interest rate otherwise payable thereon, which interest shall be payable on demand.

Under the terms of the Line of Credit Agreement, the occurrence of a change of control is an event of default. A change of control will be deemed to occur if (i) for so long as the line of credit debt is outstanding and such individuals are employed by the Company, the Company’s key shareholders (Messrs. Timothy Boyd, Stephen Mueller and Richard Deutsch)

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cease to beneficially own and control less than 50% of the amount of the Company’s outstanding voting stock that they own as of the effective date of the Line of Credit Agreement, or (ii) the Company ceases to beneficially own and control less than all of the outstanding shares of voting stock of the subsidiary borrowers.  Other events of default include, but are not limited to, a default on other indebtedness of the Company or its subsidiaries.

Amounts outstanding under the Line of Credit Agreement are secured by the assets of each of the subsidiary borrowers under the Line of Credit Agreement.

West Lake Water Project and Carinthia Ski Lodge EB-5 Debt

The Company established two affiliate limited partnerships of Mount Snow, Carinthia Group 1, L.P. and Carinthia Group 2, L.P. (collectively, the ‘‘Partnership’’), to operate two Mount Snow development projects funded by $52.0 million raised by the Partnership pursuant to the U.S. government’s Immigrant Investor Program, commonly known as the EB-5 program. The EB-5 program is discussed in more detail in “—Significant Uses of Cash” below. Mount Snow GP Services LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Mount Snow, Ltd. (wholly owned by the Company), serves as the general partner for the Partnership. The Company has evaluated the Partnership under Accounting Standards Codification 810, “Consolidations” (“ASC 810”), and determined the Partnership does not require consolidation because the Company does not have a variable interest in the Partnership.

The Mount Snow development projects include: (i) the West Lake Water Project, which includes the construction of a new water storage reservoir for snowmaking; and (ii) the Carinthia Ski Lodge Project, which includes the construction of a new skier service building. In December 2016, the first I-526 petition submitted by an investor in the EB-5 Program was approved, and the $52.0 million was released from escrow to the Partnership. Upon release of the EB-5 Program funds, the Company was reimbursed in full for the approximately $15.0 million that the Company had invested in the construction of the Mount Snow development projects while awaiting release of the funds. The remaining $36.5 million is included in long-term asset restricted cash, construction, due to the earmark associated with the Mount Snow development project.

Mount Snow, Ltd. formed West Lake Water Project LLC and Carinthia Ski Lodge LLC, each wholly owned by Mount Snow, Ltd., to manage the construction of the West Lake Water Project and Carinthia Ski Lodge Project, respectively.

Pursuant to the terms of the EB-5 Program, the Partnership is obligated to invest or loan the funds raised from its EB-5 investors in or to a business carrying on a commercial venture. In accordance with these requirements, on December 27, 2016, the Partnership entered into a loan agreement with West Lake Water Project LLC providing West Lake Water Project LLC a line of credit of up to $30.0 million (the “West Lake Loan Agreement”) to be used in the construction of the West Lake Water Project. In connection with entry into the West Lake Loan Agreement, West Lake Water Project LLC executed a line of credit note in favor of the Partnership in the amount of $30.0 million (the “West Lake Note”). The debt owed pursuant to the West Lake Loan Agreement and West Lake Note is included in the table above as the “West Lake Water Project EB-5 Debt.”

 Also on December 27, 2016, the Partnership entered into a loan agreement with Carinthia Ski Lodge LLC providing Carinthia Ski Lodge LLC a line of credit of up to $22.0 million (the “Carinthia Lodge Loan Agreement”) to be used in the construction of the new Carinthia skier service building. In connection with entry into the Carinthia Lodge Loan Agreement, Carinthia Ski Lodge LLC executed a line of credit note in favor of the Partnership in the amount of $22.0 million (the “Carinthia Lodge Note”). The debt owed pursuant to the Carinthia Lodge Loan Agreement and Carinthia Lodge Note is included in the table above as the “Carinthia Ski Lodge EB-5 Debt.” Amounts borrowed pursuant to the EB-5 Loan Agreements, as defined below, can be used only for construction of the West Lake Water Project and Carinthia Ski Lodge Project.

The terms of the West Lake Loan Agreement and Carinthia Lodge Loan Agreement (together, the “EB-5 Loan Agreements”) and the West Lake Note and Carinthia Lodge Note (together, the “EB-5 Notes”) are identical. Amounts outstanding under the EB-5 Notes accrue simple interest at a fixed rate of 1.0% per annum until the maturity date, which is December 27, 2021, subject to extension of up to an additional two years at the option of the borrowers with lender consent. If the maturity date is extended, amounts outstanding under the EB-5 Notes will accrue simple interest at a fixed rate of 7.0% per annum during the first year of extension and a fixed rate of 10.0% per annum during the second year of extension.

Upon an event of default, amounts outstanding shall bear interest at the rate of 5.0% per annum, subject to the extension increases. Events of default under the EB-5 Loan Agreements include failure to make payments due; breaches of covenants, representations and warranties; incurrence of certain judgments and liens against the borrowers or assets; assignments or notice of bulk sales of assets on behalf of creditors; commencement of bankruptcy or dissolution proceedings; and cessation of the West Lake Water Project or Carinthia Ski Lodge Project prior to completion.

For so long as amounts under the EB-5 Loan Agreements are outstanding, the borrowers are restricted from taking certain actions without the consent of the lenders, including, but not limited to, transferring or disposing and of the properties

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or assets financed with the loan proceeds; selling equity interests to any person other than the Company; merging; and making loans to or investing in affiliates or other persons.

The borrowers under the EB-5 Notes are prohibited from prepaying outstanding amounts owed if such prepayment would jeopardize any of the EB-5 investor limited partners’ ability to be admitted to the U.S. via the EB-5 Program.

As a condition to entry into each of the EB-5 Loan Agreements, the Company executed guaranties of collection (the
“EB-5 Guaranties”) with respect to each of the West Lake Loan Agreement and Carinthia Lodge Loan Agreement pursuant to which the Company unconditionally guaranteed all amounts due under the EB-5 Notes owed to the Partnership. Pursuant to the terms of the EB-5 Guaranties, which are guaranties of collection rather than payment, in the event the borrowers under the EB-5 Loan Agreements fail to make any payments due, or upon the acceleration of payments due, the lenders must exhaust any and all legal remedies for collection against the borrowers before proceeding against the Company.

Bridge Loan Financing

On September 1, 2016, the Company entered into the Master Credit and Security Agreement with EPR (the “Bridge Loan Agreement”) pursuant to which EPR agreed to loan up to $10.0 million to the Company for working capital purposes, subject to certain conditions and adjustment as provided in the Bridge Loan Agreement and as previously disclosed. Amounts borrowed pursuant to the Bridge Loan Agreement were evidenced by a promissory note (the “Bridge Loan Note”), also dated as of September 1, 2016. The Company borrowed a total of $5.5 million under the Bridge Loan Agreement and Bridge Loan Note. The total outstanding balance and all interest due was repaid by the Company upon receipt of the proceeds from the Private Placement, as defined in Note 5, which closed on November 2, 2016. 



Nine Months Ended January 31, 2017 Compared to the Nine Months Ended January 31, 2016

Cash of $2.1 million was provided by operating activities in the first nine months of fiscal 2017, a decrease of $6.0 million when compared to the $8.1 million provided by the first nine months of fiscal 2016.  The decrease was mainly driven by the increase of aged accounts payable during the first nine months of fiscal 2016 as a result of the liquidity issues described herein. In addition, our net loss was $2.5 million lower during the first nine month of fiscal 2017 due to a return of more normalized weather patterns during the period compared to the same period in the prior year. 

Cash of $13.6 million was provided by investing activities in the first nine months of fiscal 2017, an increase of  $81.6 million when compared to the $68.0 million used in the first nine months of fiscal 2016.   The increase during the first nine months of fiscal 2017 was driven by the release of $15.0 million of escrow funds received as reimbursement for the Company’s initial spending on the West Lake Water Project described below.  In addition, during the same period in fiscal 2016, the Company had acquired Hunter Mountain for a net cash impact of $33.2 million as well as spending $11.5 million more on property additions.   Lastly, the prior year increase in restricted cash was mainly a result of the EB-5 funds being deposited in fiscal year 2016.

Cash of $12.7 million was provided by financing activities in the first nine months of fiscal 2017, a decrease of  $41.8 million when compared to the $54.5 million provided by financing activities in the first nine months of fiscal 2016.  The decrease primarily related to the proceeds from the loans associated with the Hunter Mountain acquisition, the EB-5 investor funds being released from escrow and capital lease borrowings in fiscal 2016, offset by dividend payments. The increases from fiscal 2016 were also offset by the proceeds from the Private Placement, which was completed during the period.   Additionally, during the nine months ended January 31, 2017, the Company borrowed funds pursuant to the Bridge Loan Agreement and Bridge Loan Note, which were subsequently repaid in full from the Private Placement proceeds, and the EB-5 program funds were released from escrow, upon which wholly owned subsidiaries of Mount Snow, Ltd. (a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company) received funds pursuant to the West Lake Loan Agreement and Carinthia Lodge Loan Agreement.     

Significant Uses of Cash

Our cash uses currently include operating expenditures and capital expenditures for assets to be used in operations. We have historically invested significant cash in capital expenditures for our resort operations and expect to continue to invest in the future. Resort capital expenditures for the first nine months of fiscal 2016 were approximately $16.6 million compared to $5.1 million in fiscal 2017.  The increase in the previous year was related to spending on the West Lake Water Project.    There are no major capital expenditure projects for fiscal 2017 anticipated, other than continued work on the West Lake Water Project now that we have broken escrow of the EB-5 program funds. We currently plan to use cash on hand and/or cash flow generated from future operations to provide the cash necessary to execute our capital plans and believe that

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these sources of cash will be adequate to meet our needs.  The Company also sold shares of Series A Preferred Stock and Warrants pursuant to the Private Placement to meet long term liquidity needs.

As part of the acquisition of Hunter Mountain discussed in “Recent Events” above, we assumed $1.7 million related to six capital leases.  The leases were used to finance equipment throughout the resort.  The leases expire during the current fiscal year through 2020, with payments being required only during the peak ski season.  Annual lease expenses are $0.4 million in 2017, $0.4 million in 2018, $0.3 million in 2019, and $0.3 million in 2020.

 In October 2014, we entered into a capital lease to finance the construction of the Zip Rider at Attitash. The lease is payable in 60 monthly payments of $38,800, commencing November 2014. The Company has a $1.00 purchase option at the end of the lease term. Messrs. Boyd, Mueller and Deutsch have personally guaranteed the lease.

In addition, in June 2015, the Company entered into capital leases to finance the installation of Low-E snow guns at Mount Snow, Attitash and Wildcat, as well as to fund the purchase of groomers for Mount Snow and Attitash. The Low-E snow guns lease is payable in 48 monthly payments of $61,770 and the groomers lease is payable in 60 monthly payments of $23,489, both commencing July 2015. The Company has a $1.00 purchase option at the end of each lease term.  Messrs. Boyd, Mueller and Deutsch have personally guaranteed the leases. The Company originally funded these purchases during fiscal 2015 with operating cash.

As of January 31, 2017,  we had  $4.2 million in third party commitments currently outstanding with our main contractor on the Mount Snow development.  We may incur additional costs to support the ongoing Mount Snow development, subject to obtaining required permits and approvals. We intend to continue to fund our Mount Snow development by raising funds under the Immigrant Investor Program administered by the USCIS pursuant to the Immigration and Nationality Act. This program was created to stimulate the U.S. economy through the creation of jobs and capital investments in U.S. companies by foreign investors. The program allocates 10,000 immigrant visas (‘‘EB-5 Visas’’) per year to qualified individuals seeking lawful permanent resident status on the basis of their investment in a U.S. commercial enterprise. Under the regional center pilot immigration program first enacted in 1992, certain EB-5 Visas also are set aside for investors in regional centers designated by the USCIS based on proposals for promoting economic growth. Regional centers are organizations, either publicly owned by cities, states or regional development agencies or privately owned, which facilitate investment in job-creating economic development projects by pooling capital raised under the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program. Areas within regional centers that are rural areas or areas experiencing unemployment numbers higher than the national unemployment average rates are designated as Targeted Employment Areas (‘‘TEA’’). The regional center pilot program was recently extended and is set to expire on April 28, 2017.  Both the Senate and House leadership have been working on reforms to the program and various bills have been proposed.      We do not expect this process to have a negative effect on our current EB-5 program.  We refer to the Immigrant Investor Program and the regional center pilot program herein as the ‘‘EB-5 program.’’

We have established the Partnership to operate within a TEA within the State of Vermont Regional Center.  The Company has evaluated the Partnership under ASC 810 and determined the Partnership does not require consolidation because the Company does not have a variable interest in the Partnership. The Partnership raised $52.0 million by offering units in the Partnership to qualified EB-5 investors primarily located in China, Taiwan, Vietnam and certain countries in the Middle East for a subscription price of $500,000 per unit, which is the minimum investment that an investor in a TEA project is required to make pursuant to EB-5 program rules. The funds will be used to finance the development of two capital projects at Mount Snow—the West Lake Water Project and the Carinthia Ski Lodge Project. The West Lake Water Project includes the construction of a new water storage reservoir for snowmaking with capacity of up to 120 million gallons, three new pump houses and the installation of snowmaking pipelines, trail upgrades and expansion, new ski lift and ancillary equipment. The Carinthia Ski Lodge Project includes the construction of Carinthia Ski Lodge, a new three-story, approximately 36,000-square foot skier service building located at the base of the Carinthia slopes. Carinthia Ski Lodge will include a restaurant, cafeteria and bars with seating for over 600 people, a retail store, convenience store and sales center for lift tickets and rentals. The anticipated overall cost of the Projects is $66.0 million, of which $52.0 million will be funded with the proceeds from the EB-5 offering. The remaining $14.0 million has been provided by Mount Snow with investments in land, snow gun installations, and improved snowmaking technology.  

Once the Partnership accepted an EB-5 investor’s funds, the investor was required to file a petition (“I-526 Petition”) with the USCIS seeking, among other things, approval of the investment’s suitability under the EB-5 program requirements and the investor’s suitability and source of funds. The $52.0 million in total investments were held in an escrow account and were not released until the USCIS approved the first I-526 Petition filed by an investor in the Partnership, which occurred in December 2016.  Upon receipt of this approval, the $52.0 million was released from escrow to the Partnership.

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Pursuant to the rules and regulations governing the EB-5 program, the Partnership is obligated to invest or loan the funds raised from its EB-5 investors in or to a business carrying on a commercial venture. In accordance with these requirements, on December 27, 2016, the Partnership entered into the West Lake Loan Agreement and Carinthia Lodge Loan Agreement, which are more fully described in “—Significant Sources of Cash.”

We estimate that the West Lake Water Project will be substantially completed in advance of the 2017-2018 ski season, and the Carinthia Lodge Project substantially completed in advance of the 2018-2019 ski season.

Due to the delay on the first investor’s I-526 Petition to be approved by the USCIS, as well as the unseasonably warm weather during the 2015/2016 ski season which drove down revenue compared to the prior season, the Company’s board of directors decided it was not prudent to declare a dividend in the first three quarters of fiscal 2017.  The Company’s board of directors declared three cash dividends of $0.1375 each during the nine-month period ended January 31, 2016.  The dividends were payable on August 21, 2015, November 25, 2015 and February 24, 2016 to shareholders of record on July 10, 2015, October 13, 2015 and January 4, 2016, respectively.  

On February 15, 2017, the Company’s board of directors declared a cash dividend of $0.07 per share payable on March 10, 2017 to shareholders of record on February 27, 2017. The declaration and payment of future dividends will be at the sole discretion of our board of directors, and will depend on many factors, including our actual results of operations, financial condition, capital requirements, contractual restrictions, restrictions in our debt agreements, economic conditions and other factors that could differ materially from our current expectations. 

The Company’s various credit agreements include or incorporate financial covenants which consist of a maximum leverage ratio of 65%, above which the Company and certain of its subsidiaries are prohibited from incurring additional indebtedness, and a consolidated fixed charge coverage ratio. As modified by the Modification Agreement, no later than 30 days after the closing of the Private Placement, the Company shall deliver to the lender the One Month Interest Obligation in cash or a letter of credit. The terms of the Modification Agreement further provide that the lender may draw upon any letter of credit issued pursuant to the Modification Agreement upon the occurrence of the Letter of Credit Events.  In the event of the occurrence of any Letter of Credit Events, the Company must replace the One Month Interest Obligation with (i) a replacement letter of credit in favor of the lender in the amount equal to three months of lease payment obligations and debt service payments, as defined in the EPR Credit Agreements; or (ii) cash in the same amount. Pursuant to the terms of the Modification Agreement, the Company must obtain the consent of the lender prior to redeeming any preferred or common stock.  The Private Placement closed on November 2, 2016, and the Company provided EPR with the Interest Letter of Credit in the amount of $1.1 million on December 1, 2016 in accordance with the terms of the Modification Agreement. The Interest Letter of Credit is collateralized by a certificate of deposit in the amount of $1.1 million.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

We do not have any off-balance sheet arrangements that have or are reasonably likely to have a current or future effect on our financial condition, changes in financial condition, revenues or expenses, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures or capital resources that is material to investors.

Forward-Looking Statements

Except for any historical information contained herein, the matters discussed in this Form 10-Q contain certain “forward-looking statements'' within the meaning of the federal securities laws. This includes statements regarding our future financial position, economic performance, results of operations, business strategy, budgets, projected costs, plans and objectives of management for future operations, and the information referred to under “Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations''.

These forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology, such as “may,'' “will,'' “expect,'' “intend,'' “estimate,'' “anticipate,'' “believe,'' “continue'' or similar terminology, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words. These forward-looking statements are not historical facts, and are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about our industry, management's beliefs and certain assumptions made by management, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and beyond our control. Accordingly, you are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable as of the date made, expectations may prove to have been materially different from the results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Unless otherwise required by law, we also disclaim any obligation to update our view of any such risks or uncertainties or to announce publicly the result of any revisions to the forward-looking statements made in this Form 10-Q. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from our expectations include, among others:

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You should also refer to Part I, Item 1A, “Risk Factors,” of our Annual Report on Form 10-K and Part II, Item 1A, “Risk Factors”, of this Form 10-Q for a discussion of factors that may cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by our forward-looking statements. As a result of these factors, we cannot assure you that the forward-looking statements in this Form 10-Q will prove to be accurate, Furthermore, if our forward-looking statements prove to be inaccurate, the inaccuracy may prove to be material. In light of the significant uncertainties in these forward-looking statements, you should not regard these statements as a representation or warranty by us or any other person that we will achieve our objectives and plans in any specified time-frame, or at all.

ITEM 3. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

Interest Rate Fluctuations

 On December 1, 2014, the Company completed its Debt Restructure as discussed more fully in Item 2, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” providing for the prepayment of certain of its debt owed to EPR and the restructuring of all existing loan terms.  Debt owed to EPR as of January 31, 2017 was $93.2 million, excluding the debt to fund the Hunter Mountain acquisition described below.  The interest rate on this debt is subject to fluctuation, but the interest rate can only be increased by a factor of 1.015 annually. At the factor of 1.015, the additional annual interest expense on this variable rate outstanding debt is approximately $0.15 million.

In addition, effective as of January 6, 2016, we incurred $21.0 million of debt to fund a portion of the purchase price for the acquisition of Hunter Mountain and other costs pursuant to the terms of the Hunter Mountain Credit Agreement and Hunter Mountain Note with EPR, as more fully discussed in Item 2, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.” The interest rate relating to this debt increases by a factor of 1.0175 annually. At the factor of 1.0175, the additional annual interest expense on this variable rate outstanding debt is approximately $0.03 million.

 On January 6, 2017, the Company elected to convert $10.0 million of the outstanding amount under the Line of Credit Agreement to a term loan evidenced by the Royal Banks Note, all of which remained outstanding at January 31, 2017. This amount outstanding under the Royal Banks Note and $1.75 million of the total outstanding debt that remains outstanding as of January 31, 2017 under the Initial Line of Credit Note entered into pursuant to the Line of Credit Agreement accrues interest at the prime rate plus 1.0%, provided that past due amounts shall be subject to higher interest rates and late charges.    If interest rates increased 1% on these non-capped variable debt instruments, the additional interest cost to the Company would be approximately $0.11 million for one year. We do not perform any interest rate hedging activities related to our outstanding debt.



ITEM 4.  CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

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The Company’s management, with the participation of the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, evaluated the effectiveness of the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures (as that term is defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, (the “Exchange Act”)), as of the end of the period covered by this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. Based on that evaluation, management, with the participation of the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, concluded that the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, are functioning effectively to provide reasonable assurance that the information required to be disclosed by the Company in reports filed under the Exchange Act, is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms. A controls system, no matter how well designed and operated, cannot provide absolute assurance that the objectives of the controls system are met, and no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, within a company have been detected.



Change in Internal Control over Financial Reporting



There have been no changes in the Company's internal control over financial reporting during the period covered by this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q identified in connection with the evaluation required by Rules 13a-15(d) and 15d-15(d) under the Exchange Act that have materially affected, or that are reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company's internal control over financial reporting.





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PART II: OTHER INFORMATION

Item 1. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS.

We are not aware of any pending or threatened legal proceedings against us that could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results or financial conditions. The ski industry is characterized by periodic litigation and as a result, we may be involved in various additional legal proceedings from time to time.

Item 1A. RISK FACTORS.

The Company has included in Part I, Item 1A of its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended April 30, 2016, a description of certain risks and uncertainties that could affect the Company’s business, future performance or financial condition (the “Risk Factors”). Except as set forth below, there are no material changes to the Risk Factors as disclosed in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended April 30, 2016.

The issuance of shares of our Series A Preferred Stock reduces the relative voting power of holders of our common stock, may dilute the ownership of such holders and may adversely affect the market price of our common stock.  

As holders of our Series A Preferred Stock are entitled to vote, on an as-converted basis, together with holders of our common stock on all matters submitted to a vote of the holders of our common stock, the issuance of the Series A Preferred Stock effectively reduces the relative voting power of the holders of our common stock.  Current stockholders (other than the Investor) will have no preemptive rights to purchase any shares of Series A Preferred Stock and/or Warrants, which means that current stockholders do not have a prior right to purchase any issue of Series A Preferred Stock and/or Warrants in order to maintain their proportionate interest in the Company. 

In addition, the conversion of the Series A Preferred Stock to common stock would dilute the ownership interest of existing holders of our common stock, and any sales in the public market, following registration pursuant to the registration rights granted to the Investor, of the common stock issuable upon conversion of the Series A Preferred Stock and/or exercise of the Warrants could adversely affect prevailing market prices of our common stock. Sales by such holders of a substantial number of shares of our common stock in the public market, or the perception that such sales might occur, could have a material adverse effect on the price of our common stock.

The holders of shares of the Series A Preferred Stock may exercise significant influence over us.

The Investor and its affiliates currently own approximately 9.6% of our shares of common stock and, assuming the conversion of the Series A Preferred Stock and exercise of the Warrants, would own 36.4% of our shares of common stock after closing.  Additional pre-emptive rights and rights of first offer in the documents governing the Private Placement help the Investor to maintain its ownership position.  Holders of our Series A Preferred Stock are entitled to vote, on an as-converted basis, together with holders of our common stock on all matters submitted to a vote of the holders of our common stock.  As a result, the holders of shares of the Series A Preferred Stock have the ability to significantly influence the outcome of any matter submitted for the vote of the holders of our common stock.

In addition, under the terms of the Certificate of Designation governing the Series A Preferred Stock, the Series A Preferred Stock generally ranks, with respect to the liquidation, dividends and redemption, senior to other securities until the earlier of (i) such date as no Series A Preferred Stock remains outstanding and (ii) January 1, 2027.  The Stockholders Agreement  executed by the Company, the Investor and the management stockholders in connection with the closing of the Private Placement also requires, that, so long as the Investor beneficially owns, on an as-converted basis, at least 11.4% of the outstanding  equity securities of the Company,  the Investor’s approval is required in order for the Company or any subsidiary to (i) materially change the nature of its business from owning, operating and managing ski resorts or (ii) acquire or dispose of any resorts, assets or properties for aggregate consideration equal to or greater than 30% of the enterprise value of the Company and its subsidiaries, or (iii) agree to do any of the foregoing. 

Last, the Stockholders Agreement grants to the Investor the right to nominate a director so long as it beneficially owns, on an as-converted basis, at least 20% of the outstanding equity securities of the Company, subject to satisfaction of reasonable qualification standards and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee approval of the nominee.  Notwithstanding the fact that all directors will be subject to fiduciary duties to us and to applicable law, the interests of the directors designated by the Investor may differ from the interests of our security holders as a whole or of our other directors.

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Our Series A Preferred Stock has rights, preferences and privileges that are not held by, and are preferential to, the rights of our common stockholders, which could adversely affect our liquidity and financial condition, and may result in the interests of the holders of our Series A Preferred Stock differing from those of our common stockholders.

The holders of Series A Preferred Stock have the right to receive a liquidation preference entitling them to be paid out of our assets available for distribution to stockholders before any payment may be made to holders of any other class or series of capital stock as well as a preferential right to receive cumulative dividends at the rate of 8% per annum on the Liquidation Value of $1,000 per share. The holders of our Series A Preferred Stock also have certain redemption and conversion rights, and there are limitations on the Company’s ability to redeem other securities.

These dividend obligations could impact our liquidity and reduce the amount of cash flows available for working capital, capital expenditures, growth opportunities, acquisitions, and other general corporate purposes. Our obligations to the holders of Series A Preferred Stock could also limit our ability to obtain additional financing or increase our borrowing costs, which could have an adverse effect on our financial condition. The preferential rights could also result in divergent interests between the holders of shares of Series A Preferred Stock and holders of our common stock.

Provisions in our amended and restated articles of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws and Missouri law might discourage, delay, or prevent a change in control of our company or changes in our management and, therefore, depress the trading price of our common stock.

Provisions of our amended and restated articles of incorporation approved by stockholders in connection with the Private Placement and amended and restated by-laws and Missouri law might discourage, delay, or prevent a merger, acquisition, or other change in control that stockholders consider favorable, including transactions in which our stockholders might otherwise receive a premium for shares of our common stock. These provisions might also prevent or frustrate attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our management. These provisions include:

The existence of the foregoing provisions and anti-takeover measures could limit the price that investors are willing to pay in the future for shares of our common stock. They could also deter potential acquirers of the Company, thereby reducing the likelihood that our stockholders could receive a premium for our common stock in an acquisition.

The board of directors does not believe that the issuance of the Series A Preferred Stock, the Warrants and the common stock issuable upon conversion or exercise thereof will have a significant impact on any attempt to gain control of the Company. It is possible, however, that the existence of a single stockholder with a significant ownership percentage and director nomination rights could discourage third parties from attempting to gain control. It should be noted that any action taken by the Company to discourage an attempt to acquire control of the Company might result in stockholders not being able to participate in any possible premiums which might be obtained in the absence of anti-takeover provisions. Any transaction which may be so discouraged or avoided could be a transaction that the Company's stockholders might consider to be in their best interests. However, the board of directors has a fiduciary duty to act in the best interests of the Company's stockholders at all times.

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In addition, pursuant to each of the Executive Employment Agreements dated effective as of June 1, 2014 between the Company each of Messrs. Boyd, Mueller and Deutsch (each, an "Executive"), each Executive is entitled to change of control payments in the event of a termination of Executive's employment by the Company without cause or notice by the Company of non-renewal of the Agreement, all within 365 days of a consummation of a change in control of the Company. A “change in control” includes an event or series of events by which any person or group becomes the beneficial owner, directly or indirectly, of 35% or more of the equity securities of the Company entitled to vote for members of the Board of Directors or equivalent governing body of the Company on a fully-diluted basis.  Upon closing, the Investor will be the beneficial owner, directly or indirectly, of 26.4% of the equity securities of the Company entitled to vote for members of the Board of Directors.  Upon the exercise of Warrants to purchase additional shares of common stock, the Investor may become the beneficial owner, directly or indirectly, of 36.4% or more of the equity securities of the Company entitled to vote for members of the Board of Directors, thereby triggering the change in control provisions in the Executive Employment Agreements. 

Item 2. UNREGISTERED SALES OF EQUITY SECURITIES AND USE OF PROCEEDS.

The sale and issuance of the Series A Preferred Stock and the Warrants to the Investor at the closing of the Private Placement, and the issuance of shares of common stock upon exercise and conversion thereof, have been determined to be exempt from registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), in reliance on Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act and Rule 506 of Regulation D promulgated thereunder as transactions by an issuer not involving a public offering. Disclosure of this sale of unregistered securities was previously made in our Current Reports on Form 8-K filed on August 23, 2016 and November 8, 2016, each of which is incorporated herein by reference.

 Item 3. DEFAULTS UPON SENIOR SECURITIES.

None.

Item 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES.

None.

Item 5. OTHER INFORMATION.

Mount Snow, Ltd. also formed West Lake Water Project LLC and Carinthia Ski Lodge LLC, each wholly owned by Mount Snow, Ltd., to manage the construction of the West Lake Water Project and Carinthia Ski Lodge Project, respectively.

Pursuant to the terms of the EB-5 Program, the Partnership is obligated to invest or loan the funds raised from its EB-5 investors in or to a business carrying on a commercial venture. In accordance with these requirements, on December 27, 2016, the Partnership entered into the West Lake Loan Agreement, and West Lake Water Project LLC executed the West Lake Note in favor of the Partnership, providing West Lake Water Project LLC with a line of credit of up to $30.0 million to be used in the construction of the West Lake Water Project. Also on December 27, 2016, the Partnership entered into the Carinthia Lodge Loan Agreement, and Carinthia Ski Lodge LLC executed the Carinthia Lodge Note in favor of the Partnership, providing Carinthia Ski Lodge LLC with a line of credit of up to $22.0 million to be used in the construction of the Carinthia skier service building.

The terms of the West Lake Loan Agreement and Carinthia Lodge Loan Agreement (together, the “EB-5 Loan Agreements”) and the West Lake Note and Carinthia Lodge Note (together, the “EB-5 Notes”) are identical. Amounts outstanding under the EB-5 Notes accrue simple interest at a fixed rate of 1.0% per annum until the maturity date, which is December 27, 2021, subject to extension of up to an additional two years at the option of the

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borrowers with lender consent. If the maturity date is extended, amounts outstanding under the EB-5 Notes will accrue simple interest at a fixed rate of 7.0% per annum during the first year of extension and a fixed rate of 10.0% per annum during the second year of extension.

Upon an event of default, amounts outstanding shall bear interest at the rate of 5.0% per annum, subject to the extension increases. Events of default under the EB-5 Loan Agreements include failure to make payments due; breaches of covenants, representations and warranties; incurrence of certain judgments and liens against the borrowers or assets; assignments or notice of bulk sales of assets on behalf of creditors; commencement of bankruptcy or dissolution proceedings; and cessation of the West Lake Water Project or Carinthia Ski Lodge Project prior to completion.

For so long as amounts under the EB-5 Loan Agreements are outstanding, the borrowers are restricted from taking certain actions without the consent of the lenders, including, but not limited to, transferring or disposing and of the properties or assets financed with the loan proceeds; selling equity interests to any person other than the Company, merging; and making loans to or investing in affiliates or other persons.

The borrowers under the EB-5 Notes are prohibited from prepaying outstanding amounts owed if such prepayment would jeopardize any of the EB-5 investor limited partners’ ability to be admitted to the U.S. via the EB-5 Program.

As a condition to entry into each of the EB-5 Loan Agreements, the Company executed guaranties of collection (the “EB-5 Guaranties”) with respect to each of the West Lake Loan Agreement and Carinthia Lodge Loan Agreement pursuant to which the Company unconditionally guaranteed all amounts due under the EB-5 Notes owed to the Partnership. Pursuant to the terms of the EB-5 Guaranties, which are guaranties of collection rather than payment, in the event the borrowers under the EB-5 Loan Agreements fail to make any payments due, or upon the acceleration of payments due, the lenders must exhaust any and all legal remedies for collection against the borrowers before proceeding against the Company.

Item 6. EXHIBITS.

The exhibits filed or furnished are set forth in the Exhibit Index at the end of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.





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SIGNATURES

        Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.









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EXHIBIT INDEX

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