Canada ski area owner under creditor protection

Monday March 12, 5:25 pm Eastern Time

By Jeffrey Jones

CALGARY, Alberta, March 12 (Reuters) - An owner of several top Canadian ski resorts, including World Cup-hosting Lake Louise in Alberta, said on Monday it has filed for protection from creditors and plans to sell a number of properties after being hit by a cash crunch.

Resorts of the Canadian Rockies, a privately held company that owns eight high-profile ski areas in Alberta, British Columbia and Quebec, said it plans to restructure its debt and sell ``non-core'' resorts following a weak start to the ski season and its U.S. bank's decision to withdraw from ski-industry lending.

The actions, the subject of speculation for several months, were expected to have no impact on skiers who hold season tickets or have booked vacation packages, the company said.

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