As many small New England ski areas fight to stay open, Magic Mountain in southern Vermont is offering devoted patrons a chance to buy a piece of the mountain. Like other bare-bones resorts, Magic has struggled with costly maintenance, losing money, changing hands and even closing in the 1990s. Now, it’s looking to follow in the footsteps of Mad River Glen, which was the first U.S. ski area to become cooperatively owned in 1995.

In exchange for plunking down $3,000, owners will get a 20 percent discount on season passes, a say in how the mountain is run and a guarantee that the mountain will be open. So far, it has sent letters to about 800 people and heard back from a couple hundred who have expressed a sincere interest.