STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, Colo. – The owners of Vermont’s Okemo Mountain ski resort are trying to buy the Steamboat Springs ski resort.

Tim and Diane Mueller have some ties to Steamboat and were partners in the development of the Catamount Ranch & Club there.

“We think Steamboat is a great mountain, a great resort and a great town,” Tim Mueller said from his Vermont office. “With the proper operator, it can reach its full potential.”

Mueller said he’s hopeful a purchase agreement can be reached before the first of the year.

American Skiing Co., based in Newry, Maine, is selling Steamboat to reduce the debt it incurred during a major expansion that coincided with two below-average ski seasons.

American Skiing’s other holdings include Sugarloaf and Sunday River in Maine; Attitash Bear Peak in New Hampshire; Killington and Mount Snow in Vermont; The Canyons in Utah; and Heavenly in California and Nevada.

The Muellers unsuccessfully bid this summer to partner with Denver and revitalize the Winter Park Ski Area about 100 miles east of Steamboat.