Category — Mountain Life

Well it looks like the ski world has another update this weekend as Sunlight Ski Mountain is sold to a private developer. The ski resort has been on the market for a reported $50 million, and the final purchase price has not been disclosed.

It makes sense, in a sad way, that this resort would be for sale. I skied Sunlight once years ago and remember it being a small family based destination. I was skiing with a friend whose parents had bought a condo there years and years ago. She told me stories about learning to ski with her sister at that resort, where the short runs didn’t matter because it was all about family. I think her parents still keep their condo, that they bought for almost nothing and they try to all get together a couple times a year at this old style resort.

It was about history, now it is about the future. While I am not sure which is better (so please comment and share your view point) I do think this will be interesting to watch. Will the locals stay? Will property values go up and they will sell? Is it possible this will become a private gated community and ski mountain (can you say Yellowstone Club)? Unlike Bachelor Gulch, which allows homeowners to drift over to bigger skiing in Beaver Creek this mountain is all there is.

Only time will tell, but share your comments now.

Sunlight Mountain Resort to be sold to development company

GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — Sunlight Mountain Resort has agreed to be sold to a Florida development company, general manager Tom Jankovsky said Saturday.

The sale of the privately owned ski area to Exquisite Development, based in Destin, Fla., is contingent upon winning approval from Garfield County for development of residential units at the base of the resort, he said.

Jankovsky said that could mean the sale might not be completed for a couple of years.

The sale price was not disclosed. The resort had an asking price of $50 million when it went up for sale last fall.

Sunlight officials said money from development at the base is necessary to pay for upgrades to outdated lifts, snowmaking, and to upgrade the base of the mountain.

“Whether there is climate change or not, just to give us the stability, the snowmaking is really important,” Jankovsky said. “It’s been a while since we’ve had anything up here happen. It’s time. Our infrastructure’s getting old. Something has to happen.”

Jankovsky said the buyer plans to keep the existing Sunlight management team and has expressed interest in keeping Sunlight an affordable spot for local skiers.

He said it was too early to know how much residential development the buyers may pursue. An existing master plan calls for 780 homes, but it hasn’t been subject to county review.

Sunlight is marking its 40th anniversary this year.

Sunlight is owned by the Colorado corporation Sunlight Inc., which has about three dozen shareholders. Two principal investors are Leonard Lorentson, a manufacturer living in Indiana, and Michael Bodnar, former chief executive officer of the Shoney’s restaurant chain. Both own about a third of the company.

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Terrain at A-Basin to increase by 395 acres
By Roger Fillion, Rocky Mountain News
December 9, 2006
Arapahoe Basin got the thumbs up from the U.S. Forest Service Friday to almost double the Summit County ski area’s terrain.
The move allows 60-year-old A-Basin, now at 490 acres, to add a ski lift serving the 395-acre Montezuma Bowl on its backside. The terrain offers intermediate and advanced skiing - an area that has been popular with backcountry skiers.

“It’s great terrain back there, excellent for skiing and snowboarding,” said Alan Henceroth, A-Basin’s chief operating officer.

The Forest Service also OK’d an upgrade of the Exhibition lift, which serves A-Basin’s front side, and the construction of an additional 231 parking spaces. The rustic ski area has parking for 1,450 vehicles, including buses - an amount that has caused shortages, particularly in the spring.

Henceroth estimated the three projects would cost nearly $7 million, with the Montezuma Bowl portion costing about $3 million.

A-Basin plans to have the new lift to Montezuma Bowl operational for the 2007-08 season.

“Our hope is to do Montezuma Bowl this summer,” Henceroth said.

He added that work on the additional parking will begin next summer and take two to three years. Henceroth said the upgrade of the Exhibition lift is expected to happen “in two to three years.”

In a news release, the Forest Service said it granted the expansion and upgrades to better disperse intermediate and advanced skiers around the ski area and to move skiers more quickly up the mountain.

But not everyone is happy. Backcountry enthusiasts have prized Montezuma Bowl for its relatively easy access and challenging skiing. The new lift will mean more skiers will be ferried there.

“Another backcountry experience is lost,” said Ellen Hollinshead, head of the Summit County chapter of the Backcountry Snowsports Alliance.

Hollinshead noted that the new Montezuma Bowl lift has been on A-Basin’s drawing board for a long time.

“But I hope they’re going to look into the impact on parking from this expansion,” she added, saying 231 additional parking spaces doesn’t seem sufficient.

“Expansions do increase skiers,” she said.

The public has 45 days to appeal the decision.

The approval came on the eve of A-Basin’s official celebration of its 60th season.

“It’s a nice little present for us,” Henceroth said.

What the A-Basin expansion will mean

• New lift serving the 395-acre Montezuma Bowl on the area’s backside, which will offer intermediate and advanced skiing.

• An upgrade of the existing Exhibition lift on the front side.

• 231 additional parking spaces

• Approximate cost: Nearly $7 million

fillionr@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-2467

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Sorry for the delay in blogging, I took Monday and went up to Vail for the day to get in some skiing. The Mountain was nice, with most of chair 3 and 4 open plus some runs under chair 2. Wednesday will mark the opening of North Star and North Woods as they get ready for the Thanksgiving rush.

Vail needs some snow before those Thanksgiving tourists arrive or it will be one crowded mountain.

If you go up Bridge Street, make sure to take a look at the gigantic development hole that is going on there currently.

Other mountain topics right now include a big political battle between Vail Resorts and the residents of Beaver Creek over a possible sled run to be installed. This is not a snow sled run (well it might be that too) but is instead a concrete sled run on the face of the mountain.

Can’t say that I blame the residents.

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Swoosh Swoosh Swoosh, time to go hit the mountains. Vail is my favorite Colorado Ski Resort. How about you?

My favorite path is straight up the Vista Bahn from Bridge Street, drop down into Sun-up Bowl, hop the lift up to Genghis and drop down there. On to Blue Sky Basin and then as many little Ollie, Heavy Metals as I can. If you follow the ridge line you can drop down past Iron Mask and get some DEEP and STEEP in and then cut over to continue down the bumps.

Of course, this may not all be open today but gotta love it on a powder day.

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What is going on in Vail? This huge hole is at the top of Vail is HUGE!! And I mean HUGE!! When I was next to the site I got the true perspective.

What you see in the background of this shot is Pepi’s face.. for those of you who remember this run that everybody tumbles down while folks sit at Los Amigos and enjoy margaritas while rooting them on. :)

Anyone know more details about this one?

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I heard the skiing was packed this past weekend at Arapahoe Basin, or any of the few ski locations open this early in the year.

So I went up on Monday, and let me tell you it was all right.

This was my first day of the year and I wasn’t planning on a huge ski day, just enough to start getting my legs in shape and have my little zen moment on the hill. When I arrived the parking lot was pretty full, but not packed. The usual canine representation was out in force, as is the character of A-Basin (mine was with me too!). I scored a great space near the lift and headed up.

For those going this early in the year, the two lifts that are open are Exhibition lift and Norway lift. I recommend jumping all the way up on Norway, as it was mostly empty. On average I would say one occupied lift for every 5 cars. NICE!!

The snow was great, a bit of hard stuff but the cold and the periodic snowfall kept it fresh, and now sheets of ice. And with lift lines like that you can do it over, and over, and over… you get the idea.

So for all the ski hounds out there who need their ski fix, get up there on a Monday, or stay home… more open space for the rest of us.

Happy trails.. Lets hope it snows more soon.

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I guess Friday the 13th isn’t unlucky anymore! Arapahoe Basin begins the season today, Friday the 13th, the earliest opening in the ski area’s 60-year history, resort officials reported.

Intermediate riding & skiing only - no beginner trails yet. But as we often call it, that means the white ribbon of death is all there is. And when that path is crowded it just isn’t any fun. Now I am a true lover of the pow pow. Give me my tele’s and a back bowl and I am in my happy place. This enthusiasm, however, does not mean I’ll be hitting the slopes anytime soon. I prefer a bit more powder, just to be safe, and I hope for a long and wonderful ski season. Let’s hope this year is even better than last year (which was awesome).

And don’t forget to check out the Ski Bummin Forum on our forum. There is a great poll for all Denver folks to answer.

Adult lift tickets cost $43, while tickets for age groups 15-19 and 6-14 cost $38 and $19, respectively. Ski and snowboard rentals are available, although lessons will not begin until November.

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