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From large to small, resorts are building new lodges for day visitors, as well as second homes for the nature-starved.


Eclipse Snow Park, Colorado
This new mostly-terrain-park area is working toward a late October 2006 debut, on the site of the long-defunct St. Mary’s Glacier ski area. Located 7.5 miles north of Idaho Springs, the area is just around the corner from St. Mary’s Glacier, a mile from the Continental Divide; Winter Park/Mary Jane are just across the Divide to the west. While Eclipse is less than 15 miles as the crow flies from the new Echo Mountain park and will target a similarly young audience, Eclipse is a different animal. The 1,200 vertical is steep at top, with bowls, glades, and “cliffy areas,” says co-owner Michael Coors. But the bottom is gentle. The plan is to build terrain park features on the lower portion of the mountain, where they fit the grade, but keep a backcountry feel on the steeper terrain. That includes cleaning up the cliff areas to make them safer.

The property encompasses 340 acres, about 280 of which are ski- and rideworthy. With a base elevation at 10,400 feet and top elevation at 11,600, Eclipse could operate well into spring/summer—and even host summer camps. But first things first: The developers began clearing trees this past winter, mostly at the base of the area, and opened up a 1.5-mile cat track to the top—to permit exploration of the terrain. They plan to install a mile-long fixed-grip double or triple, with capacity of 1,200 to 1,400 riders per hour, along with 45-47 acre-feet of snowmaking capacity (water rights permitting), even though the area gets “killer natural snow,” according to Coors. The base facilities will likely be a Sprung Structure, 13,000 to 15,000 square feet, and include the essential services (cafeteria, restrooms, retail and rental shop, ski school).


Mountain Creek, New Jersey
This year, Intrawest will complete and deliver three projects at Mountain Creek totaling over 200 new vacation homes and 19,000 square feet of commercial space. The centerpiece of the new village at Mountain Creek is The Appalachian Hotel. The Appalachian will be Mountain Creek’s premier address, offering accommodations at the foot of the mountain and the first true ski-in/ski-out hotel at the resort. It includes 100 studio, 1 -and 2-bedroom condominium hotel units with fireplaces, fully equipped kitchens or kitchenettes, stunning mountain and valley views and wireless Internet—all the luxuries of service of a premier hotel, in other words. At the same time, the rustic architecture is intended to remove guests from the hustle and bustle of their daily lives. Amenities include a private courtyard with a four-season pool and hot tubs, and a fitness center. Interior details include stone fireplaces, wood beams and underground parking.

The Appalachian will also cater to small meetings and conferences, with four state-of-the-art conference rooms and more than 3,000 square feet of meeting space and a capacity of up to 70 in the largest rooms. At press time, the construction on the “A” wing was scheduled for completion in May. The “B” phase of the hotel is expected to open for the winter season.

Mountain Creek will also complete 28 homes in its Black Creek Sanctuary, Mountain Creek’s first neighborhood, this summer. At buildout, this gated resort community will include a total of 133 luxury 1,- 2- and 3-bedroom townhomes, situated near a pristine wetland sanctuary Intrawest created and improved to provide habitats for five threatened species. All this is part of Mountain Creek’s plan to build a year-round resort and “base camp” environment, which currently includes the ski area, Mountain Creek Waterpark and Diablo Freeride Park, plus outdoor recreation opportunities offered by the adjacent Hamburg Mountain Wildlife Recreation area.


Elm Creek, Minnesota
To accommodate its growing legions of skiing, riding, tubing, and other winter sports fans, Elm Creek is building a $3 million, 10,774-square-foot Elm Creek Winter Recreation Area Visitor Center building. It will house a 200-person large-group area, 2,000-plus-square-foot commercial style kitchen, emergency medical area, staff areas and offices, and restrooms. Its design includes such environmental and architectural details as a geothermal heat-pump system, custom gas fireplace, and custom architectural canopies.

In a nod to the past, Elm Creek modified its initial site and building layout to preserve an existing trailhead building, originally slated for demolition. It also tied together the new and existing utilities for the two buildings. The new building will double as a trailhead building and reservation hall in the summer months. The Visitor Center will open for the 2006-07 winter season, and will be the first of several new buildings to support skiing and tubing operations at the site. Future plans include a second large-group reservation space, a new tube storage shed, and an equipment rental building. All will reflect the Visitor Center architectural style.


Sugar Bowl, California
Sugar Bowl officially broke ground, or at least began removing the mountains of snow that had piled up in March, during the first week of April on the first phase of its Mt. Judah condominium project. This development will add 23 new two- and three-bedroom ski-in/ski-out units at the base of the high-speed quad lifts at the resort’s Mt. Judah base. The units include underground parking, a reception desk and locker rooms for owners and guests. The architecture of the new structure is derived from turn-of-the-century mining villages and wooden mine structures.

The concept is not unlike that at Mountain Creek, described on these pages as well: combine traditional, rural charm with the convenience of modern resort services, to create an intimate slopeside village. And it’s an old concept at Sugar Bowl: this was the basic idea of Sugar Bowl’s founders in 1939, when they began building vacation homes in the forest adjacent to the slopes. Sugar Bowl is taking great care to preserve the quiet ambiance and charm that have been a signature feature throughout its history. Completion of phase one is projected for December 2007, with three subsequent phases to follow through 2010.


Wolf Laurel, North Carolina
Everybody is getting into the year-round resort act. Wolf Laurel has been a successful ski resort for decades. The resort is typically booked from Christmas through the first week in March, with visitors from all across the South. With a top elevation of 4,600 feet, and 700- to 800-foot vertical, it’s the closest thing to big-mountain skiing for many miles. And new slopes will soon extend that vertical to more than 1,000 feet.

More importantly, though, the area is expanding into year-round activities. First up: a year-round pool, welcome center and retail shop facility. To take advantage of spectacular 85-mile Blue Ridge Mountain views, the pool resides in a glass enclosure/solarium, whose walls and roof slide open in warm weather. The welcome center/changing rooms/retail shop were crafted from two antique log cabins relocated from Virginia and assembled by Wolf’s crews. The pool adds to the rustic appeal of the 22 individually-owned cabins that form Wolf’s current residential community; a developer is adding 40 more cabins and 55 townhomes and condos on a knoll below the poolhouse. Wolf also plans to construct a conference center, along with a 3,800-foot airfield a few miles from the slopes and adjacent to a second residential community, with a third development planned nearby as well.