Ski area planned for Pikes Peak 350 condos, 300-room hotel may be included

By DAVE PHILIPPS 2008-02-21 12:30:00 am THE GAZETTE A local investor Wednesday said he plans to open a small ski resort on the west side of Pikes Peak - possibly by 2011.
 It has been 17 years since the last local ski area closed, and many have predicted ski lifts would never return to the region. John Ball, former CEO of Eller Industries, a Boulderbased broadband company, has a contract with local climbing legend Harvey Carter to buy 320 acres south of The Crags. He plans to build The Resort at Pikes Peak, a renewable-energy-powered ski area with slopeside condos. Ball envisions a community hill used mainly by residents of El Paso and Teller counties. It could eventually include five chairlifts, 33 ski trails, three restaurants, a 300-room hotel and 350 condos. It would be part of a trend in niche family hills that survive in the shadows of corporate giants like Vail Resorts by being closer to cities and therefore more convenient for skiers and snowboarders.
"It would be like Eldora, just above Boulder," Ball said Wednesday. "People don't necessarily come from out of state to ski it, but the community loves it because it's so close. My kids can take the bus up to Eldora in 30 minutes."

Ball's proposal needs approval from Teller County officials, who haven't seen his plans, and the U.S. Forest Service, since an access road would cross Pike National Forest.

Talk of a ski area on Carter's land may have some longtime local skiers saying "not again."

Carter, 77, who, among other things, worked for 22 years as an Aspen ski patroller and founded Climbing magazine, has been trying to build a ski area on Pikes Peak for the better part of 50 years.

"It's the only place on the peak you could do it," Carter said. "It gets the most snow. It has private land right where it would need to be at the base. And it's high enough."

Carter has measured snowfall on the property at 10,500 feet and says it gets an average of 12 feet a year - almost twice that of other Pikes Peak slopes.

Ball has 30 days to put down $1 million in earnest money on the $4 million parcel. If he doesn't, Carter said he has an unidentified real estate broker from Manitou Springs who is ready to put down the money to start the community ski area. Ball says if all goes according to plan, he could break ground by 2010. Build-out wouldn't be for several more years.

In 1970, when Colorado Springs had half its current population, the region had three small ski areas: Ski Broadmoor, Pikes Peak Ski Area and Holiday Hills. But poor management, unpredictable snowpack and industry consolidation shut them down. The last, Ski Broadmoor, closed in 1991.

The ski industry may be changing, however. Echo Mountain Park, formerly Squaw Pass, reopened in 2006. Eclipse Snowpark, formerly St. Mary's Ski Area, could open next winter. Both are near Denver and are geared toward niche markets instead of the general snow-riding population.

So if you want to get in now before it's to late and prices increase in this area

Call Brian Lloyd today

719-243-4057

and lets get you into something today.

Real estate investing tips and hints to make huge income

 Pikes Peak Colorado Area Real Estate