March 2005

Also announced this past month, the art fairs held on the Fourth of July and Labor day will go ahead as scheduled and will be held as usual at the north end of town just west of Main St. Some of the Main St. merchants have complained that the art fairs hurt their business. If you are a fan of the art fairs like I am and come up this summer, be sure to mention to folks in town how much you like the fairs as well as how much you like Main St. and all the friendly stores downtown too.

More good info can be found at: http://www.BestoftheRockies.com.

The future of locals, especially as we all get older, continues to look better. If you are wondering if this is a good place to retire, wonder no more. As our new hospital nears its opening in December, several other developments have taken place. The county has taken over the development of the medical office building adjacent to the hospital and demand is so strong they nearly doubled the square footage from the original plan. This building is also made possible by the legacy tax. Additionally, the old medical center in Frisco was recently put under contract with a company that specializes in working with medical professionals. The old center was owned by the doctors who now have the freedom to buy an office in the new facility or lease back their space where they are. All in all it means that Summit County will soon have some of the finest medical care available.

In a related story, the county is studying the use of biomass as a way of heating some county buildings. A $2.3 million facility would be built to process and burn wood slash and dead trees. The waste would be turned into chips and burned to create steam heat. Some of the facilities using the heat would include the new medical center and hospital as well as the County Commons building and the Emergency Services garage. The project would save money on heat costs and be a renewable resource. Additionally, with the huge expanses of beetle kill trees and desired fire mitigation, it would solve the problem of what to do with the leftovers.

Vail Resorts joined the DOD’s “America Supports You” program that pays back our soldiers for the fine job they are doing around the world. As part of the program Vail hosted 18 recent amputees for a learn to ski program. The soldiers received two days of private lessons with all other expenses paid too. Last year Breckenridge and Keystone, subsidiaries of Vail Resorts, gave away 1000 complimentary rooms to military personnel in “Operation Freedom Lodging”. This year they increased it to 2000 nights.

On March 5 th the third annual Romp to Stomp Out Breast Cancer Snowshoe will be held at the Frisco Nordic Center. Nearly 2000 participants are expected. Participants who have garnered $100 in pledges will be eligible for raffle prizes. Registration is $20 the day of the event and 400 pairs of snowshoes will be available for those who need them. More information can be had by calling the Nordic Center; 970-668-0866.

In the mean time the Summit Middle School boys’ team was winning the state title while the girls finished second. For the boys Hunter Thompson won both the GS and the Combined Slalom.

Summit High has announced that Vice-Principal Jim Hesse will take over as Principal for retiring Frank Mencin. Hesse is said to be well liked and respected by students and staff and was the popular choice. Hesse’s main focus will be to build on the progressive programs already in place such as the International Baccalaureate and the new career and technical training wing of the school.

On the sad side, long time employee Peggy Kastberg will be leaving for larger responsibilities in the city. Not surprising she was highly sought after. Peggy served as middle school principal, co-principal at the high school and most recently as assistant district superintendent. Among her long list of contributions Peggy is credited with creating the Twilight Education program helping adults finish their high school education and the infant day care center at the high school for students and staff.

Mammoth Mountain in California, North America’s third most popular ski resort is up for sale and Vail Resorts has expressed their interest. Intrawest, owner of Copper Mountain, has a right of first refusal though. Intrawest teamed up with the current owner back in 1996 to redesign the base village and has invested $1 billion. They are also constructing a Westin Hotel in the nearby town so it seems likely they will jump at the chance to own the mountain operations too.

The newest rage in snowsports is snowkiting. Kite surfing has been popular for a long time in coastal areas like California and Hawaii; it’s only in the last few years that it has been applied by snowriders. Now you can go out to Farmers Korner any given day in the winter and see dozens of snowkiters. If you are not familiar, snowkiting involves hooking up what looks more like a parachute to yourself via a harness, then climbing on your snowboard or skis and let the wind take you away. What used to be an extreme sport is now said to be much more controlled with the addition of “de-powering” systems (vents in the kite) and quick releases. You can even take lessons and rent equipment if it sounds like something you would like to try. Colorado’s first snowkiting specific store is in Frisco; call Colorado KiteForce, sorry I don’t have the number.

The U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service’s measurement of the state’s snowpack on Feb. 16 showed the statewide snowpack level averaged 112% of the 30-year average.

Although I am about a dozen chairs back I don’t care, there will be plenty of fresh snow left. One of the good parts about not being at the front is I am riding the lift alone. This allows me to get into a perfect state. I close my eyes and imagine the turns I make as the snow drifts up over my knees. My mind captures the rhythm and the light pressure I will need to make those perfect S’s. About halfway up I come out of the trance and begin my leg lifts. Time to get the blood flowing. Leg lifts, then hold the skis up and rotate back and forth 180 degrees, stretch my back forward, backward, twisting side to side. Having the chair to myself allows me the perfect preparation time to start skiing right off the lift.

Once you’ve mastered powder there is nothing like it. It feels like floating through a cloud, never touching the bottom, letting the skis do the work. I love watching the old time musicals; Fred Astaire and Danny Kaye were so graceful, how I longed to emulate them. When I am skiing powder I feel their equal, light on my feet and full of rhythm. A ballet in the clouds.

When the legs can’t take anymore effortless skiing and they feel like they are going to explode it’s time to go to the Breckenridge Recreation Center. A few laps in the pool, a soak in the hot tub and a steam bath to clean the pores. What an awesome facility, also in my backyard.

If you owned a property here, you too could be fifteen minutes from home to bus. Better yet you could be five minutes from home to lift, in other words right out your door. Come up on a Friday night instead of fighting the Saturday traffic. Jump out of bed refreshed and ready to ski instead of jumping out of the car with numb legs. Call me if you are ready.

Contact Me if you need further tips on where to stay, eat or play.

As I predicted: the Mountain Thunder Lodge Townhomes have been a major success. In a matter of six weeks or so they are already over half pre-sold. The adjacent Woods development has brought several sales over a million dollars. It only seems likely that MTLTH will follow, especially after completion of the skiway and gondola. Call me quick before they are gone. There is significant potential here.

Denver International Airport, which will celebrate its 10th anniversary later this month, reported 42.4 million travelers passed through the airport in 2004, 3.64 million more than the previous record set in 2000.

Denver International Airport was first in a ranking of on-time arrivals at major U.S. airports in 2004. In a report released by the Department of Transportation, DIA had an 83.12% on-time ranking.

The Urban Land Institute will hold its 2006 fall meeting in Denver, bringing more than 6,000 developers, lenders, architects, planners and other real estate professionals from around the country.

On February 17 th The Federal Reserve raised its target for short-term interest rates by a quarter of a percentage point for the sixth time in a row. Most commercial banks responded by raising their prime rate, a benchmark for many consumer and business loans, to 5.5%.

The 10-year note yield stood at 4.16% or 46 basis points lower than June 30, 2004. This all after Mr. Greenspan’s comments that the recovery is firm and inflation is in check.