35 replies to this topic

[poloxskier]

If they put it to anywhere else it would way oversaturate the runs. The reason there is no lift to peak 9 is because peak 9 is only 2 blocks from main street and they are seeing more day skier traffic starting at peaks 7&8. Normaly the skiers that start on peak 9 are beginners and those staying at the base.

This post has been edited by poloxskier: 23 February 2005 - 02:51 PM

[highspeedquad]

That makes sense, being that the only high speed lift that accesses greens from the start is there. They definitely made a good decision about the six pack at Peak 7, so that it should have sufficient capacity when they put a base there.

[Boeinglover]

Yeah, maybe. I still disagree with the plans. I like my modified breckenridge (see fantasy trail maps) better than any of the plans for these new resorts. B)

[poloxskier]

But for that map to work based on lift capacity Breck would have to be twice the size to accomidate the aditional skiers.

Which is the #1 problem at Breck.

This post has been edited by poloxskier: 24 February 2005 - 06:54 PM

[Boeinglover]

I meant for Breck to be less crowded with these extra lifts, not more.

[highspeedquad]

The thing is would be that those lifts would increase the capacity of the mountain, so more skiers could be on the mountain at the same time with the same lines. All more lifts would mean would be more skiers.

[poloxskier]

I do like the transfer between peaks though. That would be really nice to see.

[highspeedquad]

Yeah, unless you ride C or E it is a pain to get to peak 9

[poloxskier]

There have been some proposals to add capacity possibly in the form of a HSD to replace C or E but those stalled a while ago. Especially since there are hardly ever lines at E.

[poloxskier]

Research into the the real estate situation for the shock hill development indicates why they are able to contribute to the gondola. The lots in the delevopment start at 0.58 acres for $430,000.

[highspeedquad]

Yeah, the spots at Mountain Thunder Lodge don't come cheap. I think that they are on average $500,000 a spot.

[poloxskier]

Yeah Mountain Thunder is definately expensive for condos but a half acre of vacant land, that is over a mile from the mountain, for over 400k is just insane.

[highspeedquad]

I think that they are having some trouble selling those units, I wonder why? ;)
They should have put in a more affordable set of condos there, so I don't know what they are up to.

[poloxskier]

Thats what most of the in town or on mountain real estate goes for these days up there. They aren't having trouble selling property especially in Mountain Thunder and Shock Hill. Shock Hill is almost full and Mountain thunders success is what is prompting them to build the skiway two years ahead of schedule and the gondola to follow fairly soon.

[poloxskier]

Im going to try to get some pictures of it tomorrow but the bridge for the ski back is up and there is still work going on at this time. The tunnel by the parking lot appears to almost be done too.

[poloxskier]

Breckenridge Has once again opened new parts of the mountain ahead of schedule. The ski back to the free parking opened today.

BRECKENRIDGE - Breckenridge Ski Resort will open its new skier bridge a year early, thanks to a heaping dose of early season snowfall and an ambitious construction schedule.

The Skyway Skiway opens Friday and will serve as a link for Breckenridge skiers and riders from Peak 8 to the free skier parking lots. The Skyway Skiway will also provide ski-in access to the Mountain Thunder Lodge and Townhomes.

The resort originally planned to complete the bridge construction in time for the 2006-2007 season, but construction crews worked into the fall to complete the project a year early.

"Who couldn't be happy?" said Breckenridge Mayor Ernie Blake. "It was a commitment the ski area made, but they're beating the commitment and they're beating the commitment because the real estate market is really so good."

Pre-sales from Mountain Thunder Lodge Phase II allowed Vail Resorts Development Company to begin building the Skyway Skiway two years earlier than planned.

All 34 units were sold by September, said Alex Iskenderian, vice president of development for Vail Resorts Development Company.

Blake said he appreciated Vail Resorts dedicating some proceeds from the sale of Mountain Thunder to an amenity that will also benefit the town, when the company could have put the money in another location.

"The Skyway Skiway is an example of the ski resort and the town working together to better meet the needs of our guests including easier access from the mountain to the parking lots and Main Street," said Roger McCarthy, chief operating officer for Breckenridge and Keystone.

In May 2002, the town of Breckenridge and Breckenridge Ski Resort signed a landmark agreement outlining a development plan for Peaks 7 and 8 designed to uphold both the resort town's world-class stature and quality of life. The construction and completion of the Skyway Skiway is an integral part of implementing the agreement.

"With its completion, we are one step closer to making the Peak 7 and Peak 8 villages a reality," Iskenderian said.

The resort still needs to put in snowmaking on the Skyway Skiway next summer.

Plentiful early season snowfall also allowed the resort to open its new Imperial Express SuperChair more than one month early.



Nicole Formosa can be reached at (970) 668-3998 ext. 13625, or at nformosa@summitdaily.com



The Skyway Skiway ribbon cutting will take place at the head of the new skier bridge at 10 a.m. Friday. To get there via Peak 8, take 4 O'Clock ski run down to the Skyway Skiway.

Breck also got approval to move some of the units that were going to be built at Mountain Thunder Lodge, to the base of peak 7, on which construction should begin in May.


BRECKENRIDGE - The schedule for a new base area development at Peak 7 stayed right on track as planning commissioners unanimously approved a master plan amendment and density transfer for the project last week.

The thumbs-up means construction of roads, bridges and utility installations at Peak 7 is set to begin in May, barring any unforeseen snags, said Alex Iskenderian, vice president of Vail Resorts Development Company (VRDC).

"It's a three-step approval process for us," Iskenderian said, explaining that VRDC will seek the go-ahead for site-specific infrastructure plans in early January. "We'll see how that goes. We're hoping we can get it approved in one meeting," Iskenderian said. The company intends to subsequently submit site plans for specific buildings at Peak 7, he said.

The planning commission approval was for the overall Peak 7 and Peak 8 master plan, including a density transfer of 48 units from the Mountain Thunder complex along Park Avenue. The initial focus will be on the Peak 7 area, with construction of residential condo-hotel units and some skier service facilities expected in the next couple of years. Overall, the entire Peak 7 and Peak 8 development has been described as a phased eight- to 10-year project.

Developers addressed several concerns raised by the planning commission at a Nov. 15 meeting by repositioning buildings to open wider view corridors at Peak 8, where redevelopment plans call for construction of a "grand lodge," along with a gondola terminal and other residential and commercial facilities.

"We did try to look at both sides of the grand lodge and open up view corridors," said Randy May, director of development for VRDC. "We also removed the large building associated with the gondola terminal. That really opens up that area," May added.

Language concerning the stepping down of buildings at the edges of the development was also revised. Planning commissioners wanted to ensure an aesthetic transition from the high-density center of the development to adjacent forest lands.

May said he wanted to make clear that some of the buildings at the edges could still include five-story elements, but that those outlying structures would have less mass overall than the buildings at the center.



Parking and locker room issues

Commissioner Ken Boos also raised a question about parking at Peak 7, trying to find out whether day-skier parking spaces could disappear completely during the construction phase.

"Could we end up without parking and without a gondola?" Boos asked.

Attorney Steve West, representing VRDC, said parking spaces are addressed in a separate agreement, requiring that, at least theoretically, 200 spaces of day-skier parking must be available at Peak 7 throughout the construction process.

Finally, Breckenridge chief operating officer Roger McCarthy briefly spoke about how best to address the need for some temporary operations buildings, including facilities like employee locker rooms and ticket offices, during the development of Peak 7 and the redevelopment of Peak 8.

"Since 2000, we've really boosted capacity at the ski area," McCarthy said, listing the addition of new lifts. "We've got this expanding employee base. We're really bursting at the seams," he said. "We've got to find some transitional component to get us through the squeeze."

Resort officials had previously raised the question of building some temporary buildings, a concept that was coolly received by the planning commission.

McCarthy said the resort would revisit the issue and come back to the commission with some sort of plan to address those needs, potentially requiring a change to town codes to allow for transitional structures.