Bucket List – The Knowledge Path

June 26, 2019June 26, 2019

What Were Frisco and Copper Mountain Like Before the Great Recession?

Part One: Summit

With the help of our knowledge bank, you can choose for variations in your new neighborhood by:

An excerpt from Book Three in “The Knowledge Path Series” dedicated to helping you find the place of your dreams.

5-Year Time Frames — 2003 – 2008

What about Frisco and Copper Mountain Resort?

Comparing lifestyle changes over the next five year period, what happened?

Shouldn’t you expect a similar abrupt change in community neighborhoods?

First of all the Dillon Reservoir separates Dillon and Frisco by 6 miles and the route takes under 15 minutes to drive.

But the distance between Breckenridge and Copper Mountain resorts, 21 miles by car on 1-70 and CO 9, may take 30 to 40 minutes depending on traffic and road conditions.

Getting there takes time, but if you could travel as a crow flies, you’d soon discover their ski runs share opposite sides of mountain peaks fairly close together.

I-70 delivers you within minutes of Copper’s entrance.

Will that fact make a difference over the ensuing five years?

Location At-A-Glance

Region: Western United States

State: Colorado

Travel Region: Northwestern Colorado

County: Summit County

Patchwork County: Monied Burbs

Town: Frisco — Copper Mountain, Copper Mountain Resort

Population Density: Town and Country

Real Estate Phase: Early-Maturity

Zip Codes: 80443

Profile At-A-Glance (Summer 2008)

Life Stages: Singles, Couples, Families, BabyBoomers, EmptyNests, Midlife,

Ages: 20-29, 25-54, 30-44, 45+, 45-65

Community Neighbors:

Wireless Resorters

Premier Resorts – WRPR

09M1T1, Big Fish Small Pond, 45+, Couples, Affluent Empty Nests, Accumulated Wealth, Landed Gentry (Mammoth Lakes, CA)

05F1T1, Country Squires, 45+, Family, Accumulated Wealth, Landed Gentry (Lake Arrowhead, CA)

Maturing Resorts — WRMR

11Y1T1, God’s Country, 30-44, Couples, Midlife Success, Landed Gentry (Boulder, CO)

23Y2T2, Greenbelt Sports, 25-54, Mainstream Singles, Country Comfort (Aspen, CO)

Distant Exurbans – WRDE (Declined, Evolved or Moved)

48Y3T4, Young and Rustic, 20-29, Striving Singles, Rustic Living (ParkCity, UT)

You’ll find out a little later that Frisco and Copper Mountain “lost” their only Distant Exurban lifestyle.

Those 20-29 year old singles used to rustic living – 48Y3T4 “flew” to Breckenridge and Durango in Colorado, Incline Village in Nevada, Truckee, South Lake Tahoe, Bishop in California and to Whitefish in Montana.

Not only that, unlike Breckenridge, two community neighbors with four core lifestyles did not change.

Why?

Or why not?

Did the Great Recession treat the mountain communities differently?

Highlights and Headlines.

Winter 2007 – 2008

Arresting Development Copper Style

Snowball Trial

SNOWBALL. FIGHT. ARREST. Colorado. Copper Mountain. A seasonal worker from Australia is scheduled to go on trial Thursday for allegedly injuring an acquaintance when he launched a snowball at her last season at Copper Mountain.

High Alpine Bowls, Not Enough?

Backside Of The Mountain Preserved For Wildlife

MOUNTAINS.WILDLIFE. Colorado. Copper Mountain Resort has begun to open portions of their high alpine bowls on the backside of the mountain preserved for wildlife.

Environmental Report Card vs. Development

Copper and Breck on Bottom of Environmental Report

Top 10 ski resort scores, by score 1. Aspen Mountain Ski Resort – Colo. A 88.9 2. Buttermilk Mountain Ski Resort – Colo.

IntraWest owns Whistler, Copper and Steamboat.

MOUNTAINS. VAIL RESORTS. INTRAWEST. Colorado. Vail. Bill Jensen, the top executive at Vail Mountain and president of its mountain division, is leaving Vail Resorts to work for rival ski company Intrawest that owns Whistler, Copper and Steamboat.

Base Area Redevelopment Plan

Density, parking and transportation will be some of the key topics as the Board of County Commissioners starts to scrutinize Copper Mountain Resort’s latest base area redevelopment plan at a 1:30 p.m. work …

10-Story Hotel

Copper Mountain’s proposal to concentrate density in the core of the resort includes preliminary plans for a 10-story hotel on the site of the existing Chapel parking …

Leadville to Minturn

Interstate 70 Is Closed At MM 195

Westbound Interstate 70 is closed at MM 195 due to multiple accidents. An alternate route is to use Highway 91 from Copper Mountain to Leadville and then take Highway 24 to Minturn.

Leapers and Super Pipes

Main Vein Super Pipe

Copper Mountain’s Main Vein Super pipe will be closed Monday, Feb. 25, re-opening Friday, Feb.

Leap Day Take The Day Off And Ski And Ride Day

Today, leap day, Copper Mountain Resort is holding their first annual National take the day off and ski and ride day or N.T.T.D.O.A.S.A.R.D. Leapers get to ski for free, while everyone else just gets to play

Summit County Community

Summit High School Alpine Team

Coach Tory Hauser was pleased with the Summit High School alpine team’s performance in Friday’s giant slalom at Copper Mountain, even though the Tigers were unable to top the podium.

Fundraising For Summit Community Care Clinic

Summit Community Care Clinic will be holding its first ever major fundraising event on March 8 from 6:30-9 p.m. at the Copper Mountain Conference Center.

Spring 2008

Season Passes Lowest Possible Prices

Season passes for three of Colorado’s favorite resorts –

” Winter Park, Copper Mountain and Steamboat, all of which have enjoyed incredible snow this season – ” are available for the lowest possible prices …

Which is Worse?

Bicycling Accidents, Snowboarding Emergency-Room Visits

Not counting bicycling accidents, snowboarding injuries accounted for a quarter of all emergency-room visits related to outdoor sports injuries in 2005-2005, according to a new federal report.

What’s Right Around the Corner?

Summer Music Acts, Cycling, And Running Events

Copper’s Summer schedule features national music acts, cycling, and running events.

Summer 2008

Run the Rockies

Colorado. Copper Mountain. Frisco.

Johannes Rudolph celebrated his 43rd anniversary of being alive by winning Run the Rockies Saturday in Frisco with a time of 1 …

Half-Marathon Is 75 Percent Downhill

COLORADO. MOUNTAINS. SKI-TOWNS. Colorado. Copper Mountain. The half-marathon is 75 percent downhill and the Tenmile Creek is 100 percent downhill.

Just Like That

Surprise Road Closure

Denver Water closed our road without communicating with anyone in Summit County, the towns of Breckenridge, Frisco, Silverthorne, Dillon, Montezuma and the Keystone community.

Cross Promotion Beery Good

Promotional Use Of The Resorts’ Logos By MillerCoors

MillerCoors LLC has reached a joint marketing deal with Colorado’s Copper Mountain and Winter Park ski resorts that includes event sponsorship and promotional use of the resorts’ logos by the brewer.

Master Plan Development

Copper Mountain’s Development Proposal

Tenmile Planning Commission hearings on Copper Mountain’s development proposal When: Wednesday and Thursday, 5:30 p.m. Where: Ptarmigan Room, Copper Mountain Conference Center.

Master Plan With 600 New Residential Units

The Tenmile Planning Commission gave Copper Mountain Resort the green light to build nearly 600 new residential units under a reconfigured master plan.

Fall 2008

What About Jobs?

Local Job Fair

The Frisco Workforce Center and the Town of Silverthorne will host a free job fair this Thursday from noon to 5 p.m. ‘We had a steady group of …

Reduce and Realign

Intrawest Will ‘Reduce And Realign’ Its Workforce

MOUNTAINS. Colorado. Copper Mountain. Intrawest announced Wednesday that it will ‘reduce and realign’ its workforce, but the Canadian-based resort company did not specify if any of the cuts would be felt at Copper Mountain.

Intrawest – Think Global, Act Local

10 Ski Resorts In Canada And The United States

Intrawest owns or manages 10 ski resorts in Canada and the United States, 16 resorts and “villages” in Canada, the United States and France and both Canadian Mountain Holidays Heli Skiing and Whistler Heli Skiing.

Solitude, Squaw Valley, Mammoth Keystone, Copper and Winter Park

Intrawest is best known as the developer of mountain villages in Whistler BC, Panorama BC, Blue Mountain ON, Mt. Tremblant QC, Stratton VT, Mountain Creek NJ, Snowshoe WV, Solitude UT, Squaw Valley CA, Mammoth Lakes CA, Keystone CO, Copper Mountain CO, Winter Park CO and Arc 1950 France.

Developing Or Re-Developing “Villages” June Lake And Steamboat Springs

Intrawest is also currently developing or re-developing “villages” at June Lake CA, Steamboat Springs CO

Mountain Resorts By The Numbers

The Ski Area Citizens’ Coalition Rates 53 Of The 83 Resorts

MOUNTAINS. SUSTAINABILITY SCORECARD. Colorado. Utah. The Ski Area Citizens’ Coalition says that region-wide, 53 of the 83 resorts it reviewed this year boosted their scores, but seven received failing grades.

Colorado Copper Mountain’s “F,” Expansion And Real Estate Development

The resort with the lowest score was Colorado’s Copper Mountain, which ranked at 31.9 points for an “F,” the coalition said. Copper Mountain’s score was almost entirely due to an expansion of terrain and real estate development, coalition research director Hunter Sykes said.

Colorado’s “A” Aspen Mountain to “F” Copper Mountain

# Name Grade

1 (A) Aspen Mountain Ski Resort 85.7%

20 (F) Copper Mountain Ski Resort 31.9%

The Ski Area Citizens’ Coalition. Intrawest Ski Areas

# Criteria Maximum Points Awarded Points

10 ski areas totaling 21,913 acres of skiable terrain.

# Name Grade

1 Copper Mountain Ski Resort 31.9% (F)

2 Steamboat Ski & Resort 61.1% (C)

3 Winter Park Resort 48.9% (D)

Winter 2008 – 2009

Just the Tip of the Iceberg

Business Could Drop Between 5 And 15% This Season

The leadership of the Aspen Skiing Co. anticipates business could drop between 5 and 15 percent this season.

Practice, Practice, Practice

U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix

MOUNTAINS. SNOWBOARDING GRAND PRIX. Colorado. Copper Mountain. Halfpipe superstars from across the globe have descended upon Copper Mountain this week in preparation for the season’s first U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix coming up …

Part Three:

Steps:

25) Compare what “life” was like in those communities before the Great Recession, how resilient each was during the economic downturn, and to what degree did each bounce back after with any “economic hangover.”

28) Which lifestyles profiled in the western resort towns during 2008 – 2009 remained five years later in 2013-2014? Which disappeared entirely? Why? Which new lifestyles emerged, grew or moved in to shift the neighborhood mix? Have longtime locals been forced out by escalating property

30) Review headlines and relevant news as far back as you can find online to surface each community’s unique pulse and identify information necessary to make your decision. Is there a “ticking time bomb” issue you may uncover that eliminates the resort from your bucket list? Search on topix.com.

April 25, 2019June 26, 2019

Summit

Monied ‘Burbs, Celebrities, Ski Resorts: Pre-Great Recession Lifestyles Profiles-At-A-Glance

This contours along the “Continental Divide, an imaginary line that marks the flow of precipitation. Rain falling on the west of the Divide makes its way to the Pacific Ocean. Rain on the east makes its way to the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean.”

An excerpt from Book Three in “The Knowledge Path Series” dedicated to helping you find the place of your dreams.

As you leave Telluride, the next travel region on your BOF bucket list takes you to Northwestern Colorado.

Where is it?

South of the Wyoming state line.

Along the western slope of the Rocky Mountains, but east of Utah state line.

It includes Mesa, Pitkin and Summit counties.

If you are like most people you’d recognize the region in relation to Interstate 70.

Well, draw a line 50 to 100 miles south and you’ve found its southern border.

Follow I-70 from the western portal of the Eisenhower Tunnel in the east to the Utah state line in the west and you’ve got it covered.

Wikitravel describes the region this way:

Splitting the Difference at the Continental Divide – WikiTravel

This contours along the Continental Divide, an imaginary line that marks the flow of precipitation.

Rain falling on the west of the Divide makes its way to the Pacific Ocean.

Rain on the east makes its way to the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean.

Exploring Summit County first, makes the most sense, because more resort towns ranging from innovation to early maturity can be visited in fewer vacation days.

And, guess what?

Patchwork Nation says Summit County can be added to the “Monied Burbs List.”

Across the county you’ll discover 8 or 9 towns that might capture your imagination.

In fact you’d probably recognize the names of the four major ski and snowboarding resort areas already.

Keystone
Copper Mountain
Arapahoe Basin
Breckenridge.

And, you’ll find out that two reservoirs store water for local recreation and home owners as far away as Denver.

Summit County, Colorado. Source: Google Maps

And as you learn later, the Summit Daily News features news and information about the towns and resorts.

To be honest Summit County confused me years ago when we began our coverage.

Here’s why.

Zip Codes.

80424 – Breckenridge
80435 – Keystone and Dillon
80443 – Copper Mountain and Frisco

Oh, and in my knowledge base, I discovered more confusion.

Just like Santa Cruz County in California and Santa Cruz County in Arizona, there are other Summit Counties in other western states.

One closer by in Utah.

So let’s start with the least confusing.

Breckenridge.

Some like to call the most popular ski resort in the U.S.

Probably their Chamber of Commerce, right?

Unlike Durango, Breckenridge citizens live within one zip code, 80424.

Location At-A-Glance

Region: Western United States, Rocky Mountain Region

State: Colorado

Travel Region: Northwestern Colorado

County: Summit County

Patchwork County: Monied Burbs

Town: Breckenridge

Population Density: Town and Country

Real Estate Phase: Early-Maturity

Ski Area Citizens Scorecards:

(F) Breckenridge Ski Resort 36.1% (Fall 2008)

(D) Breckenridge Ski Resort 41.5% (Winter 2009 -2010)

5-Year Time Frames — 2003 – 2008

Breckenridge, CO Zip Code 80424 – Google Maps

Profile At-A-Glance (Summer 2008)

Zip Codes: 80424

Life Stages: Singles, Couples, Families, Midlife, Empty Nests, Baby Boomers

Ages: 20-29, 25-54, 30-44, 55+

Community Neighbors:

Wireless Resorters

Maturing Resorts — WRMR

11Y1T1, God’s Country, 30-44, Couples, Midlife Success, Landed Gentry, WRMR Maturing Resorts, Wireless Resorters (Declined, Evolved or Moved to Boulder, CO)

23Y2T2, Greenbelt Sports, 25-54, Mainstream Singles, Country Comfort, WRMR Maturing Resorts, Wireless Resorters (Aspen, CO)

33F3T2, Big Sky Families, 25-54, Mainstream Families, Country Comfort, WRMR Maturing Resorts, Wireless Resorters (Declined, Evolved or Moved to Park City, UT)

28M2T2, Traditional Times, Empty Nests, 55+, Couples, Country Comfort, WRMR Maturing Resorts, Wireless Resorters (St. Helena, CA)

Distant Exurbans – WRDE (Declined, Evolved or Moved)

56Y3T4, Crossroads Villagers, 20-29, Striving Singles,Rustic Living, WRDE Distant Exurbans, Wireless Resorters (Declined, Evolved or Moved to Telluride, CO)

Community Neighbors:

High Country Eagles

Rural Cowboys– HCERC

45Y3T3, Blue Highways, 20-29, Striving Singles, Middle America HCERC Rural Cowboy, High Country Eagles (Dillon, CO)

Over the next five years Breckenridge changed the most.

Compared to the other Summit County mountain resort towns.

Of the four Maturing Resorts community lifestyles only two remained.

And, the lone representative of the Distant Exurbans vanished as well.

Breckenridge said goodbye to couples, families, and mid lifers in the 30-44 age range.

Three “anchor lifestyles” remained – singles, empty nesters and Baby Boomers ages 20-29, 25-54 and 55+.

Why?

To find out, let’s start with how things were in 2008.

And, with the December, 2007 to February 2008 ski and snowboard season.

Highlights and Headlines.

Winter 2007 – 2008

History and Holiday Arts

Breckenridge Heritage Alliance and the Summit Historical Society

Edwin Carter Log Cabin Naturalist Museum Source – Wikipedia

“It’s one of few of its kind that exists.” The Breckenridge Heritage Alliance and the Summit Historical Society recently announced that the William W. Boyd Horseshoe Collection will be on display at the Edwin Carter Museum in Breckenridge.

Third Annual Arts District Holiday Party

The third annual Arts District Holiday Party is Wednesday from 5-7 p.m. at the Breckenridge Theatre at 121 S.

Providing Medical Services

Level V Trauma Center Breckenridge Medical Clinic

Breckenridge Medical Clinic recently passed a re-certification test to stay a Level V Trauma Center with a perfect score from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment Trauma Services Division.

Land and Water Conservation

Plan For Carter Park

“This probably represents more of a compromise” Following a recent presentation about a plan for Carter Park designed by a community advisory group and recommended by the majority of citizens who got involved, Breckenridge Town Council gave the go-ahead.

We’re Protecting The Land And The Water

“I’m representing the people of the state of Colorado to make sure we’re protecting the land and the water” The massive budget bill passed by the U.S. Congress this week includes nearly a $1 million in federal funds for the Highway 9 widening project bet

Mining Town to Destination Resort

One Of America’s Favorite Alpine Destinations

Breckenridge, Colorado is one of America’s favorite alpine destinations. Breckenridge was founded over 140 years ago as a mining town.

2nd-Home Market In Old-Style Victorian Mining Town

“This is really a 2nd-home market” The holiday rush may be over, but January and February don’t slow down in Breckenridge, Colorado, an old-style Victorian mining town turned modern ski mecca.

Films, Festivals and Fun

Mountainfilm in Telluride

Mountainfilm in Telluride, a festival of adventure, cultural and environmental films, is partnering with Breckenridge’s nonprofit Mountain to Mountain by bringing three nights of film to the Speakeasy. MountainFilm support and attendance helped CRMS Thank you to all who supported and attended the Colorado Rocky Mountain School’s presentation of Telluride MountainFilm on Tour this year.

North American Open Freeskiing Videos

Watch freeskiing videos from this weekends North American Open in Breckenridge, hosted by Simon Dumont and Jon Olsson.

Budweiser International Snow Sculpture Championships

For the 18th year, Breckenridge is hosting the Budweiser International Snow Sculpture Championships at the Riverwalk Center in Breckenridge.

Celebrities and Salaries

Keeping Up with the Kardashians

Breckenridge, Colorado is among the hot spots to be featured on the new season of E!’s Keeping Up with the Kardashians.

Salaries Of The Breckenridge Town Council Members

An ordinance that will increase the salaries of the Breckenridge Town council members elected this spring recently passed the second reading with a 5-to-1 vote.

Spring 2008

Hut, Hut, Hut …

Backcountry Shelter Considered By Summit Huts Association

The Summit Huts Association is considering several spots near Breckenridge for a new backcountry shelter, but proponents are wary of environmental concerns that scuttled the last effort.

Summer 2008

Early Signals?

Hotel Occupancy In Vail, Aspen And Breckenridge

Whatever the cause, hotel occupancy this year in Vail, Aspen and Breckenridge is down slightly this year from the first six months of 2007.

Victorian Historic District

Eco-Friendly Solar Panels Into The Town’s Historic District

Colorado – Breckenridge officials are grappling with how to usher eco-friendly solar panels into the town’s historic district while preserving its renowned Victorian charm.

First Documented Gold Strike On The Western Slope

Breckenridge is home to the first documented gold strike on the Western Slope, but the story as told may be inaccurate.

Foundation Endowment

$100,000 to the Summit Foundation

The Grand Lodge on Peak 7 recently gave $100,000 to the Summit Foundation for an endowment through which the donors can designate the specific beneficiaries.

Local Celebrity

Breckenridge Snowborder

DeAnna Pappas is down to two final bachelors on this season of ABC-TV’s “The Bachelorette.”

Festivals and Celebrations

Summer Festival of Film

The Breckenridge Festival of Film, which took place June 5-8, 2008 has announced its choices for best of this year’s festival.

28th Annual Breckenridge Festival Of Film

High drama, suspense and political intrigue drew audiences from the four corners of the nation for the World Premiere of “Washington, You’re Fired” at this year’s 28th annual Breckenridge Festival of Film.

Parade Down Main Street

The fun begins on July 4th, with a parade down Main Street.

Second Annual Kingdom Days Celebration

Mobile outhouses, mine tours and gunfights aim to lure folks to Breckenridge this weekend for the second annual Kingdom Days celebration.

Kickoff Of The Up With People

Special to the Daily FARMER’S KORNER – Lovisa Cehlin traveled from her home country of Sweden to Breckenridge for the kickoff of the Up With People …

Quaint Shops

New Tin Shop Artists Arrive

The Arts District of Breckenridge’s Tin Shop is located at 117 E.

Hamlet’s Bookshoppe

“While vacationing in Breckenridge, Colorado, over the Fourth of July weekend, I stopped by a quaint little bookstore in town called Hamlet’s Bookshoppe,” emails publicist Amber Childres.

Retreats

Signature Health And Wellness Retreats

Sacred Tree, a holistic health and wellness center in Breckenridge, is launching a line of signature health and wellness retreats.

Mountain-Pine Beetle Aftermath

Turned From Removal To Replanting

The Breckenridge mountain-pine beetle program’s emphasis has turned from removal to replanting.

Music, Touring and Walking

Blue River Series at the Riverwalk Center

The Breckenridge Music Festival will present Cowboy Junkies with special guest Monahans as part of the Blue River Series at the Riverwalk Center in Breckenridge on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. The Cowboy Junkies were …

Continental Divide Land Trust Walking Tour

A walking tour of Breckenridge highlighting what remains of the wildflowers and native landscapes indigenous to our area will be offered on Saturday, August 2, by Continental Divide Land Trust.

Ride The Rockies Bicycle Tour

After seven days and 435 miles, over 2,000 cyclists will cross the finish line in Breckenridge Saturday for this year’s Ride the Rockies bicycle tour.

On and Off the Road

A Dozen Thefts Of High-End Road Bikes

Breckenridge police believe thieves are targeting high-end road bikes after a dozen thefts since June.

Surprise Road Closure

Denver Water closed our road without communicating with anyone in Summit County, the towns of Breckenridge, Frisco, Silverthorne, Dillon, Montezuma and the Keystone community.

Breckenridge Free Ride’s New Diesel-Hybrid Bus

A bright grin under a white bucket hat and Wayfarer-style shades greeted riders boarding Breckenridge Free Ride’s new diesel-hybrid bus Friday.

Fall 2008

Early Start to New Season

Making Snow After First Big Winter Storm

The first big winter storm allowed the resort at Breckenridge, Colorado to start making snow.

Top 10 Resorts

7. Breckenridge, Colorado and Whistler, British Columbia,

18 – 20 Inches of Base Depth

As I write this, nothing but sun is falling anywhere in the Western U.S., but in the last few days and weeks snow has begun to accumulate. In Colorado, Arapahoe Basin, Keystone, Breckenridge, Loveland, Copper, and Wolf Creek are open and reporting a base depth of 18 to 20 inches.

Snowboarder Tara Weldon

After a taste of Breckenridge for an episode of MTV’s ‘Made,’ aspiring competitive snowboarder Tara Weldon is devouring the whole meal.

What’s So Funny About That?

First Laughs And Lifts Comedy Festival

If you’re all smiles today with Breckenridge, Keystone and Copper mountains opening for the season, the good vibe continues into the night and weekend with the first Laughs and Lifts Comedy Festival in Breck.

Putting the Twang in Country and the Cult in Culture

three20south in Breckenridge

Bringing a mix of country, rock and a little bit of twang, the Colorado band Great American Taxi is bringing its self-proclaimed ‘Americana without borders’ sound to three20south in Breckenridge on Saturday.

‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’

In Breckenridge, will show the 1975 cult classic, ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’, on Friday and Saturday at 6:45 p.m. and 9 p.m. on both days.

Where to Go for Drugs

New Owners Of The Drug Store In Breckenridge

Mark and Mary Waldman recently purchased the Drug Store in Breckenridge and say they plan to build on the Drug Store’s tradition of service and convenience. The Waldmans will host a grand opening at the Drug …

Getting Around Past and Present

Historic Locomotive

Breckenridge town council on Tuesday gave the nod – by a 4-3 decision – to install historic Locomotive No.

Modification Of Breckenridge Freeride Routes

Breckenridge Freeride routes have been modified for this winter to accommodate the community and its visitors more efficiently

An Explosive Situation Leading to Stress Reduction

Dynamite Found in Frisco

What’s selling, who’s buying, who’s selling.

Tibetan Massage Therapy

A man who lived three years in a cave, escaped China on foot and nearly passed out in the trunk of a taxi now practices Tibetan massage therapy in Breckenridge.

Keep in Clean Now

Cleaning Up The Water In Breckenridge

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is helping clean up the water in Breckenridge.

What about Frisco and Copper Mountain Resort?

Part Two: What Were Frisco and Copper Mountain Like Before the Great Recession?

Steps:

March 21, 2019March 21, 2019

Mammoth Lakes: From Hardships to Hope

Then in June, management at Mammoth Mountain, the resort that dominates the town, trimmed staff, cut salaries and announced the shuttering of its June Mountain ski operation.

By the Winter of 2013 -2014 the first Premier Resort lifestyle segment flew into the scene – midlife families on the fast-track taking advantage of the real estate deals.

An excerpt from Book Five in “The Knowledge Path Series” dedicated to helping you find the place of your dreams in the Sierra Mountain resorts.

Final Installment in a Seven Part Series:

Part One: Mammoth

Part Two: What Was Mammoth Like Before the Great Recession?

Part Three: Chains that Bind – Bankruptcy, Foreclosures and No Snow

Part Four: Stuck in the Middle with You

Part Five: Breathtaking Mountain Panoramas and Bullet Holes

Part Six: Temple of Folly, Clocks Cleaned and Repaired

Highlights and Headlines

5-Year Time Frames 2009 – 2014

Winter 2012 – 2013

Hoping for a better future

How Bad Things Have Been This Year

Before we get to the early snow, the new businesses, the zipping skiers and beaming boarders at Mammoth Lakes, let’s remember how bad things have been this year for this corner of the Eastern Sierra.

How bad was it?

Scant Snow In The 2011-12 Season Shuttering Of Its June Mountain

First, Mother Nature delivered scant snow in the 2011-12 season, driving tourism down just as the larger economy seemed to be recovering. Then in June, management at Mammoth Mountain, the resort that dominates the town, trimmed staff, cut salaries and announced the shuttering of its June Mountain ski operation — a painful blow to the tiny mountain community of June Lake, 20 miles north of Mammoth.

Financial Hardships

Mammoth Lakes Declared Bankruptcy

Oh, and in July the town of Mammoth Lakes declared bankruptcy after it lost a breach-of-contract lawsuit. Recovery, town officials said, would depend on layoffs, pay cuts and a plan to make debt payments of $2 million a year for 23 years.

June Lake Local Businesses Are Doing Without

These have been hard times, especially in June Lake, where local businesses are doing without their own ski mountain for the first time in decades.

Deals to bring skiers and boarders back for new season

Westin Monache Resort Mammoth

Westin Monache Resort Mammoth, 50 Hillside Drive, Mammoth Lakes; (760) 934-0400, http://www.westinmammoth.com. Some 230 rooms (all with kitchenettes) in contemporary style, with Whitebark restaurant downstairs. Winter rates $299-$599 for most rooms, more during peak time.

Village Lodge

Village Lodge, 1111 Forest Trail, Mammoth Lakes; (800) 626-6684, http://www.thevillagelodgemammoth.com. Vacation condos. Winter rates $289-$669 for a one-bedroom condo, plus $20-a-night resort fee.

Swiss Chalet Bed & Breakfast Inn

Swiss Chalet Bed & Breakfast Inn, 101 Hill Street, Mammoth Lakes; (760) 914-3452, http://www.swisschalet-mammoth.com. Opened this summer, the inn has two rooms with private baths in a modern log home with a spacious great room, picture windows and a deck with whirlpool. Winter rates typically $200-$275.

Mammoth Mountain Inn

Mammoth Mountain Inn, 10001 Minaret Road, Mammoth Lakes; (800) 626-6684, http://www.themammothmountaininn.com. A short walk from the lift lines, but gets mixed marks on TripAdvisor. Some 217 rooms. Winter rates $129-$398

Our second profile glance picked up some of changes to Mammoth’s community.

Profile At-A-Glance (Winter 2013-2014)

Life Stages: Singles, Families, Baby Boomers, Empty Nests

Ages: 25-54, 35-54, 55+

Community Neighbors:

Wireless Resorters

Premier Resorts – WRPR

20F2T1, Fast-Track Families, 35-54, Families, Young Accumulators, Landed Gentry, WRPR Premier Resorts, Wireless Resorters

Maturing Resorts — WRMR

23Y2T2, Greenbelt Sports, 25-54, Mainstream Singles, Country Comfort, WRMR Maturing Resorts, Wireless Resorters

28M2T2, Traditional Times, Empty Nests, 55+, Couples, Conservative Classics, WRMR Maturing Resorts, Wireless Resorters

32F3T2, New Homesteaders, 25-54, Mainstream Families, Country Comfort, WRMR Maturing Resorts, Wireless Resorters

33F3T2, Big Sky Families, 25-54, Mainstream Families, Country Comfort, WRMR Maturing Resorts, Wireless Resorters

By Winter of 2013 -2014 the first Premier Resort lifestyle segment flew into the scene – midlife families on the fast-track taking advantage of the real estate deals.

Two of the WRMR – Maturing Resort – lifestyles, 55+ age Empty Nests and Mainstream Families depart.

But, another Mainstream Family, age 25-54, moves in.

In 2008 Mammoth said goodbye to the younger 20-29 Millennials.

Now, two Baby Boomer lifestyles fly away.

The first, 32F3T2 families, like in South Lake Tahoe, disappear from all the California, Nevada and Colorado mountain towns we visited.

But, the second, 28M2T2 Empty Nesters, show up in almost all of the those towns surrounding Lake Tahoe.

As well as in these Colorado towns:

And, then in California:

Tahoe City,
LonePine, and
Bishop / Swall Meadows.

Like snow flurries that fall and don’t stick, at the end of the season in spring, Mammoth said hello and then goodbye to its only Premier Resort, Fast Track family lifestyle.

They, the 35-54 year old Young Accumulators (20F2T1), moved on to Olympic Valley – Squaw Valley.

Reading some of the 2013 headlines, in hindsight, you can notice some new opportunities and something positive was in the air.

Were things returning to normal?

Three seasons of highlights and headlines provide some clues.

Highlights and Headlines

5-Year Time Frames 2009 — 2014

Spring 2013

Extending Spring Snow Conditions

Tons Of Snow And Will Be Open Through Memorial Day

But not to worry, the resort has tons of snow and will be open through Memorial Day; In the meantime, it’s using those balmy temperatures as part of this quirky lodging deal:

Thriving in Lifestyle Businesses

Howard Sheckter, The Weather Sage Of The Eastern Sierra

A hailstorm ignited Howard Sheckter’s obsession with the elements. For three decades, the real estate agent has doubled as the weather sage of the eastern Sierra.

Range in Temperatures

Daily High Temperature At Main Lodge

Officials said the daily high temperature is based on the high temperature at Main Lodge recorded on the ski patrol website. To book, go to mammothmountain.com/VacationPlanning/Deals/.

Deals and Incentives

Discounts For Two Or More Nights

If you stay two or more nights at Mammoth from Saturday to May 23, you will receive a nightly discount based on the high temperature for the previous day. That means if it’s 50 degrees, you’ll get a $100 discount upon checkout for your two-day stay.

Summer 2013

June Mountain Season Passes https://www.junemountain.com/winter/plan-a-vacation/plan-a-vacation/deals-packages

Open for Family Fun

Reopening Of June Mountain In Winter

This coming season also marks the reopening of June Mountain, the family friendly neighbor that closed last season. At Mammoth, meanwhile, Unbound Playgrounds and Adventure Zones, which offer a go-slow introduction to terrain parks for beginners and children, will have some additional interactive elements this winter.

Water Rights Settlement

LADWP Drops Two Lawsuits For $5.8 Million

In return for $5.8 million, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power drops two lawsuits. Each agrees not to challenge the other’s water rights.

Snowboarding Training and Contests

U.S. Olympians Training Ground

The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Assn. has chosen Mammoth Mountain as an official training ground for U.S. Olympians in freeskiing and snowboarding. Mammoth Mountain, celebrating its 60th season this year, will help them prepare for upcoming Winter games in Sochi, Russia, which start in early February.

Sprint U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix

Around since the late ’90s, freeskiing involves jumps and tricks on terrain park features usually reserved for snowboarders. Additionally, the 2014 snowboarding team for halfpipe will be announced at Mammoth during the final Sprint U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix Jan. 18 and 19.

Fall 2013

Fall Colors in Creeks and Canyons

Quick Trip To Mammoth For Brilliant Fall Colors

California: Near Mammoth, fall color starts to creep in. Don’t believe California has fall color? Neither did a Vermont friend, so I took her on a quick trip to Mammoth last year so she could see for herself. She was surprised.

Rock Creek May Be At Its Brilliant Best This Weekend

Timing and elevation are everything, of course, so if you’re planning a trip this year, know that colors are beginning to appear at higher elevations. In fact, Rock Creek may be at its brilliant best this weekend.

Lundy Canyon, Bishop Creek and Rock Creek Canyon

From our trip last year, here’s what we saw along with some early color reports from this month. Just north of Lee Vining is Lundy Canyon, identified by California’s Eastern Sierra Color Guide and Map as one of the best places to see color (we also chose Bishop Creek and Rock Creek Canyon).

Waterfalls And Trails, Vistas And Forests

None of the drives was more than about 40 minutes from Mammoth. Lundy Canyon and Lake is beautiful any time of year, with waterfalls and trails, vistas and forests, but fall is special.

Color Has Now Descended To The 7,000 Feet In Elevation

Color spotter Christie Osborne reports in CaliforniaFallColor.com that color has now descended to the 7,000 feet in elevation and is approaching full peak at Mammoth Lakes, five hours away from L.A.

60s Daytime Temps Nights In The 20s And 30s

Poimiroo says daytime temps have been in the 60s with no wind. Nights remain cool in the 20s and 30s, providing optimal conditions for fall colors to intensify. The canyon roads west of Mammoth are always aflame in October, and the June Lake Loop is a can’t-miss destination.

Deer Spotting

Feeding Deer at June Lake, Past Village, Down Along Silver Lake

Best June Lake stretch is just past the village and down along Silver Lake, where tunnels of aspen line the road and deer come out to feed just before dusk. Bring a book, a camera, a camp chair and something to sip. Leave the rest to Mother Nature.

Steps:

July 2, 2018March 22, 2019

Bishop’s History and Migrating Lifestyle

Who were the first non-Native Americans to roam the northern end of Owens Valley?

The one BOF lifestyle to say goodbye to Bishop, said hello to three Colorado and three California mountain resort towns.

An excerpt from Book Five in “The Knowledge Path Series” dedicated to helping you find the place of your dreams in the Sierra Mountain resorts.

Bishop: Part One

What do we already know about Bishop?

Having driven through Owens Valley on this trip we know it’s at the northern end of the valley.

And we know that the Sierra Nevada range is west while the White Mountains lie east of town.

Rock climbers gravitate to Bishop for the over 2,000 volcanic tuff and granite challenges.

Wikipedia fills in the main hiking and climbing attractions.

“Numerous peaks are within a short distance of Bishop, including Mount Humphreys (13,986 ft.), to the west, White Mountain Peak (14,242 ft.) in the northeast, and pyramidal Mount Tom (13,658 ft.) northwest of town.

Basin Mountain (13,187 ft.) is viewed to the west from Bishop as it rises above the Buttermilks.”

Bishop promotes itself “The Gateway to Eastern Sierras” and as the “Mule Capital of the World.”

For almost half a century Bishop Mule Days celebrate the contributions that pack mules made to settling the area every week leading up to Memorial Day.

“More than 700 mules compete in 181 events and the largest non-motorized parade in the United States.”

But, mules aren’t the only draw.

Tourists come for an arts and crafts show and a country and western concert.

And maybe, Bishop should celebrate cattle too.

First of all, the town’s named after a creek that’s named after Samuel Addison Bishop.

Was Sam the first to inhabit the northern Owens Valley location?

Of course not.

Maybe on maps.

But, not in fact.

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (DWP) may control much of the upstream and surrounding area but, the Paiute-Shoshone Indians of the Bishop Community of the Bishop Colony control land just west of the town.

Bishop Paiute women’s Labor Day parade float, 1940

Here’s how Wikipedia sheds light on Bishop’s Native American heritage.

“The Bishop Paiute Tribe, formerly known as the Paiute-Shoshone Indians of the Bishop Community of the Bishop Colony is a federally recognized tribe of Mono and Timbisha Indians of the Owens Valley, in Inyo County of eastern California.”

As of the 2010 Census the population was 1,588.

More recently, the tribe counts 2000 enrolled tribal members making it the fifth largest in California.

Five elected members govern via a tribal council.

“The tribe has its own tribal court and many programs for its members.

For economic development, the Bishop Community created the Paiute Palace Casino and Tu-Kah Novie restaurant in Bishop.”

In the winter of 2013 the Los Angeles Times reported that stolen petroglyphs were recovered.

“Thieves stole from an Eastern Sierra site sacred to Native Americans about 15 miles north of Bishop.

Vandals used ladders, chisels and power saws connected to electric generators to remove the panels from cliffs know as the volcanic tableland.”

The sheered slabs measured 15 feet above ground and many were two feet high and wide.

“Native Americans had carved hundreds of lava boulders and cliffs with spiritual renderings: concentric circles, deer, rattlesnakes, bighorn sheep and hunters with bows and arrows”.

Covered by the Archaeological Resources Protection Act, the site supports sacred ceremonies local Paiute Native Americans, so …

“they are priceless to Native Americans, who regard the massive tableaux as a window into the souls of their ancestors.”

Who were the first non-Native Americans to roam the northern end of Owens Valley?

The Bishop visitor center named Kit Carson, Ed Kern and Richard Owens, as well as, Samuel Bishop as early explorers and settlers arriving in the middle 1800s.

Kit Carson had become a celebrated “Indian fighter” by then.

Carson, Kern and Owens mapped the Eastern Sierra territory.

Kern County and Owens Lake and Valley drew their names from Ed and Richard.

But, what about the core founding story of Bishop?

Bishop came into being due to the need for beef in a booming mining camp some eighty miles to the north, Aurora, Nevada, (Aurora was believed to be on the California side of the border at that time and was the county seat of Mono County, California).

“In 1861 cattlemen drove herds of cattle some three hundred miles from the great San Joaquin Valley of California, through the southern Sierra at Walker Pass, up the Owens Valley, and then through Adobe Meadows to Aurora.”

When Bishop and his wife, and a few trail hands drove 600 cattle and 50 horses on that long journey from Fort Tejon in the Tehachapi Mountains into the valley they experience an epiphany.

Why not just settle there instead, raise the cattle and sell their beef to the miners and businesses selling to miners in Aurora?

The McGee brothers joined them as the first white settlers in the valley.

“Remnants of these early settler’s stone corrals and fences can still be seen north of Bishop along Highway 395 in Round Valley (barbed wire fencing was not invented until 1873).”

Enough of that.

What about present day?

What happened to the lifestyle that took flight?

The one BOF lifestyle to say goodbye to Bishop, said hello to three Colorado and three California mountain resort towns.

The 11Y1T1 30-44, Midlife Couples, ditched Bishop’s Wireless Resort, Maturing Resort community and possibly migrated to:

Mammoth Lakes, California
Truckee, California
Tahoe City – Sunnyside, California
Durango, Colorado
Telluride, Colorado or
Frisco – Copper Mountain, Colorado.

So keeping things local, let’s now turn to Mammoth.

Steps:

20) Pivot. Maybe the lists of best places don’t appeal to you. Where can you go to make a fresh, new start? Don’t limit your imagination. Think anywhere — across the globe. Where do you really, really want to live, work and play? Why not live where it’s a vacation all year round?

26) If you know the zip code you can discover the lifestyles living in the community. You can compare your profile with theirs to estimate your degree of fit.

27) Estimate how well suited you are for the resorts. Refer to “Profiles-at-a-Glance” comparing 2008-2009 and 2013-2014 for changes in Life Stages – Singles, Couples, Families, Midlife, Empty Nests, Baby Boomers and Seniors; Ages – 20-29, 25-54, 30-44, 45+ 45-65, 55+ and 65+; and mix of Lifestyles in neighborhoods. Does the resort still offer the age, life stage and lifestyle profiles you prefer?

June 22, 2018March 22, 2019

Bishop

Bishop is a welcomed retreat with much (much) warmer weather than Mammoth.

We put together a “Birds-of-a-Feather” lifestyle list of possible communities across western states.

An excerpt from Book Five in “The Knowledge Path Series” dedicated to helping you find the place of your dreams in the Sierra Mountain resorts.

We introduced this section with a story about building a life on your own terms with Whitefish, Montana residents figuring it was time to move on because of their property tax burden.

We put together a “Birds-of-a-Feather” lifestyle list of possible communities across western states.

And we narrowed the choices to the Rocky Mountain states, specifically Colorado, before visiting and sizing up towns in the Sierra Nevada mountain range.

For our Swall Meadows family, we honestly don’t know how the next chapter of their story unfolds.

Each neighbor faced gut wrenching choices.

Start over.

Fight.

Or flight.

But, to where?

Their lifestyle profile opens up their relocation options to the same communities we already profiled.

So we can speculate.

Swall Meadows falls within the broad Bishop zip code, unlike Tom’s Place, Rock Creek Lodge, McGee Creek and Crawley Lake which claim Mammoth Lake’s zip code.

If they planned to rebuild (hopefully their financial planner made certain their fire insurance coverage was current) and needed to find a temporary home in the area, they probably chose either Bishop or Mammoth Lakes.

In both places they will find neighbors who fit their lifestyle and share their values.

Mammoth School District employed the husband as a math teacher.

Choosing Mammoth would certainly cut their commuting expenses, while like their other neighbors, they rebuild.

But, first the “from” before the “to”.

Choosing Bishop.

Location At-A-Glance

Region: Western United States

State: California

Travel Region: Sierra Nevada Region; Eastern Sierra

County: Inyo County,

Patchwork County: Service Worker Center

Town: Bishop, Swall Meadows

Population Density: Town and Country

Zip Codes: 93514

Profile At-A-Glance (Summer 2010)

Life Stages: Singles, Couples, Empty Nests, Baby Boomers

Ages: 20-29, 30-44, 45-65, 55+

Community Neighbors:

Wireless Resorters

Premier Resorts – WRPR

09M1T1, Big Fish Small Pond, 45-65, Empty Nests, Accumulated Wealth, Landed Gentry

Maturing Resorts — WRMR

11Y1T1 God’s Country, 30-44, Couples, Midlife, Midlife Success, Landed Gentry

28M2T2, Traditional Times, Empty Nests, 55+ Baby Boomers, Country Comfort

Distant Exurbans — WRDE

48Y3T4,Young Rustic, 20-29, Striving Singles, Rustic Living

Bishop, California Zip Code 93514 — Nearby Zip Codes: 93513, 93512, 93526, 89010, 93546, 93628

At the time of the 2010 financial check up, Bishop counted four Wireless Resorter lifestyle profiles in its zip code.

But, six years later one of the two Maturing Resort lifestyles, 11Y1T1 — 45+ Affluent Empty Nesters disappeared.

Profile At-A-Glance (Winter 2016)

Life Stages: Singles, Couples, Empty Nests, Baby Boomers, Seniors

Ages: 20-29, 45-65, 55+, 65+

Community Neighbors:

Wireless Resorters

Premier Resorts – WRPR

09M1T1, Big Fish Small Pond, 45-65, Empty Nests, Accumulated Wealth, Landed Gentry

Maturing Resorts — WRMR

28M2T2, Traditional Times, Empty Nests, 55+ Baby Boomers, Country Comfort

Resort Suburbans — WRRS

43M3T3, Heartlanders, 55+Boomer, Cautious Couples, Middle America

Distant Exurbans — WRDE

48Y3T4, Young and Rustic, 20-29, Striving Singles, Rustic Living

High Country Eagles

Rustic Eagles – HCERE

57M4T4, Old Milltowns, 65+, Sustaining Seniors, Rustic Living

Service Worker Centers

Midsize and small towns with economies fueled by hotels, stores and restaurants and lower-than-average median household income by county.

By the winter of 2016 one High Country Eagle lifestyle, the Rustic Eagle 57M4T4 joined Bishop’s zip code.

The rustic living, sustaining senior citizen lifestyle joined another newcomer, the 43Y3T3 55+ Baby Boomer, cautious couples.

In 2016 Bishop included lifestyles from all four Wireless Resorter communities – Premier Resorts, Maturing Resorts, Resort Suburbans (with the 43M3T3 newcomers) and Distant Exurbans — and the first High Country Eagle lifestyle (57M4T40).

Taking off and saying goodbye to Bishop, the 11Y1T1 30-44 year old successful midlife couples, having also left Breckenridge may have landed in the Lake Tahoe Basin in Tahoe City or Sunnyside.

Or in Southwestern Colorado Region along the Animas River in Durango .

Or in Dillon, Colorado – like Finnmark did.

What else should we consider about Bishop, according to Wikipedia?

The population was 3,879 at the 2010 census, up from 3,575 at the 2000 census. (304 more over 10 years)

To that the Bishop visitor center adds

The “greater Bishop area,” which includes unincorporated nearby neighborhoods such as West Bishop, Meadow Creek-Dixon Lane, Wilkerson Ranch, Rocking K, Mustang Mesa and Round Valley includes an additional 11,000 residents.

Bishop is a welcomed retreat with much (much) warmer weather than Mammoth.

With 5.18″ average yearly precipitation and only 6 inches of snow, Bishop makes the perfect combo vacation – ski, golf, fish and bike year-round.

Part Two: Bishop’s History and Migrating Lifestyle

Steps:

26) If you know the zip code you can discover the lifestyles living in the community. You can compare your profile with theirs to estimate your degree of fit.

March 22, 2018

McCoy

McCoy bought a small airline to fly a few skiers from Burbank, California to Mammoth.

“He went to the bank, attempting to acquire an $85 loan to set up a permanent rope tow. The bank turned him down but the bank’s secretary, Roma, urged the bank to give him that loan. A few years later, McCoy would marry Roma and the two would raise six children together.”

An excerpt from Book Five in “The Knowledge Path Series” dedicated to helping you find the place of your dreams in the Sierra Mountain resorts.

That night we shared our tale around the flaming bonfire smoking and sparking and launching glowing embers like fireflies into the deep dark starlit skies.

Embellished of course.

And, Dave McCoy wasn’t too far removed from the conversation, although everyone in the family knew him as the iconic figure who left his imprint on Mammoth Mountain and its town Mammoth Lakes.

No one else knew how close we were that night to his first mountain slope, or that he married Roma, the secretary of the bank that turned him down for an $85 loan.

That, and so much more.

Wikipedia fills in some of the details:

In 1938, McCoy got a permit and set up a primitive rope tow using parts from a Model “A” Ford truck on McGee Mountain, near US Highway 395.

He went to the bank, attempting to acquire an $85 loan to set up a permanent rope tow.

The bank turned him down but the bank’s secretary, Roma, urged the bank to give him that loan.

A few years later, McCoy would marry Roma and the two would raise six children together.

After swapping yarns at the bonfire we returned to our cabin and when I flicked on the light I noticed something for the first time.

Not too far from the old-time stove-heater sporting the black rounded angle “Z” stove pipe leading to the roof.

Not too far from the 14 bullet points on “Welcome to Rock Creek” rules of the road.

And not too far from the “Welcome to the Cabin” painting on wood with a an idyllic lake side setting with a deer drinking water at the water’s edge.

A ‘30s or ‘40s era gray pickup truck sat next to a log cabin with yellow lights casting a glow on the ground and with steps leading down to a canoe and dock.

I wondered if a local artist painted it and Rock Creek Lodge lent its support.

But, what caught my eye was the third piece hanging on the brown paneled wall.

A photo of three circling birds of prey, dark brown with black tipped wings.

The glare from the cabin lights masked a faint full moon directly behind the dominant hawk in a dark blue mountain sky.

In the foreground filling in the lower two-thirds of the shot you notice brown and white and gray rock formations with little else.

Except in the lower right, there it is.

Scribbled over a brown boulder Dave McCoy’s signature.

And, not part of the photo, but haphazardly fastened to it, a description:

Photo by Dave McCoy written in cursive script.

This photo was taken by Dave McCoy, the founder of Mammoth Mountain Ski Area. The proceeds from this image will be donated to the Mammoth Lakes Foundation, which supports higher education and cultural enrichment in the Eastern Sierra.

A former co-worker of mine tells a story about her boy friend chatting it up on the gondola taking him to the top of Mammoth Mountain where he’d ski down the Cornice.

During the conversation, Dave McCoy’s came up.

The gondola rider asked if he’d like to meet him.

Figuring it was just a conversation and nothing else, said “Sure.”

“When? What are you doing after the run?”

“Wait,” the boyfriend said, “This is Thanksgiving holiday weekend.”

No problem.

Dave (he called McCoy a nickname that my friend couldn’t recall in the telling of the story) won’t mind, he said.

Completely unannounced, the Gondola BFF walked up to Dave’s porch and yelled that he was there with two new BFFs in tow.

From “How I Did It … ” Inc. Magazine. CREDIT: Bryce Duffy

To my friend’s amazement Dave appeared, welcomed them into his Bishop ranch, piled them into his ATV and took them on a tour across his “back 40.”

“He really didn’t seem to care,” she said. “Even though his kids, grandkids and great grandkids were arriving at any moment.”

Maybe living all those years in the high altitude living a vigorous life is the formula for a long life and marriage.

Wikipedia fills in some details.

Dave and Roma from Mammoth Lakes Foundation

McCoy turned 100 in August 2015. His wife Roma turned 95.

McCoy currently enjoys traveling in the Eastern Sierra driving an ATV.

He has always enjoyed photography and that is what he does today.

His mission is to take pictures of places very few people have even seen.

Dave’s pictures can be bought at local stores in Bishop and Mammoth and other local towns.

All of the proceeds go directly to the Mammoth Lakes Foundation, which helps develop education and the arts in the Eastern Sierra.

Mammoth Lakes Foundation from its website

“The family and the community were always a big part of our success, as they helped play in the big sandbox as well,” McCoy says.

“It shows that no man does anything alone.

Now, my camera’s eye keeps making the Eastern Sierra a place for all of us to enjoy.”

Back in the 1940s the climate shifted and McGee Mountain received less snow than when Dave pioneered Eastern Sierra skiing.

Eastern Sierra Ski Club at McGee Creek Lift in 1938. Courtesy of Pomona Public Library

Pivot.

Where did the heavy snow fall?

Why, Mammoth Mountain, of course.

He set up his second rope tow there just as WWII was fought, in 1942.

But enough about that.

For now.

What about his story? “Dave McCoy – World Class Skier, Entrepreneur, and Visionary”

According to legend, and Wikipedia, Dave first fell in love with the Eastern Sierras when he visited roughly 87 or 88 years ago.

He loved it so much that in shop class he fashioned his first pair of skis.

During his adolescent years he had to move to the state of Washington to live when his parents split up.

There he lived with his grandparents.

There he encountered Norwegian ski jumpers.

And, there they fanned the spark into a flame that began in junior high school.

Here’s the Wikipedia part.

Right after graduating from high school, he moved to the tiny town of Independence, California.

Two years later, he moved a few miles north to Bishop.

In 1936, McCoy took a job as a hydrographer for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, which involved skiing up to 50 miles per day.

While being a hydrographer, he joined the Eastern Sierra Ski Club. At age 22, he became the California State Champion in skiing.

For the decade roughly between 1942 and 1953 the startup struggle phase of Mammoth Mountain ski area’s tested his entrepreneurial meddle.

Luckily for him the Forest Service offered by bid the right to operate the ski area.

Lucky, because nobody bid on the permit.

Without any money, he didn’t bid either.

But, they must have recognized the fire burning brightly in him, because in 1953 they gave him the permit nobody bid on but, with one stipulation.

He had to develop the mountain as a ski resort.

What?

Can you imagine how he must have felt?

An entrepreneur’s dream almost handed to him.

By 1953 a ski lodge opened.

He incorporated as Mammoth Mountain Ski Area two years later.

But all wasn’t deep powder and awesome runs.

Wikipedia describes how McCoy struggled to develop Mammoth.

The “lodge” was actually only 12′ by 24′, had a dirt floor with an outside toilet, and served snacks.

The McCoy family used it as a home during the early years of Mammoth.^[

McCoy went to the bank again for a loan of $135,000 to build a chair lift.

Again, he was turned down.

Somewhere he found a used chairlift.

With his dedicated Mammoth maniacs Dave worked feverishly digging holes and mixing concrete to permanently anchor the lift by themselves.

Chair 1 became operational just in time for Thanksgiving in 1955.

Chair 1 had a wooden ramp, covered with snow, that skiers had to side-step up to reach the chairs.

Sometimes skiers would lose their balance and cause several of the skiers in line below to topple over like dominoes.

But, it worked.

And it was definitely a platform he could build on over the next four decades.

Our family remembers the early days of the next phase in the ‘70s and ‘80s.

The ramp was removed sometime in the late 1980s or early 1990s and a new high-speed Chair 1 was installed and renamed “Broadway Express.”

The original main lodge was expanded and to this day, the upper part of the old exterior rock wall mural, with a white and brown flagstone arrow, can be seen sitting on the deck.

By 1973, under McCoy’s leadership, the ski area grew to 14 double-chairs, and a second base lodge was built.

The drive from Southern California region to the mountain required a dedication on the part of skiers and eventually boarders, because Mammoth wasn’t a destination ski resort.

Well, not yet anyway

What did Dave do?

McCoy bought a small airline to fly a few skiers from Burbank, California to Mammoth.

The growth of the ski area led to growth of the town of Mammoth Lakes, California, which incorporated in 1984.

And the rest was history.

Steps:

(32) Plan extended seasonal vacations during summer and winter months. Group destination locations together in regional trips to explore what several bucket list towns have to offer in the general vicinity – with only a week or two vacation time to spend, we recommend organizing your itinerary by travel regions.

November 6, 2017December 30, 2018

Life After the Great Recession

“Local news for (fill in a town on your bucket list, or in your itinerary) continually updated from thousands of sources on the web.”

For couples and parents, you might find the following quote from city-data a deal breaker:

An excerpt from Book Three in “The Knowledge Path Series” dedicated to helping you find the place of your dreams.

5-Year Time Frames — 2003 – 2008

Continuing with favorite Highlights and Headlines for the next five years.

5-Year Time Frames 2009 – 2014

Later in 2009 as the impact of the Great Recession begins to sink in …

Pagosa Springs Locals Resist Arts Cuts

No music festivals, no dance, no theater, no art galleries, no children’s programs, no singing, no film festivals, no sculpture, no debates in the newspaper about differing …

Winter 2009 – 2010

While other Colorado towns (Vail) lined up for economic stimulus money…

Winter Snow Scenes

Pierre Mion taught his popular Winter Watercolor Workshop featuring Pagosa area snow scenes, one of which was featured on the December page of the 2009 Pagosa Country Calendar.

Winter 2013 – 2014

Overlooked Family Bargains in Colorado, Montana and Wyoming –

Wolf Creek, Pagosa Springs, Colorado, most snow in Colorado.

$58 adult lift tickets, no lift lines. great food at the ski lodge. Great accommodations. Lots to do besides great skiing & great snowboarding. Hike, cross-country ski, snow shoe. horseback ride, sleigh ride, enjoy Pagosa Hot Springs, right downtown Pagosa. indoor heated olympic pool. Great restaurants, tequila, Bear Creek, JT’s, Chatos. Awesome grocery – City Market. miss ski season by 5 months for secret spot fly fishing, ride the Cumbres Toltec narrow gauge railroad, Red Ryder Rodeo every thursday night.

For regional coverage we’ve relied on Topix.com in the past.

“Local news for (fill in a town on your bucket list, or in your itinerary) continually updated from thousands of sources on the web.”

To test it out, search for your current hometown.

Notice and how current and complete the local items in the news are in your search results.

We set up RSS feeds for Topix towns, but soon discovered a major problem.

Like almost every other news outlet, local online papers rely on world and state news to fill their editions (that weren’t relevant).
AND, the vast majority of local stories centered on crime.

So we set up a variety of filters to screen out “jail,” “robbery,”” burglary,” and all the variations of those terms.

As a back up, you might want to try The Paperboy.com which claims they’ve got lists of 12,064 Online Newspapers & ePapers.

News feeds for Whitefish, Montana:

http://www.topix.com/city/-mt

http://www.pilot.com/ for the Pilot News – set up an RSS feed

For Pagosa Springs, Colorado:

http://www.topix.com/city/pagosa-springs-co

http://www.pagosasun.com/ Pagosa Springs Sun

And, finally if you’re serious about Pagosa Springs (or Whitefish so far), or about any other town on your growing bucket list, you’ll want to investigate the most comprehensive resource we’ve found – city-data.com.

In Depth Data for Cities and Towns Across the U.S.

Their detailed, statistical data often provide more information than you know what to do with.

They aggregate public records open and available to the public at large and periodically update their information based on the records that these agencies release.

They also encourage user-generated content.

Here’s the link for Pagosa Springs:

http://www.city-data.com/city/Pagosa-Springs-Colorado.html.

Updated Stats for Local Registered Sex Offenders

For couples and parents, you might find the following quote from city-data a deal breaker:

According to our research of Colorado and other state lists there were 24 registered sex offenders living in Pagosa Springs, Colorado as of April 20, 2015.

The ratio of number of residents in Pagosa Springs to the number of sex offenders is 71 to 1.

Steps:

November 1, 2017December 30, 2018

Seasons

The Ute Indians called the hot springs “Pah gosah.” Pagosa Springs is a small town in southwest Colorado with the largest natural and deepest hot mineral spring in the world known as “The Great Pagosa Hot Springs”.

Cloud-Seeding, Dan Fogelberg and 24 Sex Offenders – What a little digging will reveal.

An excerpt from Book Three in “The Knowledge Path Series” dedicated to helping you find the place of your dreams.

“Pagosa Springs, Colorado. Refreshingly Authentic”

Pagosa Springs continues to grow as an art community. The Pagosa Springs area is home to a variety of art galleries, live theatres, museums, and cultural activities. You can explore ancient civilizations, our Western heritage and deep history, and amazing artisans throughout the year.

5-Year Time Frames — 2003 – 2008

Skimming Pagosa Springs’ back story helps reveal its attraction, especially before and during the Great Recession.

Highlights and Headlines.

A sample of some of my favorites:

Fall of 2006

From the New York Times

Pro peace forces win battle in Colorado town – Denver – Peace is fighting back in Pagosa Springs

Spring of 2007

Drinking Liberally 200th Chapter

One of the progressive movement’s most innovative social organizations has reached a huge milestone: With the arrival of Pagosa Springs, Colorado, the Drinking Liberally map has hit 200 chapters.

Summer of 2007

Four Corners Folk Festival

The Infamous Stringdusters, fresh off their whirlwind 6 week US tour, will have a new face when they hit the stage on September 1 at the Four Corners Folk Festival in Pagosa Springs, CO.

Now we know …

The Great Pagosa Hot Springs –

The Ute Indians called the hot springs “Pah gosah” Pagosa Springs is a small town in southwest Colorado with the largest natural and deepest hot mineral spring in the world known as “The Great Pagosa Hot Springs”.

Fall of 2007

If it’s fall, then it’s Football Season, and …

Pagosa Springs Pirates Football Team

In Friday’s non-league game, the Pagosa Springs Pirates football team got by the host Kirtland Central Broncos , by a score of 20-14.

BootJack Ranch Listed for $80 million

BootJack Ranch listed for $80 million. Brown, a developer who owns a significant chunk of real estate in the old downtown area of Pagosa Springs, is planning to sell a vast ranch where he lives northeast of town.

Antero Reservoir Trout Limit –

The Colorado Wildlife Commission has affirmed a two-trout bag and possession limit for Antero Reservoir for the near future.

And, some bad news … depending on how you look at it.

New Reservoir Water Right Denied –

“We think the Supreme Court got it right” The state Supreme Court has denied a large water right for a new reservoir above Pagosa Springs.

Enrollment Decline Leads to Budget Cut –

Enrollment in Pagosa Springs schools dropped almost 100 students this fall, necessitating a $275,000 budget cut.

Winter of 2007 – 2008

You knew this headline couldn’t be far behind, right?

Property Tax for Education Lawsuit

“This particular issue is going to cause a tremendous increase in property taxes for the schools here in Archuleta County” Mesa County commissioners and several citizens sued the state government Thursday over a law passed last spring…

And, what comes with ice and snow?

Rescued Elk from Iced Over Pond

We were all pretty wiped out by that time” In one of the most unusual emergency operations in Colorado this year, three cow elk that fell through the ice of a private pond south of Pagosa Springs were rescued by Division of Wildlife officers, a local …

Most Snow Fall – Wolf Creek and Silverton Mountain

Wolf Creek and Silverton Mountain were the big winners, reporting 40 inches in the 48 hours ending Sunday (Jan. 6) afternoon, but other areas also tallied impressive totals: 26 inches at Telluride, 29 inches at Purgatory, 36 inches at Crested Butte, and …

Spring of 2008

And, then after that comes …

Landslide Watch Northeast of Pagosa Springs –

“It’s an emergency because it continues to move, and we don’t know when or where it will stop, and we don’t really know what we’ll have to do when it does stop” Officials from Archuleta County and the U.S. Forest Service are watching a landslide northeast of Pagosa Springs that has already destroyed a Forest Service road and could threaten the east fork of the San Juan …

Summer of 2008

Sad news for fans of Dan Fogelberg …

Dan Fogelberg’s $15,000,000 Ski Retreat –

The Pagosa Springs, Col. ski retreat of the late singer Dan Fogelberg, who died in December of advanced prostate cancer, reportedly is under contract after having been on the market for $15,000,000.

Wolf Creek Seeing Red

Colorado’s Wolf Creek Ski Area

The U.S. Forest Service has begun a new environmental assessment of Texas billionaire Red McCombs’ proposed Wolf Creek development that would add housing and businesses to serve as many as 10,000 people adjacent to Colorado’s Wolf Creek Ski Area.

Winter 2008 – 2009

Say, what!?

Cloud-Seeding Program

“Last week, the San Juan Water Conservancy District Board of Directors adopted budgets and joined a cloud-seeding program, but failed to approve a resolution suspending the …

Some us vs. them … or visa versa?

Earthjustice, San Juan Citizen’s Alliance, Colorado Environmental Coalition, Colorado Wild, Oil and Gas Accountability Project and the Wilderness Society –

Last year Earthjustice filed the suit on behalf of San Juan Citizen’s Alliance, Colorado Environmental Coalition, Colorado Wild, Oil and Gas Accountability Project and the Wilderness Society. It challenges the 2007 San Juan Public Lands Center authorization for 27 new coal bed methane gas wells and 11 miles of new roads in the HD Mountains roadless area on either side of the Archuleta/La Plata county line.

USFS Halts Analysis Of Colorado’s Village At Wolf Creek –

USFS halts analysis of Colorado’s Village at Wolf Creek The developers of the Village at Wolf Creek, a development originally proposed to build a resort on …

And, during the Great Recession and later. More to follow …

5-Year Time Frames 2009 – 2014

Steps:

September 19, 2017

Wild

“Colorado Wild works as a part of the Southern Rockies Conservation Alliance, a coalition conservation organizations dedicated to protecting Colorado’s public lands, air, water, and wildlife habitat.”

Ski Resorts Ranked from sucks to top of the class: Sun Valley, Copper Mountain, Aspen.

An excerpt from Book Three in “The Knowledge Path Series” dedicated to helping you find the place of your dreams.

Purgatory captures the excitement of what skiing or snowboarding is all about in a local resort.

Now it is the Durango Mountain Resort.

And, you can check out the mountain and town by web cams around the clock.

Most would agree that Durango Mountain Resort isn’t in the same “destination league”as Aspen, Copper or Vail.

Which is probably why in the winter of 2007-2008 a note from the Vail Daily caught my eye.

“Vail isn’t the most environmentally friendly ski resort around, but it’s gradually improving, according to a report from the Ski Area Citizen’s Coalition.”

The Ski Area Citizens Coalition released its eighth annual survey of environmental performance, finding that some ski areas are taking steps to reduce their impact and supporting broader environmental improvement measures.

The following fall, in November, report cards returned to my feeds (and season thereafter until the winter of 2013 – 2014 when it went on hiatus.)

Sun Valley Resort failed.

Copper Mountain ranked slightly above Sun Valley.

But Aspen Mountain received an “A” with a score of 85.7 out of 100.

Most volunteers and staff of SACC are skiers themselves, and recognize skiing as a valid use of public lands.

We also recognize that not all ski areas are the same when it comes to environmental protection.

So just who performs the rankings?

With a little digging I found out Colorado Wild operated out of Southwestern Colorado.

From a P.O. Box in Durango, Colorado.

Rocky Mountain Wild
1536 Wynkoop St, Ste 900
Denver, CO 80202
303-546-0214
info@rockymountainwild.org

Later, I’m not sure when or why the SACC moved to Lake Tahoe, California.

On our BOF bucket list, but coming up a little later.

Clearly they shared the same passions for wildness that author and fellow High Country Eagle Petersen does.

Colorado Wild works to protect, preserve, and restore the native plants and animals of the Southern Rocky Mountains with particular attention given to habitat protection of Colorado’s forested, roadless, public lands and other ecologically important areas.

They focused on threats to Colorado’s wild lands – primarily logging and industrial ski area development.

As an active part of the coalition, you’ll remember, they successfully challenged Texas billionaire Red McCombs.

His Wolf Creek Village and Piano Creek developments near Pagosa Springs.

Comprised of more than 800 concerned skiers, hikers, photographers, and other outdoor enthusiasts, Colorado Wild continues to fill a critical niche.

So how did Durango score?

For the 2007 – 2008 winter season Durango Mountain Resort received a passing grade (C) with a score of 63.7 out of 100 points possible.

But, more recently, they pulled up their grade to an “A” scoring 88%.

Colorado Wild works as a part of the Southern Rockies Conservation Alliance, a coalition conservation organizations dedicated to protecting Colorado’s public lands, air, water, and wildlife habitat.

During the intervening years, the Ski Area Citizens Scorecards graded all, if not most, of the ski areas across the western states.

Which may partially explain why the headquarters shifted to Lake Tahoe.

Steps:

(33) When you move, will your established neighbors share your same values? Does your new home have potential over the long-term to develop into a high appreciation real estate investment while being affordable for mid-life or empty nesters? Do the weather patterns in winter or summer make you want to live there year round, or only on a seasonal basis. Does your new community offer a variety of outdoor recreational opportunities?

August 30, 2017September 5, 2017

Resort

Rafael told me on one of our earlier trips that they had grown tired of Hawaii, where they had run a restaurant for years.

“When is this real estate bubble going to pop?”

Words of wisdom from Harry Dent.

“Spend the time to find the best place to live and invest. It will be worth your while.”

From the days of the original beachfront resort – the Hotel Hacienda Beach Resort, in a sleepy little fishing village – the number of hotels rooms available has exploded.

In the 5 years prior to 2003 they almost doubled.

A clear sign back then that Cabo had passed the “Innovation” stage and entered the 10% to 25% breakout “Growth” phase.

It’s easy to see why, watching the sun setting, overlooking Medano Beach and the Sea of Cortez?

Or sitting at a bar table underneath the azure blue umbrella on the patio, steps away from the lower pool.

The word on the street estimated it would take 15 years before Cabo hit world-class resort development status – moving through “emerging and rapid growth stages.”

But, the word around the pool in casual conversations was actually a question.

“When is this real estate bubble going to pop?”

Dent projected it to begin sometime in 2009, more than 5 years away.

In the evening I walked up a dirt lined street and a short hill to the pink restaurant, Casa Rafael’s, between the Hotel Hacienda and Marina Sol.

Ah, this is the life, isn’t it?

It’s real easy to fall in love with a tropical resort.

Once your bio- rhythms synchronize with the pace of life and the prevailing trade winds, you can see why resorts top the list of nine types of places to invest in, can’t you?

After interviews with David and Johnny over at the Pueblo Bonito Pacific Resort I was introduced you to our dinner’s hosts — Rafael Arraut’s wife and brother.

I had heard rumors that the owners came to visit Cabo San Lucas some time in the 1980s and never left.

They opened the restaurant in the early ’90s.

Rafael’s brother mentioned the same 15-year period David did earlier, but when I asked him what he’d do after Cabo became too developed for his tastes, he said, “Move to Cuba.”

When it comes to resort areas, these guys like to get in at the innovation or early growth breakout stage.

Rafael’s brother regaled us with fishing stories on pristine beaches and ultra friendly people.

It turns out his family is from Cuba.

And that may be why, in addition to the six course meal, they offered Cuban cigars.

Rafael told me on one of our earlier trips that they had grown tired of Hawaii, where they had run a restaurant for years.

When we finished, Rafael’s wife suggested we take the taxi, instead of walking down the hill above Medano Beach to the Marina and Sancho Panza for Jazz entertainment.

Steps:

(9)) Conduct a preliminary marketing study of the top 4 or 5 favorite places — focus on the intersection between ease of acceptance and degree of support for your Mobile KnowCo.

An excerpt from Book Three in “The Knowledge Path Series” dedicated to helping you find the place of your dreams.

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Monied ‘Burbs, Celebrities, Ski Resorts: Pre-Great Recession Lifestyles Profiles-At-A-Glance

This contours along the “Continental Divide, an imaginary line that marks the flow of precipitation. Rain falling on the west of the Divide makes its way to the Pacific Ocean. Rain on the east makes its way to the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean.”

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Then in June, management at Mammoth Mountain, the resort that dominates the town, trimmed staff, cut salaries and announced the shuttering of its June Mountain ski operation.

By the Winter of 2013 -2014 the first Premier Resort lifestyle segment flew into the scene – midlife families on the fast-track taking advantage of the real estate deals.

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Who were the first non-Native Americans to roam the northern end of Owens Valley?

The one BOF lifestyle to say goodbye to Bishop, said hello to three Colorado and three California mountain resort towns.

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Bishop is a welcomed retreat with much (much) warmer weather than Mammoth.

We put together a “Birds-of-a-Feather” lifestyle list of possible communities across western states.

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McCoy bought a small airline to fly a few skiers from Burbank, California to Mammoth.

“He went to the bank, attempting to acquire an $85 loan to set up a permanent rope tow. The bank turned him down but the bank’s secretary, Roma, urged the bank to give him that loan. A few years later, McCoy would marry Roma and the two would raise six children together.”

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“Local news for (fill in a town on your bucket list, or in your itinerary) continually updated from thousands of sources on the web.”

For couples and parents, you might find the following quote from city-data a deal breaker:

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The Ute Indians called the hot springs “Pah gosah.” Pagosa Springs is a small town in southwest Colorado with the largest natural and deepest hot mineral spring in the world known as “The Great Pagosa Hot Springs”.

Cloud-Seeding, Dan Fogelberg and 24 Sex Offenders – What a little digging will reveal.

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“Colorado Wild works as a part of the Southern Rockies Conservation Alliance, a coalition conservation organizations dedicated to protecting Colorado’s public lands, air, water, and wildlife habitat.”

Ski Resorts Ranked from sucks to top of the class: Sun Valley, Copper Mountain, Aspen.

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Rafael told me on one of our earlier trips that they had grown tired of Hawaii, where they had run a restaurant for years.

“When is this real estate bubble going to pop?”

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