Breckenridge Video Tours

Using shoulders looked to for another I-70 fix

2012-02-12T12:38:00.000-08:00

Local and state highway officials returned from a trip to Minnesota last week armed with a new, and surprisingly simple idea to help ease weekend congestion on Interstate 70: Use the shoulders.

Highway shoulder space has been successfully transformed into an extra lane of travel to help increase traffic flow on Interstate 94 between Minneapolis and St. Paul, a concept officials say might work on I-70.

“We're excited,” Colorado Department of Transportation engineer Peter Kozinski. “It's a way of using the pavement we have.”

A hard shoulder lane on I-70 would run from the U.S. 40/Empire Junction to the Twin Tunnels, where an eastbound three-laning project is already funded and in the works, and would be used only during peak traffic times to help maximize capacity.

But the concept would require additional research, an environmental process and an estimated $30 million to implement. CDOT is far from giving it the green light.

“What we need to do is then carry on conversations with the locals and see what it really means,” Kozinski said. “It's not something we're walking away from at this point, but it's also not something we're just going to charge into blindly.”

Though CDOT is beginning to discuss the concept with locals and look at early feasibility research, a hard shoulder lane is not something drivers are likely to see by this summer, or even next summer, Kozinski said.

Not a zipper lane

The hard-shoulder concept, officials say, is not a zipper lane.

The controversial zipper lane idea would have reverted a westbound lane to be used for eastbound traffic during peak travel times, posing safety risks and impacting westbound traffic.

A shoulder lane would have no impact on the opposite side of the highway. With some re-striping, it would allow traffic to use the space on the outside of the highway during heavy traffic times.

The Federal Highway Administration paid for CDOT officials as well as Summit County Commissioner Dan Gibbs and Clear Creek County commissioners to travel to Minnesota last week to observe the hard-shoulder lane system first hand.

“I'm sold on it,” Gibbs said this week after returning to Summit County. “In my opinion, that's a real early-action item. That's something that could happen.”

A 12-foot shoulder is considered ideal to allow emergency vehicles to bypass traffic to respond to accidents.

The hard shoulder lane as it is implemented in Minnesota, however, preserves 3 feet of bypass space, which, Gibbs said, still turns out to be enough.

“Folks do their best to get out of the way as quickly as possible,” Gibbs said. “It might increase the timeframe for emergency services to get to someone by a couple minutes, but it's not a huge gap. It's minimal.”

In Colorado, highway shoulders are also used for snow storage when CDOT is plowing the roads. Kozinski said the shoulder lane wouldn't be operational during heavy winter storms.

Though CDOT director Don Hunt has warned Coloradans to be prepared for tolling to be a part of new highway capacity projects in the future, the transportation department hasn't had any discussions on whether a shoulder lane on I-70 would be tolled, according to Kozinski.

“That's a much larger conversation,” he said. “We really haven't given that any thought at this point in time.”

Congestion-priced tolling is used on hard shoulder lanes in Minnesota, with higher prices during peak hours to encourage drivers to travel during off-peak times.

Courtesy Summit Daily News

New Product Offering - Floor Plans plus Slide shows in one link

2012-02-04T15:45:00.000-08:00

Here is a link to see the product:

http://www.seetheproperty.com/89821

And a photo of the property:

My latest Video

2012-01-30T17:59:00.000-08:00

A beautiful remodeled condo in Silverthorne Colorado. Small but very nicely remodeled:

Google Takes to the Slopes of Breckenridge

2012-01-22T11:42:00.000-08:00

Instead of a figure walking, there's a little skier in the lower right corner of the Google Maps page, in street view mode. Google has added the slopes of Breckenridge Ski Resort to its Street View special collections, a page that includes world landmarks, business highlights and parks of the world. They say Arapahoe Basin, Keystone and Beaver Creek will also be included in the collection. The idea is to enable browsers to “tour some of the world's most beautiful ski terrain right from your browser,” according to a press release. “Whether you're planning your annual trip to your favorite resort or hunting for a new adventure, Street View can transport you to your desired destination.” Current resorts on the docket include: several locations at Whistler/Blackcomb, the Gold Coast Face at Squaw Valley and Four O'Clock run at Breckenridge, as well as Deer Valley and Crystal Mountain in Washington. All snow view imagery was captured by the Street View snowmobile, which made its debut two years ago at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. The growing gallery of special street view collections takes browsers from the snow to the beach to city life.Courtesy Summmit Daily News

Breckenridge Snow Sculpting Championsips

2012-01-20T18:20:00.001-08:00

Remember when you were a kid, and traipsing through the snow and shaping it into snowmen or igloos or sofas made you feel like a fantastical wizard?Even if you missed that kind of experience, it's not too late to soak up some of the magic at the 22nd annual International Snow Sculpture Championships. Already, volunteers have spent days stomping down 3- to 4-foot layers of snow, until they created 23 packed snow blocks measuring 10x10x12 feet and weighing 20 tons.Tuesday, 15 of the best international snow sculpting teams will begin transforming the blocks into amazing fine art pieces in an event cofounder Rob Neyland terms both sport and passion.“A lot of these teams bring their charismatic color to the event,” Neyland said. “It's important, because at the end of the day, snow sculpting is a performing art; it is a living art form that is performed on the public stage. It is a cross between art and theater. The energy they bring in manifesting their own country's spirit is a big part of the process.”And it's a process the public has the privilege to take in throughout the week, as people wander among the blocks, watching sculptors use only hand tools — some of which they've literally invented — to uncover the beauty frozen within the blocks.“The truly wondrous thing to behold is the living process of the sculpture, which very few people experience,” Neyland said. And he's right: Most people view sculptures after they're finished; they don't sit onsite as an artist welds metal or chips away wood or bronze. “Rarely do you get the opportunity to see monumental sculpture being done.” Kings (and queens) of the mountainThis year particularly stands out in the minds' of organizers because it brings together more teams who have won medals in snow sculpting than any other year, including Team China and Team Canada-Yukon, said Rachel Zerowin, spokesperson for Breckenridge Resort Chamber.Neyland calls it the “distilled cream of the cream of the cream.”In selecting 15 of the 32 entrants this year, judges evaluated the quality of design, looking for striking, dramatic and “doable” ideas (with snow, without any supporting materials); a team's pedigree (how many snow sculpting competitions it has attended and how it placed); and the perceived likelihood that members would show up, because in the past, teams from certain countries have told officials two days before the competition they couldn't get visas or plane tickets, Neyland said.In addition to selecting teams with great track records, Breck officials also strive to bring in new artists. This year, judges saw more entries than usual, said Vanessa Agee, Riverwalk and events manager. She attributes the high number to Breckenridge's reputation and call-outs. In the past 22 years, Breck's competition has become one of the premiere international snow sculpting competitions, moving from “who's that? to being one of the notches that you need on your belt,” Neyland said, adding that there are approximately 10 first-rate international competitions: about three in Canada, four in Europe, one in Japan, one in China and one in Breckenridge.In addition to bringing in fresh teams internationally, locally, Neyland and crew have been cultivating snow artists through the Snowflake Challenge, which began in 2008. Team Breckenridge captain Keith Martin came directly through the Snowflake Challenge; after winning it two years in a row, Neyland brought him on board; this will be Martin's second year with Team Breckenridge, which also includes veteran Tom Day, previous Snowflake Challenge competitor Tim West, and Margo Jerkovitz and Betty Richter.Other United States teams include Team Alaska and Team Wisconsin. Two teams cross boarders. One is Team Greece/USA — Idaho, and the other is Team Australia/USA. Australian Noah Davis started the latter, but he lives in Carbondale, so last year, most of his team members, except his American wife, came from Australia. This year, a few of his mates couldn't make the overseas trip, so Agee recommended a sculptor, and Davis invited another Carbondale buddy to join, resulting in a team mix of three Australians and two Americans. Three teams hail from Canada (Ontario, Québec and Yukon), and other international teams are traveling from: Catalonia, (Spain), China, Finland, Germany, Baltic (Latvia-Estonia), Mexico and Switzerland. The luxury at BreckIn 2008, the championship began providing a 59 percent travel stipend, making it easier for artists to attend. Breckenridge also has gained a solid reputation as a cushy place to compete, due to all the benefits competitors receive.“We really roll out the welcome mat as a community,” Agee said, pointing out that it's not just a town and Breckenridge Resort Chamber event.Restaurant owners provide free meals for team members on Wednesday night, one sponsor provides massages, and Breckenridge Ski Resort gives lift tickets, and, of course, makes the snow, which is a very big deal: Clean, machine-made, foot-packed snow provides the best medium in which to sculpt. Agee said some competitions scoop their snow from parking lots, which literally results in blocks with cigarette butts, dog waste and other debris.“We notice the caliber of teams and designs and quality of sculpting has really gone up (every year),” Agee said.Last year, organizers made the event more comfortable for viewers, as well, by adding leather sofas in the Riverwalk Center and LED lighting. This year, Cadillac has joined Budweiser as a main sponsor; Budweiser is the title sponsor, while Cadillac is the presenting sponsor. The extra support allowed staff to purchase even more leather sofas and install electricity in the Riverwalk parking lot, eliminating the need for loud, messy diesel towers. They also added LED uplighting, which creates more shadows, and thus depth, than just downlighting can.“In my mind, this is certainly a great art festival for all to enjoy, and it's a very accessible art form,” Agee said, explaining that not everybody is going to be able to go to an art museum and appreciate the pieces, but snow sculptures are fun and easy to enjoy.Budweiser and Cadillac both have custom, full-size snow sculptures in the Blue River Plaza (and one at Beaver Run). Neyland will be one of the artists creating the gateway sculpture, as he was last year — a role he enjoys because he's not tied to competition rules that limit the number of participants, so he can let friends help sculpt.Meanwhile, the team he helped form — Breckenridge — from a passion of playing with snow back in the late 1960s and early 1970s to pay homage to Ullr, will create a technically challenging piece, mainly due to the need for suspension, as it builds a carousel.Summmit Daily News

2012-01-16T14:52:00.001-08:00

My latest video. A beautiful town home in downtown Breckenridge, Colorado. Have a look:

Snowboarding's Beginnings: Jake Burton's original maple-wood boards

2012-01-06T15:50:00.001-08:00

Many kids in the 1960s grew up riding a Snurfer in the winter months — after all, Sherman Poppen's invention sold thousands of boards — including Jake Burton. Although he was a talented skier, attended the University of Colorado and hoped to join the ski team before a collarbone fracture, Jake pursued his love for riding single-plank devices.

Upon graduating from New York University in 1977, Jake worked in the financial world for a few months before quitting his job to create Burton Boards. By the 1977-'78 season, he was building homemade snowboard prototypes out of a barn in Londonderry, Vt. Constructed of laminated maple wood, the Burton Backhill was born.

Jake visited shops all over Vermont that winter, marketing his prototype, but he had a similar experience to Winterstick's flop at the 1977 trade shows: No one was very interested. After selling just 300 boards during that season, Jake returned to Vermont in 1979 with a new model known as The Backyard and sold 700 boards — a huge improvement. Regular and goofy stances, as well as binding adjustments (no tools necessary!) were available. Burton had a bright future.

Jake widened the boards, added a urethane base, began signing team riders, and moved Burton to Manchester, Vermont during the 1980s. Over the next few years, Jake competed at snowboarding contests (including the first-ever contest at Ski Cooper in 1981), showing off his groundbreaking products and innovative equipment, including soft boots, metal edges, P-tex bases, highbacks and bindings. The first snowboarding outerwear gear was introduced and Burton expanded internationally — all while campaigning to have ski resorts open lifts to snowboarders. By 1996, 95 percent of ski resorts had opened their doors.

Throughout the 1990s, Jake and Burton Snowboards continued to push snowboarding to the forefront of winter sports by continuing the pursuit of establishing it as a vital part of the Colorado and international market. In 1995, Jake and wife Donna founded the Chill program, which works to “build the self esteem of undeserved youth through board sports.” The program exposes kids, who wouldn't normally have access to these opportunities, to snowboarding.

In 1998, snowboarding premieres at the Winter Olympics and Burton riders captured bronze and gold medals in the halfpipe, including Colorado native Shannon Dunn.

Jake was inducted into the Colorado Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame in 2010, recognized for his rich history in the establishment and development of snowboarding in the state. Some of Jake's early snowboard creations are on display at the new snowboard exhibit at the Colorado Ski & Snowboard Museum. Several pieces are visible, including the wooden board Jake brought to the first Snurfer competition, generously on loan from Brooke Long.

Jake and Burton Snowboards continue to contribute to Colorado snowboarding by investing personally, sponsoring riders and events, and continuing local research and development.

Sources included:

Off the Chain: An Insider's History of Snowboarding by Ross Rebagliati

“Snowboarding: It's Older Than You Think,” by Paul J. MacArthur, Skiing Heritage Journal, March 2009

Courtesy Summit Daily News

Crowds pack Summit County for Christmas, New Year's

2012-01-01T11:13:00.001-08:00

With the national economy on a slow path to stabilization, crowds of vacationers came surging back to Summit County, packing the resorts, restaurants and roads over the holidays.

As the busiest week of the year draws to a close, initial numbers and reports indicate tourist visits between Christmas and New Year's were at least on par, and possibly up from last year despite the lack of snow.

The number of incoming cars from the Eisenhower Tunnel this weekend surged from last year's numbers. More than 23,000 vehicles passed through the tunnel on Interstate 70 westbound Friday, up by nearly 5,000 vehicles from Dec. 30, 2010.

Almost 19,000 vehicles were counted heading westbound through the tunnel on Thursday and westbound counts on Saturday had exceeded 4,000 vehicles by noon.

Lodging occupancy in Breckenridge was expected to hit 75-85 percent between Christmas and New Year's, and room rentals between Dec. 27 and Jan. 1 are on track to be flat or up from last year, according to the most recent numbers provided by the Breckenridge Resort Chamber. Final numbers will not be available until January.

“The really encouraging sign is that we appear to be on a path to growth, despite below-average snow …” said Breckenridge Resort Managers president Toby Babich, who heads up the Breckenridge Lodging Association. “This holiday season again demonstrated the loyalty of our destination visitor seeking the Breckenridge holiday experience.”

Those in the ski and hospitality industry countywide had similar positive reports following the holiday week.

“It's been busy,” Keystone Resort spokeswoman Laura Parquette said. “The village has been bustling.”

Restaurants also reported an increase in business this week from holidays in the past. Some chalked the increase up to the lack of snow, which they said might have encouraged people to spend less time on the slopes and more in restaurants.

“I think it was almost busier than normal,” Dillon Dam Brewery general manager George Blincoe said of the Christmas to New Year week. “I wish we had better snow, but I think people know we have more vertical than Nebraska or Kansas ski areas, so they're here. And we're glad they are.”

Courtesy Summit Daily News

Realtor.com Says Don't Waste Your Money on Tours

2011-12-29T15:59:00.000-08:00

An interesting post on the PhotographyForRealEstate Blog.

Here's a link to the site, if you're interested in reading the full story and the comments. The comments are very interesting and informative.

PhotographyForRealEstate

Realtor.com VP of Marketing Says: Quit Wasting Money On Tours

December 26th, 2011

Chad Jones sent me a quote from one of his best clients:

I want you to honestly tell me if virtual tours are in the way out of fashion because I have been on the phone with realtor.com complaining that no one is looking at the tours from their website on most all of my listings got the past 90 days and they say nothing is wrong with their system of capturing hits and it is just that people are in a hurry now a days and the just look at the 25 Photos and don’t care about that any more and I should quit wasting money producing them. I have gone up the line all the way to a VP of marketing and he confirmed what customer service said. I doesn’t seem possible that I can get Thousands of page views per week on many of my listings on Realtor.com which is still the main go to for Real Estate listings and not have anyone click to view the tour. We are getting some tour views from the other search engines based on the reports you send me.

Chad wanted my opinion on the subject. Here’s what I told Chad:

I can believe that tour links on big national sites and brokers sites don’t get many clicks compared to what the listing pages on those sites get. Tour links are hard to find, don’t standout and there are so few tours on these sites that users are not used to clicking on tour links. But this is not a reason to give up tours.
These sites want users to stay on their site, and not go clicking off to a tour and maybe never come back. So they are not inclined to highlight tour links or make them easy to find or be tour friendly.
I believe the main benefit of a tour is to have a link where you (the agent)

controls the contents and has a place to use outstanding media that presents the home much stronger way than Realtor.com, Zillow.com or a broker’s site. Outstanding media can be, 360 images, large photos, music, narration track and video.
You can use the tour to use on the home flyer and the for sale sign rider.

Which way would you rather have your home presented 1) Realtor.com listing page or 2) a custom tour. To me there is no contest, I’ll take the custom tour! This listing is my home I currently have on the market. I have a link to the custom tour on the for sale sign and flyer. I really don’t expect to have thousands of visits per week to this tour, but I want those that see the sign and the flyer (those that are physically close to the property) to have access to a knockout presentation of the home.
I seriously doubt there has been any big recent change in tour usage. I did several studies of the North West MLS in 2006 and 2007 and tour usage was very low (around 8% of listings). I think this low percentage just shows that only the top agents are using tours.
I kept track of the effectiveness of various forms marketing we did for our real estate business for 10 years and concluded that custom tours are effective and worth the cost and effort and make both the agent and the property standout. I believe that is still true.

Tours have always been about going above and beyond in your marketing and doing more than your competition is. As with everything else it’s only the top 5 to 10 percent that are going to be willing to go above and beyond. It’s always been like that and probably always will.
Chad and I would be interested in hearing others experiences on this subject. Do you think that tours are old fashion.

larry in Tours |20 Comments »

The Christmas Bird Count Begins

2011-12-24T14:24:00.001-08:00

The Christmas Bird Count has begun.

During the holidays, thousands of bird watchers armed with binoculars, bird guides and checklists get ready to bundle up and head out in search of feathered friends during the 112th annual Christmas Bird Count.

What's been deemed the longest-running citizen science project in American history runs until Jan. 5.

The purpose is for volunteers to identify and tally every bird in their specific route and designated 15-mile-wide circle counted annually. The goal is to get an annual census of which birds — and how many of each species — are using a particular habitat. By repeating the process year after year, wildlife managers are able to document and analyze long term trends in species abundance and health.

“The information gathered by scientists and volunteers is invaluable to determining long-term trends in bird populations,” said John Koshak, a watchable wildlife specialist for Colorado Parks and Wildlife. “Birds are sensitive to changes in the environment. By studying trends, we can determine which bird species are declining and which ones are on the increase.”

According to Leon Bright, membership coordinator for the Arkansas Valley Audubon Society, this year's counters in his area are seeing lots of species, but not as many individuals as in years past. “We documented 127 species at Pueblo Reservoir, which is two short of the all time record. The total number of birds, however, was down.”

Bright said the same trend was observed in the Wet Mountain Valley count near Westcliffe.

“The lower number of birds might be related to the drought conditions,” he said.

According to the Audubon Society, the Christmas Bird Count is a family tradition for their members.

On Christmas Day 1900, the first Christmas Bird Count was done as an alternative to what was known as a “side hunt.” According to the Audubon Society's web page, a “side hunt” was when people formed teams to see which team could shoot the largest bag of feathered and furred wildlife. Recognizing that this kind of intense hunting might have a serious impact on wildlife populations, the national association of the Audubon Society began organizing volunteers to count birds on Christmas Day rather than shoot them.

By tradition, the modern Christmas count takes on the guise of a friendly competition, as groups vie with each other and with history to find more species than their peers did. After a day in the field, often in raw conditions, birders gather to compile their totals and recount the best sightings of the day.

Bright cites two reasons people participate in the Christmas Bird Count.

“They love birds and want to help out as citizen scientists. And they love the camaraderie of being with others,” he said.

The Christmas Count is a way for new and novice birders to learn about bird habits and bird identification skills from experienced birders. Old hands derive satisfaction from knowing that their observations are part of an enormous body of scientific data that's important to bird conservation in Colorado and beyond.

For many birders, the highlight of the day is spotting a species they have never seen and adding it to their life list. Others will marvel to the unpredictable and sometimes dramatic interactions between species like raptors and their prey. A lucky few may see a unique bird or a species never before recorded in their circle.

Give the gift of science this holiday

Avid bird watchers or folks even slightly interested can give the gift of time and viewing skills as a participant in this year's Christmas Bird Count.

There is a specific methodology to the CBC, but everyone can participate. Count volunteers follow specified routes through a designated 15-mile diameter circle, counting every bird they see or hear all day. Each circle is led by a Count Compiler. Beginning birders can join a group that includes at least one experienced birdwatcher.

The CBC tallies species but also counts all birds all day, giving an indication of the total number of birds in the circle that day. If observers live within a CBC circle, they may arrange in advance to count the birds at their feeders and submit those data to their compiler.

To find the posted date of a count near you, or to join a CBC, go to www.audubon.org.

Breckenridge Marks 50 Years of Skiing

2011-12-18T15:36:00.000-08:00

The morning itself may have been similar to Dec. 16 half a century ago, but celebrated skiing pioneer Trygve Berge noticed quite a few changes.

In particular, he was treated like a celebrity. And, as he skied the fresh corduroy he's come to enjoy, he pointed out that the soft, man-made snow churned up by groomers was a commodity not available in 1961.

There were just a handful of Breckenridge celebrities gathered for the “understated” start of Breckenridge Ski Resort's 50th birthday, spokeswoman Kristen Petitt-Stewart said, but it was great to see Berge doing what he's been doing for the last 50 years. He rode the first chair along with his friend Greg Gutzki; Nancy Macy, who rode the first chair in 1961 and still skis four days a week; and Bob Brown, who was born on Dec. 16, 1961 and was granted the wish to ride first chair.

“It was a special moment,” she said. “It probably wasn't that dissimilar to when they took the lift 50 years ago. It was a cool, crisp morning that was memorable.”

Berge, who turns 80 on April 19, doesn't mind being recognized for his work in starting the ski resort; in fact, he says he sort of likes feeling like a movie star. But he acknowledges he's just a regular person.

“It's fun to be recognized, but other than that, I'm just me,” he said.

He's also quick to say his wasn't the only hand at work in recreating the town of Breckenridge by starting the ski resort.

“It was Sigurd (Rockne) and me who got the ball rolling,” he said.

Rockne, who still lives in Breckenridge, was not available for comment Friday.

Berge was invited to the United States by 1952 Olympic gold medalist Stein Eriksen, his friend and employer in Voss, Norway, where Berge mounted steel edges on 12,000 pairs of skis to make a living during ski racing. (He competed in the 1956 Olympics in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, but didn't place. He lost his ski just before the finish.)

Eriksen had come to the United States, lending a hand and making a living off ski area startup. He wanted Berge to run his ski schools in Heavenly, Aspen and Boyne Mountain, Mich. — a role he'd fall into again once Breckenridge's lifts started turning. Trygve's is still the learning area at the mountain. (Ericksen still lives in Deer Valley, Utah.)

While he was in Aspen, a friend, Bill Rounds, encouraged Berge and Rockne to visit the open valley between the Continental Divide and the Tenmile Range that was to be flooded to create Dillon Reservoir. They saw the opportunity to build there, and created the Norwegian Construction Company and built the Anthem Lumberyard, which would eventually become the Breckenridge Building Center. That was in the fall of 1960.

Birth of a ski area

“There was nothing here, just rock piles all over,” Berge said. They planned to build cabins around the lake, but wondered what people would do in winter.

Rounds asked if it might be possible to ski. So they set out to scout.

“We looked at the slopes, the snow, the exposure, and rode up the old mining road to where the Colorado Superchair ends right now,” Berge said. The threesome hiked to the top, and decided they'd build the ski area. They headed back to the car, pulled out some scotch, mixed it with spring water spouting from the hillside nearby, and tossed one back to the ski area. Not long after, they had the permit to move forward.

They marked the runs in the spring and summer of 1961, and crews from Aspen came to cut the slopes. That winter, the ski area opened with Springmeier (named for an old mining character who lived next to the Gold Pan), Rounder's Run and Callie's Alley (named after Rounds and his wife), Eagle Lane at the bottom and the Constam T-bar on Trygve's beginner area.

Building a town

A sliver of the land of opportunity, Breckenridge attracted all kinds of entrepreneurs. Unlike Vail, which was funded by investors, Breckenridge was build more haphazardly, with developments scattered throughout the valley.

“It was a crazy time,” Berge said, though it was exciting for him to see people coming with new ideas; ideas both for building the town and having fun. “The enthusiasm was incredible.”

Locals who remained in the mining version of Breckenridge thought the skiers were nuts.

“They didn't understand the future of the skiing business,” Berge said.

Meanwhile, the town was dying, and just a few hundred people remained.

“Without the ski area, there would be nothing here,” he said.

Changes: The best and the worst

Berge commends the direction leaders have taken the town — from its visual appeal to the economy on which it thrives. He appreciates the investments (though, he admitted he sometimes thinks it's too much) in various activities that cater to broad audiences, such as the recpath.

However, he laments the change in opportunity. It's not as easy for people to come and make a life here, between the town's red tape and the already developed valley.

“It's so hard to do something small anymore,” Berge said.

And though skiing has remained a somewhat social activity, younger generations view it somewhat less so than the old-timers, who still take the time to meet each other at Fatty's on Ridge Street after a day of skiing — as they did on Friday to kick off Breckenridge's afternoon of festivities. Some of them have known each other since the beginning, or at least for several decades.

Nonetheless, Berge still sees the community aspect at Breckenridge, even as it's disappearing from places like Aspen. He thinks it's because the locals still live in town.

Looking back and looking forward

The expansions since the start of the Peak 8 Ski Area fall into Rounds', Berge's and Rockne's original vision. Berge said he vizualized the entire Tenmile Range being a ski area, with Peak 1 and Bill's Ranch making the most ideal terrain. He'd walked the land in its entirety, and envisioned a monorail connecting it all together.

Berge smiles and his gaze is far away as his hand demonstrates the graceful turns and jumps of the long, wide moguls formed by straight skis.

He remembers the days when he and Rockne were strong youths, building houses, cutting trails and creating the ski area's foundations for ski instruction.

“We've always been close friends and nothing will change that,” Berge said. He laughs and looks away shyly when asked to share stories of their friendship — he never did spill any beans.

Eventually, Rockne moved into the restaurant business while Berge stayed in ski school and ski shops. Both still live close, with Rockne in Breckenridge and Berge renting here and living primarily in Lakewood.

“I don't like to shovel snow, but I like to ski on it,” he said with a grin.

As he reflected on the many years spent dedicated to Breckenridge, he said, “It's good to look back, but it's kind of sad; I don't know where those 50 years went. It's also good to look forward, because the future doesn't seem to come as fast as the past goes.”

Courtesy Summit Daily News

Bernie McMeenamy Dies

2011-12-17T18:03:00.000-08:00

Bernie was a good friend for many years

Family and friends of former Breckenridge mayor and Breck Ski Resort mountain manager Bernie McMenamy will gather to celebrate his life Thursday, Dec. 22 at the Riverwalk Center in Breckenridge.

The Christmas-themed memorial will include a reception at 1:30 p.m. followed by a presentation from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.

McMenamy, 82, died of a heart attack at his home in Salida Dec. 6

A long-time and beloved Breckenridge local, McMenamy went on to open a second-hand store in Salida after leaving Summit County.

Attire for his memorial service is “Breckenridge casual,” meaning jeans and ski clothes are appropriate.

Anyone with photos of McMenamy to be included in the celebration should scan and send them to taramsheahan@gmail.com

Loews to Delay Opening in Silverthrone

2011-12-16T14:33:00.001-08:00

Frigid temperatures in Summit County are causing construction projects in Silverthorne, including Lowe's, to be delayed.

Lowe's anticipates pushing back its opening several months to late June or early July, according to spokeswoman Stacey Lentz. The home improvement warehouse was originally slated to open toward the end of January or early February.

“This delay is due to two reasons beyond Lowe's control. The initial construction was delayed due to the pending resolution of the original lawsuit against the town concerning the town's approval of our project,” Lentz said. “The second delay has been weather conditions that make certain construction materials and activities either infeasible or cost prohibitive.”

Crews will continue to seal off the rear of the store and finish the roof in early winter, and they aim to complete the interior during the cold months. Silverthorne planning director Mark Leidal said crews have also completed the $2 million in off-site improvements, with some on-site items left to complete.

“They'll wait for things to warm up until they finish up the exterior,” Leidal said, explaining that materials like stucco and concrete require curing periods and temperatures the weather's not permitting.

Silverthorne spokesman Ryan Hyland said it's not uncommon for winter weather to affect construction projects.

For instance, construction of the new AutoZone in town is complete, but will have to wait on exterior paint and landscaping. Leidal said they'll be able to open prior to Christmas, as planned, but town officials will hold cash or a letter of credit in the value of the work to be done in escrow, to guarantee its completion come spring.

“Summit County weather is great for ice castles and skiing, but lousy for construction,” Hyland said.

Leidal said AutoZone was issued its certificate of occupancy this week, so employees will likely be stocking shelves and getting ready to open in the next week or so.

Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church and Buffalo Mountain Metro District are also facing delays, according to Leidal, but they're not necessarily weather-related.

Buffalo Mountain Metro District has completed a new sand storage building, but is still working on its new employee housing unit and new office building.

“We've been talking to them for years for a land swap so the intersection (at Lowe's) could be accommodated. We finally finished that land swap,” Leidal said. He said he suspects completing the land swap prompted them to move forward with reconstruction.

“Sometimes construction activities take longer than expected,” he said.

Dew Tour Hits Breckenridge

2011-12-15T14:50:00.001-08:00

Between the U.S. Grand Prix and the Dew Tour's Nike Open, which kicked off with competition yesterday, Summit County has been packed with freeskiing and snowboarding superstars the last couple weeks, and they're just getting warmed up.
Returning for its fourth year, the Nike Open at Breckenridge is the first of three Winter Dew Tour stops and includes six competitions spanning across three rounds: qualifiers, semifinals and finals. The Breckenridge event will include contests in men's freeskiing superpipe and slopestyle, and both men's and women's snowboard halfpipe and slopestyle.

Other Dew Tour stops include Killington, Vt., and Snowbasin Resort in Ogden, Utah, early next year. At season's end, the overall points leaders are crowned champions and awarded the Dew Cup — and a bunch of cash — in eight disciplines. For the first time this year, women's freeskiing will also be thrown into the mix (at later venues).

Last season's Dew Cup champions include Louie Vito (men's snowboard superpipe), Kelly Clark (women's snowboard superpipe), Torstein Horgmo (men's snowboard slopestyle), Jamie Anderson (women's snowboard slopestyle), Kevin Rolland (ski superpipe) and Breck's Bobby Brown (ski slopestyle).

With all the star power of the X Games, the Nike Open is a great opportunity for spectators to witness the best in the business without the zoo-like atmosphere and competitive viewing of the annual Aspen event.

And this year, when we say the “world's best” will be on hand, we mean it quite literally as gold medal-winning Olympian Shaun White will be returning after a two-year hiatus with hopes of reclaiming the Dew Cup, which he won in the 2010 season. If history is any indicator, the rest of the field, made up by the likes of 2011 U.S. Grand Prix podium finishers Luke Mitrani, Vito and Greg Bretz, among others, will be battling it out for second.

“The Dew Tour does an awesome job of putting on a really good contest in Breckenridge,” said Olympic halfpipe snowboarder Elena Hight. “There's always a really good pipe and a really good turnout of athletes. It's a fun contest because it's the first one of the year, so everyone is just getting back together and there's a lot of fun energy.”

Finding their groove.

Every athlete approaches these early competitions differently — some are looking to simply get back in the groove, while others are hoping to charge out of the gate and debut new tricks and concepts. Hight, for one, plans to pull out a couple new inverts this week, while Kelly Clark, coming off a decisive win at the Grand Prix, hasn't yet thrown her season into sixth gear.
“Early-season, I really think everyone is looking to get their feet back underneath them. I think everyone really looks at (the early comps) as an opportunity to get back into the competitive mindset and get their bodies back into it. I typically have been a bit of a slow starter,” said Clark, this week's frontrunner.

For Summit County resident Simon Dumont, the Nike Open is a sweet event because it's close to home. “The slopestyle course here at Breckenridge is usually pretty top-notch. They build a good park all year, so it's not too hard to transition to adding a couple features and making the jumps a little bigger,” he said.

This year is more of a fun, less-intense season for veterans like Dumont, who will spend time filming before buckling down in anticipation of halfpipe skiing's Olympic debut in 2014.

Size matters.

This will be the second year that the Dew Tour will feature an Olympic-size, 22-foot halfpipe. The event was previously held on an 18-footer, which lent itself to inconsistency among the X Games, Grand Prix and Olympics. Athletes are pleased that the size seems to finally be standardized throughout the major competitions.

“With the 22-foot pipe, it adds a little more room for error because you have more transition,” Dumont said. “It makes it more capable for higher airs, and I think its more exciting.”
In past years, especially Olympic years, the 18-footer prevented top-level athletes who didn't want to mess with their rhythm from participating.

“The 22-foot pipe has been the natural progression for snowboard halfpipe,” Hight said. “It was necessary for the Dew Tour to remain a serious event to bump up to a 22-foot because that's all we ride anymore.”

For women of the Dew Tour, one step forward and one step back
With the acquisition of women's freeskiing for the 2011-12 season, women's snowboarding has consequently lost one of its events at the Dew Tour (and incidentally the Grand Prix as well).

While there seems to be universal agreement among snowboarders that involving female skiers is a positive addition, there is also concern about eliminating events.

“Obviously, for us, that's a huge step back in the wrong direction,” said Hight. “We've worked over the past eight years or so to get equal prize money for women, equal contests. So to have them take away an event like that is really unfortunate. … I think it's great they added the girl skiers; they should have been added a long time ago because they're killing it. But not having equal events and limiting prize money is unfortunate.”

Clark agrees that female skiers deserve a spot on the circuit, but she shares Hight's concerns about eliminating women's events.

“Unfortunately, snowboarding was kind of taken away to add the skiing events,” Clark said. “Although I'm happy for the skiing women to get an opportunity, at the same time I don't think we're really solving the problem by pushing it around. Hopefully we'll see more women's equality in the events to come.”

Courtesy Summit Daily News

Summit Connty Gets green Light for Recpath Extension

2011-12-13T17:23:00.000-08:00

Summit County gets green light for recpath extension

Summit County government's proposal to extend its recpath to Copper Mountain's Far East Lot has been approved by the U.S. Forest Service.
Though it's approved, the best-case scenario shows trail construction beginning in late summer next year, Summit County open space and trails resource specialist Brad Eckert said. Because it hasn't gone to bid, no price estimate has been released.
With the decision issued, those in the public who have commented can appeal the decision for roughly the next month.

The trail extension is designed to improve safety on the county's recpath system east of Highway 91 near the Interstate 70 interchange, where the path currently disintegrates into utility trail and frontage road access to Copper Mountain and Highway 91.
“It's confusing and deteriorating and it doesn't allow a smooth flow of traffic through that area,” Eckert said.

The proposal includes construction of a 12-foot-wide asphalt recpath and two-foot soft shoulders to connect the Highway 91/Copper Road intersection and Highway 91 south of Copper Mountain's parking areas. The proposed trail extension covers roughly 7,200 feet, Eckert said.
A bridge to be constructed on Copper Mountain's land will span Tenmile Creek and allow users to gain access to the Highway 91/Copper Road intersection. The existing stock bridge east of Copper's parking lot will be replaced to allow users to continue riding along the west side of Tenmile Creek between it and Copper's Far East Lot before terminating the trail at Highway 91. The existing bridge at the northern terminus of the recpath will be upgraded with new railings and resurfaced with asphalt. All bridges will be designed to meet Forest Service scenery guidelines.

Two letters were received during the environmental assessment comment period, one support letter from Copper Mountain and one from the Colorado Trail Foundation, which recommended additional design criteria to protect the existing integrity of the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail, which has similar general alignment with the recpath.

White River National Forest supervisor Scott Fitzwilliams said in his decision that the paved recreation path will be immediately adjacent to the existing Copper Mountain Far East Lot, and the Continental Divide Trail will be located to the east of the paved recpath as it extends to Highway 91. A vegetated buffer between the paved recreation path and the Continental Divide Trail will be maintained and/or created, where appropriate.

Summit County Government is responsible for constructing the recreation path.
Fitzwilliams specified that “all project design criteria ... as well as two additional design criteria requested by the Colorado Trail Foundation, are required to be adhered to by Summit County Government.”

For instance, where the recreation path abuts Tenmile Creek and associated wetlands, the width of path shoulders will be minimized to avoid and minimize impacts. French drains will also be installed under the recpath to allow water to continue flowing beneath the paved surface. Where the stream channels intersect the path, culverts and bridges will be built to accommodate or restore the flow.
“Each of these features will improve how water is currently transferred to Tenmile Creek and at the bridge location where the stream channel is restored,” Fitzwilliams said. “Aquatic habitat will be improved adjacent to Tenmile Creek.”

An environmental assessment was created and distributed for public comment in October. It was the basis for Fitzwilliams' decision.

He evaluated another alternative, the no-action alternative, as required by the analysis process, but found the proposed action more suitable.
View the full environmental assessment and record of decision online at http://1.usa.gov/uEE8gy.

Courtesy Summit Daily News

Avalanche Safety

2011-12-12T19:02:00.000-08:00

Summit County: Efficiency in avalanches

According to Swiss “beacon expert,” Manuel Genswein, guide companies can rely on their guests to rescue them from an avalanche — if they're taught properly.
It was part of a two-day public avalanche rescue training at Copper Mountain hosted by the Summit County Rescue Group, the Summit County Sheriff's Office, and Copper Mountain. Genswein spent several hours lecturing ski patrollers, rescue group volunteers and trainers, and the interested public on Friday, reviewing beacon technology history as well as practical training techniques. On Saturday, he exercised the group's application skills in the field.
Genswein's focus was effective training and streamlined practice. Many of his points came back to meticulous training, including being a strict trainer who corrects mistakes immediately. Being a well-oiled machine makes for an effective rescuer, he pointed out.
Genswein addressed the time crunch that prohibits guides from running through basic avalanche safety with guests. He said many guides claim a guest would be unsuccessful in performing a beacon search, locating a victim or victims, and digging them out in a reasonable amount of time, even with basic instruction. So Genswein did a study.
He found that guide service clients, at the median age of 53, could recover a burial in 4 minutes, 20 seconds at the best, and 22 minutes, 30 seconds at the worst. Men aged 73 and up, another clientele demographic, performed the simulated rescue in nearly 7 minutes at their best and 27 minutes at their slowest.
That was after giving them a fine-tuned 15-minute tutorial on avy basics.
“Even though you only have a quarter hour of time, you can be very efficient,” Genswein said, noting that streamlined instruction must also be coupled with the best and easiest to use equipment. According to Genswein, the added bonus of teaching novices avalanche basics, is that they enjoy it. The clients in his study enjoyed themselves — even though they were digging into bottomless powder instead of skiing it.
John Reller, a Chicago Ridge snowcat guide at Ski Cooper, said as he listened, he considered ways he could change his own safety talk. Given more equipment, he might cover the more detailed 15-minute training, he added.
“The more people who know how to use the tools correctly, the better off we all are,” he said.
Genswein has done several of these studies, which take a look at how training can impact backcountry safety.
In another study, he found that giving three 45-minute modules in companion rescue can be highly effective. A four-burial situation was cleared in about 36 minutes with the short course.
Genswein said that the key in any sort of training is to teach how to be systematic.
“This is the key to success in mountain rescue,” he said, pointing out that eager participants who chaotically searched the debris field were far less effective than those who were systematic.

Taking it to the field
Being systematic and therefore effective was the theme of Saturday's beacon field workshop, too.
For new Arapahoe Basin ski patroller Greg Dumas, Genswein's course took his personal and basic professional knowledge to the next level.
“What I found valuable was that it was geared more toward experienced users,” Dumas said, adding it was helpful to have the rundown of beacon history and how technology has evolved, as well as getting international insight on avalanche rescue concepts.
With five stations set up that involved local professionals, the field course catered to novices as well as advanced professionals. Novices learned and asked questions while the advanced folks taught.
Dumas called the Friday and Saturday tutorial “professional development,” which was helpful. It was also helpful to interact with the broader professional community of which he's now a part.

Courtesy Summit Daily News

Breckenridge in the 1990s

2011-12-11T13:03:00.001-08:00

In the 1990s, when Interstate 70 wasn't the gridlock it is now and Summit County was continuing its growth as a major international ski destination, Todd Richards came to town.

The snowboarder got caught in Boulder on a cross-country trip (they were headed to Southern California, where Richards now lives full time) because of its beauty. It wasn't long before Richards and his fellow snow-loving buddies discovered the mountains. A New Englander, Richards came to Colorado thinking he was at the top of his game, but admits he was sorely mistaken.

Colorado, he proclaims, was the place where competitors were bred. Now in his 23rd year as a professional snowboarder, Richards swallowed the pill, turned up his competitive edge and took on the challenge of competing for No. 1 in the game.

Today he has “World Champion competitor” and “Olympian” to add to his list of accomplishments, and has since evolved into a commentator for circuits such as the Dew Tour and fulfills other roles in the TV and online broadcast worlds.

In the early 1990s, “day-glo” apparel still reigned from the 1980s, but it wasn't long before the urban grunge of the skaters-turned-snowboarders took over. It was the era where the single board was despised by those on two planks, and Richards' memory of Breckenridge during the decade stays true to that divide. It was clique-y, he said. The same is true today, but now there are more types from which to choose.

“The town was still funky,” he said, explaining that everyone in his circle lived 10 to a condo in the Baldy Mountain Townhomes (he might not be exaggerating) and worked at either Pasta Jays, Mi Casa or Fajitas.

There were still mining folk in town, like Buck, the “crazy,” grizzly man who lived up French Creek and showed up in town with guns and knives strapped to him, Richards recalled.

“This was before people were building million-dollar snowmobile homes,” he added.

Work for your jumps

Richards remembers it wasn't easy developing into a snowboarding trickster. You had to want it. The halfpipe wasn't built until January most years, and terrain parks were non-existent. Logs and shovels were the best tools they had. They'd create natural jibs, and use shovels to build jumps.

“We had to work for our jumps,” Richards said. “We would ride around on the hill with shovels. We had designated shovel days” when conditions weren't ideal.

“We would make do with what we have,” he said.

Now, he said, he rides the lifts and scans the entries to his old stomping grounds. There aren't even tracks to the old hotspots.

With terrain parks what they are, and resorts competing to open the first halfpipe, Richards, too, heads to the ready-to-go features.

“I paid my dues,” he said. “I feel really lazy now.”

Richards was around when snowboarding went from the ugly stepchild to an eye-popping extreme sport. The latter half of the 1990s saw the Winter X Games begin (1997) and the snowboard halfpipe and slalom added to the Winter Olympics (1998). When Richards first arrived in the county, Copper Mountain was the hotspot, but it wasn't long before Breckenridge became home base for the cutting edge athletes.

“If you wanted to ride pipe, you lived in and around Breck,” he said of that time period.

From his Baldy Mountain Townhome, he could scope out the pipe and follow the machinery as it refinished the pipe, which at that time wasn't carved into the clean “U”-shape it now has. Richards said it was more like an “L.”

Nonetheless, “We knew the cut schedule,” he said.

1990s: The heyday, and the urban transition

The late 1990s was the heyday of snowboarding — when people were making money as urban grunge hooligans said Richards.

“Everything was very urban slope-thug,” Richards said, adding that one of the main jumps once the terrain park developed was the “Wu-Tang” jump. The landing was so hard, it sounded like a gun going off.

Youth with basic editing knowledge and a camera in hand began making their own videos — Richards remembers filming footage during three weeks in spring at Arapahoe Basin — and modern snowboarding took shape.

Snowboarders who showed up without a dime began grinding rails, ollie'ing down stairs, and generally “applying the skate template to snowboarding.”

“It was gritty,” Richards said, adding that there were a few women, like Christine Sperber and Wendy Powell, who were also pushing the sport from the female side.

“The companies had no idea they should be paying us so much money,” Richards said with a sly smile. “They were paying us to (screw) around.”

Courtesy of Summit Daily News

2011-11-18T09:43:00.000-08:00

Breckenridge bids for weekend finish in 2012 Pro Cycling Challenge

Stellar feedback from locals and businesses on the USA Pro Cycling Challenge Stage 5 finish this year has the Town of Breckenridge hankering for the opportunity to host another weekend finish for the 2012 race.

The town touted its lodging base, central location and success putting on this year's finish and other big events to tempt the tour of Colorado back to Breckenridge. Town officials have again committed up to $150,000 to a race finish for 2012.

The town's bid requested a Friday or Saturday night finish.

The winning host cities and towns for the 2012 Pro Cycling Challenge were expected to be named Thursday, but the announcement was pushed back a couple of weeks, as race organizers continue to consider the choices.

“We had an overwhelming response from so many cities,” race spokeswoman Stacie Lange said. “We were quite surprised by the reaction. We just thought we would take a little more time and due diligence and really make the right decision for 2012.”

The Denver Post reported the circulation of a proposed route map, which indicated Breckenridge could one of the possible hosts for either a start or finish, and Boulder might be the site of the final finish.

Lange insisted a final course hasn't been decided yet.

Stiff competition

For Breckenridge, the competition is fierce. Even the success of last year's Saturday finish, an event that drew approximately 50,000 spectators and concluded with a concert by Big Head Todd and the Monsters, doesn't guarantee the town will be selected to host again in 2012.

“We would do, at a minimum, as much as we did last year,” Breckenridge spokeswoman Kim Dykstra DiLallo said. “However, we understand and recognize that there are a lot of communities vying for a piece of this successful event. … From a global view, you need to keep that cycling event fresh and exciting and ever-changing.”

But race organizers said having hosted a finish this year will not necessarily hurt the town's chances of being selected again, either.

“We had a great year last year,” Lange said. “We exceeded expectations on many fronts and the host cities are a big reason for our success. We're looking for unique locations in Colorado that can be a post card to the world.”

Locations that boast challenging terrain and routes that will keep the race “fresh” for the professionals and can provide “great hospitality,” will also have an edge in the selection process.

Twenty-seven cities and towns statewide are pushing to be a part of next year's race, including Winter Park and Grand Junction.

Breckenridge put on a show for the Aug. 27 Stage 5 finish, complete with an expo, a day of events and a concert following the teams' arrival and awards ceremony.

“Hearing back from the USA Pro Cycling (Challenge), they do recognize that we really went over and above the call of duty last year,” Dykstra DiLallo said. “We really made Breckenridge shine and we made the Pro Cycling Challenge shine.”

Breck attributes

The town and local organizing committee held up Breckenridge's more than 3,000 lodging units, central-state location west of Denver and multiple scenic arrival routes including a possible south-entrance that would take teams over Hoosier Pass, in its 2012 bid.

The bid was submitted with the enthusiastic backing of the town, the Summit Board of County Commissioners, the Breckenridge Lodging and Restaurant associations and the many local business owners.

Local merchants who responded to a post-race survey put out by the town were overwhelmingly supportive of the event, with the majority saying it had been good for the town and their business and many calling for the town to host another finish in the future.

“I think we should aggressively seek this event again next year and (in) years to come,” said one restaurant owner, who commented in the town's survey. “We can tweak some things to make it work better now that we know how it works.”

Survey respondents suggested shifting the finish-line location and implementing strategies such as lodging packages to help keep spectators, who last year reportedly seemed anxious to follow the race out of town, in Breckenridge for the weekend.

The race was wildly successful for Colorado as a whole, with an estimated $83.5 million economic impact statewide, according to a statement from the Pro Cycling Challenge.

Of the 1 million spectators who turned out across the state for the race in its first year, 94 percent said they planned to return next year, according to the statement.

The Denver Post contributed to the reporting of this story.

Courtesy The Summit Daily News

2011-10-16T15:47:00.000-07:00

A difficult exterior shoot. The building is "mixed use," i.e. commercial on the lower floor and condos on the second floor. These were the best angles I could find. Condo owner was very happy. That made my day.

Front of building, where the commercial entrances are.

Back of Building, where the condo owners park and enter

The Ski Season Begins!

2011-10-13T13:45:00.000-07:00

Arapahoe Basin opened today, the second Colorado ski resort to start turning lifts for guests this season.

The Oct. 13 opening is just 100 days after it closed on July 4. It's not the earliest, though. In 2009, the mountain opened on Oct. 9, and in 2007, it opened on Oct. 10.

“It seems like we just closed, but we're excited to get it open again,” spokeswoman Leigh Hierholzer said, adding that everyone has their fingers crossed for a snow year along the lines of 2010-11.

According to Hierholzer, snowmakers at the mountain have been working throughout the week to create an 18-inch base on the intermediate High Noon run along with several features in the High Divide Terrain Park. There is no beginner skiing open at the mountain.

Several inches of fresh snow this week helped snowmakers finish the task and open Black Mountain Express at 9 a.m. today.

“We're open for the season,” Hierholzer said.

Wolf Creek Ski Area in southern Colorado was first in the state this season. It opened Saturday, but has not remained in operation. Las Vegas Ski & Snowboard Resort outside Las Vegas claims it was the first in the nation to open, beating Wolf Creek by 27 minutes.

This morning, the day begins with a tribute to Arapahoe Basin founders Marnie Jump and Max Dercum, who both died this year. The tribute will take place before the lifts open to the public. Local radio station KYSL will do a live morning show and give away lift tickets on-air. KSMT will also be on site in the base area with a live remote, playing music and handing out give-aways. More info

What: Arapahoe Basin opening day

When: 9 a.m. today

Where: Arapahoe Basin Ski Area

Cost: Adults — $59; Youth ages 15-18 — $49; Children ages 6-14 — $30

The ski and snowboard rental shop, tune shop, food and beverage service, the 6th Alley bar and retail shop will be open to the public. Snowsports lessons will be available on a limited basis.

Loveland opens Friday

Last year, Loveland Ski Area beat out Arapahoe Basin in the race to opening day — their lifts started turning on Oct. 24 with the Basin following the next day. This year, Chair 1 at Loveland starts turning at 9 a.m. Friday.

“Warm weather delayed the start of snowmaking, but cold temperatures settled in and our snowmaking crew has done a great job making up for lost time,” said Rob Goodell, director of business operations at Loveland. “We still have some work to do, but the mountain looks great and we have 18 inches of snow from tree-to-tree for skiers and riders on Friday morning.”

Loveland's open terrain includes a single top-to-bottom run, dropping 1,000 vertical feet in a little over a mile via the trails Catwalk, Mambo and Homerun. Snowmaking was going nonstop since last Thursday with the exception of a short stoppage on Tuesday.

Loveland will be open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends and designated holidays. Early season lift tickets are $47 for adults and $22 for children ages 6-14.

3+ Million Dollar Home in Breckenridge

2011-10-11T18:05:00.000-07:00

Here's a link to the slideshow for a big, beautiful home at the base of Peak 8 in Breckenridge, Colorado:

53 Boulder Ridge, Breckenridge, Colorado

For more information contact Barrie Stimson at RE/MAX Properties of the Summit at 970-390-2560 or barrie@go2breck.com

Enjoy the slideshow!

Michael

Photographers for Shelter Pets

2011-10-07T15:36:00.000-07:00

This is Buddy. He is a charming kitty available for adoption at the Summit County Animal Shelter. I volunteer there about once a week to photograph the beautiful creatures that come in. It breaks my heart sometimes, but I love doing it. And it has increased the adoption rate for the shelter since I started doing their photography. Look at those eyes. He just wants a loving home. Maybe you can give him one. And please visit the Photographers for Shelter Pets site. We are making a difference. Here is a link: http://www.flickr.com/groups/1665760@N23/

The Race is On!

2011-10-06T17:33:00.000-07:00

It's a domino effect: First Copper Mountain, now Loveland Ski Area.

Snowmakers at Arapahoe Basin shouldn't be far behind.

Making snow at Summit County's ski areas has begun, leading the way among Colorado Ski Country USA member resorts. A fall storm that pushed into the mountains Thursday lent a hand with a few inches of snow to get things going — bringing with it the race to opening day.

Crews at Loveland were on a 24-hour standby before they fired up the guns at 2 p.m. Thursday. They start at Catwalk at the top of Chair 1 and work their way downhill to Mambo and Homerun to create a top-to-bottom trail that's more than a mile and nearly 1,000 vertical feet. When it's complete, they can announce Opening Day 2011.

“We had to wait out some warm nights,” said Eric Johnstone, Loveland's snowmaking and trail maintenance manager. “We thought we might be able to start last night, but the weather did not cooperate. Fortunately, the cold temperatures arrived today and we were able to fire up the snow guns this afternoon. The forecast is looking good, and we are ready to take advantage of the cold temperatures.”

On the other side of the Divide, at Arapahoe Basin, officials have intimated a high probability they'd begin making snow Thursday night. And at Copper, “production has begun, not a ton last night, but we're coating the ground in white,” spokesman David Roth reported from the snowmaking crews.

All the while, snow gracing the valley for the first time has snow enthusiasts itching for the real season to begin.

It typically takes about two weeks for Loveland's snowmaking team to cover the opening day run with an 18-inch base and tree-to-tree coverage for opening day, Loveland spokesman John Sellers wrote in an email. Loveland opened on Oct. 24 last season. Arapahoe Basin opened a day later.

“Firing up the snow guns in the middle of a blizzard is a great way to kick off the countdown to the season,” Sellers said. “The start of snowmaking means that opening day is just around the corner. Both employees and guests alike have been eagerly awaiting this day, and we are excited to get started. We are starting a little bit later than previous years, but we are still optimistic that cold temperatures will allow our crew to be very productive and keep us on track for our typical October opening.”

Stay posted on the Loveland crew's progress at skiloveland.com/snowmaking.

Snow in the forecast for Summit County Tonight

2011-10-05T14:45:00.000-07:00

With a blast of cold weather moving in from the west, snow is in the forecast for Summit County Thursday and into the weekend.

The higher elevations could get 2-4 inches of snow Thursday, while the valleys will likely see a rain/snow mix starting Thursday afternoon, according to weather forecasters at the National Weather Service in Boulder.

After dark, there could be some accumulation on the roads at Loveland Pass and the Eisenhower Tunnel as the storm continues to move through the area, but there likely won't be more than a light dusting at lower elevations by Thursday night.

There is a 70 percent chance of precipitation Thursday, and temperatures are expected to sink into the 20s overnight tonight.

Friday is expected to be cool, with highs in the 40s, but dry before the next wave of wintry weather moves in this weekend.

More snow may fall Friday night and into Saturday with possible accumulation of less than 3 inches in the lower elevations and 3-6 inches on the peaks, according to forecasts.

Temperatures likely won't reach 40 degrees on Saturday.

While Summit County is only expected to see cold temperatures and limited precipitation, the storm is expected to hit other parts of the state hard.

Southwestern Colorado is under a winter storm warning and could see up to 12 inches of snow by Thursday night.

Hikers and motorists are encouraged to be ready for quickly changing conditions over the next few days.

Next week the weather may clear out and warm up again with “no storms on the horizon that we see right now,” said NWS meteorologist Bernie Meier.

So far, only the highest peaks around Summit have seen short-lived dustings of snow.

With good news in the forecast, Arapahoe Basin is gearing up for its annual race to opening day with Loveland. The ski area is shooting to start the season sometime in mid to late October.

The Associated Press contributed to the reporting of this story.

Aspens in all their Glory

2011-09-26T17:49:00.000-07:00

The aspen trees in all their glory. Shot just the other day from just across Hooser Pass.

A very nice "mountain modern" home in Alma, colorado

2011-09-25T16:24:00.000-07:00

This beautiful home in Alma, Colorado I photographed yesterday is offered by Laurie Huggins at Breckenridge Associates Real Estate. Contact her at: 970-389-4000 or huggins@colorado.net

Breckenridge Oktoberfest Video

2011-09-18T11:51:00.000-07:00

A short video of yesterdays festivities at the Breckenridge Oktoberfest. Even in the rain everyone was having a great time. The festival runs through today, ending at 5 p.m. this afternoon. It's become quite an annual event attracting thousands of people each year.

Breckenridge Oktoberfest Underway

2011-09-17T11:48:00.000-07:00

Breckenridge's Oktoberfest is underway - in the RAIN. I can't remember a wetter September is the 30+ years I have lived here. But Main street is packed. Maybe all the beer helps!!

Breckenridge Receives a Gold Award for being Bike Friendly

2011-09-15T15:30:00.000-07:00

With enhanced bike lanes, a communitywide bike-to-work program and, recently, some of the best cyclists in the world passing through its streets, Breckenridge was upgraded this week to a gold-level bike-friendly community by the League of American Bicyclists.

The town is now one of only 14 communities in the country to have received a gold designation, an elite group that includes Fort Collins, Steamboat Springs, Seattle and San Francisco.

Breckenridge's ties to and note in the bicycling community now rival those in the ski community, town officials said following the announcement of the award Tuesday.

“This is one of those arrows in the quiver to make Breckenridge more of a sustainable community,” town spokeswoman Kim Dykstra-DiLallo said. “The more people ride bikes and the easier it is to ride bikes, the less people have to rely on fossil fuel vehicles. It's a testament to how committed we are to cycling. It's a reflection of this community.”

This year, Breckenridge has put a renewed focus on improving the community for cyclists through infrastructure projects, events and programming that promote cycling in the community.

In the last year the town has created designated bike lanes on Main St. and Park Ave., as well as increasing educational resources about biking on its website, passing bike-friendly ordinances and increasing signage for bikes. This summer, Breck hosted a bike week complete with around-town rides with Mayor John Warner and director of the Colorado Tourism Office Al White and the stage five finish of the USA Pro Cycling Challenge, one of the biggest spectator events in state history.

“We think that those are some of the reasons why we were increased up to the gold level,” Dykstra-DiLallo said. “The USA Pro Cycling Challenge put a good spotlight on Breckenridge. That probably had something to do with it as well.”

The League of American bicyclists ranks communities on a four-level scale - with bronze being the lowest, gold being the second highest and platinum the highest level - as part of its Bike Friendly America Program.

There are currently only three platinum-level bike-friendly communities in the country, one of which is Boulder, but Breck already has its sights set on getting to that highest level. Officials said they will be communicating with the League to get suggestions on ways to improve the ranking.

There are currently 190 ranked bicycle-friendly communities in 46 states nationwide that have implemented “successful, long-term bicycle plans and programs that provide quality of life improvements for their citizens,” League president Andy Clarke stated in a recent release. “Cities are choosing investment in bicycling, even in tough economic times as a key to building the places people want to live, work and visit.”

The bicycle friendly community award is given to communities that commit to improving conditions for bicycling, educational programs, infrastructure and pro-biking policies. The application process too receive the award is “rigorous,” according to the League. Out of 490 applications, only 190 communities have been given a bronze, silver, gold or platinum designation. The designation lasts four years, and in renewing their application communities can attempt to improve their rankings.

Additional information about the Bicycle Friendly America program is available online at www.bikeleague.org.

USA Pro Cycling Challenge Will Return to Breckenridge in 2012

2011-09-14T16:20:00.000-07:00

After a successful inaugural year, the USA Pro Cycling Challenge will be back in 2012 for seven days of challenging cycling from August 20-26, officials announced Tuesday.

Race organizers have already begun planning for the 2012 race, and an official request for proposals for cities across Colorado to apply to be a 2012 host city will be issued at the end of the month.

Breckenridge, Copper Mountain Resort and Frisco have been specifically invited to submit proposals, said Allison Johnson, spokeswoman for the challenge.

The USA Pro Cycling Challenge considers a number of criteria when evaluating a potential host city, which at a minimum includes full city services support. The race also considers commitments in the areas of lodging, volunteer recruitment, marketing and local tourism.

In return, the USA Pro Cycling Challenge supports in-bound tourism efforts, attracting spectators from all over the world to stay, shop and dine in the host communities, according to the challenge.

In November of 2010, the USA Pro Cycling Challenge named 11 host cities for the inaugural race in August. Those cities included Colorado Springs, Salida, Crested Butte/Mt. Crested Butte, Gunnison, Aspen, Vail, Avon, Steamboat Springs, Breckenridge, Golden and Denver. All 11 of these cities have expressed interest in returning as a host city in 2012.

“The 2011 host cities were our earliest and most significant supporters. We are deeply grateful for that,” said Shawn Hunter, CEO of the challenge. “Now our attention turns to 2012. We are proud of the postcard we have created for Colorado with this race and are excited to offer the opportunity for other cities to also be showcased to a worldwide audience. So while our loyalty is with the cities who stepped up as early supporters, the field is wide open for which communities might be a host city in 2012.”

The request for proposals will be posted online at the end of September at www.usaprocyclingchallenge.com as well as sent directly to numerous Colorado cities that have expressed interest. Proposals are due on Oct. 31, and an announcement will be made by the end of November to name the next host cities for the USA Pro Cycling Challenge.

For seven consecutive days, 135 of the world's top athletes raced across 518 miles through the Colorado Rockies, reaching higher altitudes than they ever had to endure, more than two miles in elevation. The race featured the best in professional cycling, competing on a challenging course through some of America's most beautiful scenery, including cities such as Aspen, Vail, Breckenridge and Steamboat Springs.

Nearly 1 million spectators viewed the race from the roadsides along the route while more than 25 million watched the race on television in 161 countries and territories, including NBC and Versus. The USA Pro Cycling Challenge was one of the largest cycling events in United States history.

Spectators of the race saw Olympians, World Champions and the Tour de France podium finishers Cadel Evans, Andy Schleck and Frank Schleck.

On the final day, Levi Leipheimer of Team RadioShack was awarded the Quiznos Leader Jersey and crowned the first-ever champion of the USA Pro Cycling Challenge in front of a crowd in downtown Denver. Elia Viviani took the Smashburger Sprint Jersey, Tejay Van Garderen the Sheets Best Young Rider Jersey, Rafael Montiel captured the Nissan King of the Mountain Jersey and the Exergy Most Aggressive Rider Jersey of the final stage went to Timmy Duggan, a part-time Summit County resident.

2011-09-12T15:13:00.000-07:00

A very nice White Wolf town home I photographed yesterday.

Contact Rob Scheifele at Coldwell Banker Rounds and Porter Real Estate for more information.

970-390-0958

robs@breckrealestate.com

Or visit their main website: Coldwell Banker Rounds and Porter Real Estate

2011-09-08T09:37:00.000-07:00

Here is a photo of one of the beautiful creatures I photographed last week at our local animal shelter. I volunteer there about once a week to take photos of the new animals that come into the shelter. It saves the staff time and my images are much better than the ones they used to do with their point and shoot camera. The images are posted to http://www.petharbor.com/ and http://www.petfinder.com/ as well as to a site I am a member of called "Photographers for Shelter Pets. You can visit it be going to: http://www.flickr.com/groups/1665760@N23/

Please visit your local shelter when considering adopting a pet.

A Nice Dining Room

2011-09-07T12:55:00.000-07:00

The dining area of a Highland Greens town home I shot the other day. The home is on the rental market. Contact BookBreckLodging at 877-209-3404 or book@bookbreck.com or visit their website at bookbreck.com

A Proverb

2011-09-04T17:21:00.000-07:00

"Love is blind.

Friendship closes its eyes."

A nice thought to end the day, or start the day.

Enjoy.

Michael

Travel Tips for this Weekend

2011-09-02T16:42:00.000-07:00

From the Colorado Dept. of Transportation:

The last major summer holiday is nearing and that means motorists can expect more vehicles on Colorado highways. In general, traffic volumes increase about 10 percent during the summer months including over the Labor Day weekend. Typically, Friday tends to be the busiest travel day of the holiday weekend with steady traffic volumes the remainder of the weekend.

The heaviest traffic volumes during the weekend are expected on I-70 from Summit County to Denver as motorists head to the high country for the weekend. Last year, 164,535 vehicles traveled through the Eisenhower Tunnel during the holiday weekend. The peak travel time for westbound I-70 will be on Friday, September 2nd from approximately 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. The heaviest travel time for eastbound I-70 will be on Monday, September 5th from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

“The traffic volumes at the Eisenhower Tunnel give us a good perspective on travel patterns for the entire state during the holiday weekend” said Colorado Department of Transportation Executive Director Don Hunt. “To minimize delays during the holiday weekend, CDOT will suspend all construction projects, but motorists are encouraged to plan ahead and avoid the peak travel times.”

You can plan your trip or check current traveler information by visiting www.cotrip.org or calling 511. You can also sign up for e-mail and text message alerts by visiting www.coloradodot.info and clicking on the cell phone icon in the upper right corner under the search function. Once on the sign-up page, you can select the lists that pertain to your travels and interests.

Big Spending at Colorado Ski Resorts

2011-09-01T17:14:00.000-07:00

Colorado ski resorts are pumping more money into chairlift improvements this year after taking a breather last season.

Four new chairlifts are being built this season compared to only two last season, according to Colorado Ski Country USA, a state trade association, and Vail Resorts, which doesn't belong to the association.

Colorado Ski Country USA said Tuesday its 22 member resorts are spending $50 million on capital improvements for the 2011-12 season. That includes everything from high-profile projects such as chairlifts and terrain enhancement to essential but less sexy steps such as grooming machines.

In addition, Vail Resorts' four ski areas are spending tens of millions of dollars on improvements, easily boosting the state ski industry's investment over $75 million. Vail Resorts operates Vail Mountain, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone.

VR said it is making up to $90 million in on-mountain and lodging improvements company-wide, but that includes ski resorts outside of Colorado. No figure was available for the improvements just in Colorado.

The Aspen Skiing Co. is one of the resorts investing in a new chairlift. The new Tiehack Express at Buttermilk will be a high-speed, four-passenger chair. It replaces the Eagle Hill and Upper Tiehack lifts and reduces the ride time from 18 to 7 minutes. The Tiehack side of Buttermilk will also add gladed terrain.

Other new chairlifts in Colorado's ski country include:

The Rose Bowl high-speed quad chairlift at Beaver Creek. It will serve all terrain levels from novice to extreme.

Copper Mountain is replacing the High Point Lift in West Village. The Union Creek high-speed quad chairlift will have a new alignment designed to improve skier circulation out of West Village.

Loveland will replace a Chair 4 with a fixed-grip triple-seat chair.

Several resorts are also building new restaurants or remodeling existin g eateries.

At Aspen Highlands, the Skico is gutting and remodeling the interior of the Merry-Go-Round Restaurant. The Skico also started construction on a new Elk Camp Restaurant which will open in the 2012-13 season. The new restaurant, which will replace Cafe Suzanne, will seat 300.

Vail is opening a 13,000-square-foot restaurant that will offer table service.

Other notable projects include Copper Mountain's development of a training center in a partnership with the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association. “To support and develop the U.S. Ski Team Speed Center at Copper, the resort is implementing a new automated snowmaking system, as well as safety, communications and timing equipment necessary to develop a unique training venue,” Colorado Ski Country USA said in a press release.

The training center will operate from Nov. 1 through Dec. 10 each winter to bolster the U.S. teams' ability to train for speed events before their competitive season begins.

Ski resort spending dropped before the 2010-11 season as operators dealt with the effects of the recession and the lingering economic hangover. Ski areas across the country invested heavily in high-speed chairlifts over a 20-year period starting in 1990. Now, many of those first-generation, high-speed chairlifts are nearing the point where they need to be replaced, according to an industry official. That will likely absorb capital improvement funds for the next several years.

Another View of this $3 Million Dollar Home in Ruby Ranch

2011-08-31T17:05:00.000-07:00

A beautiful home in the Ruby Ranch subdivision of Silverthorne. A very private location (gated community).

A Beauty in Silverthorne

2011-08-29T17:55:00.000-07:00

What a great room! Opens to the patio and just a beautiful place in Silverthorne Colorado. Ruby Ranch Subdivision.

Great time photographing this 5,000 sq. ft. home.

USA Pro Cycling Championship End Stage Five in Breckenridge

2011-08-25T18:59:00.000-07:00

USA Pro Cycling Challenge Comes to Breckenridge.

Breckenridge will host the stage five finish of the inaugural USA Pro Cycling Challenge, a demanding seven-day road biking race that has attracted many of the top cyclists in the world. The race will roll through Breckenridge this Saturday , August 27.

RE/MAX Properties of the Summit in Breckenridge will be hosting a party at their office from around Noon to 5 p.m. The finish is expected to roll through Breckenridge between 3 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.

Come join us to celebrate pro cycling returning to Colorado and Breckenridge.

I'll be there and I look forward to meeting you.

Michael

Photographers for Shelter Pets

2011-08-23T18:25:00.000-07:00

Please visit the Photographers for Shelter Pets site. Take a look at all the beautiful and loving animals that are available for adoption all around the country.

Photographers for Shelter Pets

Another View of the Downtown Breckenridge Town Home

2011-08-22T16:13:00.000-07:00

The master bedroom of the downtown Breckenridge town home I shot the other day.

A Beautiful Town Home in Downtown Breckenridge

2011-08-19T14:53:00.000-07:00

A beautiful town home in downtown Breckenridge. 2 bedroom, 2 bath. Just across Main Street from the Quicksilver lift.

Breckenridge Distillery Wins Gold

2011-08-17T17:18:00.000-07:00

Some of the best bourbon in the world is being distilled right up the road. The Breckenridge Distillery was awarded a prestigious gold medal in the 2011 International Wine and Spirit Competition (IWSC) category for its Breckenridge Bourbon.

Founded in 1969 and held in The United Kingdom, the IWSC is considered to be the oldest and most prestigious competition of its kind. The awards given by the competition are of the highest honours in the industry. Judging includes a blind tasting consisting of panels selected from over 300 fully experienced and qualified industry judges followed by a detailed chemical analysis.

In the category of Bourbon, aged less than 10 years, only three gold medals were awarded this year, and Breckenridge Bourbon was ranked No. 2 in the world.

According to the judges, the bourbon has: “Gorgeous youthful swipe of fresh flavours of corn, spice and oak. Baked apple and ginger meld with sweet corn and clean oak. Surprisingly complex for its age with all the nose had coming out in full flavors and the fruit and vanilla really taking control. Lively, spicy, fruit filled finish.”

Producing small batch craft spirits at 9,600 feet above sea level, Breckenridge Distillery is the world's highest distillery, according to the owners, and creates award-winning spirits under renowned master distiller, Jordan Via.

Visit www.breckenridgedistillery.com to learn more.

A Nice Rental Unit at Pine Ridge

2011-08-16T15:31:00.000-07:00

View of the living room I shot today of a nice rental unit at Pine Ridge Condos in Breckenridge, Colorado.

For more information visit: http://www.pineridge.com/

New Information on the USA Pro Cycling Challenge

2011-08-15T15:23:00.000-07:00

The Colorado Department of Transportation has issued restrictions for campers and others who want to watch the upcoming USA Pro Cycling Challenge.

State officials said Monday parking and camping will be allowed along Colorado highways as long as it's no more than 24 hours before the race and spectators stay off the road and clear their trash.

Race officials are estimating the race may draw more than one million spectators over the course of seven days beginning Aug. 22.

The race will cover more than 500 miles of Colorado terrain, including Aspen, Avon, Breckenridge, Colorado Springs, Denver, Gunnison, Salida and Steamboat Springs.

For more information go to: http://www.usaprocyclingchallenge.com/

New, Big Name Hotel Possible for Breckenridge

2011-08-14T15:02:00.000-07:00

As hopeful developers presented the Breckenridge Town Council with proposals for a luxury or big-name hotel on the F/Tiger Dredge Lot site, leaders in the local lodging community shook their heads at council members.

Three developers are vying for a chance to construct a new hotel, likely worth approximately $70 million, in downtown Breckenridge near the Riverwalk Center, but business owners in town worry a new player might poach business from the town's existing lodging companies.

“There is a concern within the industry in Breckenridge that sufficient lodging demand may not exist to adequately sustain the amount of proposed lodging townwide, which would include the new proposed hotel on F-Lot,” Resort Managers president Toby Babich stated in an email. “When looking at the recent, under construction and proposed developments in Breckenridge, along with minimal lodging growth after the decline of 2008; one can't ignore the possible negative impact hundreds of additional rental units may have on existing lodging properties.”

Each of the developers propose different “luxury,” or “first-class” hotel and conference centers for the site, which include new parking for guests and replacements for the lots current spaces with underground parking structures. The proposals range from 125-243-key facilities, two of which would likely boast major name-brands like the Mariott Residence Inn.

The developers say a new town-center hotel would fulfill a need in the community, revamping the town's lodging selection with new, high-end rooms that will improve both the guests' experience and Breckenridge's accommodations reputation.

One local contender pointed to recent travel magazine resort rankings, which either glossed over Breckenridge's lodging selection in recognizing the town or placed it behind all the neighboring competition, including Vail, Aspen, Beaver Creek and Steamboat Springs.

“We have inconsistent standards and inconsistent results,” owner of Wolfe & Co and hopeful developer Jack Wolfe said of Breck's existing lodging inventory. “We've developed an older condo and rental reputation.”

But lodging company owners worry, with a new hotel at F-Lot, plans for accommodations developments at the gondola lots and other projects on the horizon, Breckenridge might be positioned to flood its lodging market in the next five to 10 years.

“Fundamentally, the question is, will the proposed units bring new visitors to town or simply cannibalize the existing business?” Babich stated. “I don't believe we have enough information to make a final determination, but the feeling is that the town has enough current and proposed rental units already that struggle to sustain business levels.”

Beaver Run Resort and Conference Center spokesman Bruce Horii said he thinks there is a good chance a branded or luxury hotel might draw new customers to Breckenridge, benefiting surrounding lodging companies and other businesses.

“A branded hotel does bring more opportunities and notoriety to your area,” Horii said. “I don't think that hurts.”

Council members have offered little reaction to the hotel proposals or the idea of a lodging facility at the F-Lot, but might discuss the issue at the Aug. 23 meeting.

A very nice home in Dillon with some great views

2011-08-13T15:50:00.000-07:00

What a view. Dillon, Colorado home listed with Kelli Bennett. Contact her for more information: 970-390-9311 or email at: kelli@kellisells.com

Breckenridge preps for Pro Cycling Challenge

2011-08-12T14:43:00.000-07:00

As teams prepare for the more than 500-mile, high- alpine bike race that begins in just over a week, the Town of Breckenridge, Stage 5 on the Pro Cycling Challenge tour, is making preparations of its own.
The race, which will bring hundreds of cyclists and thousands of spectators to town Aug. 27, will take over the town with pre-race events, the big Stage 5 finish and a concert in the evening.

Race, town and county officials as well as law enforcement officers held two informational meetings Thursday to prepare locals for the event.

The teams are expected to reach Breckenridge from Steamboat Springs between 3:15-4:30 p.m., but road closures and impacts will be felt as early 2 countywide and, in Breck, the festivities begin at 11 a.m. with a beer garden and other pre-race programs and activities.

The town, which fronted $150,000 to back the event, saw the opportunity as a chance to build on its reputation as a summer biking destination.

“From the very beginning, when it was just a rumor that this was going to happen our town council jumped on it,” Breckenridge spokeswoman Kim Dykstra-DiLallo said. “We really look at this … as part of an overall strategy to show the world what a great biking community we are. It's part of a larger marketing strategy that we really feel is important.”

A local organizing committee put together a bid for Breckenridge to become a stage on the race, highlighting the town's track record of executing major events such as the International Snow Sculpting Championships.

Organizers are hailing the race as the largest spectator event in Colorado history, and Breckenridge, local officials noted gleefully, landed the only Saturday stage.

Race officials say they expect crowds in town comparable to the Fourth of July weekend or the Saturday of Oktoberfest, in what will likely be a highly visual, colorful event at the finish line.

Teams will come down Swan Mountain Road, where many of the spectators are expected to gather for a great view of the fastest leg of the race in Summit County, turn left at Farmer's Korner onto Hwy. 9 before merging on to Park Avenue in Breck. They will follow Park down to the south end of town before racing north back up Main Street to the Wellington Road intersection.

The event has drawn the interest of 400 volunteers, though organizers are still hoping for additional local volunteers who are more familiar with the town.

But regardless of how much help is available, the event is shaping up to be a logistical challenge for people trying to navigate the county and particularly Breckenridge the day of the race. Rolling and day-long closures will be implemented countywide and Breck will shut down Main Street all day and Park Avenue (Highway 9) for the better part of the afternoon and evening.

Drivers will be directed toward parking in the satellite lot on Airport Road north of town, though there will be some parking available in town. The yellow and purple Free Ride routes, which will be running frequently in the morning, will be stopping service in the afternoon as the teams approach. The yellow route will run through 1:15 p.m. departing from Breckenridge Station and the purple route will run through 1:45 p.m. also departing from Breck Station. Full Free Ride service is expected to resume at 5:45, but organizers advise everyone in the county to “be where you need to be by 2 p.m.,” whether that is watching the race or not. They say it is best not to plan to drive until after 4.

Spectators interested in watching the race are encouraged to ride bikes — and bring bike locks — rather than trying to navigate the complicated road closures and difficult parking situation by car. The bike race is a no-pet event.

Another Nice Pine Ridge Unit Available for rent in Breckenridge

2011-08-11T17:22:00.000-07:00

Pine Ridge Unit 6D. A very nice unit available for short term rental. Contact me for more details.

Video Tour of a Very Nice Rental Home in Breckenridge

2011-08-10T14:39:00.000-07:00

This beautiful home is available for rent. Contact BookBreckLodging at: http://www.bookbreck.com/

A beautiful Victorian Home in downtown Breckenridge.

2011-08-09T16:24:00.000-07:00

This beautiful home right on the Blue River is available for rent. Contact http://www.bookbreck.com/ for more information:

My First Book Cover!!

2011-08-08T11:48:00.000-07:00

My very first book cover. I'm excited. Payment and photo credit. Yahoo.

A bathroom with a "time machine!"

2011-08-06T16:23:00.000-07:00

I couldn't resist. A bathroom with what looks like a "time machine" installed. Right out of a Jules Verne novel!

High End Home on Peak 8

2011-08-05T17:37:00.000-07:00

A beautiful home on Peak 8. Ski in and ski out. Contact Turk Montepare at 970-390-3503 for more information

2011-08-04T17:39:00.000-07:00

A modest little condo with some very nice views. I photographed it yesterday.

Contact Turk Monetpare for more information:

turk@breckrealestate.com

Bedroom Skylight with a View

2011-08-01T16:42:00.000-07:00

This is a shot I took yesterday that the agent requested. Make sure you get the view from the skylight on the top floor she said. When I delivered the photos this morning she said, "I love this shot. Hiring you was the smartest thing we've ever done." That is sweet music to my ears!

2011-07-31T16:12:00.000-07:00

A very inviting patio. And a fire pit just beyond for those cool mountain evenings. A home in Dillon I shot yesterday for Kouri Wolf at RE/MAX Properties of the Summit. Contact her for more details: 970-333-0303 or email at kouri@kwolfrealestate.com

Beautiful Home in Frisco

2011-07-30T15:12:00.000-07:00

A beautiful home in Frisco, Colorado I shot the other day. Beautiful landscaping, as you can see. Contact Kouri Wolf at 970-333-0303 or email at kouri@wolfrealestate.com for more information.

My Newest Premier Lifestyle Video

2011-07-27T14:54:00.000-07:00

A cute little studio in downtown Breckenridge with views of the ski area.

Contact Nancy Yearout for more information: 970-485-0293 or Email: Nancy Yearout

A beautiful Home in Keystone on the Golf Course

2011-07-25T18:12:00.000-07:00

A wonderful property on the River Course in Keystone, Colorado.

Contact Koruri Wolf at: 970-333-0303 or email at: Kouri Wolf

2011-07-23T18:06:00.000-07:00

Deck with a view. A river runs through it!

The soothing sounds of a mountain stream great you from this deck of a property I photographed just the other day. A Frisco condominium, contact Nancy Yearout for more information at 970-389-0293 or email at: Nancy Yeaorut

2011-07-22T09:39:00.000-07:00

A very nice dining area in a condo I shot yesterday. Located at the River Mountain Lodge in Breckenridge. Listed by Nancy Yearout, RE/MAX Properties of the Summit.

Contact her at 970-485-0293 or Nancy Yearout

For more information

2011-07-17T16:09:00.000-07:00

A shot of the living room from one of my shoots last week. A very nice home in the Farmers Grove area of Breckenridge. Contact Lisa Angell at RE/MAX Properties of the Summit for more information.

Lisa Angell

A very nice home in Farmers Grove - Breckenridge

2011-07-16T17:10:00.000-07:00

A very nice home just north of Breckenridge. Another photo is below:

This is the dining room.

For more information contact Lisa Angell at RE/MAX Properties of the Summit at 970-389-7616 or mail@lisaangell.com

Nice Dining Room I shot yesterday

2011-07-15T17:14:00.000-07:00

A very nice home in Farmers Grove, Breckenridge, Colorado I shot yesterday. This is the dining room.

For more information contact: Lisa Angell at:

970-389-7616

Or: mail@lisaangell.com

And Another Beautiful Home from Book Breck Lodging

2011-07-10T18:19:00.000-07:00

Callisto's Cottage. Another wonderful rental home offered by BookBreck Lodging:

Contact them at: book@bookbreck.com

My Newest Full Motion Walk Through Video

2011-07-09T13:58:00.000-07:00

Take a look at this video:

I shot this for Book Breck Lodging. A fine vacation rental management company in Breckenridge. Please contact them for more information:

book@bookbreck.com

2011-07-08T15:21:00.000-07:00

A very nice, historic home, in Breckenridge I shot today. The owner rents the home to vacationers. Has a nice deck with views. See the photo below:

2011-07-07T15:35:00.000-07:00

Wouldn't you like this cooking setup on your deck? Yes, that's a wood fired pizza oven on the left! I took this photo yesterday - big log home in Blue River.

Big Log Home in Blue River

2011-07-06T18:37:00.000-07:00

Big, and I mean Big (7,000 sq.ft.) log home in Blue River I photographed today. Beautiful home. Move interior shots to follow.

Must Love Dogs!

2011-07-05T13:57:00.001-07:00

Tomorrow, Wednesday, July 6 - Must Love Dogs!

Children will learn about Steven Huneck and George Rodrigue who have made themselves famous with their dog-inspired paintings and prints. Children will create their own dog paintings and prints. A live dog model will be provided!

Where: Fuqua Livery Stable

Time: 2 - 4 p.m.

Cost: $25, includes all materials

More information: 970-453-3364

2011-07-04T15:39:00.000-07:00

A forwarded email from the owner of a property I took photos of last week (forwarded from the agent - Kelli). What more can I say?

"Hi Kelli

Just had a look at the listing which Liz sent through to me, and have one comment -

1. The pictures are so good, I want to buy it! (except I need it moved to a lower altitude)

Best,

Alan "

Here are a couple of the images. It was a very modest, unfurnished condo.

Log Home in Blue River

2011-07-03T10:24:00.000-07:00

A nice log home I photographed last week for a new client. Lighting is always a challenge with log homes, let me tell you.

Premier Lifestyle Videos

2011-07-01T14:06:00.000-07:00

Here's an example of my newest video product - Premier Lifestyle Videos:

They are more expensive than my "Full Motion Walk Through Videos," but I think they are well suited for higher end homes where you selling the lifestyle as much as the home.

A Modest Little Condo in Breckenridge

2011-06-30T18:01:00.000-07:00

A very modest condo in Breckenridge at a very affordabal price. A good investment. Contact Kelli Bennett at kelli@kellisells.com

The day started out beautiful. Then came thunderstorms with hail and lots of rain. I was trapped in my car, waiting out the rain!

New Photos

2011-06-29T17:02:00.001-07:00

Dining Room of a beautiful Dillon home I shot a couple of days ago.

Taking care of your pets in Summit County

2011-06-28T17:58:00.000-07:00

As we roll into our summer season and the county begins to pack with visitors and seasonal residents alike, Summit County Animal Control reminds you of some very important pet owner responsibilities.

Dog licensing in Summit County is the law. All dogs over the age of 3 months are required to have a valid Summit County Pet Animal License after the dog has been owned, kept, maintained or harbored in the county for any consecutive 14-day period. Licenses may be obtained at the shelter in Frisco for all dogs residing in unincorporated county, Dillon, Silverthorne and Blue River. Dog owners need to bring a copy of their dog's current rabies vaccination record. The cost for a one-year license is $15 for a spayed or neutered dog and $50 for an intact dog.

There are many benefits that go along with licensing your pet aside from abiding by the law. First of all, you are more likely to have your pet returned to you by an animal control officer if your pet is wearing a valid license. If your dog is injured, the officer will be able to contact you. You also may avoid costly impound fees and fines if your dog is wearing a valid license. License fees support the animal control and shelter .

Even though it may seem like a good idea to take your pet along to run errands or accompany you on an outing, leaving a pet in an unattended vehicle can be deadly, and you may be ticketed. Animal control reserves the right to enter any unattended vehicle where an animal is in distress. The temperature outside may be comfortable, but inside, it can double or even triple within an hour. Even with windows cracked, your pet can be at risk of overheating and death. If you must leave your pet in a vehicle, remember to provide proper ventilation and water and park in the shade whenever possible. Check on your pet regularly to be sure they are not in distress from the heat. It is best to avoid the risk and leave your pet at home where he will be more comfortable.

In most areas of unincorporated county, the law is immediate control, unless otherwise posted. This means control of an animal by the physical presence of a responsible person, within 10 feet of the animal and such responsible person does exhibit voice control over the animal so as to prevent it from being a public nuisance or from being in violation of Summit County Animal Control resolutions.

The laws on bikeways, all wilderness areas, national forest campgrounds, including A-Basin are considered “physical control,” which means control of an animal by means of a tether or a leash no longer than six feet in length, attached to the animal and held by a responsible person; or, confinement within a locked vehicle or locked enclosure sufficient to prevent the animal from escaping or making contact with other persons or animals. Also be aware that dogs that harass wildlife may incur you a $300 fine as well as being dangerous to your pet.

When planning a hike with your dog, be sure to condition your best friend by working up to the distance and terrain you plan to tackle. Pay attention to your dog's feet when crossing scree and other rough terrain as their pads can get torn up causing the dog to become immobile. Remember to be courteous to other hikers and bikers on trails and keep your animals under control when approaching others. If your animal causes an accident or injury, you as an owner are responsible for all costs incurred.

Lastly be mindful of picking up after your pet. It's not only the right thing to do but is required by law.

For questions or concerns, contact the Summit County Animal Control and Shelter at (970) 668-3230, or log on to www.co.summit.co.us/animalcontrol to view our laws and resolutions.

Check out this Flickr Site - Photographers for Shelter Pets

2011-04-22T16:35:00.000-07:00

It's Earth Day.

Please visit this site:

Photographers for Shelter Pets

Photographers for Shelter Pets. Photographers doing their part to put and end to homeless pets.

Tell your friends, pass along the site address and let's get more people involved.

Published once more

2011-04-17T15:46:00.000-07:00

That's my photo you see on the top of this national advertisement. No photo credit but the pay was nice!

Published, Again

2011-04-04T11:38:00.000-07:00

The Multiteria Company used one of my images in the flyer above - it's the one on the lower right-hand side.

Beautiful Home for Sale in Keystone

2011-03-25T13:00:00.000-07:00

Beautifully designed and situated in a secluded golf course setting, this mountain retreat provides comfort, privacy and elegance while surrounding you with a true Rocky Mountain environment in one of the most sought after settings in Keystone, Colorado.

Contact Kouri Wolf at RE/MAX Properties of the Summit for more information - 970-333-0303

Nice little home

2011-01-08T11:36:00.000-08:00

Nice kitchen! From a shoot of a 7,500 sq. ft. home I completed a few days ago. On the market for $2.5 million, bank owned. Make an offer today!!

My latest Full Motion Walk Through Video

2010-12-31T15:55:00.000-08:00

Very nice rental condo in Breckenridge, Colorado

Happy Holidays to Everyone

2010-12-23T14:23:00.000-08:00

Wishing everyone a very happy holiday and a prosperous new year.

Engine Number 9 Arrives in Breckenridge Today

2010-12-13T16:23:00.000-08:00

Engine Number 9, built in the 1880's, originally served the Denver to Breckenridge route over Boreas Pass delivering mail and people, arrived in Breckenridge today. The fully restored steam engine will reside at the Rotary Snow Park at the south end of Breckenridge. Pictured here is the engine still on the truck that hauled it in. It will be placed on the tracks in the next few days. Pretty exiciting to see an 1880's engine that once steamed through Breckenridge back in place.

My latest video

2010-11-27T09:38:00.000-08:00

I've been shooting more and more videos for rental management companies. Here is the latest:

What do you think? Wouldn't you like to see something like this along with still photos of a property you were thinking about renting?

New Images

2010-11-13T15:56:00.000-08:00

A nice, warm, cozy living room I shot a couple of days ago. Does it invite you to settle in with a warm dring?

2010-11-07T15:30:00.000-08:00

A beautiful, modern home (new construction) I shot yesterday for one of my best agents.

Over 5,500 sq. ft. with a seperate guest home (on the right), it uses a unique combination of materials that make it something special.

Contact Turk Montepare (the listing agent) if you are interested: 970-390-3500.

My latest Full Motion Walk Through Video

2010-10-30T11:58:00.000-07:00

This is one of the first in a series of 50 videos I'll be producing for BreckenridgeRental.com over the course of the next several months.

Real estate and rental management video tours

2010-10-28T17:45:00.000-07:00

The cutting edge of marketing. Full motion video tours of real estate listings and rental management companies condos and homes for rent. You can't get a better marketing tool to show your clients just what they are getting.

Visit my video website for examples:

http://www.breckenridgevideotours.com/

Michael

New Images from a custom cabinet company I shoot for

2010-10-25T18:35:00.000-07:00

A new image from a custom cabinet company I do a lot of work for. This image is from a beautiful Keystone, Colorado condo. A shot of the cabinets above the kitchen.

Notice the beautiful "crown moulding" and the contrast between the hickory wood and the black center cabinet. Beautiful.

New Images from a commercial shoot

2010-10-18T15:17:00.000-07:00

A photo I took for the Multiteria Company of the counter tops (made of recycled paper!) this last week. Was a challenging and interesting shoot. The best part: Multiteria emailed me today and said, "Michael the images are awesome!"

That is music to a photographer's ears.

Breckenridge hoasts craft distillers festival

2010-10-09T12:16:00.000-07:00

Colorado distillers will gather in Breckenridge on Oct. 15-16 for a showcase of handcrafted spirits complemented by restaurant specials and a downtown pub crawl.

The Craft Distillers' Still on the Hill Festival is a new Breckenridge Restaurant Association event, born of Colorado's rapidly growing artisan spirits industry, a news release said.

In the release, Jordan Via, master distiller at the Breckenridge Distillery, said he's not aware of anywhere else in Colorado where a small distiller's festival or similar event takes place.

The Grand Tasting, slated for 4-6 p.m. on Oct. 16, features several of Colorado's most talented craft distillers at an informal, walk-around event hosted by Beaver Run Resort.

From today through Oct. 16, restaurants throughout town are to offer dining specials at $18.59, an homage to Breckenridge's founding year.

The Downtown Poker Run and Pub Crawl, set for Oct. 15, lets players sample Breckenridge's best drinks and pick up cards at each location. The best hand wins craft spirits at the Grand Tasting.

Lodging specials starting at $96 per night will be offered throughout October as part of the Craft Spirits Festival and fall leaf-viewing season.

For lodging information or reservations visit www.gobreck.com or call 877-593-5260.

Blessing of the Pets

2010-10-05T14:37:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, the lawn outside Lord of the Mountains Lutheran Church was crowded with locals and their pets. They gathered for the renewal of the church's annual pet blessing, which occurs the day before St. Francis of Assisi's day of commemoration.

Locals were carrying cat crates, toting dogs on leashes, carefully handling plastic jars containing fish, and even bearing the ashes of a former pet.

Tina Oberheide balanced a canary cage. She had hoped it might sing along with the hymns, which were part of a brief service prior to pastors Darlene Muschett and Joe Holub performing the blessings.

“Pets are an important part of people's lives, particularly in Summit County” Oberheide said. “This is a way to make them special for a day.”

The pet blessing was last done by the church several years ago before taking a multi-year hiatus, Holub explained. They hold it prior to the commemoration day for St. Francis of Assisi because the saint was known for his appreciation of nature.

“His brotherhood was all of God's creation,” Muschette said. “His love of nature was so deep.”

The service included hymns and readings from Genesis and Psalm 104, which praise all of creation, particularly its animals.

Good news is so nice to read.

Aspen Leaves

2010-10-04T15:37:00.000-07:00

Thought you might enjoy this collection of aspen leaves I photographed the other day. Macro shot on a black background.

Enjoy.

Michael

In Your Face Views of the Autumn Mountain Views

2010-09-25T17:01:00.000-07:00

Oh, yes. It is a beautiful time in the mountains of Colorado. In your face views like the one you see to your left.
Beautiful. This view was from a Dillon condo I shot yesterday for one of my best Realtors - Kelli Bennett. Check out her website at http://www.kellisells.com/

Snow on the Mountain

2010-09-23T15:19:00.000-07:00

Yes, we had snow last night. Only above 12,000 feet, so not on my deck.

But Breckenridge will open for the ski season in just 49 days.

Amazing how quickly summer flew by.

New Images

2010-09-19T16:45:00.000-07:00

New construction home I photographed the other day. Interesting "mountain modern" design. I really liked the shapes, lines and angles of this home.

Summit County is a recycling champ

2010-09-15T13:08:00.000-07:00

Since Summit County opened its Materials Recycling Facility (MRF) in 2006, diversions from the landfill have nearly quadrupled, with several thousand tons of recyclables and organic material being resurrected from the waste stream every year to live on as useful new products.

In 2009, the Summit Resource Allocation Park (SCRAP), formerly known as the dump, shipped 3,492 tons of paper, cardboard, metals, glass, plastic and electronics back into the market. Combine that with several-thousand additional tons of food scraps, wood waste, biosolids and yard waste that's turned into fertile soil at SCRAP's High Country Composting Facility, and Summit County achieves a waste-diversion rate of about 22 percent.

Autumn will be in Breckenridge within a week

2010-09-13T15:40:00.000-07:00

If you have never photographed the aspen trees in their full autumn glory, you should. It is an experience you will never forget.

While it doesn't look like the picture to the left just yet, it will within the next week.

I'm going to try and take some time to do some personal photography within the next week and capture some of the autumn aspen glory.

Good shooting,

Michael