Building 5 at the Pines is getting a facelift! The project will be a replacement of the siding at the Pines Longleaf building (Building 5) during May and June 2012.

According to the Pines Owner’s Association, the building’s siding has reached the end of its useful life.  Repainting the building would only extend the siding’s life two to three years at the most.  The improvements consist of removing and replacing the current white pine siding and installing new cementitious siding with a paint cycle greater than 10 years.  Balcony railings will also be replaced.

Due to the siding project’s nature, this building requires closure to all but the construction crew from May 15th to the projected project completion date of June 30 for reasons of safety.  No properties located in this building will be rented during this time period.  SummitCove will be offering other great rental options in Keystone during this time!

The June 30 completion date is projected based on the contractor’s construction schedule and on the experience with the building 6 project earlier this year.  If we experience an unusually snowy May and early June the building opening date of June 30 may be adversely affected. Owners will receive project completion updates during the course of the construction.

In early May of 2012 property management will remove all items from building 5 balconies and will move these items back onto balconies when the new siding has been installed.  If you have items hung on the interior or your exterior walls it is suggested you remove these items then re-hang them after June 30th.

If Pines owners have any questions or need further clarification on this project, please feel free to contact us at SummitCove.  

After years of sepculation and rumors, Vail Resorts announced today that Keystone Resort will build a new 8 passenger gondola to replace the existing gondola in River Run Village in Keystone Resort. Undoubtedly, this will make real estate prices bump up accordingly at The Springs and Red Hawk Lodge in River Run Village since the base of the gondola will be moved into the Hunki Dori parking lot between the two condo complexes. How much remains to be seen. This of course is exactly what Keystone has needed for years and will prove to make Keystone Resort a bigger and better destination ski resort than it already is.
New River Run Gondola will replace the existing six-passenger gondola with upgraded features, mid-station loading and unloading and relocating the bottom terminal into River Run Village.

KEYSTONE, Colo. — Dec. 21, 2007— Today, Keystone announced plans to install a new state-of-the-art eight-passenger gondola to replace the current six-passenger River Run Gondola for the 2008-2009 ski and snowboard season. A key component of the plan includes moving the bottom terminal of the new River Run Gondola into the River Run Village, significantly enhancing the guest experience for both River Run destination guests as well as day visitors parking at the River Run Village, by making access to the gondola easier.

According to Pat Campbell, chief operating officer for Keystone, the new state-of-the-art River Run Gondola represents the first step in future development for Keystone.

“Our mission at Keystone is to provide our guests an exceptional experience,” Campbell said. “The new River Run Gondola will represent the most significant on-mountain project at Keystone since the opening of the Outback Mountain in 1990 and will be the largest on-mountain project for Vail Resorts next year.”

The upgraded River Run Gondola will follow the same alignment as the existing gondola with the top terminal located in the same location at the summit of Dercum Mountain. A new mid-station will be constructed halfway up Dercum Mountain with loading and unloading in both directions, giving skiers and snowboarders an option to access the upper trails from mid-mountain and to download at the end of their ski day.

The new base area terminal will be proximate to two Vail Resorts real estate development sites, which will allow for new development at River Run tied directly to the new gondola access onto the mountain.

“We’re making a deliberate decision to upgrade the guest experience by significantly shortening the walk to the new gondola from the village or parking lot, improving access to the mountain and increasing the capacity of the gondola,” Campbell said. “Keystone plans to purchase a state-of-the-art gondola from Doppelmayr that utilizes the latest drive technology and is expected to be 30 to 40 percent more energy efficient than other modern ski chairlifts or gondolas.”

According to Campbell, the new cabins were designed with passenger comfort in mind with floor-to-ceiling windows providing the best possible view and with room to accommodate skis and snowboards inside the cabin. Additionally, the new gondola will offer level walk-in heated load and unload stations to provide convenient access for wheelchairs, mountain bikes, strollers, sight seers, mountaintop tubing hill guests and night-time dining guests.

With a vertical rise of 2,307 feet and a top-to-bottom average trip time of less than 12 minutes, the new eight-passenger River Run Gondola will transport about 2,400 people per hour, more than twice the current level. Keystone plans to operate the new River Run Gondola winter and summer.

Construction for the gondola is expected to begin April 2008 with a planned opening for the 2008-2009 ski and snowboard season.

In the second phase of this project, a new skier bridge will be constructed to replace the current pedestrian bridge, which will allow guests to ski directly from the mountain into a newly enhanced skier plaza and skier services area in the River Run Village. The enhanced skier plaza and skier services area and the new skier bridge are slated for completion during the summer of 2009.

For more information about Keystone and the new River Run Gondola project, visit keystoneresort.com.

What does the new gondola move mean for Keystone Ski Resort Real Estate?

Friday, December 21st, 2007 was the official announcement of the installation of a new gondola at the base of Keystone Resort River Run Village. The replacement of the gondola in River Run marks a defining moment in Keystone Colorado with years of expansion and development to come. The current 6 person gondola will be replaced with a high speed 8 person gondola, which will help move more people up the mountain in less time than ever before.

One of the most interesting things about the moving and upgrade of the gondola is how it might possibly play into a master plan of the Keystone Resort Area. As we all know, the motives behind moving ski lifts costing millions of dollars are behind closed the corporate doors of Vail Resorts, Inc. It is interesting that Vail Resorts would choose to spend so much money moving a gondola only a few hundred feet. What exactly is the benefit to spending so much money in order to gain 2 more spots per tram car and making it obviously closer to River Run Village?

Keystone Colorado Gondola Possibilities

A quick glance at a map of creates some interesting possibilities for the Keystone Ski Resort area. The yellow dot represents the loading station proposed. The 2 red lines drawn show a possible surface gondola that has been rumored in recent years to the Lakeside Village and Keystone Conference Center. It is not known exactly where the terminal station would be for that possible lift. By moving the gondola, this puts a direct line to the Keystone Lakeside Village without interfering with existing buildings and land. All lift towers could be installed in natural wetlands with little or no impact to wildlife. It has been rumored at HOA meetings for various condo complexes recently that environmental impact studies have been completed to asses the feasibility of such a project.

Even more compelling is the fact that there have also been rumors in HOA meetings of opening new terrain near the Keystone Lakeside Village. Why is the concentration of activity located around Keystone Lake? Simply put, the Keystone Conference Center is a huge draw for conventions and visitors since it one of the most unique and nicest places in Colorado to hold a conference or meeting. With activities for everyone, it is an attractive place for conventions, weddings and professional conferences for all industries and would easily complete the one place in Keystone that is “stranded” by itself, relying on shuttle transportation to get people to the ski slopes. It is possible in the next 10-15 years to have new ski terrain also opened near the Keystone Gulch area. It is possible that new lift could be constructed from what is now known as the Argentine Building at the Keystone Lakeside Village up into the nearby hills, all connected by a surface lift to River Run Village. Keep in mid that THIS IS ALL SPECULATION AND BASED COMPLETELY DEDUCTIVE REASONING AND WORD OF MOUTH AT THIS POINT IN TIME.

The only missing piece to the puzzle is how the Mountain House base area might tie into a master planned Keystone Ski Resort. As seen on the map, the possibility of a surface lift along the wetlands presents the possibility that there could be a loading station at the Mountain House area. Preliminary plats of a new Mountain House base area have been submitted to Summit County, Colorado and can be seen below on the map. While no loading station for a surface lift exists in that plan, it is entirely possible to tie in such a station and create an overall master plan for all major base areas of Keystone.

This is all exciting for property values and new development in the Keystone Resort area. While it will take many years to see how this speculation all plays out in the real world, it leaves little doubt that the proposed changes present a unique investment opportunity in Keystone Resort Colorado.

By far one of the best things about the move of the gondola in River Run is the investment opportunity in Keystone Resort. In 2007, overall property appreciation rates in Keystone Resort realized over a 30% gain. While this trend is unlikely to keep the same pace in coming years, it is showing no signs of slowing down and the news of the new gondola is likely to help keep this rate from dropping very far in the near future even with the slowdown of the US economy.

The best properties in Keystone Resort to see an immediate gain are obviously The Springs and Red Hawk Lodge. Anyone who already owns in either of these buildings is sitting on a great investment opportunity and should stay put. Other affected buildings include Black Bear Lodge and Jack Pine Lodge. The move will greatly increase property prices in these 2 lodges since these properties will have the greatest benefit to the moving of the gondola. Overall, River Run as a whole looks to benefit greatly from the exciting news of the gondola.

If the scenario of this new move of the gondola plays out to include a surface lift to the Lakeside Village in Keystone, there is further investment opportunity near Keystone Lake. Since preliminary plans have already been submitted to Summit County for a remodel of the Mountain House area, it is likely that the Mountain House project would take precedence, but the possibility of connecting River Run and The Keystone Lakeside Village cannot be ignored even if it is a possible long range plan.

Where ever you decide to look for your next investment opportunity in Keystone Resort, anywhere is safe bet that you’ll gain over the long term. Short term bets are central to River Run Village and long term opportunities exist in the Lakeside Village area of Keystone Ski Resort. Changes are coming to Keystone Colorado and it is an exciting place to look for investment opportunities in the years to come…especially when the downtrend of major metro areas seem to catch today’s headlines on a daily basis.