Industry News
A ski area that ceased operations 50 years ago is seemingly being resurrected as a private ski and golf resort by a consortium including the brains behind Yellowstone Club. Various reports on Ski Area Management and by various Colorado-based newspapers and Youtubers are reporting that plans to reopen the ski area that briefly operated from 1972-1974 are taking a more concrete form recently. Allegedly a Doppelmayr chair will be installed this summer, meaning that operations could happen as soon as the 24/25 season.
- Related: 42- Years Gone — 2,200 Vertical Foot Stagecoach Ski Resort, CO, May Rise Again With 2 New Lifts
There were rumors back in 2017 that the ski area might reopen after Don McLean informed the Routt County Planning Commission in September 2016 of his plans to purchase Stagecoach Ski Area from its owners, the Wittemyer family, and to reopen the ski area with two new chairlifts by December 2017. Those plans went nowhere it appears, however maybe that was the stepping stone for the current plans. Internationally renowned resort and master planning expert Mountain Works developed a resort plan which is likely to still be utilized as architectural firm 359 Design mentions them on their website about this project, and states that 359 Design “continues to develop the architecture character and planning for each of these zones in this ongoing project.” Mountain Works is behind world famous resorts such as Beaver Creek, Åre, Kiroro, Niseo, and Vail.
In 2020, Stagecoach Mountain Ventures, a limited liability company was founded with headquarters in Boulder, Colorado. This company lodged a Planning Application with Routt County in February 2023 for the development of a private ski area and golf resort dubbed Stagecoach Mountain Ranch (‘SMR’). The development proposal sought the development on a portion of approximately 6,620 acres of privately owned property in Stagecoach into a private club, including the construction of approximately 800 residential properties, an 18-hole golf course, and infrastructure for extensive recreational activities. SMR will be created on two separate properties in the Stagecoach area. The proposed Stagecoach Ski Area will stretch across an area of 6,230 acres on the northwest end of Green Ridge, while the golf course and marina will stretch across 390 acres on the south side of Stagecoach Reservoir.
While the application was lodged over a year ago, interest in the project was stoked by the fact that Discovery Land Company LLC, the firm behind the Yellowstone Club in Big Sky, Montana, was named in a draft letter submitted to the Upper Yampa Water Conservancy District this month. According to the Yampa Valley Bugle, the draft letter is seeking confirmation that the district has available water in Stagecoach Reservoir that could be used for snowmaking and irrigation of a golf course. The letter also mentions plans by Discovery Land Company to submit a development application to the Routt County Planning Department in May which will include the application to subdivide and construct 697 homes and build extensive recreational amenities. The reason the application will not be lodged until May has to do with an anticipated update of zoning and subdivision regulations by Routt County.
The sketch for the Stagecoach Mountain Resort in the Development Application from February 2023 shows five ski lifts referred to as: “Skilift A”, “Skilift B”, “Skilift C”, “Skilift D”, and “2024 Skilift”. The “2024 Skilift” is particularly interesting as there are reports that Stagecoach Mountain Ventures will start construction of a Doppelmayr chair this summer, which this plan appears to validate. The sketch is very similar to the design by Mountain Works if rotated to having the village at the bottom rather than facing northeast.
We have reached out to Stagecoach Mountain Ventures for confirmation.
