Echo Mountain Resort
| Echo Mountain | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | Clear Creek County, Colorado, United States |
| Nearest city | Evergreen, Colorado |
| Coordinates | 39°41′6″N 105°31′10″W / 39.68500°N 105.51944°W |
| Vertical | 600 ft (180 m). |
| Top elevation | 10,650 ft (3,250 m). |
| Base elevation | 10,050 ft (3,060 m). |
| Skiable area | 226+ acres |
| Runs |
13 total - 3 easiest - 6 more difficult - 4 most difficult |
| Longest run | Pops (0.4 Mi.) |
| Lift system | 2 (1 triple chair, 1 handle tow) |
| Snowfall | 275 in/year |
| Snowmaking | 50 acres (200,000 m2) |
| Night skiing | 100% lit all week |
| Website | |
Echo Mountain is a ski and snowboard area located in Clear Creek County, west of Evergreen, Colorado. It is the closest ski area to the Denver metro area.
Description
Echo Mountain is located at the former site of the Squaw Pass Ski Area. Echo opened late in the 2006 season as a terrain park-only concept. The area began to shift it's focus away from terrain-park only and sold at auction in 2012. The new owner turned the ski area into a private ski racing training facility. After several seasons under this concept, the owner filed for bankruptcy in January of 2016. The area sold in the fall of 2016 to a company looking to open to the public and appeal to a broader base of snow sports enthusiasts. It is fully lit to offer night skiing. There are roughly 60 acres of skiable terrain and is located within the Arapaho National Forest and sits on the North face of Chief Mountain (elv. 11,709 ft.).
The main lift, the Milk Run Special, is a fixed-grip triple that has a turn around time of 4 minutes 39 seconds. The entire mountain is wired for sound so music can also be played. The two lodge buildings are of modern industrial design featuring many windows overlooking the slopes, corrugated metal walls and exposed ceilings. Modern interior design provides a comfortable place to rest while not on the slopes.
The area was created out of lodgepole pines, bristlecone pines, and Douglas firs. The base of the mountain is located at 10,050 feet (3,060 m) and the summit is at about 10,650 feet (3,250 m).
Change of Ownership
Echo Mountain was formerly owned by Jerry Petitt and his family. After buying the property in 2002 Petitt revived the ski area. The hill was originally designed and marketed as a terrain park for younger skiers and snowboarders. In the Summer of 2012, Echo Mountain Park was bought by Nora Pykkonen. Pykkonen was operating Front Range Ski Club, an alpine ski racing facility, out of Echo. Both parties seemed to by excited of how Echo will change, "I think this will be a very interesting opportunity for them and hopefully in a few years we will hear about an Olympic skier that came out of Echo." said Petitt. The auction sale was operated by Sheldon Good & Co.[1] In January 2016, Echo Mountain filed for bankruptcy after falling behind on loan payments.[2] In the fall of 2016, the mountain was sold to a new owner in a deal that included all the land, facilities, equipment, snow cats and the chairlift.
Lifts
Echo’s lifts are used lifts purchased from other resorts. The Yan Triple was purchased from Vail Resorts’ Heavenly Resort and installed in 2005. The triple, named Milk Run Special, is situated to serve the entire mountain. The second lift is a used handle tow, named Frog Legs, which was purchased from the Snowmass ski area.
External links
Notes
- ↑ http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_21421750
- ↑ http://www.businessden.com/2016/02/09/ski-resort-slides-into-chapter-11/