<![CDATA[Diane Homes Diane Aronovic, RSPS, SRES 970-209-0405 diane@dianehomes.com - Blog]]>Wed, 01 May 2024 13:49:46 -0600Weebly<![CDATA[It's the weather...]]>Fri, 30 Aug 2019 22:27:27 GMThttp://dianehomes.com/blog/its-the-weatherWith all of the changes occurring in Crested Butte lately (Vail buying the ski resort, home prices rising, economic uncertainty nationally, etc) I've been thinking about what is the main factor that brings people here and has them buying property? It could be the recreation opportunities, the community, the beauty (cute town, wildflowers, views, etc) or untold other things. The answer I've come to is that it's the weather. The relatively cool summer days when you need a sweater at night are becoming a distant memory in most places on earth. We certainly have cold weather and, hopefully, lots of snow in the winter, but compared to other places I've lived it's pretty doable here. I'd take a zero degree January day here to a 25 degree winter day in New York City, when the wind whips down the streets and all you can think of is how cold it is with the relative humidity. 

As the planet is seemingly warming at a fast pace, and I'm not placing blame here, it just seems like we are setting new temperature records at an alarming rate, the weather here remains really pleasant, especially in the summer when it's over 100 degrees around the nation. Since summer is typically our most active time for real estate, I think there is more than a chance correlation between people buying real estate and the weather. If the ocean levels rise and these 100+ degree days continue to increase, owning property in Crested Butte is a nice weather hedge for those who can afford it. Home prices have risen here in the past few years, but there are many explanations for that: our formidable public school, the relative scarcity of product, the hope of ski resort upgrades and expansion, etc. but with those higher prices comes a seldom discussed additional perk - the idea that in 5, 10 or 20 years when Florida is flooded, Texas is too hot and Arizona is scorched, at least you can live comfortably all year round in Crested Butte, opening your windows in the summer in lieu of air conditioning. Sounds great to me!
]]><![CDATA[Valuations]]>Sun, 30 Jun 2019 21:37:59 GMThttp://dianehomes.com/blog/valuationsAs a real estate agent, and former bond trader, I am always evaluating real estate on many levels. We are currently experiencing a tight real estate market, with houses in town starting to sell over the $1000/square foot valuation. A house on Belleview just closed at $1135/foot on a great lot and consisting of new construction. I can't help but compare that valuation to a great listing I have at 715 Sopris, a move-in-ready house listed at $1,950,000, or $620/foot. It's larger than the max allowable square footage (without a limited head space 3rd floor, or basement) and is beautifully remodeled on a greatly located, quiet street. Replacement value (having spoken to a few builders for their current rates) comes in at around $1,875,000 and that is without the land or architect! Builders are reserving new home building 2 and 3 years out right now, so you would also have to wait - and go through BOZAR approval. Given that lots in town start at around $900,000, bringing your base cost to $2,775,000, I see tremendous value in this listing. Add in present value and you get replacement value around $3 million. Talk about a steal!
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]]><![CDATA[CBCS IS A TOP FIVE SCHOOL IN COLORADO]]>Thu, 09 May 2019 16:10:43 GMThttp://dianehomes.com/blog/cbcs-is-a-top-five-school-in-coloradoThe Crested Butte Community School's high school just received a ranking of #5 in Colorado by US News & World Report, it was also ranked #236 nationally out of 23,000 schools. To really understand the importance of that ranking, one must consider the pool from which it exists. Of all the schools in Colorado, I would guess CBCS's high school is the smallest, with a total of 195 students, which is especially unique for a public high school. The other top 10 schools have enrollments ranging from 306 to 2178 students. As a parent of a senior, I can attest to the small size and quality of teaching. My daughter knows all of her teachers quite well, and has known most of the kids her whole life. Due to the lifestyle offered here, we get top notch teachers who really want to be here - there is a high level of competition for full time teaching jobs. 

In the past few years the school has become a huge real estate draw for families looking for a high quality education coupled with the outdoor lifestyle we embrace. Instead of having their children in private schools or very large public schools, families are choosing to move here full time, enroll their kids in school, and either telecommute or use an alternative method for work. That has certainly helped real estate values increase here, and with the ranking rising from 10 to 5 in the last couple of years, I don't see that trend stopping any time soon. 

Read the CB News article here, and the US News article here. ​]]><![CDATA[Holiday Season]]>Mon, 10 Dec 2018 23:01:27 GMThttp://dianehomes.com/blog/holiday-seasonWe are in the early part of ski season, and it's shaping up to be a great one! With good early season snow and weather conducive to snowmaking, the mountain has great early season coverage with the Red Lady and Silver Queen lifts open, West Wall just opened this weekend and East River will be open Saturday. With control work getting done on the Headwall and the West Side, we are really looking forward to more snow and terrain openings by Christmas.

I hope to see you here during your next visit. 
]]><![CDATA[Ski season is coming]]>Fri, 09 Nov 2018 17:10:31 GMThttp://dianehomes.com/blog/ski-season-is-comingIt was -1 degree this morning in town, and definitely time to think about winter. There is some Nordic skiing up at Lily Lake that is pretty good! I've been a few times in the last couple of weeks and they are getting close to grooming it. I'd say the drive on Kebler is about the worst part since the road is very rutted and uneven - go slowly!

I think everyone in Crested Butte has their usual excitement about the oncoming ski season, especially this year with the change in management on the mountain and considering the low snow year we had last year. Hopefully Vail Resorts will bring a much needed capital boost and correct some of the latent deferred maintenance and upkeep issues. The snow on the ground already seems to be greater than what we saw last year, and it's been cold enough for snowmaking on the mountain. I can't remember us having many negative degree days last year, so even though it's only November, the cold weather is welcome. 

I hope it's a great season and that we have plentiful snowfall that fills up the lakes here this summer!


]]><![CDATA[Vail closes deal to buy Crested Butte]]>Thu, 27 Sep 2018 19:43:05 GMThttp://dianehomes.com/blog/vail-closes-deal-to-buy-crested-butte​https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/vail-resorts-closes-its-acquisition-of-okemo-mountain-resort-mount-sunapee-resort-and-crested-butte-mountain-resort-1027571935

​Vail Resorts Closes Its Acquisition of Okemo Mountain Resort, Mount Sunapee Resort and Crested Butte Mountain Resort
PRESS RELEASE PR Newswire
 Sep. 27, 2018, 12:03 PM- The Epic Pass, Epic Local Pass and Military Epic Pass now include unlimited, unrestricted access to Okemo Mountain Resort, Mount Sunapee Resort and Crested Butte Mountain Resort for the 2018-19 season
- Passes for the 2018-19 season are currently on sale, with prices increasing Oct. 7
BROOMFIELD, Colo., Sept. 27, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE: MTN) today announced that the Company has closed on its acquisition of Triple Peaks, LLC, the parent company of Okemo Mountain Resort in Vermont, Mount Sunapee Resort in New Hampshire and Crested Butte Mountain Resort in Colorado. The Company purchased Triple Peaks from the Mueller family for a final purchase price of approximately $74 million, after adjustments for certain agreed-upon terms. As part of the transaction and with funds provided by Vail Resorts, Triple Peaks paid off $155 million in leases that all three resorts had with Ski Resort Holdings, LLC, an affiliate of Oz Real Estate.


Okemo Mountain Resort and Mount Sunapee Resort join Stowe Mountain Resort in Vail Resorts' northeastern network of resorts, providing even more options for skiers and snowboarders in the region.  Okemo, approximately three hours from Boston and four hours from New York City, sits just above the Vermont village of Ludlow and has developed a reputation for superior guest service, incredible snow quality, grooming, terrain parks, and family programs. Mount Sunapee, located in the Mount Sunapee State Park, is the premier ski area in southern New Hampshireand is just a short 90-minute drive from Boston. The four-season, family-focused ski area has breathtaking views overlooking Lake Sunapee and consistently receives accolades for excellence in snowmaking and grooming.
With the addition of Crested Butte to Vail Resorts' Colorado network, pass holders now have access to up to seven world-class resorts throughout the state, including Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone, ArapahoeBasin, and Telluride. Crested Butte Mountain Resort is located in southwest Colorado's Grand Mesa Uncompahgre and Gunnison (GMUG) National Forests and is known for the colorful and historic town of Crested Butte, renowned mountain peaks, and legendary skiing and riding terrain.
The 2018-19 Epic Pass, Epic Local Pass, and Military Epic Pass now include unlimited and unrestricted access to Okemo Mountain Resort, Mount Sunapee Resort and Crested Butte Mountain Resort; the Epic 7 Day and the Epic 4 Day now offer up to seven and four unrestricted days, respectively. All 2018-19 season passes are currently on sale, with prices increasing on Sunday, Oct. 7.
"We are thrilled to offer pass holders even more one-of-a-kind experiences in the northeast and in Colorado with the addition of Okemo, Mount Sunapee and Crested Butte to our network of world-class resorts," said Kirsten Lynch, chief marketing officer of Vail Resorts. "Unlimited, unrestricted access to these resorts through the Epic Pass, Epic Local, and Military Epic Pass, as well as access on the Epic 4 Day and Epic 7 Day, will be a tremendous benefit to skiers and snowboarders."
Today's acquisition closure on Triple Peaks, LLC, is the second of two acquisitions announced in June 2018 to be finalized. In the first, separate transaction, which closed on Aug. 15, Vail Resorts announced the acquisition of Stevens Pass Resort in Washington from Ski Resort Holdings, LLC, an affiliate of Oz Real Estate. Less than 85 miles from Seattle and renowned for its plentiful snowfall, the resort sits on the crest of the Cascade Range within two national forests – the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest on the west side, and the Wenatchee National Forest on the east.
Following today's closing, Vail Resorts plans to invest $35 million over the next two years across the four resorts to continue to elevate the guest experience. In addition, annual ongoing capital expenditures are expected to increase by $7 million to support the addition of these four resorts.
Visit www.epicpass.com  for details, FAQs and to purchase.
2018-19 season pass options for Okemo Mountain Resort, Mount Sunapee Resort and Crested Butte Mountain Resort skiers and snowboarders:
  • Epic Pass™: For $929, the Epic Pass offers unlimited, unrestricted access to 19 mountain resorts plus additional access to 46 more, including 20 new mountains for the 2018-19 season. Discover 65 of the world's premier resorts throughout the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, France, Switzerland, Italy, and Austria. The Epic Pass pays for itself in just over four days of skiing or snowboarding. Enjoy unlimited, unrestricted access to Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone, Crested Butte and Arapahoe Basin in Colorado; Park City in Utah; Heavenly, Northstar and Kirkwood at Lake Tahoe; Stowe and Okemo in Vermont; Mount Sunapee in New Hampshire; Stevens Pass in Washington; Afton Alps in Minnesota; Mt. Brighton in Michigan; Wilmot Mountain in Wisconsin; Whistler Blackcomb in Canada; and Perisher in Australia for the 2019 season. New for the 2018-19 season, Epic Pass holders will receive seven days of skiing or snowboarding with no blackout dates at both Telluride in Colorado and at Resorts of the Canadian Rockies (Fernie Alpine Resort, Kicking Horse Mountain Resort and Kimberley Alpine Resort in British Columbia, Nakiska in Alberta, and Mont-Sainte Anne and Stoneham in Quebec), in addition to five total consecutive days with no blackout dates at Hakuba Valley's nine ski resorts in Japan. The Epic Pass also grants limited access to Les 3 Vallées, Paradiski and Tignes-Val D'Isere in France; 4 Vallées in Switzerland; Arlberg in Austria and Skirama Dolomiti in Italy. A child pass (ages five to 12) is $479.
  • Epic Local Pass™: For $689, guests receive access to 27 resorts, including unlimited, unrestricted access to Breckenridge, Keystone, Crested Butte, Okemo, Mount Sunapee, Stevens Pass, ArapahoeBasin, Wilmot, Afton Alps and Mt. Brighton with limited restrictions at Park City, Heavenly, Northstar, Kirkwood, and Stowe, plus a combined total of 10 days at Vail, Beaver Creek, and Whistler Blackcomb with holiday restrictions. The Epic Local Pass pays for itself in just over three days. New for the 2018-19 season, Epic Local Pass holders will receive access to 13 new mountains including Crested Butte, Okemo, Mount Sunapee, Stevens Pass plus five total consecutive days with no blackout dates at Hakuba Valley's nine ski resorts in Japan. A child pass (ages five to 12) is $369.
  • Epic 7-Day Pass™: For $689, receive a total of seven unrestricted days valid at Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Telluride, Keystone, Crested Butte* and Arapahoe Basin in Colorado; Park City in Utah; Heavenly, Northstar and Kirkwood at Lake Tahoe; Stowe and Okemo* in Vermont; Mount Sunapee* in New Hampshire; Stevens Pass in Washington; Whistler Blackcomb, Fernie Alpine Resort, Kicking Horse Mountain Resort, Kimberley Alpine Resort, Nakiska, Mont-Sainte Anne and Stoneham in Canada; plus an additional 7 free days total at Afton Alps in Minnesota; Mt. Brighton in Michigan; Wilmot Mountain in Wisconsin. After the seven days, regardless of the resort at which they were redeemed, pass holders can get 20 percent off additional lift tickets at Telluride. A child pass (ages five to 12) is $369.
  • Epic 4-Day Pass™: For $479, a convenient option for a short ski trip as the pass pays for itself in just over two days and includes a total of four unrestricted days valid at Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Telluride, Keystone, Crested Butte* and ArapahoeBasin in Colorado; Park City in Utah; Heavenly, Northstar and Kirkwood at Lake Tahoe; Stowe and Okemo* in Vermont; Mount Sunapee* in New Hampshire; Stevens Pass in Washington; Whistler Blackcomb, Fernie Alpine Resort, Kicking Horse Mountain Resort, Kimberley Alpine Resort, Nakiska, Mont-Sainte Anne and Stonehamin Canada; plus an additional 4 free days total at Afton Alps in Minnesota; Mt. Brighton in Michigan; Wilmot Mountain in Wisconsin. After the four days, regardless of the resort at which they were redeemed, pass holders can get 20 percent off additional lift tickets at Telluride. A child pass (ages five to 12) is $259.
  • Military Epic Pass: In celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Epic Pass on March 18, 2018, Vail Resorts is honoring the epic service of the Company's founders from the U.S. Army's 10th Mountain Division, and the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces, Canadian Armed Forces and Australian Defence Force with the introduction of a new $129 Military Epic Pass for active and retired military personnel and their dependents – more than an 85-percent off the regular Epic Pass price. Additionally, as the first of its kind in the mountain resort industry, all other U.S., Canadian and Australian veterans and their dependents are eligible for a $529 Military Epic Pass, which offers more than a 40-percent discount off the regular price ($289 for children under 18 years of age). Vail Resorts will donate $1 for every 2018-19 season pass sale to Wounded Warrior Project® to benefit wounded veterans and their families, which would exceed $750,000 based on last year's sales. Visit www.epicpass.com/military for all details on military pass options.
Vail Resorts will continue to offer pre-existing 2018-19 season pass products for Okemo, Mount Sunapee, Crested Butte, and Stevens Passthrough the duration of the fall sales season.
About Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE: MTN)
Vail Resorts, Inc., through its subsidiaries, is the leading global mountain resort operator. Vail Resorts' subsidiaries operate 15 world-class mountain resorts and three urban ski areas, including Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone and Crested Butte in Colorado; Park City in Utah; Heavenly, Northstar and Kirkwood in the Lake Tahoe area of Californiaand Nevada; Whistler Blackcomb in British Columbia, Canada; Perisher in Australia; Stowe and Okemo in Vermont; Mt. Sunapee in New Hampshire; Stevens Pass in Washington; Wilmot Mountain in Wisconsin; Afton Alps in Minnesota and Mt. Brighton in Michigan. Vail Resorts owns and/or manages a collection of casually elegant hotels under the RockResorts brand, as well as the Grand Teton Lodge Company in Jackson Hole, Wyo. Vail Resorts Development Company is the real estate planning and development subsidiary of Vail Resorts, Inc. Vail Resorts is a publicly held company traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: MTN). The Vail Resorts company website is www.vailresorts.com and consumer website is www.snow.com. 
About Oz Real Estate
Oz Real Estate, the real estate platform at Oz Management, was founded by Steven E. Orbuch in 2003 to make investments in real estate and real estate related assets across North America and Europe. The principals of Oz Real Estate have invested in over $9.0 billion of private real estate assets, including direct equity investments, preferred equity structures, mezzanine financing, and senior loans. Oz Real Estate's portfolio has included over 20,000 hotel rooms, over 30,000 multifamily and residential units, and over 20 million square feet of retail and office properties. In addition, Oz Real Estate has developed expertise in certain niche real estate asset classes including gaming, healthcare, senior housing, cellular towers, ski resorts, and land development. For more information on Oz Real Estate, please see ozm.com.
Forward Looking Statements
Statements in this press release, other than statements of historical information, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws, including our expectations regarding capital investments across the four resorts over the next two years. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. All forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Such risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to prolonged weakness in general economic conditions, including adverse effects on the overall travel and leisure related industries; unfavorable weather conditions or the impact of natural disasters; willingness of our guests to travel due to terrorism, the uncertainty of military conflicts or outbreaks of contagious diseases, the cost and availability of travel options and changing consumer preferences; the seasonality of our business combined with adverse events that occur during our peak operating periods; competition in our mountain and lodging businesses; high fixed cost structure of our business; our ability to fund resort capital expenditures; our reliance on government permits or approvals for our use of public land or to make operational and capital improvements; risks of delay associated with governmental and third party approvals of the transactions; risks related to a disruption in our water supply that would impact our snowmaking capabilities and operations; risks related to federal, state, local and foreign government laws, rules and regulations; risks related to our reliance on information technology, including our failure to maintain the integrity of our customer or employee data; our ability to hire and retain a sufficient seasonal workforce; risks related to our workforce, including increased labor costs; loss of key personnel; adverse consequences of current or future legal claims; a deterioration in the quality or reputation of our brands, including our ability to protect our intellectual property and the risk of accidents at our mountain resorts; our ability to successfully integrate acquired businesses or that acquired businesses may fail to perform in accordance with expectations, including Whistler Blackcomb and Stowe or future acquisitions; our ability to satisfy the requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, with respect to acquired businesses; risks associated with international operations; fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates, particularly the Canadian dollar and Australian dollar; changes in accounting estimates and judgments, tax law, accounting principles, policies or guidelines or adverse determinations by taxing authorities; a materially adverse change in our financial condition; and other risks detailed in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the "Risk Factors" section of the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2017, which was filed on September 28, 2017, and the "Risk Factors" section of the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended January 31, 2018, which was filed on March 8, 2018.
All forward-looking statements attributable to us or any persons acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements. All guidance and forward-looking statements in this press release are made as of the date hereof and we do not undertake any obligation to update any forecast or forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by law.

]]><![CDATA[Time for a change]]>Tue, 25 Sep 2018 21:12:04 GMThttp://dianehomes.com/blog/time-for-a-changeNot only the leaves are changing in Crested Butte, Colorado!
Red Lady Realty has been absorbed by Coldwell Banker Mountain Properties, a firm based in Evergreen, CO. As a result, I have decided to move my real estate license and self just next door to Bluebird Real Estate. Bluebird is an independent agency, very similar to what Red Lady Realty was. I am very excited about the change, and think that the new (for me) agency will allow me to continue to service all of my clients with the level of hands-on service to which you are all accustomed. 

Please stop by and say hi when you are in town, I can't wait to see you and have you visit my new digs. 

Diane]]><![CDATA[Vail buys CBMR - https://www.bizjournals.com/denver/news/2018/06/04/vail-resorts-in-buying-spree-acquiring-crested.html]]>Mon, 04 Jun 2018 21:07:13 GMThttp://dianehomes.com/blog/vail-buys-cbmrSo what does this mean for Crested Butte, and especially for real estate in Crested Butte? It's only a positive for both. The mountain resort gets much needed experienced resort management, and a corporation running it. What we have lacked for decades is real money and know-how behind the scenes at the resort. If you have skied here in the past, you are aware that some of our amenities on the mountain are a bit lacking. Not enough dining options, bathrooms, lodging, and transportation added up to a resort that is not only hard to get to, but hard to navigate once here. I think this change will result in a more professionally run organization and investment being put in towards upgrading the resort. 

As far as real estate, I've always put a $0 valuation on the ski resort in pricing residential properties in Crested Butte. This will make that $0 a positive number and increase the valuations. I see an initial pop in valuations, but the real test will be this winter. I expect we will see a lot more people coming here that haven't been here in the past. If they see what most of us do, that will increase demand on the buy-side and drive up prices. I don't think it's the end of the world, as some people will speculate. The large evil corporation taking over the underdog resort. More like a savvy investment company seeing the potential here and being willing to risk assets towards that end. ​]]><![CDATA[Uncertainty]]>Wed, 03 Jan 2018 17:03:22 GMThttp://dianehomes.com/blog/uncertaintyedUncertainty is a difficult thing to deal with, especially in investing. I have a high tolerance for it, since in my former existence as a trader, uncertainty equaled opportunity. By having a stance in an uncertain situation, one can profit while those who are hesitant sit on the sidelines. This brings me to a current situation in Crested Butte: the limited number of short term rental licenses in town. Currently the number of unlimited rental licenses is capped at 212, this will be a slightly fluctuating number as more homes are built in approved areas. The town council, in setting the restrictions in number of licenses created a subset of an unlimited number of licenses limited to 60 rental days per year. The problem arises from the estimated number of people getting those limited licenses and the real number. Town estimated that dozens of locals would opt for the limited license, since it is quite a bit less expensive than the unlimited. This would then allow some room in the number of unlimited licenses and we would remain below the cap. In reality, only 5 people opted for the limited license, and it's a toss up whether or not the cap on unlimited licenses will be reached in the first half of 2018. 

If the cap is reached, either through people already grandfathered in (around 201) or from the waiting list (currently 21) it doesn't matter. Once that cap is reached, any new buyer in town will have to get a license that has been turned in in order to short term rent their house for more than 60 days per year. There is one loophole in that short term rentals are defined by being 29 days or fewer. One could rent in 30 days increments without those days being counted against the 60 day cap for the limited license. The other great benefit about 30 day plus rentals is that the short term rental tax need not be paid. Since that tax in town has recently risen to 18.4 %, that could be a significant money savings. 

There will be 1 more chance for people to get licenses, and that will be once the town does the mandatory inspection of rental units. I can imagine there are some properties which won't pass inspection, for whatever reason, and that license would then be put back into the pool. 

I think that the cap on unlimited licenses is a bad idea. Town is rewarding people who already have licenses (even those who were on town council and had illegal licenses) and arbitrarily effecting market value of property. For those currently trying to sell their property, there is a great uncertainty about whether the new owner will get a license. This in turn is slowing down sales of houses in town, and could create a situation in which valuations decrease due to this uncertainty. Since the council mistakenly believed that many more than 5 individuals would choose the limited license, I think they should raise the cap on unlimited licenses. Another solution would be to allow licenses to transfer over with the sale of property. Then at least buyers would know that they could rent their property right away, instead of waiting the current 4 months, and likely longer in the future. 

Town collects a 3% real estate transfer tax on all sales in town. Uncertainty is causing sales in town to slow, and that situation could continue indefinitely with the license cap. That has slowed  tax revenues already, and could have a larger impact in the future as investors forego town properties. Maybe town should already reconsider the short term rental license cap, silly rules have big consequences and we are already seeing some of the fall out. ]]><![CDATA[Thanksgiving]]>Sun, 26 Nov 2017 19:58:04 GMThttp://dianehomes.com/blog/thanksgivingThanksgiving is a time to reflect on our past year and display gratitude for the joys and blessings we have had. In Crested Butte, it's also the time when we start thinking about skiing and snowfall! We have had some snowfall this year, but as always, are hoping for more. The white strip of death (the resort's current ski offering) will expand into all of the runs at some point this year, the million dollar question is when will that happen? We are ever hopeful that we will get ample coverage and the runs will all open as soon as possible. But, you can't rush what you can't control. So my attitude is be grateful for whatever snowfall we get, snowmaking will fill in some of the gaps, and do what you can with what is given. Currently, that probably means Nordic skiing at Lily Lake, which I will happily do. At some point all of the lifts and runs will be open and I will be on them. It just won't be tomorrow. ]]>