Location, Location, Location: Mountain Village, Colorado

Kim Fredericks

07/04/2002

Everyone needs a hideout. Oprah Winfrey, New Jersey Senator Jon Corzine and Dan and Marilyn Quayle choose to hide out in Mountain Village, Colo., an exclusive 2,100-acre gated community perched above Telluride. Tucked into a bunker of a box canyon 750 feet above Telluride and 65 miles from the nearest stoplight, Mountain Village is a haven for its privacy-seeking residents, who also include Jeff Bluestein (CEO of Harley-Davidson), Ted Waitt (founder of Gateway Computer), Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall (producers of assorted Steven Spielberg films) and Dick Ebersol (president of NBC Sports) and his wife, Susan Saint James.

The modern European-style village is stocked with all the amenities: golf, tennis, spa, restaurants, a conference/performing arts center, slopeside access to 1,700 acres of skiing, and a one-stop activity center. Chain stores are excluded in favor of boutiques and art galleries.

Telluride (which refers to both the Victorian town and the world-class ski mountain) and Mountain Village are linked by a gondola that provides a complimentary over-the-top commute in just 13 minutes (it takes 20 minutes to drive). When completed in 1996, the gondola not only helped eliminate the need for cars, it also initiated Mountain Village’s real estate boom. Wyndham Hotels quickly erected Wyndham Peaks Resort, a luxury hotel anchored by a Golden Door Spa and a golf course. Since then, Mountain Village has evolved into one of the country’s most coveted resort villages, with property values appreciating at double-digit rates over the past five years.

But Mountain Village is more than just another vacation destination. In 1996, one year after its incorporation, it passed groundbreaking legislation that made it the only resort town in the country to allow second homeowners (85 percent of residents) to vote. The new town also strives to offer what many other second-home developments lack—a tightly knit neighborhood with a social scene. “The difference between Telluride and other mountain towns like Vail is that Telluride is a community struggling to keep from becoming a resort and Vail is a resort struggling to become a community,” says Mike Shimkonis, a broker for Telluride Properties.
Telluride PropertiesMany Mountain Village residents become active in the Telluride Foundation, a new organization that raises money for local charities and programs. Telluride resident Norman Schwarzkopf serves as cochair; Dan Quayle and Telluride Ski and Golf Co. owner Joe Morita are board members. The Foundation plans excursions for its members, such as a VIP trip to the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, but the majority of its fund-raising efforts come from local events. At the Blue Jean and Black Tie gala held last January, the Foundation auctioned off everything from a five-night trip to Saint-Moritz ($8,000) to a one-day fish/float trip on the Gunnison River with Gen. Schwarzkopf ($2,500). This summer the Foundation hosts the Telluride 360-Degree Adventure Festival (July 11–14), a combination mountain biking, rock climbing, fly-fishing and trail running event.  

“I felt good about the community because it’s not contrived,” says Mountain Village resident Chad Scothorn. As chef/owner of the Cosmopolitan restaurant in Telluride, he is partial to the annual Mushroom Festival (August 22–25). “When I first got here, I walked down the street and people remembered me and said hello.” He also appreciates the sense of community, the arts and the liberal attitude. “From Jesus freaks to authors to billionaires, everyone is accepted here.”

Facts & Stats
-HIGH ALTITUDE: 9,500 feet. Low Population: 980.  

-ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH: At 9,078 feet, Telluride Regional Airport is North America’s highest commercial airport. Larger jets fly in to Montrose Airport (67 miles away).

-MEDIAN HOME PRICE: $3.1 million for houses, $1.7 million for condos.
Ski lift-OUTER SPACE: Although the town is zoned for 8,000 units, some Mountain Village developers have opted to build fewer homes, and many residents are building one home on multiple lots. Homes must not cover more than 40 percent of the lot, can’t be larger than 12,000 square feet and must have an exterior that is built of at least 30 percent stone.

-PEAK INTERESTS: Wyndham Peaks Resort offers 177 rooms, a 42,000-square-foot Golden Door Spa and the Telluride Golf Club, an 18-hole, par-71 championship course. 800.789.2220, www.thepeaksresort.com.  

-HIGH TIMES: Telluride is known as the “summer event capital of the Rockies,” with festivals every weekend. This summer’s events include a Bluegrass Festival (June 20–23), a Wine Festival (June 27–30), a Wild West Fest (July 4–7), a Jazz Celebration (August 1–4) and a Nothing Festival (July 18–23), which claims to be really something. The highly regarded Telluride Film Festival runs August 30–September 2.

-VILLAGE LIFE: A five-bedroom, seven-bath ski-in/-out home on .56 acres (left) comes fully furnished and features two-story vaulted ceilings, two master suites, a caretaker’s unit, game room and huge mountain views. $8.9 million. A three-bedroom, four-bath, 2,450-square-foot penthouse condo with panoramic views has a curved grand staircase, vaulted timber ceilings and a designer kitchen. $1.795 million. Contact Telluride Properties at 970.728.4226, www.tellurideproperties.com.