Fall 2007 - Breckenridge Colorado Real Estate

Transcription

QUARTERLY MAGAZINE
FALL 2007
INTERNATIONAL BUYERS
Impact Real Estate Sales
Meet Lucy Kay
BRECKENRIDGE’S NEW COO
L ETTER FROM THE P UBLISHER
Ou r Globa l View
H
How big is our pond? These five words have an enormous impact on every business. Are
you a big player in a small pond or a small player in a big pond?
Back in Australia (Melbourne was our home in the ‘80s to mid-‘90s), I founded, owned,
and operated a consulting firm. In the early days the objective was to be a big fish in a small
pond, Australia. After three years I realized that was a foolish aim. Immediately we selected
a “big pond,” the South Pacific Rim with the rapidly developing Southeast Asian
economies as our primary market. The result: explosive growth for our consulting and
professional speaking services.
When Breckenridge ski resort opened in 1960s, the aim was to be a Colorado resort with
visitors driving from the front range cities of Denver and Colorado Springs. The focus was
on a small pond. As a result, for at least two decades Breckenridge was almost unknown
outside of Colorado and the surrounding states. A decade ago that started changing, thanks
in large part to Lucy Kay’s vision (see article on page 5).
Breckenridge is going through a dramatic shift; our market is now a “big pond” that
includes international guests and property owners. The BreckConnect gondola, the
construction of the Peak 7 ski in/out condos, combined with marketing actions taken by the
ski resort, the Breckenridge Resort Chamber, and the Town of Breckenridge are
repositioning this humble gold mining town as a world-class destination.
Since the day I became a real estate broker I have been preaching the message that
international buyers will make a greater impact on our market over the next decade.
This is coming true.
My team and I pinpoint our international marketing efforts on the UK, Germany,
Australia, and a handful of other specific countries/regions (including Mexico and Hong
Kong). Having such a “big pond” as our market drives every aspect of our business strategies.
For example, we knew we had to be with the real estate company that had the largest
domestic and international reach. RE/MAX was the obvious choice. With more than
120,000 brokers in more than 36 countries, it is the largest in the world.
We attract international purchasers into the Breckenridge market. In particular, we catch
the attention of buyers who view Breckenridge real estate as undervalued (see page 10). That
is what I call earning the right to be Your Mountain Broker.
Love life,
Daniel Webster Johnson, CRS, GRI, ABR
Daniel@YourMountainBroker.com; 970-393-3300
P.S. Please keep in mind that with every single referral you send me, I make a donation to a
local charity such as Summit County Rescue Group (see page 28). I look forward to being
of service to you, your family, and your friends.
FALL 2007
SUMMIT Lifes tyle & REAL ESTATE
1
Con ten ts
FALL 2007
4
UNWIND
5
MEET LUCY KAY
6
DUAL HOMES REPLACING SECOND HOMES
8
TOURING IN TANDEM
10
8
BRECKENRIDGE REAL ESTATE:
A Bargain
11
LOCAL PROFILE
Artist Kevin Mastin
13
ASK THE EXPERTS
14
18
ADOPTING A NEW CULTURE
20
A NO-FRILLS LIFE
22
FOOD MYTHS
24
BERRY GOOD DESSERTS
28
FOCUS ON CHARITY
24
18
Summit County Rescue Group
Cover photograph by Gary Soles.
Please visit Gary at his studio,
The Photo Shop, located on the
corner of Main Street and Adams
Street in Breckenridge.
28
In terna tiona l MARKETING WORKS
Your Mountain Broker, Daniel Webster Johnson & Team, are proud of all the different
nationalities represented among our clients. We have clients who are citizens and/or residents of
each of the following countries.
Aus tra lia
Fran ce
Russia
Bul ga ria
German y
Un ited Kin gdom
Canada
New Zea lan d
Un ited Sta tes of Am erica
The time to relax is when you don’t have time for it.
Sydney J. Harris
Un win d
Your mind will answer most questions if you learn
to relax and wait for the answer.
William S. Burroughs
There is more to life than increasing its speed.
Mahatma Gandhi
He enjoys true leisure who has time to
improve his soul’s estate.
Henry David Thoreau
Photo by Gary Soles
4
FALL 2007
Meet Lucy Ka y
COO BRECKENRIDGE SKI RESORT
Interviewed by Daniel Webster Johnson
T
This interview took place in late June, about ten days after Lucy
Kay was promoted from Vice President of Marketing for the
Breckenridge and Keystone Ski Resorts to Chief Operating Officer
for Breckenridge Ski Resort.
Daniel: Congratulations on your new position and on
Breckenridge’s tremendous success over the 2006/07 ski season.
Lucy: Thanks, Daniel. I am very fortunate to have such a
tremendous team of 1,800 people to work with here in Breckenridge.
We are exceptionally proud to earn the title of the number one ski
resort in America (based upon the industry yardstick “skier days”)
this past season.
Daniel: Did the news of your new role as COO spread quickly?
Lucy: It sure did, and it reinforced for me how small the world is
today. Within a few hours I had e-mails of congratulations from
Russia, Jordan, Chile, Hong Kong, and France. The most interesting
was from a friend in Boston who heard the news from a mutual
acquaintance in Asia all within two hours.
Daniel: Speaking of marketing, I am aware that you have led the
way on the branding efforts for both Breckenridge and Keystone
ski resorts. Please describe the Breckenridge brand.
Lucy: In a nutshell, the Breckenridge brand is the lifestyle here.
The combination of our magnificent town, our world-class
mountain, and the relaxed atmosphere are what make
this resort so unique.
Daniel: Are big changes ahead for the Breckenridge Ski Resort?
Daniel: It sounds like you have strong international connections.
Lucy: I sure do. Chuck Tolton, my partner for the past 20 years, is
the Vice President of Resort Operations at Ping Tian ski resort in
China’s northwestern Xinjiang region. I also have been in regular
contact with our past COO, Roger McCarthy, as he works to build
the first ski resort in Russia. These are just two examples, both who
happen to be located in hot emerging international markets.
Daniel: How long have you been in Summit County? I know it is at
least ten years since you and I met.
Lucy: Yes. We met at the Breckenridge Resort Chamber in ‘97 at the
first town-wide guest service improvement program meeting. I have
been in Summit for 25 years and have worked at three of our ski
resorts. I started my career at Copper before moving to Breckenridge
in 1989. I have been in marketing for 18 years.
Lucy: No. Roger McCarthy did an unbelievable job
implementing the vision of improving the resort infrastructure
and building our cooperation with the town. Moving forward, we
will build upon the improvements to date and enhance our focus
on the customers’ experience. Our employees are eager to
implement the wide-ranging ideas they have developed based
upon the customer view of our resort. With this in mind, there
could be a little bit of restructuring. Finally, I plan to bring some
more corporate influence into our operations. Being located in
Breckenridge, it is easy to overlook that we are part of Vail Resorts,
a major public company.
Daniel: Anything you’d like to add before we wrap up?
Lucy: I’d like to reinforce that our employees and management
team are exceptional. These are the people that “make it happen.”
FALL 2007
5
Dua l
Secon d
HOMES
REPLACING
By Daniel Webster Johnson
HOMES
6
FALL 2007
B
“Between my home in Frisco and the parking
structure at Denver International Airport I do not
go through a single stoplight. I jump on a direct
flight and soon I am in my home in Cabo San Lucas,”
says Rob Philippe, who lives in dual homes. Rob
considers both locations his home. He doesn’t use the
term “second home.”
To understand this new trend of dual homes, let’s
look back at the origins of second homes in the
United States. In the late ‘60s through the ‘70s, the
GI generation moved into its prime
income-producing years, and the second-home
market started growing. The automobile was the primary form of transportation (air travel was still a
novelty), so second homes had to be within an easy
drive from home.
Summit County is a good example. The first wave
of vacation properties, A-frames and cabins, were
built starting in the mid-1960s by Front Range
families as weekend getaways. None of these
structures were built with the intention of
becoming primary residences.
My own childhood is right in line with the
second-home trend. My parents bought a 1,950 sq.
foot three-bedroom townhome for $19,900 off the
plans in 1969 in the first townhome complex built at
Stratton Mountain in southern Vermont (one of the
closest major ski resorts to New York City). We spent
80% of our weekends at our second home, which was
exactly an hour-and-a-half drive from home.
Dual homes are a trend that has developed from the
second-home market. The baby boomers who
experienced the joy of second homes are no longer
building shacks for the weekends. Because they are
seeking flexibility rather than retirement, they are
building dual homes. Dual homes are distinctly
different from second homes. Those who have dual
homes (dualers) have been set free by the information
age. Communications follow them, and they are
connected all the time. Dualers have their
connectivity tools with them 24/7. They have
replaced landline telephones and desktops with cell
phones, Blackberries, and laptops.
My family and I are dualers. We live in Breckenridge
and Denver at the same time, literally. Being only a
1.5-hour drive between our dual homes, we can be in
either home on any given day. Both locations are our
home. Rob feels the same way about his homes in
Frisco and Mexico. Rob alternates between his homes
every two weeks in winter and spends summers
in Summit County.
For those with private jets (often referred to as the
uber rich), dual homes have been a reality for
decades. The locations of their dual homes are
influenced by the proximity of each home to airports.
Hence the popularity of and extremely high real
estate prices in Telluride, Aspen, and Jackson Hole.
The only properties in Summit that appeal to this set
are the ranches north of Silverthorne close to
the outstanding Kremmling Airport (the airport
was upgraded to accommodate jets by a
very generous dualer).
For those who are a distant second to the uber rich,
there is the rest of Summit. For the following reasons
our county is absolutely ideal as the location
for a dual home.
• Easy access to an international “hub airport”
with an abundance of domestic and
international direct flights.
• Very affordable real estate (compared with
the resorts favored by the uber rich).
• Real communities with employment, cultural,
and educational opportunities, all of which are
suitable for dualers (i.e. seasonal employment).
• Unlimited outdoor activities for the
health conscious.
• Wilderness and natural beauty here and city
amenities a short drive away.
Currently about 10% of Breckenridge properties
are dual homes. By 2022, more than 40% of the
Breckenridge properties will be dual homes. Mark my
words, within the next ten years, dual homes will
become a major economic driver of the Breckenridge
real estate market.
Are you a dualer? If so, give me a call. I’d love to
hear your thoughts which might help with a future
article. You can reach me at (970) 393-3300 or
daniel@yourmountainbroker.com (I will probably
respond to your e-mail from my Blackberry).
Love life, Daniel
FALL 2007
7
Tourin
g
in
TANDEM
A 26-YEAR MARRIAGE
FORMS THE FOUNDATION
FOR RUTH AND R ICH
CARLSON’S SUCCESSFUL
TRAVEL TEAM
Written by
Karen Buscemi
Photography by
Rich Carlson
8
FALL 2007
L
Life being as busy as it is, finding time to get away for one grand vacation
a year can be a challenge. Ruth and Rich Carlson of Santa Cruz, California,
have found a way to make travel a significant part of their lives, using their
writing and photography skills to garner assignments that keep them on the
go, discovering new locales.
In 2006, they visited Ireland, Sweden, Spain, Australia, Canada, and
Croatia, capturing the sights, sounds, and tastes of the destinations for
various magazines and newspapers. It was all done during Ruth’s vacation
time (six weeks plus holidays). She keeps a full-time job as director of public
relations at West Valley-Mission Community College District.
When Ruth met Rich, she was a junior writer at KRON-TV4 in
San Francisco. “I was dating a reporter who kept telling me about this nice
guy, Rich, a photographer at the station, and I figured I would set him
up with my sister,” Ruth says. “When I started talking to him, I decided to
keep him for myself.”
Now married 26 years, the couple have found they make an excellent
travel team. “It’s a natural thing for us,” says Ruth. “I ask him to photograph
something that I want to write about, or he shows me his photos and there
will be a shot that I didn’t remember, which really adds to my story.” And she
says when they’re not on the road, she’s grateful Rich is willing to handle the
parts of the job she doesn’t enjoy, such as billing and paperwork.
But every couple can’t be in agreement all the time, and the Carlsons
differ when it comes to luxury versus budget accommodations, Ruth
preferring finer hotel rooms and business-class flights and Rich happy
to go the cheaper route.
(Clockwise from left) Schwartz’s bagel shop
in Montreal; Rich and Ruth outside the
Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain; the
Chillida-Leku Museum and Sculpture Garden
in the Basque region; the courtyard of a
church in Vittoria in the Basque region; the
Italian boat Luna Rossa Challenge competing
in Louis Vuitton Act 4 in Valencia in 2005; a
young customer in a shop in Vittoria.
In addition to their print assignments, which include East
West, Relax, and Caviar Affair magazines and the San
Francisco Chronicle and the San Jose Mercury News, Ruth
and Rich have enhanced their journeys by taking video for
their cable show, TalkinTravel TV. The half-hour show,
which includes studio commentary, clips from trips, and
interviews with travel experts, can be viewed around
California, as well as on the couple’s Web site, talkintravel.tv.
“I had an idea to put the TV show together about five
years ago,” says Rich. “I had been in television enough to
know I could do it. It’s not all that difficult to be in front of
a camera. Once you get past the point of staring at the
camera it’s no big deal.”
Assignments come from the Carlsons’ suggestions as well
as direct assignments from the publications. “We’ve had the
most luck figuring out where we wanted to go and
considering what’s going on in the world,” Ruth says. A few
years ago, while planning a trip to Spain, the couple came
upon the America’s Cup, which was happening there. “We
called the tourism board and discovered they had a press trip
schedule the same month we would be there. That led to an
invitation. It’s worked out like that quite a few times.”
Seasoned travelers, Ruth and Rich conduct their
own research, often relying on each country’s government
travel bureau Web site for the most complete information.
“They have great Web sites and people who will help you
for free,” Ruth says. “They’ll send you coupons and
answer your questions.”
It was during their honeymoon that Ruth experienced her
first travel “oops.” “I thought we could just show up in Paris,”
she says. “There was a huge PR conference in town, and we
spent a day in the rain trying to find a hotel. We did find
one, but found out why it was available when at 3 a.m. a
farmers market was setting up below our window.”
This year the Carlsons will travel to Barcelona for the
first time and will take a third trip to the America’s Cup,
this time in Valencia, Spain. “Valencia is the fastest-growing
city in Europe, and the America’s Cup is like the Super
Bowl of sailing,” Rich says. “We don’t have an assignment
to cover the event, but I’m crazy for sailing, and it’s worth
paying our own way.
“It really doesn’t matter where you go,” he adds. “Just
get off your butt and see as much of the world as you can
before you die.”
FALL 2007
9
BRECKENRIDGE REAL ESTATE: A Ba rga in
$3,500
$3,000
$2,000
London
Aspen
Chicago
Vail
$1,650
Hawaii
Deer Valley
$1,600
Teton Village
$1,800
$1,600
San Francisco
St. Johns VI
$1,200
Breckenridge
Stowe
Whistler
$1,200
$0
$800
$500
$900
$1,000
$1,400
$1,500
Mont-Tremblant
FALL 2007
$2,500
$500
$3,000
$4,000
In late June, the National Association of
REALTORS® hosted the fourth gathering of
resort real estate professionals in Vail,
Colorado. With just 324 of the crème de la
crème of brokers from six different countries,
this high-level meeting was the perfect venue
to promote Breckenridge real estate.
At the symposium I wore two hats,
1) Breckenridge real estate broker, and
2) publisher of Summit Lifestyle & Real
Estate quarterly magazine. I went with the
specific intent of determining where
Breckenridge fits into the international resort
market. I had numerous opportunities to ask
other brokers about what the most expensive
prime real estate condo properties (ideally
new construction) are selling for in their
markets. The following chart is based upon
my informal research at the symposium.
$3,600
$4,000
Prime Real Estate Condo Prices
10
Reported by Daniel Webster Johnson
The symposium was filled with informative sessions and outstanding networking.
Please contact me for more details or to learn how I used these contacts to sell your
property. (970) 393-3300 or daniel@YourMountainBroker.com.
Loca lPROFILE
ARTIST KEVIN MASTIN
By Constance Jones, Executive Director
Summit Chamber of Commerce
T
The Summit Chamber of Commerce
salutes Kevin M. Mastin, a graduate of the
Colorado Institute of Art in Denver and
commercial artist for 24 years who has left
his unique signature on Summit County,
Colorado’s landscape in many ways. From
an artistic legacy, he has designed
hundreds of custom logos and signs for
business and industry in our high
mountain community, as president and
founder of The Mastin Group in
Keystone. His hand-drawn trail maps for
our world-class ski resorts are exceptional,
and his artwork captures the love of
history and the area’s mining, ranching,
and recreational heritage. Kevin’s
“Experience the Summit” poster
showcasing our vast mountain terrain is
a favorite collectible.
Kevin, an avid Burro racer with the big
shiny belt buckles to prove it, is a fifth
generation Leadvillite. This Renaissance
man first moved to Summit in 1983, left
for college in 1986, got married, and
returned in 1992. Kevin currently resides
in northern Summit County with wife,
Amy (married 19 years), and two
daughters, Helen, 15, and Diane, 12. The
family is currently completing a
green-built home on their acreage near
Ute Pass. A dedicated and communityminded individual, Kevin spends his spare
time serving as a track and field coach for
Summit High School, participates on the
Summit Prevention Alliance Advisory
Board, is Secretary of the Summit
County Elks, and is a past
Exalted Ruler (President).
Kevin has been involved with the
Summit Chamber of Commerce for many
years and is currently serving his third
three-year term as a board member. He is
the 2007 Board President leading a
Above: Kerry
creating art in
his studio. Below:
pieces of Kerry’s art.
business association representing more
than 500 members and thousands of
employees from the public, private, and
non-profit sectors. His talent has
benefited the Chamber in numerous ways
over the years, including the recent
rebranding of the Chamber with a new
logo, upgraded Web site, and brand book.
He held a lead role in the design of the
“Life in Summit County” portfolio
(www.LifeInSummitCounty.com),
a
collaborative project with local
Chambers, the Summit Association of
Realtors,
and
Summit
County
Government, which benefits locals as well
as visitors. Kevin was editor and publisher
from 2005-06 of Experience the Summit,
the Chamber’s official guide to Summit
County, which is distributed on a local,
regional, national, and international level.
The Summit Chamber, celebrating 26
years of service in Summit County, is a
business-to-business organization, which
serves
a
broad-based
regional
membership. The Chamber is an
advocate for business and industry in
governmental affairs, group health,
safety/workers’ compensation insurance,
education,
energy,
environment,
transportation, and other critical areas.
The Chamber is an important
networking, information, and referral
resource connecting individuals and
businesses in our mountain community.
The Chamber welcomes second
homeowners to Summit County and
invites our part-time residents, who bring
a wealth of talent and experience to our
area and contribute significantly to our
economy, to become involved in their
Chamber of Commerce, which is always
striving to “make a difference.” For more
information about the Chamber, visit us
at www.SummitChamber.org, send an
e-mail to events@summitchamber.org, or
call us at (970) 668-2051 today.
FALL 2007
11
12
FALL 2007
Willis & Associates, PC
Kent B. Willis, Attorney at Law
(970) 453-0950
calwil@colorado.net
Q
A
:
Ask
THE
Do I need an attorney to review
: my purchase?
If you are purchasing property here in Summit County, there are a number of good reasons
for having an attorney review your contract, status of title, and closing documents. Your
purchase represents a major investment to you. Having an attorney review your purchase
will give you the peace of mind there are no hidden problems.
The purchase contract needs to properly state your agreement with the seller,
including all items being included, all work to be performed by the seller, and all
conditions of your purchase. The title commitment and survey will tell you the status of
title. From them you will know whether you are getting good title to the property and if
there are any problems, such as encroachments, easements, or restrictions to your use of the
property. The closing documents need to properly reflect the agreement set forth in the
contract, such as the proper deed, settlement charges, and credits, etc. Sometimes,
escrowing money or reviewing 1031 exchange documents is needed as part of the closing.
Mistakes in these documents can happen.
Having an attorney review your purchase will give you the peace of mind that
everything has been double-checked for your protection.
euthenicsWEST-ARCHITECTURE PC
David A. Argano, AIA, LEED AP
Principal Architect
(970) 547-9151
www.euthenicswest.com
Q
A
:
Experts
I keep hearing more and more about
“Green” architecture and design. What
:
makes a project green and how can I go
green with my new home?
“Green” design is term that has exploded over the past five years, so the confusion is well
understood. Green design essentially is designing buildings and products in a way that
dramatically reduces impact on the environment. This can be achieved using a variety of
strategies. I will demonstrate a couple of the very many strategies available during the
design phase. Energy – By designing buildings to use less energy through site orientation,
insulation, and more efficient systems, we can have immediate impacts on fossil fuel usage,
saving considerable money over the lifespan of the building. Materials – Green materials
are readily renewable, easily recyclable, and have low amounts of embodied energy,
meaning less energy to produce than traditional materials. Going green with a new home
design is not overly complicated if you plan to do it from the start of the design phase. An
ideal green home would produce all of its own energy, be very energy efficient, conserve
water by reclaiming and redistributing gray water for irrigation, and incorporate
renewable-sustainable materials throughout the construction with as minimal site
disturbance as possible. A LEED Accredited Architect can guide you through the
green design/build process.
Q
A
:
Should I have a home
inspection on my personal
: residence that is not being
bought or sold?
Having a professional home inspection
completed on the home in which
you currently live or on your second
home is a great idea. Frequently when
inspections are completed for real estate
transactions, there are potential safety
hazards and defective items uncovered;
many of these issues develop after the
home was originally purchased and are
not immediately apparent to the
current home owners. For a relatively
inexpensive investment, a professional
home inspection can at a minimum
provide peace of mind that your home is
safe and is being properly maintained,
or, more importantly, can possibly
uncover unknown hazards and potentially devastating defects in a home. A
home inspection can be part of a
preventative maintenance approach.
Discovering and dealing with issues in
the home early on can preclude
extensive damage or safety hazards for
you, your family, and your guests.
Trey Humphreys / Certified Home Inspector
Above All Property Services, Inc.
(970) 389-8109 / trey@above-all.net
FALL 2007
13
THE
Growin g
INFLUENCE OF
ON BRECKENRIDGE
REAL ESTATE
By Daniel Webster Johnson
Buyers with a global outlook arrive in Breckenridge and see bargains, as compared with other
markets. This summer a stately gentleman walked into our RE/MAX office and inquired about real
estate prices in Breckenridge. When I described a ski in/out penthouse condo on the market for
$2,400,000 ($1,085 per square foot), he said, “That is very reasonable. I paid $3 million for a 1,050
sq. foot cabin in Jackson Hole, and the seller wouldn’t even negotiate $50,000 off the asking price.”
An International Perspective
Those with properties in markets such as London
know how much higher prices can go. Reports indicate
that at this time the two most expensive residential properties in the world are in England. The first is Uptown
Court located 25 miles outside London (on the market
for $221 million). The other, 19 Kensington Palace in
London, set the current record for the most expensive
home when it sold for $157 million in 2004.
Furthermore, an extensive report by Knight Frank (the
global property consultancy) and Citi Private Bank
released in May states, “Prices in central London have
risen by 38% in 18 months, and [we forecast they] will rise
another 55% over the next three years.”
The following list of twelve reasons why
international buyers are likely to increase has been
compiled based on interviews I have conducted with
current and prospective international clients.
14
FALL 2007
1. The U.S. dollar is weak—for example, if you
“think in Euros,” everything in the United States
is a bargain right now.
2. Tax incentives—a home in the United States can
offer a variety of tax deductions including the chance to
write off trips to Breckenridge if the home can be shown
to produce business income.
3. Stronger appreciation as compared with some
international resort markets—prices of ski resort real
estate in countries such as Germany have been stagnant
for years.
4. Overseas investors are looking more frequently outside
their own countries to diversify their real estate
portfolios.
5. Breckenridge property prices are undervalued as
compared with other world-class resorts.
6. Breckenridge is close to reaching build-out, which is
attractive to investors who have experienced dramatic
Focus on Europe
Like most international buyers, Europeans ideally want
to build a long-lasting relationship with a real estate broker
before doing business. Their preference is to do business
with Americans who view the United States in the context
of the global economy.
Twenty-five years ago I lived in Germany and taught
both skiing and kayaking in the resort town of GarmischPartenkirchen (located between Munich and Innsbruck).
During the shoulder seasons my wife and I traveled
extensively throughout Europe and Scandinavia in an old
VW van. I regularly draw on these experiences to build
common bonds when working with Europeans.
My team and I are constantly exploring avenues to
promote Breckenridge real estate in Europe. On
three different occasions I have given seminars in
London for this purpose. Being proactive by making
the trips to the UK is very effective for building
long-lasting relationships. On those trips, in addition
10%
11%
12%
United
Kingdom
Europe (excluding the UK)
9%
Australia
Canada
Lucy Kay Agrees
In my recent interview with Lucy Kay, COO of
Breckenridge Ski Resort (see page 5), she stated, “We are
seeing a surge in independent travelers (as compared to
those that arrive on package tours) from Europe, in
particular the UK, with high personal incomes visiting
Breckenridge. The main international markets that Vail
Resorts targets aggressively are the UK, Germany,
Australia, and Mexico/South America. I expect that very
soon we will surpass our peak number of
international visitors, which was established back in
early to mid-1990s. I suspect this increase in
international visitors will quickly translate into more
international property owners.”
Dis tribution of In terna tiona l Own ers
Mexico
These are some of the reasons why hundreds of
international investors already own property in Summit
County and why more of their neighbors are likely to be
joining them soon.
Pinpointing International Buyers
After meeting with Lucy, I studied the Summit County
tax records and compiled this chart. As you can see, the
current international owners are from the same markets
that Vail Resorts is targeting.
People located in 27 countries currently own property
here with a diversity as showing in the chart below.
Other
returns due to the effects of build-out elsewhere (see
article in summer 2007 issue).
7. Breckenridge real estate has a 17-year track record of
steady price appreciation.
8. Easy access—several direct flights are now coming
into Denver International Airport.
9. The consistent skiing conditions combined with
the abysmal snow conditions in other markets,
especially Europe last winter (and several previous
years).
10. Superb resort infrastructure spread over four
peaks with the added benefit of wonderful customer
service.
11. Wide open spaces (Germans in particular love the
western United States).
12. A stable economy.
to prospective clients, I forged relationships with dozens of
real estate and banking professionals.
The work we do with Richard Schabl, a client in
Germany, is another example of our marketing efforts in
Europe. With three world freestyle skiing championships
under his belt, Richard knows the international skiing
market. He operates a PR company that organizes skiing
trade shows in Germany. We promote Breckenridge real
estate at his trade shows.
Percent of international ownership
Photo Left: Richard Schabl, one of our
marketing contacts in Europe.
15%
43%
Location
International Marketing Means Higher Prices
When marketing properties, the goal of Your Mountain
Broker is to get the highest price possible. Approaching and
attracting international buyers is one of the ways to achieve
extremely high prices.
International buyers view Breckenridge in the context of
other markets. If you are from London, Breckenridge is a
bargain. For example, a British investor transferred over
$600,000 to a title company before going under contract.
He wanted to be ready to jump when his broker found the
right property; buyers like this drive prices up. This buyer
closed in August on a ski-in condo I marketed.
Daniel Webster Johnson is located at RE/MAX Properties
of the Summit because RE/MAX offers him access to the
largest network of real estate offices in the world. To get your
property exposed to the international market and sold for the
highest possible price, contact him at (970) 393-3300 or
Daniel@YourMountainBroker.com.
FALL 2007
15
Photo by Gary Soles
8 Things You Should Know About...
ADVENTURE
2
More people die each year on the Los Angeles
freeways than in sky diving accidents, so maybe
you should stay away from L.A. and start jumping
out of airplanes!
3
4
An adventure can be defined as an exciting,
hazardous, or unusual undertaking.
L
1
When completed, the North Country National
Scenic Trail will be the longest off-road hiking trail
in the United States. It spreads over seven states
and approximately 4,400 miles.
Approximately 600,000 new businesses are launched
each year in the United States, and about 10 million
people are self-employed.
5
In a survey sponsored by The Adventure Collection,
10% of respondents indicated that they spend
$5,000+ on adventure vacations.
6
7
8
My wife thinks that marriage, four kids, three dogs,
and dual homes causes her to live an adventure everyday!
In 2006, nearly 9,000 people completed an
Ironman® Triathlon.
Always remember that an adventure is anything you
want it to be, but you should always make it an
adventure worth living.
FALL 2007
17
Ad op tin g a New Cu l tu re
Written by Bethany Bradsher
18
FALL 2007
Photography by Erica Pelaccia
Children photographed by Erica
Pelaccia during a recent visit to India.
M
Most young people have at least a half dozen career
aspirations between high school and college, and when they
arrive at their destinations they are quite different from what
they mapped out as teenagers.
Then there’s Erica Pelaccia, who saw a primetime news
special about needy children in Romania when she was in high
school. She was so moved that, had her parents not intervened, she would have skipped college so she could go to
Romania right away.
Instead, Pelaccia earned bachelor and master’s degrees in
social work, but the visual image of those hurting children
across the globe never left her. It drove her then, and it drives
her now as she spends her days finding families for orphans and
unwanted children around the world. Even though her initial
vision placed her overseas, she finally spent a year in Romania
after college graduation and became convinced that she
could help make new lives for foreign children working
from the United States.
“When I went to Romania, I realized it was the fundamental
right of every child to be in a family,” Pelaccia says.
After completing her master’s degree, Pelaccia went to work
for Wide Horizons for Children, a Boston-based agency whose
mission is matching loving families with children who are
searching for hope. As an interagency outreach coordinator,
she has a caseload of families from all over the country, and she
does whatever she can to keep those families informed and to
prepare them physically and emotionally for the introduction
of a new family member.
It is not uncommon for Pelaccia to spend half of the month
on the road, either visiting prospective adoptive families in
other states or escorting groups overseas. She has the privilege
of being an eyewitness to some extraordinary scenes: parents
meeting their new children for the first time or orphans getting
the news that they have been chosen after years of living
without a mother or father.
“There are always families for kids two [years] and under,”
she says. “But it’s the older ones, the ones eight and older, that
break your heart. They see you come in [to the orphanage],
they see you’re Caucasian, and they know why you’re there.”
Pelaccia’s work has taken her to countries as remote as the
Ukraine, China, Moldova, and India. And through her affiliation with a mission called The Ties Program, she also has had
the opportunity to take adopted children and their American
families back to their countries of origin. The trips are
designed to reconnect the kids with their culture and their
history, and Pelaccia goes along as a social worker to help
kids and parents process what they’re seeing. This
year she will accompany families on “homeland tours”
to Guatemala and Peru.
Through dozens of trips marked by intense experiences and
emotional interactions, Pelaccia has turned to her camera to
help her process and communicate the miracle of international
adoption. In February, she and a friend took a ten-day trip to
India with the goal of photographing the children and the
culture and using the pictures to help open adoption lines with
that populous country.
“I focus on photography because I needed to find a way to
tell people what I was experiencing,” she said. “It really kind of
took off in terms of it being this amazing tool.”
Ultimately, Pelaccia says she would like to find more
ways to unite her two passions, especially because it was the
images of Romanian children that first awakened her heart
for lonely children.
“I wholeheartedly would love to have the chance to work
with adoption and travel and document the process through
photos,” she says. “I feel like I can make a difference.”
For more information about Wide Horizons for Children,
visit whfc.org. To learn more about The Ties Program, visit
adoptivefamilytravel.com.
FALL 2007
19
A
No-Frills LIFE
WARREN MACDONALD PUSHES HIMSELF PAST THE LIMITS OF EVERYDAY LIFE
Written by Bethany Bradsher
Photos by Jeremy Smith and Doug Berry/Telluridestock.com
??
Warren Macdonald
20
FALL 2007
E
Even in the years when he could run,
jump, and climb on healthy legs, Warren
Macdonald used to ponder the idea of
human limits. How far can people go toward
a goal, he would wonder, and what keeps
them from trying?
Then, in a fateful encounter with a rock
wall at the age of 31, Macdonald became a
compelling living example of those questions
and an inspiration to anyone whose life is
governed by excuses.
Macdonald, 40, is a double amputee who
makes his living as an author and an
inspirational speaker. He is also a mountain
climber who has scaled five major peaks,
including the 19,000-foot Mount
Kilimanjaro in Africa and El Capitan,
America’s tallest cliff face. In his free time, he
hikes, camps, and kayaks.
Macdonald never planned to be a role
model. But his is a tale that demands to be
told, and he has told it to Oprah Winfrey
and Larry King, among others. He also gets
his message across in other media, such as his
book, A Test of Will, and the documentary
short film of his ascent of Federation Peak,
considered Australia’s most challenging
mountain. His film, The Second Step, won
eight international awards.
“The angle of inspiring others, it just
happens,” he says. “I never really set out to do
that. I wrote the book because I just wanted
to tell this story.”
Macdonald has always been an outdoorsman,
and in April 1997 he was wilderness hiking
with a friend on the remote Hinchinbrook
Island in Australia. He was scrambling out of a
gully when a 1-ton piece of rock broke off a
nearby wall and landed in his lap.
“I knew I was in trouble, but how much
trouble I was in became evident over the
next ten hours, as it became clear we
wouldn’t be able to lift the boulder,” he says.
Because they were, in Macdonald’s words,
in the middle of nowhere, their only
recourse was for his friend to hike out and
find help, leaving Macdonald alone and
immobile. But even as he pondered the
possible outcomes of his injuries,
Macdonald was in no way prepared for the
news he received from doctors when he
finally was treated in a nearby hospital.
“It crossed my mind that I might have to lose
my right foot, but to think that I would lose
both legs above the knee, it totally came out of
left field,” he says. “I would say that I had come
to grips with what had happened within the first
couple of weeks, but then it was a case of what
do I need to do to reclaim my life back, and how
much am I going to be able to reclaim?”
Macdonald started that reclamation
project by staying in the rehabilitation
hospital in his hometown of Melbourne
as long as he was allowed. He stayed there
as an inpatient for six months, he says,
until the staff there was almost ready to push
him out the door.
“I was in rehab with people who didn’t
want to be there, who complained about it,”
he says. “But for me, I thought, ‘This is
absolutely the best place for any of us to
be—I’m going to make the most of it.’”
With the most intense part of his official
rehabilitation regimen behind him, Macdonald
started looking for ways to return to the place
where he had always been the most content: the
outdoors. He quickly learned that if he put fat
mountain bike tires on his wheelchair he could
maneuver down dirt roads.
“That got me moving,” says Macdonald, who
now lives in Vancouver. “I started sleeping
outside. Sleeping under the stars in nature again
was huge. Another discovery I made was, ‘Hey,
I’m not confined to this thing. I can get out.’”
He learned that he was more mobile than
he thought when he was wheeling down a
dirt path one day and came to a large log.
Rather than turn back the way he came, he
got out of his wheelchair, pulled himself
over the log, and then carried the chair over.
And so, because of a log in the road,
his destination options suddenly expanded
to include the peaks of mountains.
His first mountain challenge was Cradle
Mountain in Tasmania. He climbed the
peak without his prosthetics, finding it
easier to help himself along with his arms.
But for his more challenging climbs, he
worked with a prosthetist to design special
limbs that would make him a more
efficient climber. They are shorter than
normal prosthetic legs, they don’t have
knee joints, and they aren’t designed to
be worn with shoes.
With the special prosthetics, Macdonald
developed the climbing technique that has
propelled him up five mountains. He will
continue climbing, even though he had to
postpone a planned September trip to
Mount Kenya because of an injury to his
ribs. He also has taken up kayaking, and he
hopes to experiment with more whitewater
adventures in the future.
A doctor once told Macdonald that he
would never walk again. Little could that
doctor have dreamed of the other ways
Macdonald would move through the world,
embracing the freedom of the outdoors and
conquering obstacles that even most
able-bodied people consider out of reach.
“We’re all just kind of ticking along in our
everyday life, but by taking yourself out and
putting yourself in a position where you have
to rely on yourself, it forces you to focus and
makes you self-sufficient,” he says. “The
outdoors, for me, is the only place where I
really felt 100 percent alive.
“I’ve always liked a challenge. I’ve
always wanted to know whether
something is possible.”
Macdonald has scaled
five major peaks,
including the 19,000foot Mount Kilimanjaro
in Africa and
El Capitan, America’s
tallest cliff face.
FALL 2007
21
FOOD M yths
WHEN THE HYPE COVERS THE TRUTH,
AND WHAT ’S PLAIN OLD FACT.
Written by Ashley Griffin
Photos Provided by Kathi Inglesby and Purple Café and Wine Bar
w
We’re faced with an onslaught of diet and nutrition
advice. We’re told to drink wine, but only one glass a
day, and we’re encouraged to eat chocolate, but only of
the dark variety. Experts say that vinegar suppresses
appetite and that carbs are first good and then bad for
us, depending on the latest study. Quite often we base
our diets on these little tidbits of advice—but when are
they accurate and when is it merely the latest nutritional hype? To answer that very question, read on.
Healthy food is not affordable.
Myth. Sure, the McDonald’s dollar menu looks thrifty
in comparison to a $6 salad at Whole Foods. However,
you can purchase a fiber-rich apple for the price of a
candy bar, and a bag of baby carrots is far more economical than a bag of greasy potato chips. The myth that
healthy foods are expensive surfaces when people shop
out of season for healthy foods or insist on buying
22
SUMMER
FALL
20072007
organic for every item. When you shop in season and
limit organic foods to the necessities, you’ll yield a great,
healthy bang for your buck.
You can trust packaging and nutrition labels reading
“trans-fat free.”
Myth. One need only to scan a box of Thin Mints to see
that its trans-fat-free claim does not mean the tasty tidbits are void of partially hydrogenated oil—or trans-fat,
for that matter. (Trans fat occurs when manufacturers
add hydrogen to vegetable oil to increase the shelf life,
thus negating consumers’ health in favor of increasing a
product’s flavor stability.) Why the false claim? Simply
put, the FDA lets companies make this statement if a
product has fewer than .5 grams of trans fat per serving.
So, if you eat more than one serving of these mislabeled
foods, you can easily top the recommended 2 grams per
day merely by eating a food labeled trans-fat free.
Frozen and canned foods are equal to their
fresh counterparts.
Truth. Canned and frozen products are processed in a
way that preserves most of the nutrients so you can reap
the same benefits you would from fresh fruits and
veggies. However, always scan the nutritional labels of
canned goods first, paying careful attention to sodium
and sugar content. Buy low-sodium versions, and avoid
products that list sugary high-fructose corn syrup or fruit
puree concentrate as a main ingredient.
Salads are the foundation of a healthy diet.
Myth. If you’re limiting meals to salads made with iceberg
lettuce, you’re likely cutting too many calories—and important nutrients. A single serving of iceberg lettuce provides only
trace amounts of vitamin A, iron, and fiber. Don’t eat solely
salad for every meal, and when you do eat one, replace the
iceberg lettuce with spinach or other dark greens for your
base. Then top it with filling lean protein like chicken or
turkey and a healthy dressing.
Drinking caffeine will rev up your metabolism.
Partial Truth. Though your morning cup of coffee might
give your metabolism a tiny, temporary boost, the caffeine it
contains won’t help you shed weight. So, don’t down coffees
and frappuccinos in hopes of speeding up your metabolism.
After all, caffeine has few—if any—nutritional benefits,
and high doses of caffeine can increase blood pressure and
irritate the stomach.
Fad diets are the best way to achieve quick weight loss.
Myth. Hollywood starlets tout fad diet trends as the cure-all
for weight-loss, but these plans aren’t as simple as they seem.
They harm individual health with a promised quick fix that
depletes dieters of calories and nutrients. Quite often
fad dieters even gain their weight back, plus more,
straining their heart muscle tissues and quite often their
resolve to eat healthy again.
There is a magic healthy diet solution.
Pasta is part of a healthy diet.
Truth. Achieving a healthy diet takes work—especially
in the face of so many conflicting nutritional reports—but it
is possible. If you patiently teach yourself to stick to proper
portion sizes, eat a lower-fat diet, decrease your intake of
highly processed foods, and increase your water intake, you’ll
be on your way to achieving the “magic formula.”
Truth. Pasta is often called a diet pitfall, but it doesn’t have to
be if you heed the serving size and swap your basic white pasta
for a whole-grain variety. Then, heap on the vegetables, avoid
cream sauces, and don’t go liberal with the cheese. Pick a
flavorful cheese like Parmesan or feta; you’ll get plenty of
flavor with fewer calories and less fat in each tablespoon.
FALL 2007
23
BERRY GOOD
Desserts
BAKING UP DELICIOUS TREATS WITH TIME LEFT TO ENJOY THE SUNSHINE
Recipes by Laura Swayne
Written by Kim A. Fuqua
B
Photography by Kathi Inglesby
Bake my own crust, are you kidding? I used to go into baking projects with just the slightest tinge of
trepidation. I love to experiment with ingredients and create new dishes, but baking had always given me some
apprehension. Why? Baking requires that one follows the rules. Rules based in science and math. And then there
are the time and temperature concerns associated with baking at high-altitude…
Today, I’m always enthusiastic about the opportunity to use the wonderful pale yellow mixer that
decorates my countertop—purchased by my friend Juli who, as a pastry chef, could not fathom a cook’s kitchen
without one. Armed with my pretty new mixer and some basic lessons from Juli in the science of eggs, flour, and
sugar, I was on my way down an exciting new culinary path. And using that mixer is just plain fun!
For her menu of berry desserts, Laura Swayne selected some of her favorites that utilize a bounty of fresh berries.
These gorgeous desserts belie the simplicity of each recipe, so you’ll still have plenty of time to go out and enjoy
an inviting early-fall afternoon.
24
FALL 2007
“An easy rendition of an old favorite,” says Laura,
but warns that it “takes a little bit of time, so begin
preparing a day in advance.” You may choose
store-bought angel food cake from the bakery or
substitute a 16-ounce frozen pound cake, thawed.
You may also opt to make your own angel food
cake using the recipe provided.
(SERVINGS: 10)
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Chill Time: 4 hours plus overnight
angel food cake (recipe to follow)
SYRUP:
1⁄2
cup sugar
1⁄3
cup fresh lemon juice
1⁄4
cup water
LEMON CURD:
4
large eggs
1
cup sugar
1⁄3
cup fresh lemon juice
1⁄2
cup butter
1
tablespoon grated lemon peel
BERRIES:
2
pint baskets of fresh berries
(blueberries, raspberries, and
strawberries)
1⁄2
cup sugar
TOPPING:
2
cups whipping cream
1⁄4
cup sugar
21⁄2 pint baskets of fresh berries
(blueberries, raspberries, and
strawberries)
1
SYRUP: Combine sugar, lemon juice, and
water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over
medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves.
Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 1
minute. Cover and chill.
LEMON CURD: Whisk eggs, sugar, and
lemon juice in a heavy saucepan to blend.
Add butter, cut into small pieces, and add
lemon peel. Stir over medium heat until curd
thickens to pudding consistency, about 10
minutes. Transfer to small bowl. Press plastic
wrap onto surface of curd. Chill until cold,
at least 4 hours.
BERRIES: Combine 2 pints berries with
sugar and mash coarsely with a fork. Let
stand until juices run, stirring occasionally,
about 30 minutes.
ASSEMBLY: Cut cake into bite-size
pieces. Line bottom of 3 quart trifle bowl
(or other deep glass bowl) with 1⁄3 of cake
pieces. Drizzle 3 tablespoons of syrup over
cake; spread 2⁄3 cup of lemon curd over top,
then half of the mashed berries. Repeat that
layering. Top with last third of cake, syrup,
and lemon curd. Cover and chill,
preferably overnight.
TOPPING: Whip cream with sugar until
peaks form. Right before serving, spread
whipped cream over top of trifle and
mound remaining berries in the center.
“
LIFE IS UNCERTAIN.
EAT dessert
FIRST.
“
MIXED BERRY-LEMON TRIFLE
~ Er n e s ti n e Ul m e r
JULI’S ANGEL FOOD CAKE
This recipe has never failed Juli Smith, a good
friend and pastry chef in Columbus, Ohio, who
provided the following hints for creating the perfect
cake: “Use a tube pan that is light in color—a
dark pan will overcook it and brown the outside
too much. And cream of tartar gets bitter if it’s
burned. Also make sure not to let any of the egg
yolk get into the whites, as any fat will prevent
max volume. The best w ay to separate eggs is one
at time in a separate bowl, and then add the white
to the measuring cup. So if you accidentally break
a yolk on egg 11 you don’t ruin the whole batch.
And remember that overwhipping the whites will
cause the cake to become very dry.”
(SERVINGS: 4)
Bake Time: 45 minutes
11⁄2
1
11⁄2
11⁄2
1
1
1
cups powdered sugar
cup flour
cups egg whites (8-12 eggs)
teaspoon cream of tartar
teaspoon vanilla
teaspoon lemon juice
cup sugar
Preheat oven to 350. Sift together
flour and powdered sugar 3 times.
Whip egg whites until foamy. Add cream
of tartar, vanilla, and lemon juice, and
then whip for one minute. With mixer
running, add sugar, a tablespoon at a time.
Whip until whites form semi-stiff peaks.
Do not overwhip. Transfer whites to a
large bowl, and gently fold in flour mixture
in three stages. Put in ungreased tube pan.
Cut through batter to release any large
bubbles, and smooth top. Bake for 40-45
minutes. Invert pan and cool completely.
LEMON BARS WITH BLUEBERRIES
These refreshing, lemony tart bars make a great
summer picnic dessert.
(SERVINGS: 4)
Cool Time: 4 hours
CRUST:
3
cups flour
2⁄3
cup powdered sugar
3⁄4
pound plus 2 tablespoons butter,
cut into cubes and chilled
FILLING:
4
eggs, lightly beaten
grated zest and juice of 3 lemons
2
tablespoons flour
2
cups sugar
1⁄4
teaspoon baking powder
2⁄3
cup fresh blueberries (optional)
1⁄4
cup powdered sugar
CRUST: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease a 9x13 pan. Mix flour and sugar in
bowl of a food processor. Pulse 2-3 times
to blend. Add butter and pulse until
resembles cornmeal and begins to stick
together. Remove and form into a ball.
Flatten with lightly floured hands and
press evenly into the bottom and 1⁄4 inch
up sides of pan. Dough will be about 1⁄4
inch thick. Bake 12-15 minutes, until light
brown, but not quite done. Remove from
oven to cool.
FILLING: In a medium bowl, whisk
together eggs, lemon zest, and juice until
smooth and well blended. Sift together
flour, sugar, and baking powder and add to
egg mixture. Stir until well blended. Pour
26
FALL 2007
filling on top of crust. If using blueberries,
sprinkle evenly over filling. They will sink
slightly. Bake 30-35 minutes, or until set.
Remove from oven and cool for
several hours before cutting. Dust with
powdered sugar.
WALKER’S DELICIOUS
MERINGUES WITH BERRIES
AND CHOCOLATE SAUCE
Meringues are a fun and easy way to get kids
involved in the kitchen. My eight-year old loves
being in charge of the mixer! Egg whites should be
room temperature to achieve max volume. If you
separate the egg whites about 30 minutes in
advance, it’s usually enough to take off the chill.
(SERVINGS: 8)
MERINGUES:
6
egg whites
1⁄8
teaspoon cream of tartar
2
cups sugar
1
teaspoon vanilla
1
teaspoon white vinegar
TOPPING:
41⁄2 pints mixed berries, cleaned and
sliced if necessary
1⁄2
cup sugar
2
cups whipping cream
CHOCOLATE FUDGE SAUCE:
2
cups semisweet chocolate chips
2
tablespoon butter, melted
1⁄2
teaspoon vanilla
1⁄2
cup whipping cream
MERINGUES: Preheat oven to 275
degrees. Grease baking sheets. Beat egg
whites with an electric mixer on high
speed until foamy. Add cream of tartar and
continue beating until the whites are somewhat stiff. Gradually beat in the sugar. Add
vanilla and vinegar and beat until very stiff
and shiny, about 10 minutes. Scoop 1⁄4 cup
heaps of meringue onto baking sheets.
Gently flatten half of the meringue heaps
with a spoon; use your hands to pull the
other half into peaks, similar to a chocolate
kiss. Bake until meringues are lightly
colored, about 40-45 minutes.
TOPPING: Mix together fruit and 1⁄4
cup sugar in a medium bowl. With an
electric mixer, beat whipping cream and 1⁄4
cup sugar until peaks form.
CHOCOLATE FUDGE SAUCE: In the
top of a double boiler, over simmering water,
melt chocolate chips. As it melts whisk in
butter and vanilla. Slowly whisk in cream. If
sauce is a bit thick, add a little more cream.
ASSEMBLY: Place a flattened meringue
on a plate. Top with a heaping of berries,
then a peaked meringue. Top with a dollop
of whipped cream and drizzle with
chocolate sauce.
FALL 2007
27
SUMMIT COUNTY RESCUE GROUP
FOCUS ON
Written by Anna DeBattiste
Photos by Timothy Faust
Cha rity
W
Wanted: Outdoor lovers with a penchant
for helping people. Must be team players.
Experience with rock climbing, paddling,
snowmobiles, ATVs, wilderness survival,
navigation, Nordic skiing, snowshoeing,
and/or avalanche awareness is helpful. Must
have first aid and CPR.
Does that sound like the perfect Summit
County job? It has one drawback: There’s no
pay for the position. In fact, members of the
Summit County Rescue Group (SCRG) shell
out their own funds for personal gear, in
addition to volunteering their time.
Ask any member, and most will tell you,
“We do it because we love it.” Some join for
the excitement of flying in helicopters or
driving ATVs; some join for the opportunity
to develop outdoor skills; others for the
team-bonding experience; and many for the
satisfaction of helping those in need.
Whatever their reasons, SCRG members
share a love of hitting the backcountry
for a worthy cause.
The SCRG was originally formed in 1972
by the Summit County Sheriff ’s Office and
interested citizens. The group continues to
operate under the direction of the Sheriff ’s
Office today and boasts many veteran
members, including one of the founding
fathers, Paul Johnson.
“Those first few years were the most
exciting,” Johnson comments. “We had a great
group of people with backgrounds in climbing
and backcountry, but we were all just learning
the rescue thing. We didn’t have any money,
but we got some gear donations. We still
have the blue dummies that the
Forest Service gave us.”
Many other members have come and gone
in the last 35 years. The group’s membership
requirements are fairly easy to navigate;
candidates are given a checklist and left to
complete each item at their own pace, using
28
FALL 2007
the group’s team leaders and board members
as resources. Requirements include a first aid
and CPR certification, testing in knots and
basic technical rescue concepts, a pack check
for certain required personal gear, and an
interview with the SCRG Board. Once the
checklist is complete, members receive a pager.
The real work of the group begins when the
pagers sound a loud, piercing tone followed
by a message from the Summit County dispatch center reporting the location and nature
of a mission. Typical missions range from
searches for overdue hikers to evacuation of
injured snowmobilers to backcountry skiers
caught in an avalanche. The group has even
been called out to help immigration officials
search for illegal aliens and to evacuate
stranded eastern Colorado residents after a
blizzard. There is never a dull moment for
members able to respond to the group’s
average of 70 calls per year.
Perhaps the group’s biggest challenge is to
fund its ongoing gear and equipment needs. A
small Sheriff ’s Office budget covers
operating expenses such as utilities and
gasoline, but money to replace and upgrade
equipment and vehicles comes from the
donations of rescued subjects, local businesses,
and helpful citizens.
To make a donation, contact Charles Pitman,
SCRG Treasurer, at 970-468-9684, or mail to
Summit County Rescue Group, PO Box 1794,
Breckenridge, CO 80424.
In each issue of SUMMIT Lifestyle
& REAL ESTATE we feature an
organization whose sole purpose is to
give back to the local community.
Daniel Webster Johnson believes in
supporting charities. With every sale
and upon receiving every single referral
(regardless of whether the client
sells/purchases) he makes a donation to
a non-profit. Thanks to our wonderful
clients, he makes dozens and dozens of
donations every year.
Fea tured Properties
One Bedroom
Investment
12,000 Sq. Ft. of
Commercial/Office Space
19 Acres
Walk to
Golf Course
Move Your
Business Today
Near
Golf Course
Breckenridge
$246,500
Breckenridge
Phone for Pricing
Breckenridge
$1,485,000
Enjoy all the amenities the Town of
Breckenridge has to offer and more when
you own this large condo built in 2004.
Features include cherry cabinets, slate
counter and floors in the kitchen, a gas fire
place, huge patio, washer/dryer, and high
ceilings. Resident of unit must work in
Summit County.
Two floors with 6,000 sq. ft. on each level.
Been thinking of moving your business to
Breckenridge but you could not find
enough quality office space? Been
thinking it is about time to move money
into a solid commercial building in the
mountains? This is it.
Just 10 minutes from Breckenridge these
two parcels (being sold together) have the
ideal combination of Ten Mile Range
views, the Swan River on the property,
abundant wildlife plus fishing. Build on
one and sell the other lot. Note: A 0.3
acres parcel featured in the last issue sold
for $590,000.
This building was purpose built for a high
tech firm that went bust. It is located in
an area of Breckenridge that is slated to
become a hub of activity with employee
housing a very short walk away. In
addition, the center of town is literally a
two-minute drive away. Ideal for both
owner occupiers and/or tenants.

Fall 2007 - Breckenridge Colorado Real Estate

Transcription

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