Shanty Creek Upgrades Underway

Jack Eslick, Shanty Creek CEO, hopes to restore the luster of one of the region's oldest four season resorts, according to an article in the Traverse City Record Eagle. "This is a unique challenge," Eslick said. "There are a lot of people who love Shanty Creek, and there are a lot of people who want to love it again." The resort was purchased 16 months ago by Trinidad, a subsidiary of Missouri-based Apex Oil. Initial construction and remodeling are focused on the resort's Summit Village, the oldest of three resort villages. A $10 million renovation and redecoration are underway. Extensive work is being done on the lobby, Lakeview Dining Room, meeting and banquet facilities, and all the guest rooms. The 4,500-acre resort with two ski hills hadn't seen any remodeling since the mid 1990s. Eslick recognizes it will take some time to bring it back to its original stature. "I tell people it's a journey, not a sprint. It's going to take multiple years to get Shanty Creek back to where it once was," he said. It's a good start, and it will be nice to see the Creek regain some of the luster it once had." The ski hills were expanded and improved in the late 1990s and still provide great skiing and boarding.