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Resorts in this article: Sunlight Mountain Resort

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Sunlight Seeks Brighter Future

Nov 24, 2008 Dan Giesin, Associate Editor     Comments (1)

Sunlight Mountain Sunlight Mountain

Sunlight Mountain Resort has been a backyard playground for the Glenwood Springs ever since the mid 1960s.

It's known as a small locals' hill: Just three aging chairs lifts - the most recent one went up in 1986 - service the 470 acres of forested terrain. The casual, family-oriented resort is short on glitz and glamour and long on economy: The basic adult lift ticket price weighs in at an extremely affordable $50.

But don't take Sunlight for another mellow mom-and-pop feeder hill. It does have some teeth: The resort's Extreme East Ridge, double black-diamond glades and one run (The Heathen) tilted at an attention-grabbing 52 degrees give Sunlight some props.

But Sunlight knows it can't last long as a throwback-to-the-'80s hill. It knows it must flex its muscles to survive. With that in mind, the resort is embarking on a scheme to come into the 21st century.

Sunlight envisions an all-mountain enhancement program encompassing on-mountain improvements (new lifts, trail refinements, increased snowmaking capabilities, etc), a commercial development, additional lodging and three small-use villages connected to the main base area by a gondola.

Sunlight doesn't want to go it alone: It is seeking input from long-time habitués and casual visitors in how the project can be best implemented. Visit Sunlight Mountain's Web site to provide suggestions and support the project.

 

Recent Comments

  • by gailpol Nov 24, 2008
    Please be advised: The Destin, Florida business "Exquisite Properties" which is seeking county approval to develop Sunlight suggest in all their literature that the high-density housing development planned for the mountain is necessary to fund the mountain improvements. However, there is no solid proposal for those improvements in the actual development plans. Without a bond for such improvements there is no guarantee that there would be any new lifts, trail improvements, etc. Additionally, there are many issues around this development, including water and land resources, hazardous mountain two-lane road traffic, remoteness and density of the community taxing fire department and other community resources, and as stated above, no guarantee that any mountain improvements will be implemented. Because of these issues, and more, both the Glenwood Springs City Council and the Garfield County Planning Commission have recommended to the Garfield County Commissioners that they NOT approve the plans. If you hope for a future of great skiing on Sunlight, please let the developers and county officials know that you cannot be fooled by their implication that they will make improvements. Insist that these improvements be put into the plans and guaranteed.
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