Tom Ross

10-06-2012

Can a classic but dated ski chalet built circa 1972 in one of Steamboat’s most exclusive neighborhoods sell for more than $1 million? Realtor Cam Boyd, of Prudential Steamboat Realty, and his clients are testing that hypothesis as Steamboat Ski Area gets ready to celebrate its 50th anniversary.

Boyd has listed the 2,572-square-foot home on a wooded view lot just 380 paces from the base of the Thunderhead Express high-speed quad chairlift for $1.23 million. He readily agrees that it isn’t the structure by itself but the rarity of the location — a single-family home within walking distance of a high-speed quad at Steamboat for less than $2 million — that makes this property worth the price.

“Steamboat has so few ski-in, ski-out or walk to the ski area single-family homes,” Boyd said. “We’ve had quite a few showings since the summer, and people are looking at it because it’s a livable house with great potential.”

The secluded Rendezvous Trails subdivision at the top of Burgess Creek Road has undergone a transformation in the past decade. Next door to Boyd’s listing at 2910 Burgess Creek Road is a home that last sold for more than $2.5 million, and next door to that is a $5 million home. Across the road is a home listed by Boyd for $7.99 million.

In 1972, the year when 2910 Burgess Creek Road was built, the lot sold for $10,000. That same year, President Richard Nixon ordered the creation of a space shuttle program. Shirley Chisholm, the first African-American congresswoman, announced her intention to run for president, and the film “The Godfather” was released in American theaters. How much has changed since 1972? On April 17, 1972, women took part in the Boston Marathon for the first time.

Curiously, the interior of the home at 2910 Burgess Creek Road still looks just as it might have in 1972. Certainly, the original carpets must have been replaced, but the current floor coverings are brightly colored and a little on the shaggy side. And the patterned vinyl in the little kitchen certainly evokes the ’70s, as does the avocado-colored refrigerator. The brightly colored dining chairs are classic ski cabin, but the sectional couch has a “Mary Tyler Moore Show” kind of aesthetic.

It’s all charming in a retro way, including the vintage skiing images, but Boyd has no illusions — a prospective buyer certainly would remodel the interior and might add onto the home to create a modern master bedroom suite and garage.

He’s already invited in a designer and contractor to delineate the best ways to add onto the home and make the best use of the existing space.

“We want to be able to help people visualize what this home could become,” Boyd said.

Boyd is convinced that there are buyers who have modest expectations for a ski vacation home and will appreciate the luxury of being able to walk directly to Thunderhead Express. The location allows residents to bypass the hubbub of the base area and gondola lines during busy weeks of ski season.

Among the strong points of the home are excellent views of the ski area from the window over the kitchen sink, a gas fireplace faced in stone and a bright living room. The latter is thanks to its southern orientation, vaulted ceilings, some trapezoidal windows under the roof line and the recent removal of some beetle-killed lodgepole pines. There’s also a large south-facing deck.

With five bedrooms, an extended family can gather here. The floor plan includes a large sleeping loft used for children or grandchildren of the members of the family trust who have owned the property for all these years.

And there’s a bonus in the form of a caretaker’s apartment on the lower level with a large laundry room that has enough room for ski equipment. There’s also a hidden outdoor storage closet to store gear out of season.

Whether skis are headed for Thunderhead Express or to the base area via a deed access through the neighborhood and the Right-O-Way trail, this is a rare property in Ski Town USA that has been waiting to be rescued from the ’70s.

To reach Tom Ross, call 970-871-4205 or email tross@SteamboatToday.com