Wha..What? (Squaw Pass to Reopen)
Ski Area to Area Just 35 Miles West of Denver
DAHO SPRINGS (AP) - Denver area skiers likely won't have to drive as far to ski this winter.
Long-closed Squaw Pass Ski Area, 35 miles from downtown, plans to open this winter now that it has approval to use a road that crosses public land in the Arapaho National Forest to connect to the area's privately owned property.
"We're off and running," said Doug Donovan, manager of the project, which will feature a terrain park for skiers and snowboarders just off Colorado 103.
The area sits on the north side of the road that winds up to Echo Lake and the Mount Evans highway before it descends to Interstate 70 in Idaho Springs.
U.S. Forest Service officials said the ski area granted rights of way through its property for popular trails and Forest Service roads long used for hiking and other recreational activities in exchange for the right to use the road.
The ski area will have a new name, which will be unveiled at a news conference Thursday at the site. The area shut down about three decades ago because of a lack of snow and snowmaking facilities.
Hotel executive Gerald Petitt, who grew up in Colorado but is now based in Bethesda, Md., acquired the roughly 240-acre property more than two years ago for about $700,000. Since then he and Donovan have been working to obtain permits and approvals.
In June, Clear Creek County officials gave conditional approval to the project. Although local groups and officials have expressed concern about whether Colorado 103 can handle the extra winter traffic, the county approved it on the condition that the ski area chip in for some road maintenance costs.
This month's Forest Service decision to grant the easement removed the last major obstacle to opening the new area by the start of this year's ski season.
"We're going to have to improve it (the access road through the forest), and we couldn't do that till we got this easement," Donovan said.
The area will be the closest to Denver. Eldora Mountain Resort in Nederland is 47 miles from downtown, and Loveland Ski Area near Georgetown says it is 53 miles west of Denver.
