Another life for Tamarack?

[bigdude2468]

Help me out here. Nobody skied there except the people that owned real estate?

[powdreams]

Help me out here. Nobody skied there except the people that owned real estate?

well yes that is what happened but unintentionally...You see the resorts business model was built on retarded real estate... The richies started buying into and then all of a sudden everyone realized that they invested all there money into an extravagent version of bogus basin.. The terrain is average at best. And from any major population hub you can be to better skiing in less time...SO they only sold lift tickets to realestate owners and their friends..It was dumb da dumb da dumb.

The real question is will Intrawest suffer the same fait...While they were a hell of alot better property investors they were just as retarded with their realestate moves. So whats the vote;;;

WILL INTRAWEST SUFFER THE SAME FATE??????

[Conundrum]

Nah, most of the communities fucked over by intrawest were already resort towns.

[spintowin]

Utah company says it's offered to buy Idaho resort
August 11th, 2010 @ 6:16pm
By John Miller, AP Writer

BOISE, Idaho (AP) -- A Salt Lake City real estate investment company says it has offered an undisclosed sum for Tamarack Resort, the central Idaho ski-and-golf getaway that collapsed in 2008 under hundreds of millions in unpaid debt.

Pelorus Group owner JT Bramlette told The Associated Press his company aims to buy the resort, which is in bankruptcy court.

Bramlette and others at Pelorus are named in a lawsuit in federal court over a separate real estate development near the Idaho-Wyoming border.

The owners of Tamarack Resort in Donnelly, about 90 miles north of Boise, owe $300 million to a syndicate of lenders led by Credit Suisse Group, as well as millions more to builders, contractors and suppliers who worked on buildings at the site before construction ground to a halt in 2008.

Bramlette didn't disclose the amount of his offer. The resort has been priced at $68 million. CB Richard Ellis, a Los Angeles-based real-estate company, has been marketing Tamarack to potential buyers.

"We plan on buying Tamarack at a discount, based on the current status of economy and the project," Bramlette told the AP Tuesday evening.

Last month, Bramlette's company agreed to buy Tamarack's conference center for about $1 million. The Arling Center will eventually open for weddings and other gatherings, he said.

"We've spent the last six months doing our due diligence on Tamarack and surrounding area, talking with current residents and homeowners," Bramlette said. "We'd like to be the ones to get in there and get it straightened out."

Bramlette said his offer was submitted to U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Terry Myers last week.

Phone calls to Jean-Pierre Boespflug, Tamarack's majority owner, and CB Richard Ellis, weren't immediately returned.

Doug Dvorak, a Tamarack Municipal Association board member who was among homeowners who last week presented a plan to operate the ski area this coming winter, said Pelorus hadn't contacted the board over its plans.

"This is nothing but positive news, but for the last 18 to 24 months, there's been a slew of rumors, things like Donald Trump is coming, this and that," Dvorak said. "Until a deal has been inked, the keys have been handed over, and there's physically a new buyer, I'm trying to manage my own expectations and the expectations of the constituents I represent."

It's unclear whether the loan syndicate, comprised of dozens of investors led by Zurich-based Credit Suisse, will agree to the sale under terms offered by Pelorus.

Credit Suisse spokesman Duncan King declined to comment.

Aaron Wernli, another Pelorus owner, said the syndicate could accept his company's offer, take another one, or choose to hold Tamarack assets in hopes the vacation real-estate market rebounds.

"We think we've made a strong bid, we have strong partners," Wernli said. "It's not just about acquiring the asset, it's about developing a successful project for the state of Idaho."

Bramlette and Wernli aren't new to real estate in Idaho.

They're named in a federal lawsuit filed in 2008 over the Teton Springs Golf & Casting Club, a development in Victor in eastern Idaho. Twenty-seven plaintiffs who had hoped to benefit from lucrative real-estate investments contend Bramlette, Wernli and others conspired to misrepresent the value of property west of the tony resort region of Jackson, Wyo.

"JT Bramlette told them the appraisals were for hundreds of thousands of dollars more than what they cost to purchase," said Jeff Meyerson, an Austin, Texas, lawyer who represents the plaintiffs. "It's very surprising to my clients that he's still in business."

A trial in that case in U.S. District Court is scheduled for Oct. 13.

Bramlette counters Teton Springs investors who lost money amid the vacation real estate market's swift collapse in 2007 and 2008 are unhappy and trying to recoup their money any way they can. After the crash, he said, such lawsuits "are just the nature of the business."

"The market was yanked out from beneath everybody," Bramlette said. "When you are dealing with investors who lost money, they're looking to point the finger at somebody."

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[raisingarizona13]

It's a damn shame to carve another mountain up with ski runs to sell real estate. I'm officially over ski areas, this sh@t sucks. Over time of being a ski bum has taught me about what really matters and it's not money. Let the mountains be.

[MtnRA]

It's a damn shame to carve another mountain up with ski runs to sell real estate. I'm officially over ski areas, this sh@t sucks. Over time of being a ski bum has taught me about what really matters and it's not money. Let the mountains be.

Bingo!!!!!

[neckdeep]

Gee, a pile of shit has attracted some shit flies. The Teton Springs golf course development mentioned in the article is quite a notorious failure and the developers were known for not paying their bills even during the boom times. Lots of contractors and lumber yards got screwed; I think the project went through seven general contractor changes. It's just what Idaho needs right now, some more dirtpimp con men from Utah riding in to the rescue on their shit stained donkeys. The Pelorus Group was great at finding rich suckers and convincing the wealthy retards that Pelorus was in the business of giving away quick easy profits on real estate flips. They'd fly in greedy old farts for an all expense paid golf and flyfishing junket of wined, dined and signed on the bottom line. That was their skill; running a ski resort, probably not the best people for the job.

[Tree Bombs]

Things I have learned from this thread .
Hwy 95 runs thru Donnelly . Driggs blows McCall out of the water . Tamarack is flat . Owners only ever skied at Tamarack . Maggots hate ski hills .

I know that Maggots hate ski hills . (Unless its Vail, Aspen,Snowbird ,JH ,Whistler ,Baker Europe or SA , its all about "acceptable for the masses " ) And some Maggots even hate some of the mentioned . I get confused . The bottom line is someone be not liking something . I thought this is about fun ? No , its about perception .

This was taken off this forum from a thread from the guy who told me about the forums . He left in the middle of night sometime last summer . Back to Wisconsin I think .

I'm 98% sure this is a easy hike from Tamarack . I have been through these zones and its some good riding . Or its fun to me not to you .







With 100 days at each Brun/Tam there is more shit to drop off at Tamarack . More snow at Brundage , but Tam always get a few dumps that Brundage doesnt get . Corns up way earlier at Tam , snow stays better at Brun but stays pretty good at Tam .
Groomers at Tam are better than Brun , way more rollers to air off . Brun groomers are the same on every run , no lips unless your in the park which kicked ass last season. Last year el nino top to bottom coverage end of April at Tam no snowmaking (4900) . Not bad for a place that doesnt get any snow . On average bottom of Brun , mid of Tam gets 6 to 10+more feet than top of Baldy . Brun closing day May 1st . With both places open more for me . Im here to ride dammit .

Its a ski hill , I like to ride chairs I dont like attitudes and lift lines . I would rather ride some mellow terrain with some features than fight for fresh like everywhere else .

Its Idaho , if you want good skiing and to be with the herd go to all the popular places that the maggots live or travel to ski . If you want to chill and ride some good snow you can come here if you want . People try to cut up a bad piece of meat when comparing the ski hills of w/c Idaho and compare them to elsewhere . They all suck compared to Alta and JH so drive there then , or just have fun and ride . Or just talk about something you know nothing about .

I ride West Central Idaho and there really is no place I'd rather be . (Unless I had dual citizenship) When we see extreme people we make fun of them . You want extreme try 8 hour drive in any direction .

Just sayin .

[Vets]

Idaho also has this:

[powdreams]

I thought this is about fun ? No , its about perception .

your right tree bombs it is about perception...And the way I percieve it is that poorly managed and short sited individuals are ruining my most loved pastime...If you want to sit bak and Just ride...fine..Myself i would rather sleep on a bed of nails than let another non-skiing investor take over a buetiful mountain destination...So ya it is about perceptions and the way I percieve it is that the Ski/board indstry is fucked..Unless we the skiers and boarders do something about it...Did you really think that TAmacrack was built for you? Were your interests even considered when they built that thing? Do you think when they built it they gave a shit about what they were doin to the environment? I seriously can;t take ski area anymore...Seriously dude are you ok with going to the hill on a pow day and seeing a bunch of rich faks get early ups because there dad's a fukin senator? ya not fukin cool

[PowTrees]

seeing a bunch of rich faks get early ups because there dad's a fukin senator? ya not fukin cool

What's the chance that any one of those privileged people is going to risk their soft skin in the trees, dropping pillows, or hiking for the gnar. I'm not sure why anyone would care, watching a bunch of gapers, get on the chairlift to slay the groomers early?? As far as I'm concerned, I wish that Vail had more soft out of towner's instead of a pack of powder hunting wolves from Denver. Sounds like a dream to me, a resort with a bunch of people incapable of slaying pow and little competition from hard core bros.

Then again, I really don't care either way about Tamarack, since I'm hundreds of miles away.

[powdreams]

What's the chance that any one of those privileged people is going to risk their soft skin in the trees, dropping pillows, or hiking for the gnar. I'm not sure why anyone would care, watching a bunch of gapers, get on the chairlift to slay the groomers early?? As far as I'm concerned, I wish that Vail had more soft out of towner's instead of a pack of powder hunting wolves from Denver. Sounds like a dream to me, a resort with a bunch of people incapable of slaying pow and little competition from hard core bros.

Then again, I really don't care either way about Tamarack, since I'm hundreds of miles away.

Ok ther bub....last (I checked no disrespect intended) most of the professional skiers in america came from super rich family scenarios. So,,,,, Ya alot of time those dudes getting early ups are rippers and the only reason they are in that position is becuase of their daddy or mommy put them there..

[thedrew55]

Odds are we all ski/snowboard for different reasons and get different things out of it. Powdreams- I tend to agree with your point of view. I wish there were more folks like us out there that would be active in protecting our sport.

That said, if someone just wants to have fun without worrying about the same things we do, no big deal. It would be nice if we could get them to join the cause, but at the end of the day the reason I get so passionate about protecting the sport is because I just like to have fun. It's just that Tamarack style BS gets in the way of my enjoyment.

[Tree Bombs]

Harming the environment ? Its on state land , I guess you havent been on state land in Idaho . Logging prevails , trails spur off in every direction and piles of slash and trash are prevalent .

Early tracks club I wouldnt know since I didnt get there till 11 . Still rode fresh all day .

What rich gapers ? in the end of the days some days it was just me . Riding Summit chair by myself , like the only person on the chair lift , the only person on the mountain . The last storm cycle of the resort it was just our tracks in the side country for days only our footprints hiking out . We knew it was over . But an experience not every one gets to enjoy .

The lifts closed I just went Brundage and learned that mountain too . They are logging there this summer clearing brush , trees and getting ready for home sites for a future real estate development . A development which passed Adams County PZ with no objections , no letters to the editor , no stink what so ever . So people will hate Brundage when that first condo gets built ? When the wind doesnt blow , the birds dont chirp and the sun doesn't come up I guess .

The motto at Brundage real estate development , build one chalet , sell one chalet , build another chalet ,sell another chalet . Nice and slow . But its gonna get developed.

Tamarack didn't ruin skiing but ruined peoples lives . I had nothing to do with it just a bystander .

Dont worry the buyer has already been picked apart by the Mistaken and the odds of it opening arent really good . Credit Suisse would rather let it fall into the ground and be bulldozed than sell it . Literally the ground covers shit up here , pine needles , trees and brush . Not to mention the 10-15 feet of snow , 15 inches of rain and 90 degree temps at the base area to make shit just fall apart .
http://www.idahostatesman.com/2010/0...-aims-for.html

A ski area consultant has said millions are necessary to lift "the smell of death" from the resort.

Dont worry it smells like death here , rest easy tonite , your sport is safe . I hope the smell of death doesnt get a foothold and grow to Moonlight , Kirkwood or ????? . Not a native westerner but I've learned to not wish ill will on my neighbors .

More stolen Tamarack sidecountry STOKE !

[MtnRA]

Powdreams- I tend to agree with your point of view. I wish there were more folks like us out there that would be active in protecting our sport.

Stay tuned!

[neckdeep]

[QUOTE=Tree Bombs;2946827]
Dont worry it smells like death here , rest easy tonite , your sport is safe . I hope the smell of death doesnt get a foothold and grow to Moonlight , Kirkwood or ????? . Not a native westerner but I've learned to not wish ill will on my neighbors ./QUOTE]

Well I hope it dies and the putresence fills the industry with fear. That is the only thing that will knock some sense into the greedheads or, at least, their lenders. Without a few massive and costly failures, nothing will be learned and, in the future, the deal milking scammers like JT Bramlette will continue to look for targets to fleece for short term real estate profits. They will continue to drive up the cost of going skiing so they can have $450,000 cars and private jets, thats really all they care about and they'll do it as long as they can get away with it. Sorry for your loss but I want Credit Suisse to loose a massive pile of moola and the stink of ski hill real estate scams to be around for quite awhile. I got no problem with the build one sell one model but the big base village build out complete with too many lifts and expensive snow making, thats just bullshit that will be ultimately paid for by the local skiers. It's self-interest really; my local bump, Targhee, was about to be ruined by a shitpile of mcmansions, condos, two chair lifts just going to houses and a shopping mall in the sky when the real estate economy shit the bed. If it has to happen, I could live with the build one sell one model. But a Tamarack, Revelstoke or Kirkwood style development would utterly ruin the place and destroy a local ski culture that is largely based on an affordable ($600) season pass. And awesome powder...

[GlimmerIII]

Hey Conundrum-Go ahead and Bitch Slap me. I learned to ski at Kelly Canyon 47 years ago on the rope tow with the $1.50 special, that include a PB &J with a milk. (not rich) Way before there was any Targhee. I have four passes to Bogus that I pay for every year and will more then likely continue to buy every year going forward forever. I love Bogus, but I still think it could use some love. Like maybe some more brush, logs and stumps removed during the off season. We need to make some turns this next year, if you can put up with me and my clan for a run or two?

I enjoy skiing Sun Valley even skied five days there this last year. What I prefer to do though is drive over to Driggs. It's cheaper for my family to stay there on the mountain and ski. We all seem to have a better time also. Last year first day first run about two hundred yards from the top of Dream Catcher my 8 year old daughter looks over at me in a total white out and says "Daddy this is SICK!". I was waiting for "Daddy can we go home I'm cold".
Do you know what all the Pine Creek runs are named for or by whom? He is my favorite person to ski with and you drive across his land when you drive though Carbarton on your way to the Mt. We both really enjoy skiing at Tamarack and Bogus, neither one of us gets Brundage. I wish we did. Maybe we can get you to show us around one day. His truck went to Brundage 54 times last winter and last Thursday told me that is the last winter it drives though McCall 108 times. Every-time I hear anyone talk about Tamarack they say, "It's flat". No it is not the West Face of KT but, if you can hike or even skate for a bit it might just open your eyes and put a smile on your face. Am I the best skier, probably not. Last year on Oct. 15th I broke my tibia clean though walked out over 4 miles( not very good for my ankle) and had my foot in my ski boot for opening weekend at Bogus. So I'm more likely just stupid.
Peace Out

[mawree]

A group of college friends and I got great deals on passes and rode Tamarack for 2 seasons. I had one of the best powder days of my life at that mountain, with 20 inches of blower snow in 12 hours. The terrain may not be the steepest, but we sure had some really fun days at that place.

I feel bad for my friends who started building lives around Tam. The company had a great way of promoting from within, and two of my friends started working as lifties and were promoted, did well, and bought small houses in the area. These friends are now cruising around on sleds in this ski ghost town, waiting for the final nail in the coffin.

Say what you want about terrain, real estate, management, and ski areas, but Tam was a really fun place to ride and there are others suffering who are not the "suckers" that bought $4 million estate homes.

[chucknuggin]

Well, it all started back in the '80's with "Valbois" then sometime in the '90's it turned into "Westrock" then around the turn of this fine millennium it became "Tamarack" The development was fought for 20 years until finally, thank fuck for red state retards being convinced it's a good idea to give approval, it began being built. As a person who was born and raised in McCall, I held a deep seated animosity toward this development and repeatedly predicted the outcome. It was pretty obvious from the outset that it was a real estate scam, but there is a lack of common sense for a lot of folks in this area. I vowed never to give Tamarack a dime, and I haven't. I skied there before it was a resort, and I skied there one time with a comp pass. It's not great, but whatever. I despised Tamarack for many reasons and for a long time. But the week after they closed we got a powder day at Brundage. As per the usual, I showed up a few minutes before the lift opens and stroll up only to find a metric fuck ton of people standing in line. I mean more people than christmas time. Since that day, I have wanted Tamarack to re-open. Don't get me wrong, I can still get fresh tracks all day, but it's harder and harder to keep those stashes secret.
You know, I've been to a bunch of places and lived in ski towns around the west, but it's hard to beat this place. The downfall is the lack of vertical, which I'm ok with. There are some strange people around here that still lack common sense, and make odd decisions that affect our community. The up side is the almost complete lack of bro core types here. There is very little ego involved, unless of course you are a smoke jumper, but even most of those guys are ok. There are amazing athletes here, but you wouldn't know it because they don't blog and helmet cam the shit out of themselves.
And there is also another ski hill here that should be mentioned, certainly not for it's size, instead for it's contribution to forming not only great athletes but great people. [ame="http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/showthread.php?t=194371"]Little Ski Hill needs a snowcat - Teton Gravity Research Forums[/ame]
If you come here, hopefully you can ski all three places. Any way you look at it, Tamarack was indeed scamarack. I don't think Brundage learned much by the demise. You would think a person would know the difference between a ski hill and a resort, but Brundage doesn't fully grasp that. I can tell you one thing though. The hill that's been here since 1937 is about skiing, and will continue to produce life long rippers who will never be famous.

[danimal's dead]

Great thread, great input from the Idaho guys, great story, 2 thumbs up.

I don't get the hate for ski areas, I ride backcountry, but I also like lift serviced pow skiing. Yeah, I like it a lot. And i like little stashes like what Berthoud used to be, what Lookout Pass, Castle and Turner are today. I can scare the shit out of my self riding as fast as I can through 2 feet of powdery glades at these kind of places. I like that.

[raisingarizona13]

I hope it dies as along all other real estate based ski resorts. Enough of this shit. Humans need to quit disrupting the mountains for profit, ski long enough and you should learn from the mountains what I mean. That's it.

[agent j]

Great thread, great input from the Idaho guys, great story, 2 thumbs up.

I don't get the hate for ski areas, I ride backcountry, but I also like lift serviced pow skiing. Yeah, I like it a lot. And i like little stashes like what Berthoud used to be, what Lookout Pass, Castle and Turner are today. I can scare the shit out of my self riding as fast as I can through 2 feet of powdery glades at these kind of places. I like that.

Nobody hates ski areas. The hate is directed at ski resorts all about selling real estate and not really about skiing.

[splat]

(CNN) -- Authorities urged residents to be on alert as a brush fire fanned by strong winds continued to burn early Thursday northwest of Cascade, Idaho.

The blaze, which started Saturday, has burned 361 acres on a national forest, said Megan Myers of the Valley County Sheriff's Office.

"We haven't had a fire around here in a while," Myers said. "Right now, we have level 1 evacuation, which is basically just a warning to the residents in that area that there are projected threats and a hazard to that area. But we're not telling anyone they have to leave yet."

Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter has approved a disaster emergency for the fire, according to a statement released by Valley County.

t was unclear how many homes were affected by evacuation preparations by early Thursday.

Cascade is about 80 miles north of Boise.

[GlimmerIII]

It is now a level 3 on the whole west side of Lake Cascade with thunder storms with high winds on the way. Not good, there are alot of folks who have OLD family cabins in the area. The area has not burned in years.

Fire officials in Valley County estimate the fire around Tamarack Resort doubled to about 1,000 acres Thursday, and while firefighters are battling the flank of the blaze they are avoiding the north side, which is moving quickly and unpredictably.

They say they are dealing with a few factors: High heat, low humidity, winds and thunderstorms that could create downbursts that can push the fire in any direction.

The blaze, which forced immediate evacuations of homes from Hurd Creek to Tamarack Falls, is moving mid-slope along the mountains and hasn't reached the resort or any house — but officials fear a downburst could push the fire lower on the hillsides, and that could threaten more property.

Storms are expected to hit at 5 or 6 p.m. and about 20 engines are staged strategically around neighborhoods with strike teams ready in case the fire reaches it.

Earlier, the Idaho State Police troopers and county sheriff's deputies were going door to door to inform homeowners of the danger.

A level-three evacuation means, "the Sheriff will use all reasonable means to evacuate residents from the area and maintain ingress and egress to the designated area, and residents will not be allowed to return until conditions are safe. If this evacuation level is ignored every one must understand that emergency services may not be available."

Fire officials say the Hurd Fire burned actively overnight due to low relative humidity - 14 percent - which is one of the reasons sheriff's officials ordered the level two evacuation.

West Mountain, Buttercup and Huckleberry campgrounds, day use areas and boat launches in Lake Cascade state park are closed due to the fire.

Reservations for these campgrounds are being canceled and monies refunded.

All other Lake Cascade State Park Campgrounds, Day Use Areas, and Boat Launches will remain open.

The National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning for Thursday effective 10 a.m. to midnight. A strong cold front moving into the area could bring high winds and thunderstorms.

The trigger point for a level three evacuation is difficulty holding established firelines due to fire behavior. A level three evacuation requires immediate evacuation of the area as ordered by the sheriff.

Earlier, 650 people were assigned to Hurd fire, including 21 crews,10 helicopters and 21 engines. Structure protection engines are in position in residential neighborhoods.

The public is once again asked to be patient and careful, as there will be increased fire traffic along roads on the west side of the Cascade Reservoir.



Read more: http://www.idahostatesman.com/2010/0...#ixzz0xlHyND84

[DharmaBum]

Pretty sure I know a couple folks on that fire, and a couple more with cabins potentially in harms' way. We're supposed to get wind tonight and this fire could get nasty.

Vibes to all and keep the firefighters safe.