Skiing, like most other recreational activities, would be great if it weren't for all the other people doing it at the same time. Members of the new Cimarron Mountain Club in Colorado would seem to understand this – all 13 of them, will pay a reported $2.65 million plus $65,000 a year for its pristine 1,750 acres.
Jim Aronstein founded the Cimarron Mountain Club along with this wife Patsy, intended it to be "a sanctuary for 13 families who want to ski untracked powder and preserve a beautiful wilderness setting for future generations to enjoy," as per a recent Business Insider interview. Aronstein explains:
"I was simply tired of the ski resort experience and dreamed for decades about creating the world's only, intimate and private wilderness club with skiable terrain to rival the best… My wife and I identified more than a dozen potential sites, located in six Rocky Mountain states and provinces, and visited every one. In the end, just one met all the criteria… What has and continues to make CMC so special is our commitment to preserving the powder, protecting the wilderness, and sharing it all with just 13 member families and their friends."
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Six of those 13 families have already signed up since the Club launched last summer, and all of them are naturally hardcore "powder hounds" for their willingness to pay such a high premium for untouched slopes. Of course, each membership includes more than just skiing in the purchase price – each member family will also get a 35-acre plot on which to build their own chalet. But no "mega mansions" are allowed. Building a chalet isn't mandatory, though, since the property already has one three bedroom cabin and two small "glamping yurts" for the current skiing season. Another larger lodge is also being planned.
60 ski runs make up the resort's skiing area, with "heli-skiing" (ski runs reached by helicopter rather than the traditional ski lift) is available to adventurous members. And members are free to enjoy activities at the club even when it's not snowing, like fishing, hunting, hiking, and more.
