Tamarack Resort
Encyclopedia
Tamarack Resort is a four-season mountain resort in the Long Valley of west central Idaho
. It is located on the west shore of Cascade Reservoir
, southwest of Donnelly
in Valley County
, about 90 miles (144.8 km) north of Boise
. The resort is currently in foreclosure
; the ski area was closed for the 2009-2010 season. The resort re-opened on December 20, 2010 with five of seven chairlifts, funded by the Tamarack Municipal Association. The golf course
and zip line
course are currently open in the summer through a series of partnerships with operating companies.
to be built in North America
in 23 years; Beaver Creek
in Colorado
and Deer Valley
in Utah
opened within days of each other in 1981. (Deer Valley was not entirely new, as it was built at the former modest ski area of "Snow Park," which operated from 1946-69.)
The Tamarack Resort was first conceived as Valbois in the early 1980s, but unsuccessfully struggled to overcome federal regulatory hurdles and fierce local opposition, and finally folded in 1995. Despite local opposition, a new group of investors revived the project three years later with modifications and called it WestRock. After four years the name was changed to "Tamarack" in December 2002, after the tamarack larch
, a deciduous
coniferous
tree
, whose short, dark green fir
-like needles turn yellow (and shed) every autumn.
Construction at the Tamarack Resort began in 2003, and skiing
was available only by snowcat
the first year. The alpine
ski area officially opened with chairlift
service the following year in December 2004. Tamarack has a lift-served summit elevation
of 7660 feet (2,334.8 m) above sea level on West Mountain (7672'), with a vertical drop of over 2760 feet (841.2 m) . Five quad chairlifts served the east-facing slopes (3 hi-speed
& 2 fixed-grip), along with two surface lifts
, a Poma platter lift and a magic carpet
, in the novice area at the base.
The summit of West Mountain receives an average of 300 inches (762 cm) of snowfall, Snowmaking
is available on the lower runs. Steep at the summit but rapidly smoothing out, the terrain for the ski area is rated at 15% novice, 56% intermediate, and 29% advanced.
For the cross country skier, over 30 kilometres (18.6 mi) of Nordic
trails are available.
signature 18-hole golf course, opened in May 2006 with the addition of the back nine holes. The first nine holes opened for play in September 2005. The course is just southeast of the village and ski area base, at an average elevation of 4850 feet (1,478.3 m) . The back tees played at 7319 yards (6692 m), with 100 bunkers distributed on the challenging course. After the resort's shuttering in March 2009, the golf course reopened for play less than five months later on July 25, operated by the Raven Golf Management Company of Boise.
stayed at Tamarack in August 2005, giving the resort significant national exposure. They came to Idaho as guests of Dirk Kempthorne
, the state's governor and former U.S. Senator
who later became a member of Bush's cabinet
as Secretary of the Interior
.
In September 2006, recently retired tennis
star Andre Agassi
and wife Steffi Graf
announced through their development company, after significant delays, that they had finalized an agreement to develop a luxury mountain project at Tamarack. Groundbreaking for the Fairmont Tamarack was scheduled for 2007 with completion expected in 2009, on their first lifestyle development project.. Following more delays, Agassi and Graf withdrew from the project in June 2008.
Since January 2004, the resort has sold 531 properties for $359.3 million. This includes an additional nine lots than were originally planned for these phases that netted $42.7 million, they were captured by re-engineering the original plot design to eliminate wetlands.
The majority owners of Tamarack Resort filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on February 20, 2008.
Tamarack had been planned to be a $1.5 billion destination resort with 62 ski runs, 7 chairlifts, two golf courses, and plentiful mountain biking
trails by 2015-20.
Patrick H. Owen, a fourth district judge in Boise, appointed a receiver in October 2008 to oversee the operations of the resort, at the request of Credit Suisse
, the major financer. The receiver, the Douglas Wilson Co. of San Diego
, determined in February 2009 that the operating losses were too great and closed Tamarack to the public with over a month remaining in the ski season. The final day of lift-served skiing was Wednesday, March 4, 2009; the resort was effectively shuttered that evening.
In June 2009, the resort announced that it was reopening its 18-hole golf course (2006) and zip lines (2007) through a partnership with an operating company; the golf course reopened in late July and the zip line a few days later. Since 2008, Bank of America
threatened to remove two of the five chairlift
s that the resort had fallen behind in payments on. Judge Michael McLaughlin denied their request on July 2; the quad chairlifts in question were the resort's two newest, Wildwood Express (detachable
) at the northern boundary and Buttercup (fixed-grip) in the base novice area.
In September, the Tamarack Homeowners' Association formed an unincorporated organization called West Mountain Preservation Management Association. It filed a motion to reopen Tamarack Resort for the 2009-10 season, using $8 million from a Mexican
real estate company, but was denied and the resort remain closed.
On March 17, 2010, U.S. bankruptcy judge Terry Meyers ruled that the newly named trustee, Jeremy Gugino, could start the process of liquidating
the resort's equipment and other assets into cash, to be divided among its creditors. Meanwhile, Credit Suisse continued to move in Idaho state court to foreclose
on the resort property. The state court is charged with determining which creditors are entitled to the real estate and their priority, but federal court will handle the disposition of the real estate and other assets.
The foreclosure date is set for March 2010. This will bring hope of revitalization to homeowners and the surrounding community.
The most recent failure of a major North American ski resort was by Stagecoach
in 1974, located about 20 miles (32.2 km) south of Steamboat Springs
, Colorado
. Stagecoach failed after its second ski season, and has slowly grown as a residential and vacation community, primarily due to the addition of a dam and reservoir
in 1988.
- defunct ski hill in Latah County
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
. It is located on the west shore of Cascade Reservoir
Lake Cascade
Lake Cascade is located on the North Fork of the Payette River in Valley County, Idaho, USA, in the Boise National Forest. It is the fourth largest lake or reservoir in the state...
, southwest of Donnelly
Donnelly, Idaho
Donnelly is a city in rural Valley County, Idaho, United States. The population was 138 at the 2000 census, and was estimated to be 148 in 2007....
in Valley County
Valley County, Idaho
Valley County is a rural county located in west central Idaho in the United States. Established in 1917, it was named after the Long Valley of the North Fork of the Payette River, which extends over 30 miles from Payette Lake at McCall south to Cascade to Round Valley.The valley was formerly a...
, about 90 miles (144.8 km) north of Boise
Boise, Idaho
Boise is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho, as well as the county seat of Ada County. Located on the Boise River, it anchors the Boise City-Nampa metropolitan area and is the largest city between Salt Lake City, Utah and Portland, Oregon.As of the 2010 Census Bureau,...
. The resort is currently in foreclosure
Foreclosure
Foreclosure is the legal process by which a mortgage lender , or other lien holder, obtains a termination of a mortgage borrower 's equitable right of redemption, either by court order or by operation of law...
; the ski area was closed for the 2009-2010 season. The resort re-opened on December 20, 2010 with five of seven chairlifts, funded by the Tamarack Municipal Association. The golf course
Golf course
A golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
and zip line
Zip-line
A zip-line consists of a pulley suspended on a cable mounted on an incline...
course are currently open in the summer through a series of partnerships with operating companies.
Overview
Tamarack was the first new ski resortSki resort
A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing and other winter sports. In Europe a ski resort is a town or village in a ski area - a mountainous area, where there are ski trails and supporting services such as hotels and other accommodation, restaurants, equipment rental and a ski lift system...
to be built in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
in 23 years; Beaver Creek
Beaver Creek Resort
Beaver Creek Resort is a major United States ski resort near Avon, Colorado, run by Vail Resorts. The resort comprises three villages, the main Beaver Creek Village, Bachelor Gulch, and Arrowhead to the west...
in Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
and Deer Valley
Deer Valley
Deer Valley is an alpine ski resort in the Wasatch Range, located east of Salt Lake City, in Park City, Utah, United States. The resort, known for its upscale amenities, is consistently ranked among the top ski resorts in North America...
in Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
opened within days of each other in 1981. (Deer Valley was not entirely new, as it was built at the former modest ski area of "Snow Park," which operated from 1946-69.)
The Tamarack Resort was first conceived as Valbois in the early 1980s, but unsuccessfully struggled to overcome federal regulatory hurdles and fierce local opposition, and finally folded in 1995. Despite local opposition, a new group of investors revived the project three years later with modifications and called it WestRock. After four years the name was changed to "Tamarack" in December 2002, after the tamarack larch
Tamarack Larch
Tamarack Larch, or Tamarack, or Hackmatack, or American Larch is a species of larch native to Canada, from eastern Yukon and Inuvik, Northwest Territories east to Newfoundland, and also south into the northeastern United States from Minnesota to Cranesville Swamp, West Virginia; there is also a...
, a deciduous
Deciduous
Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...
coniferous
Pinophyta
The conifers, division Pinophyta, also known as division Coniferophyta or Coniferae, are one of 13 or 14 division level taxa within the Kingdom Plantae. Pinophytes are gymnosperms. They are cone-bearing seed plants with vascular tissue; all extant conifers are woody plants, the great majority being...
tree
Tree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
, whose short, dark green fir
Fir
Firs are a genus of 48–55 species of evergreen conifers in the family Pinaceae. They are found through much of North and Central America, Europe, Asia, and North Africa, occurring in mountains over most of the range...
-like needles turn yellow (and shed) every autumn.
Construction at the Tamarack Resort began in 2003, and skiing
Alpine skiing
Alpine skiing is the sport of sliding down snow-covered hills on skis with fixed-heel bindings. Alpine skiing can be contrasted with skiing using free-heel bindings: Ski mountaineering and nordic skiing – such as cross-country; ski jumping; and Telemark. In competitive alpine skiing races four...
was available only by snowcat
Snowcat
A snowcat is an enclosed-cab, truck sized, fully tracked vehicle designed to move on snow. Snowcats are often referred to as 'trail groomers' because of their use for grooming ski trails or snowmobile trails...
the first year. The alpine
Alpine skiing
Alpine skiing is the sport of sliding down snow-covered hills on skis with fixed-heel bindings. Alpine skiing can be contrasted with skiing using free-heel bindings: Ski mountaineering and nordic skiing – such as cross-country; ski jumping; and Telemark. In competitive alpine skiing races four...
ski area officially opened with chairlift
Chairlift
An elevated passenger ropeway, or chairlift, is a type of aerial lift, which consists of a continuously circulating steel cable loop strung between two end terminals and usually over intermediate towers, carrying a series of chairs...
service the following year in December 2004. Tamarack has a lift-served summit elevation
Elevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface ....
of 7660 feet (2,334.8 m) above sea level on West Mountain (7672'), with a vertical drop of over 2760 feet (841.2 m) . Five quad chairlifts served the east-facing slopes (3 hi-speed
Detachable chairlift
A detachable chairlift or high-speed chairlift is a type of passenger aerial lift, which, like a fixed-grip chairlift, consists of numerous chairs attached to a constantly moving wire rope that is strung between two terminals over intermediate towers. They are now commonplace at all but the...
& 2 fixed-grip), along with two surface lifts
Ski tow
thumb|right|A rope tow or ski tow.A ski tow, also called rope tow or handle tow, is a mechanised system for pulling skiers and snowboarders uphill....
, a Poma platter lift and a magic carpet
Magic carpet (ski lift)
A magic carpet is a type of surface lift installed at ski areas to transport skiers and snowboarders up the hill...
, in the novice area at the base.
The summit of West Mountain receives an average of 300 inches (762 cm) of snowfall, Snowmaking
Snowmaking
Snowmaking is the production of snow by forcing water and pressurized air through a "snow gun" or "snow cannon", on ski slopes. Snowmaking is mainly used at ski resorts to supplement natural snow. This allows ski resorts to improve the reliability of their snow cover and to extend their ski...
is available on the lower runs. Steep at the summit but rapidly smoothing out, the terrain for the ski area is rated at 15% novice, 56% intermediate, and 29% advanced.
For the cross country skier, over 30 kilometres (18.6 mi) of Nordic
Nordic skiing
Nordic skiing is a winter sport that encompasses all types of skiing where the heel of the boot cannot be fixed to the ski, as opposed to Alpine skiing....
trails are available.
Golf
Osprey Meadows, a Robert Trent Jones IIRobert Trent Jones, Jr.
Robert Trent "Bobby" Jones, Jr. is a noted golf course architect. He is the son of legendary golf course designer Robert Trent Jones and the brother of golf course designer Rees Jones....
signature 18-hole golf course, opened in May 2006 with the addition of the back nine holes. The first nine holes opened for play in September 2005. The course is just southeast of the village and ski area base, at an average elevation of 4850 feet (1,478.3 m) . The back tees played at 7319 yards (6692 m), with 100 bunkers distributed on the challenging course. After the resort's shuttering in March 2009, the golf course reopened for play less than five months later on July 25, operated by the Raven Golf Management Company of Boise.
Celebrity investment
President and Mrs. George W. BushGeorge W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
stayed at Tamarack in August 2005, giving the resort significant national exposure. They came to Idaho as guests of Dirk Kempthorne
Dirk Kempthorne
Dirk Arthur Kempthorne , was the U.S. Secretary of the Interior, who served under President George W. Bush from 2006 to 2009. A Republican, Kempthorne previously served as the 30th Governor and as a U.S. Senator from Idaho...
, the state's governor and former U.S. Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
who later became a member of Bush's cabinet
United States Cabinet
The Cabinet of the United States is composed of the most senior appointed officers of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States, which are generally the heads of the federal executive departments...
as Secretary of the Interior
United States Secretary of the Interior
The United States Secretary of the Interior is the head of the United States Department of the Interior.The US Department of the Interior should not be confused with the concept of Ministries of the Interior as used in other countries...
.
In September 2006, recently retired tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
star Andre Agassi
Andre Agassi
Andre Kirk Agassi is a retired American professional tennis player and former world no. 1. Generally considered by critics and fellow players to be one of the greatest tennis players of all time, Agassi has been called the best service returner in the history of the game...
and wife Steffi Graf
Steffi Graf
Steffi Graf is a former World No. 1 German tennis player.In total, Graf won 22 Grand Slam singles titles, second among male and female players only to Margaret Court's 24...
announced through their development company, after significant delays, that they had finalized an agreement to develop a luxury mountain project at Tamarack. Groundbreaking for the Fairmont Tamarack was scheduled for 2007 with completion expected in 2009, on their first lifestyle development project.. Following more delays, Agassi and Graf withdrew from the project in June 2008.
Since January 2004, the resort has sold 531 properties for $359.3 million. This includes an additional nine lots than were originally planned for these phases that netted $42.7 million, they were captured by re-engineering the original plot design to eliminate wetlands.
Bankruptcy
Tamarack had been planned to be a $1.5 billion destination resort with 62 ski runs, 7 chairlifts, two golf courses, and plentiful mountain biking
Mountain biking
Mountain biking is a sport which consists of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, using specially adapted mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes, but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and performance in rough terrain.Mountain biking can...
trails by 2015-20.
Patrick H. Owen, a fourth district judge in Boise, appointed a receiver in October 2008 to oversee the operations of the resort, at the request of Credit Suisse
Credit Suisse
The Credit Suisse Group AG is a Swiss multinational financial services company headquartered in Zurich, with more than 250 branches in Switzerland and operations in more than 50 countries.-History:...
, the major financer. The receiver, the Douglas Wilson Co. of San Diego
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
, determined in February 2009 that the operating losses were too great and closed Tamarack to the public with over a month remaining in the ski season. The final day of lift-served skiing was Wednesday, March 4, 2009; the resort was effectively shuttered that evening.
In June 2009, the resort announced that it was reopening its 18-hole golf course (2006) and zip lines (2007) through a partnership with an operating company; the golf course reopened in late July and the zip line a few days later. Since 2008, Bank of America
Bank of America
Bank of America Corporation, an American multinational banking and financial services corporation, is the second largest bank holding company in the United States by assets, and the fourth largest bank in the U.S. by market capitalization. The bank is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina...
threatened to remove two of the five chairlift
Chairlift
An elevated passenger ropeway, or chairlift, is a type of aerial lift, which consists of a continuously circulating steel cable loop strung between two end terminals and usually over intermediate towers, carrying a series of chairs...
s that the resort had fallen behind in payments on. Judge Michael McLaughlin denied their request on July 2; the quad chairlifts in question were the resort's two newest, Wildwood Express (detachable
Detachable chairlift
A detachable chairlift or high-speed chairlift is a type of passenger aerial lift, which, like a fixed-grip chairlift, consists of numerous chairs attached to a constantly moving wire rope that is strung between two terminals over intermediate towers. They are now commonplace at all but the...
) at the northern boundary and Buttercup (fixed-grip) in the base novice area.
In September, the Tamarack Homeowners' Association formed an unincorporated organization called West Mountain Preservation Management Association. It filed a motion to reopen Tamarack Resort for the 2009-10 season, using $8 million from a Mexican
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
real estate company, but was denied and the resort remain closed.
On March 17, 2010, U.S. bankruptcy judge Terry Meyers ruled that the newly named trustee, Jeremy Gugino, could start the process of liquidating
Liquidation
In law, liquidation is the process by which a company is brought to an end, and the assets and property of the company redistributed. Liquidation is also sometimes referred to as winding-up or dissolution, although dissolution technically refers to the last stage of liquidation...
the resort's equipment and other assets into cash, to be divided among its creditors. Meanwhile, Credit Suisse continued to move in Idaho state court to foreclose
Foreclosure
Foreclosure is the legal process by which a mortgage lender , or other lien holder, obtains a termination of a mortgage borrower 's equitable right of redemption, either by court order or by operation of law...
on the resort property. The state court is charged with determining which creditors are entitled to the real estate and their priority, but federal court will handle the disposition of the real estate and other assets.
The foreclosure date is set for March 2010. This will bring hope of revitalization to homeowners and the surrounding community.
The most recent failure of a major North American ski resort was by Stagecoach
Stagecoach, Colorado
Stagecoach was a short-lived ski resort in Colorado in the early 1970s,20 miles south of Steamboat Springs in Routt County.-Ski area:The ski area was developed by the Woodmoor Company of Colorado Springs...
in 1974, located about 20 miles (32.2 km) south of Steamboat Springs
Steamboat Springs, Colorado
The city of Steamboat Springs is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Routt County, Colorado, United States. The city is also known as "Steamboat," "The Boat," or "Ski Town USA". As of the 2010 census, the city population was 12,088.The city is an...
, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
. Stagecoach failed after its second ski season, and has slowly grown as a residential and vacation community, primarily due to the addition of a dam and reservoir
Reservoir
A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...
in 1988.
Re-opening
The Tamarack Municipal Association reopened the resort on December 20, 2010. Funded by the association directly and the proceeds from lift ticket, season pass, and food service sales, Tamarack hired nearly 100 employees to staff five of the resort's seven chairlifts servicing 60% to 70% of the resort's skiable terrain. The "Wildwood Express" and "Buttercup/Whitewater" chairs did not operate, as they are currently the subject of a lawsuit by Bank of America. Operating on a Thursday-Sunday limited schedule, plus holidays Tamarack sold season pass and lift ticket sales starting at $46 for a single-day adult lift ticket and $199 for an unlimited adult season pass. Food service is available, serving traditional ski area fare. Limited fine dining is also available. $250,000 have already been contributed by homeowners and $1.5 million in ticket sales are expected in order to meet a $500,000 payroll. With season pass sales already started for the 2011-2012 ski season, the Tamarack Municipal Association plans on opening the resort on December 15, 2011.See also
Tamarack Ski AreaTamarack Ski Area (Troy, Idaho)
This is about the former modest ski area in Latah County. For the resort in Valley County, see Tamarack Resort.Tamarack Ski Area is a former ski area in Latah County, Idaho, northwest of the city of Troy.-History:...
- defunct ski hill in Latah County
Latah County, Idaho
Latah County is a county located in the north central region of the U.S. state of Idaho. The population was 37,244 at the 2010 census. The county seat and largest city is Moscow, which is the home of the University of Idaho, the state's flagship and land-grant university...
External links
- Tamarack Resort - official site
- Tamarack Rentals - Vacation Rentals in Tamarack - extentsive photos
- Tamarack Zip Line.com - operated by Experienced Based Learning
- Idaho Winter.org - official state tourism site
- Idaho Ski Resorts.com - Tamarack Resort
- Ski Lifts.org - photos of Tamarack Resort's lifts
- SKI Magazine - "Tamarack Resort," by Christopher Solomon, October 2005, p. 82-86
- USDOJ Proposed Consent Decree - storm water discharges - Federal Register: 31-Jan-2008 (Vol 73, No. 21, p. 5872)
- Boise Guradian.com - "Tamarack: not our fault" - 21-Feb-2008