112 | theceomagazine.com
Wilderness refuge
CIMARRON
MOUNTAIN CLUB, US
Investment: US$2.8 million
If you’re a skiing fanatic or a Bear Grylls-type wilderness
enthusiast who loves to enjoy the outdoors away from the
crowds that flock to Aspen or Vail every year, then it doesn’t
get more private than the Cimarron Mountain Club (CMC).
Colorado’s first and only private ski resort – located between
Telluride and Crested Butte in the high San Juan Mountains
- CMC has more skiable terrain than Aspen Mountain, and
just 13 members and their families and friends will share it.
“The biggest thing for people to wrap their heads around
is just how low-density it is – only 13 owners on 708 hectares
of property, each with a 14-hectare cabin site. That’s a huge
amount of space for very few people, and a lot of untracked
powder to ski,” says Jim Aronstein, a retired natural-
resources lawyer from Denver who dreamt up this mountain
utopia with his wife, Patsy. Together, they made it a reality.
“I have for the longest time wanted to develop a mountain
club that would provide all the recreation options we wanted
but not have the crowds or density of other areas and still
allow people to be in touch with nature,” says Aronstein.
Let it snow
Although members can enjoy world-class hiking, fishing
at 15 stocked ponds and an eight-hectare lake, hunting,
canoeing, mountain biking, snowshoeing, sledding, and rock
climbing, what you would really be buying here is some of the
best powder on earth across 60-plus ski runs. Heli-skiing is
also available, with pick-ups directly from CMC.
Aronstein, a ‘buoyant powder hound’, couldn’t believe
his luck when he found the property after viewing more than
a dozen potential sites in the Rocky Mountains. “This is
phenomenal ski terrain on private property,” he says. “In
Colorado, you often have valley floors that are privately
owned, but as soon as you start climbing, it becomes national
park. But we are 2,530 metres above sea level – that’s very
unusual to find. The absolute beauty of the property is
staggering. We are inside a dormant volcano with sheer cliffs
and top-of-the-world views.”All in the family
The club launched in July this year with six member families
each paying US$2.65 million for their membership and cabin
site; the remaining seven memberships are still available
(US$2.82 million each at this time). Although members can
choose to build their own cabin if they desire, the property
already has a three-bedroom cabin at its entrance and
two two-bedroom ‘glamping’ yurts will be built before the
2018–19 ski season.
There are plans for a 4,65-square-metre lodge with four
bedrooms, lounge and dining areas, a bar, and an outdoor
spa and fire pit, as well as a warming hut on the shores of
the club’s mountain lake.
One membership can include as many as five family
members, and members can invite guests with an adult
member accompanying them. CMC is determined to keep
the area as pristine as possible, and every cabin site will
require use of off-grid utility systems, in line with the club’s
vision of ‘walking softly on the land’.
It’s clear that this little club on a big mountain should not
be a hard sell for anyone who loves adventure and privacy
in equal measure. »INVEST | A piece of paradise