Colorado Ski weeks

We are thinking of purchasing a ski week in Colorado- primarily for our own use for skiing and snowboarding with 2 active kids aged 16 and 11 but would like something that also gets good exchanges. Any thoughts about the exchange potential (or the quality for our own use) of the following resorts:

Celebrity Steamboat Springs
Celebrity Hilltop
Falcon Point
Eagle Point
The Wren

Thanks for your help
Chris

We own at Val Chatelle, a beautiful place close to Breck in Frisco.

It is Silver Crown and we get 45,500 PFD if we choose to convert. It is a two bedroom unit but has a loft with an additional pair of twin beds, so it sleeps 8 privately.

We are able to pull all RCI sightings that are posted on this BBS under "sightings/distressed." I test every time I see the those hard-to-get resorts. We get to Hawaii GC's any time they are available. We own four weeks and our BLUE week is a supertrader and gets us into Hiltons. We were going to give away our BLUE week but have had such great luck getting to Orlando with it, we chose to keep it.

The six units (very small timeshare) are townhouses with private garages, full-sized washer and dryer, gas fireplaces and hot tubs on the decks. The resort is owned by the owners, though our weeks are right to use. Someday, in thirty years or so, the board will choose to sell these units and we will make some big bucks for our four weeks. The real estate value in Summit County is increasing quickly. Buying resale timeshare is a bargain because the value of the property is so much more than the resales by the week would indicate. Our units are worth about $400K right now, but you can buy ski weeks for $3K.

Have you thought about winter park? Best skiing in colorado... at least according to the locals. The town is livening up a bit also. We own Twin Rivers and have stayed at Indian Peaks. Twin rivers is nicer, but we also liked Indian Peaks during ski season becuase of the jacuzzi in the unit entryway. I was suprised the whole unit did not smell like chlorine, but we were so sore from skiing it would have been worth it!

Thanks

I will look into these other options. If we are primarily looking at mid-March for timing is one location preferable over others at that time of year.Thanks-

chris209 said:

If we are primarily looking at mid-March for timing is one location preferable over others at that time of year.

Click to expand...

Not really.

I am a board member at Twin Rivers. The resort is pretty nice.

I got on the board because I have issues with the other board members and the management company. I have not been happy with our increases in MF's, but they are still just $504 for a two bedroom and $552 for a three bedroom. The thing that has bothered me is their inability to foresee problems and plan for them. We have paid large amounts of money to fix things that should have been kept up. They also have the largest bedroom with twin beds and the smaller bedroom with a queen. I want a king bed! As a board member, newly appointed, I have no say in anything because the old timers are the voices and I am a burden to them. I have very different opinions and am a very experienced timeshare owner, so I know more, but they do not value my opinions at all.

I don't know if I can recommend my own resort to people who ask. We have pretty good trade power because we own ski week #1, a two-bedroom, and the week before July, which is a three-bedroom unit. The resort exchanges with II and we use Marriotts in Orlando every single trade, plus we get a bonus week for ski week #1.

The units are very clean, there are two hottubs in the clubhouse, which is the only amenity. There are no washer/dryers in the units, though there is a laundry center in the clubhouse. We own two weeks at Twin Rivers and four at Val Chatelle. That makes sense because I am twice as happy with VC as I am with TR.

If you have questions about Twin Rivers, I would be happy to answer. I know everything there is to know. The fees are high now because of the recent improvements we have made, which have included huge improvements to the kitchens: new cabinets, granite counters, etc. and new Trex decks that are very nice.

Winter Park ski area is not as popular as those on I-70, so most dismiss TR as a resort. I think it is one of the nicest in Colorado, but it has no amenities. I think of the mountains and all of the activities that you can do for free as a great amenity, but most want pools, private hot tubs, etc. TR doesn't have those, but you can get weeks cheap. Go to www.twinrivers.org for more information and cheap resales. Most people who are selling will take less than the prices listed. Buy 51,52, 1-12 only. Everything else is green or white and will not trade as well. These are fixed weeks.

Cindy - I don't own at Val Chatelle III but trade in there as often as I can. The units are great; Frisco is a neat town; and you are somewhat equidistant to Keystone, Breckenridge and Copper Mountain.

GEORGE

I highly recommend Steamboat Springs but I don't recommend Celebrity Resorts because I own Celebrity Resorts Orlando and have not been happy with their management.
You might want to consider Worldmark. They have a resort in Steamboat Springs, two in Whistler, one near Mt. Bachelor Oregon, and several in other ski areas. When you buy Worldmark credits, you can vacation at any of their resorts at any time of the year (if you book far enough in advance) See the choices under "Resort Gallery" at www.worldmarktheclub.com Worldmark also trades well through II and RCI.
As for March, it's the "snowiest" month in Steamboat. It can also be very busy with spring-breakers and sometimes gets warm enough to cause "spring skiing" conditions. A spring-break week in Steamboat ought to have excellent trading power.

I like the Falcoln Point

I like the Falcon Point and find that you can often get great deals on ebay for Falcon Point units. It sits next to the Sheraton Mountainside in Avon and the Lakeside Terrace in Avon. It recently underwent rennovation and is a friendly and well run resort. Funtime

No one has talked about what weeks are best. Is that not important in your decision? Are you looking at floating weeks?

I would recommend Marriott Streamside at Vail (Evergreen, Birch, Cedar or Douglas only) as you would get a decent resort in the Marriott system with the Marriott trading preference in II ---- if it weren't for the very high maintenance fees. Good location for skiing Vail with a free shuttle to the ski area. For instance, our summer week 27 Birch studio (sleeps 3) for which we paid $1700 plus an $800 assessment now has a maintenance fee of $504, and the ski weeks are much higher -- in the $1,000-$2,000 range for 1-2 bedroom ski weeks. But I'll bet you could a good deal on one ... there is controversy whether Marriott will stay with the resort, but they signed a contract for 5 more years, I think. We have traded back into the resort for a 1 bedroom spring break ski week twice with our summer week (including this year), and at least our maintenance fee has been a lot less than a ski week.
I have also heard that the Wren has high maintenance fees. It has a good location in Vail. Falcon Point sounds like a good possibility--it's near Beaver Creek and Vail for skiing. Also Twin Rivers for the maintenance fees. Also, Christie Lodge in Avon ski weeks go for a song, with maintenance fees around $500 the last I heard. Stayed in Christie Lodge once - didn't care for the realy small bedrooms that are located on the wall adjoining the courtyards, which made it noisy at night.

Sorry - I meant to include Birch in the Marriotts in the first sentence, not Aspen. As discussed below Aspen is coming under VRI management, and there might be good deals on those.

Aspen building will be managed by VRI, come May. Cedar will be the next to go, IMHO. Birch has acquiesced to a renovation of their renovation, and already have elevators. Cedar is up the hill and has nearly the same floor plans as Aspen, so they can go. Marriott only needs three of the five buildings to keep their management contract.

Birch would be my recommendation if you want a cheap Marriott. Marriott will do honest work to keep Birch happy so as to keep the majority for as long as they want it.

Aspen might be a good buy, because the specials over the next few years probably will total only $2,000 and you may be able to get one for nearly nothing. VRI exchangers will rate them on the newly renovated building and Vail, and Aspen may soon be a gold or silver crown again. Marriott exchangers will never be happy at any of the Steamside buildings. (See the reviews). The clubhouse may or may not be an asset. It's one of the best in Colorado, but I think it will be converted to a Marriott 7-Eleven, a spa, and a beauty shop. The activities already are nearly a memory.

Birch studios are among the best anywhere. The have a full kitchen and a comfortable Murphy bed. The third person is on a sofa bed. I would call it a full kitchen, even though the appliances are small, because it has a full set of appliances and a separate cooking area. The stove may have three burners (it's been a decade since we stayed there) but that's one per person!

Maintenance fees, which have historically been low, will never be that way again, as Marriott attempts to make a silk purse into a sow's ear, or, as others may see it, vice versa. Either way, it's expensive.

We own a 2BR ski week at Eagle Point and a 1BR Streamside Birch ski week that we're currently listing on eBay because we'd like to trade up to a 2BR unit with Marriott as well.

I'd highly recommend both resorts (and respectully disagree strongly with folks who say the best skiing in Colorado is to be found at Winter Park) but they're very different places.

Eagle Point has a low initial purchase price (you can sometimes get a 1BR ski week for under $1,000 on eBay if you keep an eye out, 2BR for around $4,000) and low annual fees (about $600 for our 2BR unit). They've done a nice refurb on the units within the last few years and folks are generally surprised how nice they are inside. The staff is fantastically friendly.

But it is an older property that is somewhat limited by its physical plant. When we pulled up for the first time, my wife's reaction was "Oh boy, this sure isn't the Marriott ..." but she came to like the place. There's no denying though that it's not a bells-and-whistles kind of property. Oh, and the twin beds in the second bedroom are truly twin beds.

Streamside Birch -- and I'm only talking about Birch here, not the other Streamside units -- has been refurbed as close as possible to Marriott-built standards. The furnishings are all top-notch, gas fireplace with granite tiles around it, granite countertops, etc. The units are beautiful. The clubhouse will undergo a renovation this coming year and was quite nice even before that. They've invested in new shuttles and the shuttle runs to Vail all day and into the night (unlike Eagle Point, which has limited day service and no night service).

A Birch unit will also trade much better with Interval, obviously, than an Eagle Point unit.

But the initial purchase price is higher (probably $5,000 for a fixed February/March 1BR, double for a 2BR) and the annual fees are almost double Eagle Point's (although I do expect them to come down, they were jacked up this year so Birch could pay for a sprinkler upgrade and its share of the clubhouse renovation without an accessment).

Hope that helps. I track every Avon/Vail/Breck ski auction on eBay, so if you need some current pricing info, send me a PM.

I had a few emails from people asking me about the MF's at Twin Rivers

So I need to clarify that the current fees INCLUDE the assessments for another four years. So $552 for a three bedroom, $504 for a two bedroom is very cheap. I expect them to go down to $450 and $410 or so in four years, when the units interiors will be completely new. If you are seeing resales on ebay or on the resort's site at www.twinrivers.org you need to know that those fees are not going to stay high forever.

Winter Park skiing is actually better, according to the many skiers I know. Our sons and their friends always go to WP because the skiing is less expensive and there are more blue and black runs there. The air is drier, the snow is powdery and doesn't ice up and it is colder, so it sticks around longer. Also, the area is not as commercialized, so food is cheaper. (Our SIL and our daughter just love Copper Mountain near Breck and ski every weekend.) Things are going to change at WP, however, when the developer that just took over the management from the city of Denver, which owned that property for years. Twin Rivers management company keeps insisting that the value of Twin Rivers will skyrocket when that happens. I will believe it when I see it. He put in the newsletter, that can be accessed through the above website, that prices are expected to double. I am thinking NOT! That would be a strange trend.

Bought at Falcon Point

Thanks to everyone for all the info. I ended up buying a 1 bdrm winter floating week at Falcon Point on e-bay- price was very good (under $800) so I figured I couldn't lose and the reviews all seemed pretty good! Any thoughts on how the skiing is pre-Christmas vs mid -March? How do you all think this unit will trade? Thanks
Chris

To Repeat What I Said Somewhere Yesterday

The night before last on the news, in covering the snowstorm along I-70 in Kansas and Colorado, they said that March is the month with the most snowfall in Colorado.

I also understand that the last couple of Marches have been kinda weak.

Our Weeks 10 and 11 have done well. 11 and 52 being the top weeks in the rental program.

Incidentally, Falcon Point and Eagle Point are run by the same folks. As I said earlier, good staff, very attentive.

If you look at Interval's demand chart for Colorado, which I think is pretty accurate, weeks 7, 10, 11 and 12 have the highest demand possible under the II ratings system.

Weeks 5 and 9 have the second-highest demand possible.

Week 8 has the third-highest demand, and weeks 1, 6 and 13 are also high demand.

Everything else is pretty low demand.

The skiing is best right now

There is more snow right now than any other. Timeshares that are white/yellow spring weeks often are the best weeks for snow, like this year, but it is not always the case. Some years it is dry at this time of the year because though we get more snow, it melts quickly because the air is warmer. Also, that dry powder becomes slushy and icy when the temps are warmer.

We have lived in Colorado all of our lives and are always amazed at Colorado's ever-changing weather, though never surprised. We have been to Fraser in July and had six inches of snow in the morning, when we climbed out of bed. All we brought with us were summer clothes, so the kids built a snowman in the summer, wearing shorts. That is just how strange the weather is here.

We drove through Vail in January about ten years ago, on our way back from California, and the slopes were dry, the sun was shining, it was shirt-sleeve weather. Though that was a major draught year for the state, we have experienced that weather in the dead of winter a few years since. You just never know.