New Big Mountain plan has merit
You've probably heard the catch phrase "Go big or stay home." That all-or-nothing sentiment might work for some things in life, but rarely is life that black and white.
Winter Sports Inc. had a plan to go big. Now, the corporation's directors are rethinking how big Big Mountain should be. Their conclusion is that bigger is not always better, and they've rolled up their sleeves to develop a more modest master plan than the $300 million blueprint that real-estate partner Hines had for the ski resort.
When Hines announced in July it was parting ways with Winter Sports to focus on the commercial development it's famous for, it didn't take Winter Sports long to begin reshaping the master plan with smaller buildings and fewer condominium units.
Phew, what a relief.
The Whitefish business community embraced Hines' grandiose plan when the real-estate giant unveiled it in early 2001. People believed it would create business opportunities galore and said the resort's master plan from the 1960s anticipated such an upscale resort.
But many longtime residents said Big Mountain would become "Aspenized" and feared Hines' plan would be the end of small-town Whitefish as they know it.
It makes a lot of sense to have a scaled-back master plan that keeps development moving forward at a more modest pace and a more modest size.
Winter Sports Chief Executive Officer Fred Jones, who relocated from Park City, Utah, to Whitefish earlier this year, said the scale of buildings now envisioned in the village area will be the size of Kintla Lodge, not the size of the towering Morning Eagle Lodge built on Hines' watch.
Jones' goal of focusing on skier services and taking care of skiers as they arrive on the mountain is refreshing. He sees the need to develop real estate to ensure the financial viability of Big Mountain, but he also seems to realize that excessive upscale development doesn't fit with what locals want for their ski resort or what most visitors want and expect.
His observation that Big Mountain appeals to a different group of visitors than those who frequent the glitzy Aspen and Vail, Colo., resorts, is right on the money. Part of Big Mountain's appeal is that it's a small ski resort with a comfortable, laid-back atmosphere. That atmosphere was bound to be diminished in the shadow of Hines' grandeur.
We have a good feeling about the direction the Winter Sports board appears to be taking the resort, and with Jones at the helm, we're confident they'll find the right degree of bigness for Big Mountain.