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Letter: Expect more of the same old at Base Village

I arrived in Snowmass in 1970 and thought it was perfect. There have been a few changes since.

The recent change of ownership at Snowmass Base Village replaces one developer with another ­— again. This does not change the basic problem in Snowmass; the community is putting its future in other people’s hands — again. Every developer is going to tell a town that they have their best interests at heart. The developers may actually believe that.

The original developers of Snowmass had a unique and original vision. They left a section of the ski area front and center. They put the lodging and the necessary retail to the sides; “on the beach.” The great skier and resort designer Emile Allais came to Snowmass and pronounced the concept the best design he had ever seen. West Village was to be added to with an East Village and others later.



Have you seen the arrival center? Tacked to the side of a parking garage is something that looks like a poor design for a convenience store at a gas station.

The current hodge-podge is the result of people who put making money ahead of almost anything else, and that is what they are hired to do. What else would you expect? Like the Aspen Highlands base area.




There was a time when people came to Snowmass to ski; not for the “shopping experience.”

But coming to Snowmass to ski raises another important concern. It may be a plot by the Chinese, but there is some talk about something called “global warming.” This may surprise some people, but global warming is not something that may be coming; it is something that is happening. Snowmass has a lot of advantages due to its geographical position, but there is the odd fact that average temperatures are rising faster at the higher latitudes (the arctic), and at higher elevations. This means that the winter window for predictable snowfall and for freezing temperatures is growing smaller.

I believe Snowmass ought to get a grip on the development process and have a “come to Jesus” discussion about their future.

Patrick Hunter

Carbondale