Concept

The Basics

Elev 8150’ will be an adventure destination for travelers interested in exploring the Flint Creek/Pintler mountains overlooking Discovery Ski Resort and Georgetown Lake, Montana. The Elev 8150’ concept is to provide a small bistro-style restaurant, Airbnb, and tiny house village catering to backcountry skiing, mountain biking, snowmobiling, and 4x4 activities.

CONCEPT VIBE

Elev 8150’ wants to inject soul into the personal adventure of traveling off the beaten trail, capturing the spirit of the men and women that braved the harsh 1800s remote Montana wilderness and the bonds they created in their quest for adventure.

Today the new gold rush is the pursuit of untouched powder, a private wildlife encounter, or a relaxing ride along a trail. Guest creating instant bonds with fellow adventurers sitting beside a warm fire, realizing the old west still calls.

We are breaking away from the new “perfected art” of today’s recreational pre-packaged “over-refined” travel and replacing it with the soul of a true exploration of wild America.

Elev 8150’ wants its visitors to reimagine mountain life from the haunted memories of old mining camps, presidios, saloons, and military forts. Travelers contemplate that even today, the human spirit of adventure lives.

Mission Statement

Elev8150’ would like to earn the privilege of being added to Montana’s ever growing population of outdoor destination properties. Montana has a unique way of sharing its wonderful outdoor paradise to the world, and Elev8150’ wants to add to that rugged charm.

ELEV8150’ BACKCOUNTRY CONCEPT VIBE

First Page Rehash

Backcountry Skiing - Elev8150’

In the last five years, Alpine touring (backcountry skiing) has seen explosive growth. Starting in 2019, backcountry ski gear sales have had rocketed success across the country, increasing during the pandemic. According to freeskier.com, there are around 14.3 million skiers in the United States, with an estimated 701,000 thousand currently investing in backcountry touring. The main reason for this extreme growth is the continued rising cost of traditional alpine skiing. The expense of lodging, ski rentals, lessons, and food has started squeezing out all but the wealthy, causing 25 to 34-year-olds to devise creative alternatives.

Alpine touring has excellent cost savings allowing skiers to buddy up with friends to share expenses. Friends sharing transportation costs enjoying days of untracked powder in remote winter wonderlands.

The dream of backcountry skiing sounds excellent on paper, but the reality can differ. Unlike Europe, which has been alpine touring for years, the United States has very little infrastructure. For the most part, a typical ski resort's luxury, amenities, and built-in safety mechanisms are far from any remote mountain top.

On a typical day for a backcountry skier, the day starts with a 4 to 5 am wake-up time, hoping the rest of the group shows up and doesn't sleep in. The crew driving in the possible dark hours to an untracked mountain zone, checking avalanches and weather reports while desperately hoping to find safe parking, jumping out to ski uphill several miles on skins, carrying survival gear and food, hoping that all your "friends'" skills levels and endurance match. Big rewards as you crest a summit knowing that after all that work, planning, and expense, you might get one run in due to the short winter days. Mother Nature isn't sitting on her laurels in those mere blissful moments of nirvana. Mother Nature has been waiting for extreme outdoor conditions, with her coup de grace being the ever-feared deadly avalanche. Most epic days are planned without outside emergency agencies even knowing where a group might be skiing, let alone being able to quickly mitigate a rescue during a day that's gone wrong.

Elev8150’s business model solves local to Montana backcountry skiers some of the woes of this explosively expanding sport while still keeping the heart of the experience intact. A waiting warm, safe destination already high in the mountains kicks that 5 am morning wake-up call out the door. Quite quickly, a list develops of why Elev8150 makes backcountry skiing viable as a growing activity:

1. Warm Food - having a meeting place on the mountain to recharge and refuel during laps.

2. Apres & Nightlife - meeting more people of different levels of skiing than just your local "crew". Elev8150' would like to create a nostalgic yesteryear environment when skiing was as social as carving turns.

3. Warm Bed to Sleep In - allowing skiers to wake up on top of the mountain, with the possibility of deep powder less than two feet and seconds from your front door.

4. A Bit Safer - with snowmobiles and snowcats on site, a local staff that understands terrain and conditions. A non-elite skier can enjoy his backcountry ski gear investment without the constant fear of lacking support. Dangers will always exist, but having people who live on the mountain knowing that you're out there puts the advantage in your corner.

5. Great for Beginners - Backcountry skiers just entering the sport can practice gaining confidence without the exposure to the full wrath of Mother Nature. Taking on terrain challenges without being completely alone, knowing a warm bowl of soup and a smiling local knows you exist.

6. Family - The business model opens the door to an entire family participating. With the most experienced family members taking on multiple epic steep powder runs, others could enjoy resting at the observation deck or conquering less aggressive terrain. With a local meeting place and constant ski radio communication, nobody feels left out or a buzz kill to others. An added benefit to Elev8150's location is our proximity to Discovery Ski Resort, allowing family guests not quite ready for a backcountry experience or experience members needing a warmup. Discovery Ski Resort is a short snowcat or snowmobile ride down the mountain, leaving endless possibilities.

7. The Cost - Paying for as little as a room to stay in and transportation to get there, the overall cost of a great ski experience is back in reach of most cash-strapped enthusiasts.

8. The Environment - Sadly, alpine skiing isn't the greatest in the environment. The concept of backcountry skiing that promotes ungroomed slopes and frowns on cutting trees seems to be going in the right direction. Elev8150' to exist, has to incorporate every sustainable trick in the book. Water conservation, heating, garbage, human waste, transportation efficiency, and electricity production, not a single aspect of our existence up on the peak isn't planned to extreme efficiency. 

9. Exclusiveness - By design Elev8150' will always be a very private resort. For backcountry skiers, this means trackless powder, grand views, and 60000 acres of Montana's playground. Our footprint on the mountain will always stay relativity small. It would not be cost-effective to transport a large staff, bring in daily supplies, and take back down garbage without taking a toll on the enjoyment of the mountain by others.

The Ultimate Dream

The ultimate dream is to inspire more like-minded entrepreneurs to create a network of similar destinations throughout the Rocky Mountains in the western United States. Entrepreneurs can give an alternative to expensive alpine skiing and expand a diversified terrain portfolio accessed by beginner and expert backcountry skiers. Promoting a natural, eco-friendly journey into the high country that Mother Nature controls, not corporate profits and snow-making machines. Don’t get me wrong. I love Breckenridge, Vail, and Jackson Hole, and given a chance, I would still ski these modern American institutions. On the other hand, being alone on a wind-blown ridgeline deep in Montana’s wilderness without a ski track in site creates a one-and-only breathless experience.

Snowmobiling - Elev8150’

History

The Anaconda Snowmobile Club has a long history spanning several decades in the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest. The Anaconda Snowmobile Club's trail system has, managed over the years, expanded large enough to touch both Deer Lodge and Granite County. The club regularly grooms 120 miles of routes between December 15 and April 1. These routes are called The Red Lion Snowmobile Trail System. These groomed trails pass by places such as Fred Burr Pass, Warm Springs Creek and Granite, with a route that takes one back to Georgetown Lake. There are also several unmarked trails with a few play areas nearby. The Forest Service and Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks cooperate with the Anaconda Snowmobile Club to keep these trails open.

The Reality

Elev8150’ could not exist or operate if the Anaconda Snowmobile Club hadn’t spent years developing The Red Lion Road to Showers Lake portion of this trail system. The Red Lion to Showers Lake trail system cuts Elev8150’s property in half 10 miles above Georgetown Lake and Discovery Ski Resort, creating an artery of snowmobile traffic. The benefit of having this group local to Elev8150’ is the amount of knowledge this club brings to the area and the expertise that matches that knowledge. Having some of the most seasoned Montana outdoor enthusiasts recreating in our mountain area adds a layer of awareness, familiarity, and safety unprecedented for a beginner new to the backcountry experience. The Anaconda Snowmobile Club updates its members yearly on Avalanche awareness, safety, and recovery techniques through a once-a-year class. The history of Montana’s winter backcountry experience was first explored through recreation by snowmobilers, and without them, the mountain peaks would not be easily accessible.