Surf Idaho? That may be next season’s new motto for skiers and snowboarders in the know. SKI Magazine Rates Silver Mountain Resort as one of “Skiing’s Biggest Secrets” and the resort is bringing the best of wave riding and indoor family waterpark fun to its high-country home in the Northern Rockies. The Silver Rapids development is the only indoor waterpark at ski resorts in the West and marks a growing trend among resorts transforming themselves into all-season destinations.
Expected to open in late 2007, Silver Rapids is a brand-new facility housing in excess of 42,000 square feet of the latest aquatic attractions for all kids and adults alike. The stand out attraction of Silver Rapids is the FlowRider Surf Wave on which families will be able to hit the slopes during the day and then surf giant waves anytime. Around 60,000 gallons per minute of surging water is released into the FlowRider’s wave box, combining the thrills of surfing, skateboarding and snowboarding in a safe environment.
A all year, indoor attraction, Silver Rapids is the first of its kind at any ski resort in the West. Silver Rapids will also include a themed multi-level play structure topped with a giant tipping bucket and water features, body and tube slides, a lazy river, family raft slide and two children’s activity areas. Furthermore, in addition to the indoor waterpark, Silver Mountain Resort is currently building over 200 sold-out condos and an upscale golf course community around a championship course to complete its all-season attractions.
“Silver Rapids marks the next phase in the resort’s development from a historic mining operation in Idaho to the latest concept in year-round destinations for outdoor and indoor sports,” explains Jeff Colburn, general manager of Silver Mountain Resort, which is a JELD-WEN® Community. “Silver Mountain will soon offer everything that vacationing families have come to expect from a true destination resort anywhere in the country.”
Revitalizing the Silver Valley
The Silver Valley has always stumbled upon its own success. In the 1880s, the Bunker Hill Lode was discovered by accident when prospector Noah Kellogg’s borrowed jackass kicked a shiny rock that turned out to be galena lead, which led Kellogg to discover silver in the area. Now, the region has discovered a new way to sustainable prosperity.
Just 15 minutes from the Montana state line and 45 minutes from Spokane, Wash., Idaho’s Silver Valley has attracted skiers and outdoor enthusiasts since the 1960s, when Kellogg, Idaho, was known as the Jackass Ski Bowl. Now, the Silver Valley is a mecca for downhill skiers and snowboarders in winter and hikers, mountain bikers and boaters in summer. Blue-ribbon fishing spots and pristine boating areas abound in the region’s rivers. Enjoying this annual cycle of cold- and warm-weather outdoor sports is a hallmark of the Northern Rockies lifestyle.
The Silver Valley’s world-class recreational opportunities remained somewhat secret, especially when Kellogg fell on economic hard times with the decline of lead, silver and zinc mining in the region. But within the last five years, outsiders have discovered that it’s still possible to get in on the ground floor of a growing resort town in the West.
The accessibility of Idaho’s Silver Valley, the variety of recreational activities and the scenic beauty of the area motivated Silver Mountain Resort’s parent company, JELD-WEN, to invest in the region’s development. JELD-WEN is best known as the world’s leading manufacturer of reliable windows and doors. It is also a highly successful developer of destination resorts in up-and-coming areas of the Northwest and Mexico. The company acquired the Silver Valley ski area in 1996 and immediately saw the potential.
“Since then, the town of Kellogg has really started booming,” says Ray Chapman, an author and local historian who has seen the town go from boom to bust and to boom again. “Things are much more upbeat because of what’s happening with Silver Mountain.”
One measure of the region’s revitalization is the demand for vacation homes. At Silver Mountain Resort, three successive phases of condominium offerings have all sold out, from $200,000 studios to $800,000 penthouses. Beyond the resort, a local hotel recently unveiled plans for a makeover, and other real estate development firms plan additional condo and residential neighborhoods. This boom seems to be just beginning.
“Newcomers who are choosing Kellogg over Vail or Park City are seeing the chance to buy property on the ground floor of a very successful resort area,” adds Neal Scholey, sales manager of Silver Mountain Resort’s Morning Star Lodge. “They like the authentic architectural style of the Lodge and see that a trusted name, JELD-WEN, is backing the development. As for things to do, the Silver Valley sells itself.”
Environmental and Economic Benefits
Silver Mountain Resort has also made tremendous strides in recovering, protecting and preserving the surrounding environment. The resort is developing the Galena Ridge golf course community around an 18-hole championship course. The community is nestled in a reforested area that overlooks the valley and is surrounded by two million white pine trees.
About Silver Mountain Resort Rated by Ski Magazine as one of “Skiing’s Biggest Secrets,” Silver Mountain Resort is taking the next step in an exciting evolution to a multi-season destination resort. One of the most respected companies in the Pacific Northwest is leading Silver Mountain’s historic transformation. JELD-WEN Communities enjoy a proven track record of creating successful resorts in Washington, Oregon and Idaho and are committed to the vision of the new, year-round attractions at Silver Mountain Resort.
Located right off northern Idaho’s I-90, Silver Mountain Resort is easily one of the nation’s most accessible four-season destinations. The resort’s Gondola Base Lodge is only one quarter-mile off the highway, an hour’s drive east from downtown Spokane, Wash. Offering 1,600 acres and 67 trails of varying terrain, over 300 inches of snowfall annually, and over 2,200 vertical feet of the region’s finest skiing and snowboarding, Silver Mountain Resort also serves as a popular summer destination for world-class mountain biking, scenic rides on the world’s longest gondola, concerts and cool alpine escapes to a high-mountain playground.
For more information, visit www.silvermt.com or call 800-204-6428.
Contacts
Silver Mountain Resort
Stephen Lane, 208-783-1512
stephenl@jeld-wencommunities.com
or
CMD
Julie Yamamoto, 503-223-6794
jyamamoto@cmdagency.com