During the late 1960’s, the ski industry was booming and new resorts were appearing overnight.
While Silver Creek did not open until the early 1980’s, the idea first came about in 1968. Dr Fred Sinkovits, a Chicago physician, teamed up with Del Webb Development group to purchase 5 large ranches outside the Granby area. The group’s intentions were to construct a new ski resort complete with a golf course, condos, hotels and a reservoir. By the time development plans and approvals were complete during the mid 1970’s, the economy was not favorable to carry forward. The Silver Creek development site sat idle. Years passed, but in 1981 developers Bud Gettle and Kelly Klancke purchased the Silver Creek site and construction plans. The revised development called for over 5,500 condo and hotel rooms to be built. Ski lifts were installed during the summer of 1982. The company, Lift Engineering (Yan), installed two triple chairs: the Exhibition and Conquest; and a beginner double chair, Milestone. Silver Creek’s vertical drop was a modest 1,000 feet.By the mid 1980’s, the Inn at Silver Creek was built. This hotel provided numerous rooms for guest to stay while vacationed at the ski area. Condos were also in the works, just north of the ski hill. By the 1985-86 season, the ski area saw 101,837 skier visits.
Silver Creek Ski Resort
A tragic plane accident in 1986 killed Gettle and Klancke. Without their guidance, the resort quickly fell into financial trouble. Skier visits fell drastically for the 1986-87 season, totaling only 87,217. By 1987, the resort filed for bankruptcy after defaulting on 2.6 million dollar loan. While the ski area continued to operate, its future was uncertain.
A new owner was found in 1989. The Plaza Resources Company, a subsidiary of GEICO Insurance Company, purchased the ski area and paid off all creditors. With the new owner, Silver Creek saw improvements to the snowmaking system and new trails were cut.
Silver Creek’s ownership changed again in 1995. Marise and Celso Cipriani of Brazil purchased the ski area and land for 12 million dollars. The Cipriani family was once owners of Transbrasil Airlines and also owns a major Brazilian meatpacking plant.
The Ciprianis purchased nearby Berthoud Pass Ski Area in 1997, after the tragic death of that ski area’s owner. Marise marketed Berthoud and Silver Creek together, providing ticket holders the ability to ski at both areas under one pass. Berthoud Pass’ skier numbers increased greatly under the Silver Creek team, jumping from 10,795 for the 1997-98 season to over 20,000 the following year.
Silver Creek saw a new high speed quad lift for the 1999-2000 ski season. This Leitner brand lift replaced the Exhibition triple chair. With the expense of marketing Silver Creek, Marise Cipriani filed a lawsuit in December of 2000 claiming that two local businesses were unlawfully using the trademarked Silver Creek name. These businesses included the Silver Meadows development and the Inn at Silver Creek, owned by Resort Management Group, LLC of Granby. Silver Creek Ski Area’s name was changed as a result to Sol Vista. The new name stems from the vast amount of sun in the valley “Sol” and the outstanding views “Vista”. With the new name, local businesses would no longer benefit from free marketing dollars.
Sol Vista Ski Resort
During the summer of 2001, the ski area installed another new lift. The Kicking Horse fixed quad was installed by Leitner and provided ski in/ski out access to new condos north of the main base area.
Sol Vista’s sister ski area, Berthoud Pass, was falling on hard times. With nearby Winter Park and Copper providing “buddy season passes” for less two hundred dollars each, smaller areas like Berthoud and Sol Vista were having a difficult time competing. To address this issue, Cipriani sent a letter to the US Justice Department regarding possible anti-trust violations in the Colorado ski market. With no other options, Berthoud Pass was closed down and reduced to a snow cat operation.
The housing market was still going strong at Sol Vista. The ski area property, through a development deal with Granby, was annexed in 2003. This provided additional water and wastewater agreements, allowing construction to continue.
By 2004, Gerry Engle, developer of the Cordillera in Edwards and Catamount Ranch outside of Steamboat Springs was brought on board to help with Sol Vista’s plans. The ski area and development were re- branded to The Granby Ranch. The ski area’s golf course was upgraded in 2005 to a Jack Nicklaus course. Having a world-class golf course on site provided better opportunities to compete with other developments throughout the Rockies.
