Townhouse Under the Jay Cloud

During a ski season that's given many of us in North America a below normal amount of snow, here's one that's totally snow-covered right now.  I spent this past weekend in Quebec just a short distance from and with a view of Jay Peak, Vermont.  It snowed almost all weekend dumping about 2 ft. on us and dumping even more than that on Jay (giving Jay nearly 5 ft. this week alone).  So the Ski House of the Day is this slope-side ski-in ski-out townhouse that's all about the snow since it is at Jay Peak:

(This picture is not from this weekend, but it surely looks like this right now anyway).  The bright, spacious townhouse seems very comfortable, and is pretty typical of several others I've been in at Jay.  Very nice, but really it's all about the snow at Jay, so I'd say its slope-side location is the big thing about this house. (By the way, this townhouse is for rent and it looks like they might even throw in some lift tickets).

Wow - it even has a sauna:

Jay Peak gets the largest annual snowfall of any ski area in Eastern North American with an average of 355 inches snowfall.  (During the 2007-08 season Jay Peak got 419 inches).   Why does Jay get more than anywhere else in the East?  I think it's because of the legendary Jay Cloud.  I've seen it many times before, and I'm happy to report that the Jay Cloud is still alive and well;  in fact I saw it yesterday.  When that 2 ft.+ snowfall had stopped and the sun was shining brightly all around the area,  I got a good look at Jay from a distance, and there it was...that distinctive big white-grey cloud still hovering over just Jay Peak (and no doubt still dumping)!  Like Jay Peak, today's ski house is all about the snow...and is under the Jay Cloud.

Bode Miller's Ski House

The Ski House of the Day is Bode Miller's ski house at Bretton Woods, NH.  Bode Miller, who was born and raised in rural New Hampshire (in a log cabin without electricity or indoor plumbing!), won 5 medals in the winter Olympics (the most of any US skier), including his Gold in Vancouver 2010.  His ski house has some really interesting features such as a tree trunk that seems to be growing up out of the living room floor, angular architecture, open staircase, hot tub with a view of the slopes, fireplace in the master bedroom, and private balcony off the master.  (Unfortunately, the photos are no longer availabel). The Bode Miller ski house is located about 3 minutes from the slopes of Bretton Woods (where, by the way, you can ski on "Bode's Run" ), and about 20 miles from Cannon (where Bode spent his early years skiing).

This efficient kitchen in his house looks like a nice place to prepare a healthy skiers breakfast (maybe something local and organic...like Bode's breakfast) before hitting the slopes.

Bode Miller is known for his spectacular ski racing ability as well as his largely unconventional approach on and off the slopes; so some might find his ski house (which is inviting and even family friendly, rather than unconventional) to be a bit of a surprise.  (You might also want to check out Bode Miller's Turtle Ridge Foundation to support adaptive and youth sports programs).  Bode Miller's Bretton Woods house looks like a great ski house, with direct connections to Olympic gold, and owned by someone who is considered "the most accomplished ski racer of his generation."

Ultimate Whitefish Ski Home

The Ski House of the Day is the ultimate mountain home in Whitefish Mountain, Montana.  Ski-in ski-out doesn't get any better than this:




This gorgeous ski home, decorated in stunning Western decor, has 7 bedrooms, 10 bathrooms, 3 fireplaces, a full theater, an elevator, and more:












I love the collection of vintage wooden skis on display in this ski house:


This outdoor hot tub (and stone seating area and table) is breathtaking...what a spectacular spot for apres-ski!




This is a truly magnificent ski house;  but among all its splendor the one thing that tipped me off to the fact this house really is for skiers is...this unbelievable ski locker room...


...with slate flooring to catch the snow, a floor drain to keep the floor dry, big sturdy benches so everyone can get their boots on quickly, tons of space to hang coats (and to efficiently group coats and pants according to their respective owners to avoid early morning confusion), other storage spaces including mesh baskets to allow wet gloves to air dry,



plus a large boot dryer on the wall:



And here's the icing on the cake of this ski locker room:  it is even humidity controlled!
(so I'm guessing it even smells as nice as it looks).  Yes, it's the ultimate ski home, indeed.

Tasmanian Ski Lodge

Some ski houses are just about the snow, and here's a unique example of that.  The Ski House of the Day (if you can find it) is the Zermatt Lodge in Tasmania:

The remote lodge is located at the highest residential elevation in Tasmania (an Australian island and state), and is inside the Ben Lomand National Park with its Ben Lomond Ski Fields.  The park contains the island's second highest peak at approximately 5,150 ft.

This remote little ski house has just the basics:  a fireplace, a generator, and one bedroom (a bunkroom for 6)...



...so it's not for everyone;  but it is unique, way out there, with a blanket of snow (at least at times), and views of the surrounding mountains:


And by the way, watch out for the Tasmanian Devil!   (According to the national park, the Tasmanian Devil is the world's largest surviving carnivorous marsupial, nocturnal and with a spine-tingling screech!).

Maine's Ski Esta

Here's a house for skiers who really want to pamper themselves.  The Ski House of the Day is a posh new castle-like mansion near the ski slopes of Sunday River, Maine, called Ski Esta.


This ski house is equipped with lavish rooms and features including a turret tower with spiral steps leading up to a rooftop deck with outstanding views;  by the way, that rooftop deck is the location of one of the multiple outdoor hot tubs here!
The impressive interior has numerous ways to pamper any skier, too.  Below are just a few of them:













Check out the floor medallion in the rec room:


...and this stunning granite sink in the rec room bath:





Nice sauna for apres-ski:


Check out the level of detail of the bench seating in the steam shower:



...or maybe you'd prefer this steam shower:


Or maybe the somewhat larger steam room:


Indoor pool, anyone?


Okay, here's a feature that I must say, I've never seen in a ski house, but wow, could I use that on my aching feet after a day in ski boots...it's a foot spa:


(There's no photo of it, but the house also has a ski room complete with ski-pegs and boot-warmer;  and Ski Esta even allows for dog pampering too, with its very own dog shower!).  The ways to pamper yourself in this place seem to be simply endless.



And the view from the rooftop hot tub of this ski house is pretty sweet, too.  Feeling pampered enough yet?

Presidential Ski House

Today is President's Day, and while I have no indication that George Washington or Abraham Lincoln were skiers, I do know of one more recent president who was...President Gerald Ford.
The Ski House of the Day is President Ford's former ski house in Beaver Creek, Colorado:

So how did a president come to have a ski house in this location anyway?
During his presidency (1974-77), Ford had a condo at Vail, and was a frequent skier there (Vail 1974):

But around that time Beaver Creek, Vail's sister resort just 7 miles down the road, was being developed.  In 1979, the year before Beaver Creek opened, President Ford was offered first choice of the ski-in ski-out lots there -- as a gift.  This presidential house sits on the lot he selected.  The former president and his wife moved into this house in 1983.  (The house was listed for sale for $9.8 million).

Although it's been renovated since President Ford skied and lived here (until his passing at age 93 in 2006) here's a rare opportunity to see inside the ski house of a President:

I love this indoor pool which President Ford is said to have used on a daily basis until he was in his 90's!...

...and elegant wine cellar:

World leaders and other US Presidents have been guests in this house, and I can't help wondering how many of them put on their skis with President Ford and went out back for a ski run or two on "President Ford's Run," the trail right out back.  With historical significance, this elegant ski house is very presidential indeed.