Boulder man says he still hopes to build Pikes Peak ski area

It's been nearly three decades since a ski resort operated on Pikes Peak.

In recent years, through, efforts were made to resurrect skiing on the fourteener that served as the inspiration for "America the Beautiful."

At the center of those plans were Harvey T. Carter, a climbing legend who owned 320 acres on the west side of the peak, and John C. Ball, a Boulder County telecommunications executive and avid skier. After the two struck up conversations about partnering on a ski resort development, Ball established a limited liability company in 2007 and pulled together a business plan to draw the interest of investors in hopes of raising $50 million.

Yet in the five years since the founding of The Resort at Pikes Peak LLC, those development dreams have not had the smoothest of runs.

"It's two steps forward, one step back," said Scott V. Brown, a longtime Telluride businessman and director of The Resort at Pikes Peak.

In addition to the broader financial crisis, which limited investment options, The Resort at Pikes Peak received - and eventually settled - a cease-and-desist order from Colorado's securities division, and the 320 acres became the subject of legal disputes and foreclosure after Carter's death this past spring.

And last month, The Resort at Pikes Peak filed for Chapter 11 protection.

Despite the obstacles, Brown and Ball said they believe The Resort at Pikes Peak has its best opportunity yet to succeed.

"(The Chapter 11) gives us the timeout we need to sort everything out," said Ball, The Resort at Pikes Peak's CEO, in a recent interview with the Camera.

Read the rest of the Daily Camera story to learn why Ball and Brown believe they can make the ski area a reality and why Carter's son filed a lawsuit against them.