Backcountry getaways
Posted By Admin on January 2, 2012
EAGLE COUNTY, Colorado Besides more snow, mountain people want something just as simple: more mountains. And many Vail Valley residents are finding creative ways to experience mountain landscapes in remote getaways that put them closer to the reasons why they love this area in the first place.
Edwards resident Kurt Kincel has spent the last seven years slowly building a mountain retreat in the Tennessee Pass area, a 40-minute drive upvalley from his primary home. When he bought a 4-acre mining claim and the 400-square-foot structure that sat on it, he knew hed have many, many weekends of projects ahead of him.
The cabin on the property was an uninsulated shell, a frame-only structure with a concrete floor and a few small windows. But Kincel, who owns a landscaping business and is a part-time ski guide for Paragon Guides, saw potential in the place and its surroundings.
I grew up in upstate New York, where having a cabin is just part of the culture, he said. And even though I technically live in the mountains, I wanted to have a place where I could escape the crowds to ski in the backcountry and hang out with friends.
But what Kincel has found in this place goes deeper than that.
In contrast to his fast-paced summer landscaping business, Kincels cabin projects unfold on a sliding schedule. Last winter, when the snow started falling, he abandoned a timber-frame sauna project and took advantage of the good skiing conditions. With the help of Fiddler Creek Companys Greg Dennis, Kincel worked on the sauna slowly over the summer and just lit up the wood stove, so now its ready this winter instead.
Kincels cabin, which lacks electricity and running water, has become a place where he can slow down and enjoy the high-country views from his deck.
This place reminds me that I dont really need all that much to be happy, he said.
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