Tahoe homes go from doorstep to ski slope in seconds

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Ski bunnies who can afford a home along with their season lift tickets have a new option in North Lake Tahoe: Hit the slopes as soon as they step off their back doorstep. Billed as ‘California’s only true ski-in, ski-out community,’ Northstar Mountainside Residences is a development of 16 town homes and 25 custom home sites, all of which are built mid-mountain with immediate access to the slopes through a system of ski ways, bridges and tunnels. The design echoes the concept of pedestrian communities -- places where people live near where they seek relaxation and entertainment. This time, however, instead of a condo built within walking distance of shops, the plan calls for homes within skiing distance of the slopes.

‘You can literally walk out your door, put your skis on and take off,’ said Jim Telling, a partner with East West Partners in Avon., Colo., developer of Northstar Mountainside. ‘At the end of the day, you can literally ski back to your door. There’s no real walking involved.’

The town homes in the Home Run development start at $1.6 million and have floor plans with up to five bedrooms, five baths and 3,200 square feet. Home Run refers to the ski run situated alongside the houses. Construction began in 2011 and will be complete this spring. The home sites in the development known as the Glades are priced from $775,000 to $2.6 million. The Glades homes will be built on the Timberline and Glades ski ways. Both development areas also have roadway access.

‘We equate this to beachfront because whether you’re in Florida or California or Hawaii, beachfront commands a premium versus being a quarter mile away from the beach,’ Telling said, adding that East West Partners has built similar ski-in, ski-out properties in Vail, Colo., and Park City, Utah.

-- Susan Carpenter