The Timeshare Beat
September 4, 2001
Beginning a 10-year, $60 million expansion plan that will convert a northern Michigan ski resort to a full-blown
mountain village resort, Crystal Mountain is working on the new Kinlochen Lodge & Clubhouse, a quartershare
fractional project. The 27,000 sq. ft. project will serve as the southern portal for the new pedestrian village,
offering 12 one-of-a-kind condominiums for sale at a starting price of $84,900. The price includes unlimited skiing
and golf along with luxury amenities and services.
This will be the resort's newest vacation ownership offering, with the Crystal Mountain Resort offering more traditional deeded-weeks timeshare as an RCI Gold Crown Resort (#5768). Units available here are in the elegant Mountain Top units, three-story, 2000 sq. ft. luxury residences with three bedrooms and three baths. Special features include a four-season sun room, slope/trail side deck and gas-log fireplace, plus a large whirlpool tub in the master bedroom. Phase II presales are now underway.
The new Kinlochen Lodge building, designed after a Scottish castle called Kinlochaline, will also house all
golfer services, a year-round restaurant and bar, a large outdoor deck and grill and cross-country ski operations.
The family's ancestors were stewards of Kinlochaline castle between the 1400s and 1600s.
Located at the base of Crystal's Buck slope and just a short walk from the 1st and 10th tees of the Betsie Valley
golf course, The Kinlochen Lodge & Clubhouse will be just minutes away from all of Crystal's year-round amenities.
Each condominium unit is conceived as a singular, one-of-a-kind living environment, designed to accommodate your
every need. The living quarters will offer 12 distinctive floor plans in one-, two- and three-bedroom configurations,
all with slopeside or golf course views. The condos will comprise the top two floors of the building. Buildout
is expected to take 5 to 7 years.
It will be affiliated with RCI for exchange purposes.
The expansion plans at the resort include a pedestrian village with unique shopping and dining opportunities, 18 more holes of golf, a spa and as many as a dozen additional ski slopes.
Originally founded 46 years ago and named Buck Hills by the local high school principal, it was bought, renamed Crystal Mountain, and developed by Ed Abbey of Toledo. Today it is one of the few family-owned ski resorts still in business, with George Petritz, his daughter Chris and her husband Jim MacInnes running the show.
Chris MacInnes, president of Crystal Properties and senior vice president of Crystal Mountain, says the company
has taken special care to incorporate the character and history of the northern Michigan setting in their plans
for the expansion. They intend the village to respect the small scale of local communities, rather than to be large
and overwhelming. There will be extensive use of natural woods, stone, wood shingles and brick throughout the design.
Crystal Mountain currently features 36 holes of championship golf, 34 downhill slopes, a high speed quadlift, 40
kilometers of cross-country trails, conference facilities, lodging and dining. It is also home to the Michigan
Legacy Art Park, a non-profit 3-acre park that blends sculptures and art with nature, viewed along a wooded trail.
High above the Betsie Valley, Crystal Mountain is a favorite among Midwest skiers and riders. It is located in Thompsonville, MI, just 28 miles from Traverse City; 39 miles from Cadillac and 234 miles from Detroit via I-75.
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