SAM Magazine-Green Valley Lake, Calif., Oct. 29, 2007-Trinity Mountain Resort was burned last week by the Slide fire. No lives were lost, but ten percent of the homes in Green Valley Lake were destroyed, and the one and only chairlift at Trinity was also burned.

The damage could have been worse. The area had recently remodeled the base lodge, which was spared by the fire. Forest Service crews had cleared combustibles away from the lodge just a few weeks earlier, and that may have helped save it.

Trinity is the latest incarnation of a resort that has existed since 1945. In the 1990s, known as Big Air Green Valley, it gained recognition as the first snowboard-only resort in the country. It has been owned for several years by a church that planned (and still plans) to transform the area into a family-friendly, alcohol- and tobacco-free resort.

To do so, the area will have to rebuild the bottom-drive, top-tension 1,200-foot Riblet double chair that was the primary uphill transportation. While a complete damage assessment can not be done until the current evacuation order is lifted, both the top and bottom terminals burned, and the haul rope is a loss. Area manager Randy Pattison is looking for any assistance neighbors and other winter resorts can provide. Address inquiries or offers of assistance to randy@trinitymountainresort.com.

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