That may not last long. By Tom Winter You could easily mistake it for heaven on earth. At least that's what happened to Marise Cipriani in 1994 when she stumbled across a forgotten ski area called Silver Creek in an overlooked part of Colorado called Grand County.
Grand County is a bit of an anomaly.
When people think of Colorado, particularly if they're thinking of investing recreational property, they tend to think of busy Summit County, which does triple the skier traffic of Grand County, or the pricey international destinations of Aspen and Vail. Other than Winter Park Resort, Grand County is a largely vacant spot on the map, a no-man's land of ranches and sagebrush, lonely peaks and lush valleys. But there's more to Grand County than most realize, and with a new projected called SolVista Gold and Ski Ranch, there's a lot more to the story than a forgotten hill that used to be called Silver Creek. Before Cipriani's arrival, Silver Creek had languished. IN 15 years, no capital improvements of any type had occurred at the modest area, which is situated on rolling mellow terrain that offers excellent beginner and family skiing.