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Show ‘ ee Lilla ey ac nm ene PSE eg So Page 12-WasaTcu CANYON REPORTER, 7 December 1994 ec a — _ Replacing a Classic = _ ‘The new Alpenglow, by Ross Courtney — For all the features skis?” asked one gray-haired gentleman as he bought a soft drink. Before the renalen lodge was leveled and rebuilt at more than twice its size this summer, antique skis adorned the inner walls. The skis - as well as old pictures, cafeteria-style seating and weathered looking wood walls - gave the building a gy ee Mite ™ Penge, | tere “epee sep ate cag . CANT as i ee Ene alan mechan, ST nt smcansis aetna” Oy OE = , — = rustic atmosphere some cus- ar room. Air intake is regulated by a computer. Even the toilets flush automatically as the user walks away. some customers say. 3 “Where are all the | ert gg lO: yay OT ya tio OO yg AOE jy AE Ne gy OT, ge I a GT a yA yy Sy a a 2 4 al x a - the rebuilt Alpenglow offers, a key element is missing | tomers miss, owners Doug and Diane Bledsoe admit. “Some people miss Traditionally, Doug ~ Bledsoe, an aeronautical engineer and fix-it man, spent most of his working hours. fixing things;. He suspects the self-sufficient building will allow him to spend less time on maintenance. For instance, two new boilers, paced by computers, alternate heating water to prevent one from wearing excessively. “Hopefully, I will not have to work down there this summer.” But the new conve- niences have not shortened the Bledsoes hours. They the rustic feel,’ Diane Bledsoe said. © have hardly skied this year. | But renovation was ~ Doug Bledsoe squeezed in a long over-due, she adds. The few minutes on skis last week old building left barely coming to work from his enough room for employees cabin on the Summer Road. to work and customers lined Manager Kelly O’ Driscoll up outside on busy days. has skied even less. Room is one thing “Td say we’re busier the new building has: The because we’re just trying to dining room seats a maxiget open,” O’ Driscoll said. mum of 410 people compared _He has worked for the to 165 before the renovation. Bledsoes for five years and Customers enter a spacious dining room patterned with four seat tables, like any | restaurant. From solid wooden chairs, they watch through the new building’s south-facing windows as skiers whisk down Albion Basin. “T hated the plastic seats,’ Diane Bledsoe said, The New Alpenglow Lodge: somewhat reminiscent of another popular Alta Dining spot. Photo by Flash Pearce wanted to redesign the menu boards on the walls (the Alpenglow since 1984. But menu has not changed) and some of the kitchen equip- development in Alta is not a simple thing they learned. Although the couple has owned the business for 23 years, Alta Ski Lifts owns the building and the land belongs to the National Forest Service. The Forest Service ment has remained. The missing, and VA limited the size of employee the expanded staff reached back to the Alaskan gold Rush will return. “(individual wooden chairs) have.” | Previously, the dining room resembled a cafeteria with bench seating and communal tables. The Bledsoes say they have not determined how much business the space has _ attracted, but the difference is noticeable. “I think that there were a lot of customers standing outside,” Diane Bledsoe said. | The new structure has inherited the task of moving customers through the service area efficiently without sacrificing friendliness. “With the old system, we served customers one at a time,” he said. “Now we try to serve everyone at one time.” “Tt will be easier once we get all the little problems solved.” Although he is relieved the lodge is operational, Doug Bledsoe esti- added work space as well as mates the lodge is only three- guest space. The Bledsoes widened the avenues in the quarters complete since Culp Construction finished their work this fall. Will Louie provided the architectural blueprints for the building. Culp and Louie also teamed up to construct the Albion Grill, similar in design to the new Alpenglow. The Bledsoes have kitchen and designated a cooking area for employee ~ meals. “We were falling all over each other,’ Diane said. The building also has fancier features to replace many of the antiquated parts. Hallway lights turn on by sensing a person in the finding space on the walls.” housing for the Alpenglow so Do a Christmas Shopping at the - TRE COLDUIWERS DAUGRTER collection of skis dating were something I had to said, “It’s just a matter of missed, collection of skis dat- The missing, and missed, ~ ing back to the Alaskan Gold Rush will return. “They’re stored in our cabin,” Diane Bledsoe | Ski or Rental Shop Last Year's Skis & Boots — 20%-30% off - Maybe More for Older Models(PRE, ELAN, FISHER,RAICHLE, DYNAFIT). Lots of T-Shirts and other Gift Items Come and Browse only 10 people, most of whom live downstairs from the dining room, in dormitory rooms. ) To make things even. more complex, much of - Albion Basin is classified as wetlands. The Army Corps of Engineers mitigates all wetlands development. Permits are obtained through them. “We didn’t get intimately involved with the per- For Any Further Information Ph one 801)742-2300 (801) \ WYMAN Tours Offered X-Country Snowshoe * aw = 2 day Trips» : “Back Country Tours for the Advenkaous Spirit” 801-249-5729 Customized Grou Fates & Tnps Avaiiahis. ? jal Offer Available tor Alpenglow) is such a traumatic experience,” he added, “it’s like building a home only ten times worse.” Slowly the frustrations are disappearing, the Bledsoes and O’Driscoll say, and the personality of the lodge is reappearing. Diane Bledsoe mounted the same MWe, 1 day Trip ; : fig The Outdoor Source & Associates mit process,’ Doug Bledsoe said, “I gather it can be a frustrating experience.” “Building (the new - 2 day Expedition Telemark 290 M STREET SO’ 595 SAET. AAR Every UTA HY’ S41 0 ae 0413 nnars & Intarmediates ate Welcome. iday Gift Certificate” J. |