By: Mike Kennedy mkennedy@railey.com 301-616-6106 April 23rd, 2010 Category: Deep Creek Lake Activities, Deep Creek Lake Area Things To Do, Deep Creek Lake Real Estate, Garrett County News, News, Wisp Real Estate, Wisp Ski Resort

The Wisp Ski Resort at Deep Creek Lake recently announced a new attraction. Construction of a Zip-line ride near the Bear Claw Tubing Park is expected to begin shortly and should be open to the public in the summer of 2010. The new attraction is going to be named the Flying Squirrel Canopy Tour.  A Zip-line is basically a pulley on a cable that allows a rider to traverse down an incline using gravity while holding on to a pulley. The riders are attached to the pulley and cable with a safety harness. The new Zip-line, which is very popular in other resort areas, will add to the area’s many other diverse activities and continue to make Wisp a popular year round destination.

Hale Irwin Lodestone Golf Course & Wisp Real Estate Update

All 18 holes are now complete. The front 9 opened last fall to play and will re-open again May 1^st of this year. The back 9 holes are scheduled to open in June 2010.  Reviews from golfers who have played the course say its “spectacular”.  The scenery is incredible as some holes feature breathtaking views of Deep Creek Lake. A temporary clubhouse will be set up this summer and Hale Irwin himself will be here on July 10^th for a reception and to play the course. Lodestone is also offering a Trial Use Membership for 2010 (pdf).

All roads are now complete in the Greenbrier subdivisions at Lodestone.  Construction of two new residential houses fronting the golf course is expected to begin shortly.

Including the new golf course home sites, DC Development has developed 540 building lots atop Wisp Mountain since 1994. There is a potential for a total of 2,301 home sites atop Wisp.

Other recent Wisp news and updates;

• The 2009/2010 ski season was very good. The Deep Creek Lake and Garrett County area received record amounts of natural snow. The Wisp reported that skier visits were up about 2% over of the previous winter season. The ski area closed for the season on April 4^th of this year.
• The Mountain Coaster continues to be very popular with tourists and visitors.
• The Wisp plans to continue its annual Easter Sunrise Service. Visitors can ride the chair lifts to the top of the mountain for free and watch the sunrise as Easter services are conducted.

Please contact us if you would like to explore any real estate opportunities at Wisp and the new Lodestone Golf Course - including home sites, building lots, townhomes, or existing houses for sale.

Click Here for all Railey Realty listed Home Sites, Building Lots, Real Estate, and Houses for Sale at Wisp Ski Resort.

(Photo courtesy of D. A. Horchner/Design Workshop)

By: Mike Kennedy mkennedy@railey.com 301-616-6106 June 24th, 2009 Category: Deep Creek Lake Market Update, Deep Creek Lake Real Estate, Garrett County News, Garrett County Real Estate, News, Wisp Real Estate, Wisp Ski Resort

Yesterday we had a meeting with Karen Myers, one of the owners and developers of the Wisp Ski Resort. She gave us an update on the Wisp Ski Resort, the new Hale Irwin Lodestone Golf Course, and other real estate developments atop Wisp mountain. Here are the highlights of the meeting;

Contrary to any rumors the Wisp Ski Resort is NOT in any type of financial trouble! And they don’t intend to get in any financial trouble in the future by utilizing a plan to be fiscally responsible going forward. This plan includes delaying some of the proposed projects until economic conditions improve and expansion is feasible. The Wisp finished this past ski season (2008-2009) with about 185,000 skier visits - which was slightly ahead of the previous winter season - even with a slumping economy and an unusually warm March which forced them to close earlier than normal for the season. Some in the ski industry have heard reports that most of the other mid-Atlantic ski areas were down significantly in skier visits - if that is true this once again shows the overall strength of the Deep Creek Lake area as four season resort area that can still draw people and tourists even in tough economic times!

Hale Irwin Lodestone Golf Course

First and foremost the Wisp plans on finishing the Hale Irwin Lodestone Golf Club. The first 10 holes have already been “plated” and their is some additional rock blasting to be done on the final 8 holes. Hale Irwin toured the site last week and the course is on target to be done and playable by September 2009. The Wisp is currently pre-selling memberships - full memberships are $40,000 for non-lot owners and $20,000 for a sport membership for those who plan on playing less golf. This golf course will be a private, membership only course and won’t be open to public play.

Wisp Lakeside Club

Second on the priority list is to complete and open the Lakeside Club on Deep Creek Drive with a temporary building. The permanent $7 million building has been put on hold until the economy improves. The location is 1077 Deep Creek Drive which is the site of the old S&H Marina on Deep Creek Lake. The temporary location will have a bar, lounge, pool, TV’s locker rooms, and game rooms.  This club is targeted for property owners in some of the neighborhoods atop Wisp Ski Resort - such as Kendall Camp, North Camp, or Highline - that don’t have access to Deep Creek Lake. The target date for opening the Lakeside Club is July of 2009.

North Camp Ski Slope Expansion

Eventually, as economic conditions improve, the Wisp plans on constructing another Chair Lift and increasing the number of ski trails and ski-able terrain in the North Camp area of the ski slopes. The new Chair will be #8 and will meet at the top of North Camp near Chair #7.

Wisp Mountaintop Village

Lastly, the proposed Mountain Top Village near the ASCI White Water course will be developed. Proposed is a 100 unit residential building that will be ski-in/ski-out along with various retail and food shops. The mountaintop village already has ASCI (Adventure Sports Center International), The Pumphouse Cafe, and the Wisp Outdoors Center.

If you are interested in any real estate opportunities at Wisp Ski Resort or in the Deep Creek Lake area please give us a call or drop us an e-mail. We’ll be more than happy to show you any building lots, residential homes, or townhomes atop Wisp mountain and provide more details about all the happenings at Wisp.

By: Mike Kennedy mkennedy@railey.com 301-616-6106 August 7th, 2008 Category: Wisp Real Estate, Wisp Ski Resort

Wisp Resort Real Estate is offering a special Lodestone Founders Club membership for the first Hale Irwin signature golf course in Maryland that boasts the highest elevation in the state. With a layout that moves through stunning rock outcroppings and hilltop terrain with views of Deep Creek Lake - surrounding these large home sites are more than 1,100 acres of land are being transformed into what Irvwin describes as a “natural beauty”. 9 Holes are slated to open in the summer of 2009.

Lodestone Founders Membership Offering

• Only 20 memberships offered
• Introductory Initiation Fee of $32,000 (vs. normal $40,000)
• Reduced dues
• Guest privileges
• 100% refundable
• Extended family golf privileges
• Additional privileges of the current Wisp Golf Course, the Lakeside Club, and the Wisp Alpine Club.

If you would like more information on any available homes or properties for sale atop Wisp Ski Resort or the Lodestone Golf Club please contact us.