Recently Forbes Magazine recognized Martis Camp is probably the best four-season private community in the U.S. Here are some great excerpts from the article:
There are tons of private residential communities and country clubs that have standout golf courses. There are far fewer that offer on-site skiing, especially at real, full-sized mountains. But there are very, very few that offer both, and California’s Martis Camp is one. That alone makes it a standout, but if big-time skiing and big-time golf are not enough, Martis Camp residents enjoy easy access to one of the world’s most beautiful and beloved lakes along with an amazing slew of amenities matched by few full-service 5-Star resorts, let alone other private communities.
For a couple of years I wrote the second home real estate column for the nation’s largest newspaper, USAToday. For more than a decade I’ve covered private clubs for a slew of golf and lifestyle publications, and I still write on the topic for the websites of The Golf Channel. As a result, I am very familiar with many of the top such facilities in the country, and have visited quite a few – especially those that combine skiing and golf. But nothing prepared me for Martis Camp, and I was totally blown away when I visited, played golf, and stayed overnight this summer as a guest of the Sales Director (and former professional golfer) Brian Hull. I’ve also skied down to Martis Camp in winter, and if you love golf and skiing, outdoor recreation, first rate food and service, and beautiful settings, Martis Camp is virtually impossible to beat – especially if you have a family.
It is also directly linked to the nearly 100 trails of the Northstar California ski resort.
The golf course is a very good, very well maintained and not heavily played Tom Fazio design stretching all the way to 7,751-yards that has already hosted a few prestigious tournaments (including the USGA Junior Amateur) and was named the third best new private design in the nation by Golf Digest when it opened in 2009. The skiing is on Northstar California, a major ski resort with over 3,000-acres of skiable terrain, 97 trails, and a whopping average annual snowfall of 350-inches – plus the largest snowmaking coverage in the Tahoe region for slow years. A high speed quad lift from Martis Camp property carries skiers directly onto the lesser used Lookout Mountain side of Northstar, which holds powder really well, and from here they can do laps on theses slopes off the quad or go over the top to the rest of the resort. Last winter Martis Camp opened its own private base lodge next to the chair with food, drink and full valet ski service so homeowners never need deal with transporting their gear (public resort skiers can use the Martis Camp lift but cannot go beyond it into the community or lodge).
Those two sporting features alone surpass almost any similar offerings in this country, but there is a lot more here, including an 18-hole natural grass putting course, a rarity; a Folk School offering classes in everything from pottery to painting to photography to wood carving, with nationally known artists in residence teaching; an organic community garden; fishing lake onsite; lake club with 35-foot speedboat on Tahoe itself; full service spa; state of the art fitness center; 16-miles of hiking and cross country ski trails within the nearly 2,200-acre club; tennis center; sports fields; and an outdoor park pavilion with bocce, lawn bowls, sand volleyball, basketball and picnic area with barbecue grills and fire pits.
A summer concert outside the “Family Barn,” which contains a movie theater, bowling alley, pools, soda fountain, and much more.
But perhaps the most unusual amenity of all is the vast “Family Barn,” a second clubhouse compound that spans 18,000-sqaure feet and includes an outdoor swimming pool complex with family pool, lap pool and hot tubs, complete with full waiter service. Inside is an indoor basketball court, 44-seat movie theater, 2-lane bowling alley, Fifties-style soda fountain/diner, pool tables, pinball, video games and much more. The main clubhouse contains the spa and fitness center, extensive locker room facilities, golf pro shop, indoor golf simulator for winter use, and a couple more restaurants – there are literally more choices of where to eat in Martis Camp than in the town I live in.
I wasn’t kidding when I said the amenities at Martis Camp were amazing and unrivalled, and of course, all of this does not come cheap, with entry level (but very well equipped) cabins starting around $2 million, while the impressive and expansive custom homes run higher. Nonetheless, because of its location, weather and quality, Martis Camp has succeeded where so many of its peers have failed in recent years, and it sold more than $100 million in property during the first half of this year alone, including 77 custom lots (less than 185 of the club’s 663 home sites remain unsold). Because of its year-round charms and summer and winter facilities, houses here can do double duty and substitute for a second home at a ski resort or golf course elsewhere. Buyers include many from the San Francisco Bay Area’s financial and technology industries, but also from Seattle, Portland and the rest of the West and Northwest. While San Francisco is the prime drive market, owners with access to private aviation especially love Martis Camp wherever they may live, since the Truckee Airport is just five minutes from the gate, so even by private jet standards this is one of the easiest mountain communities in the West to get to. But however you get here, it is worth the trip.
Forbes is catching on to what all of us “locals” already know. Tahoe is a truly breath taking place to vacation or call home all year round. Elder Group Real Estate is proudly affiliated with Chase International the leader in luxury real estate. Contact Alison Elder at 530.582.8103 or info@eldergrouptahoe.com for a private tour of Martis Camp. Or, visit our website at www.ElderGroupTahoeRealEstate.com
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