A winter paradise for billionaires: Inside the ultra-exclusive private ski resort that costs £150,000-a-year just to join

By Daily Mail Reporter

PUBLISHED: 22:08 EST, 22 November 2012 | UPDATED: 03:41 EST, 23 November 2012


Ski fanatics with about two dozen millions of dollars to spare can now become the proud owners of a super-exclusive, members-only resort nestled in the mountains of Montana and away from the prying lenses of the paparazzi. 

The Yellowstone Club, a private ski getaway for the wealthy outside Big Sky, Montana, was built by timber baron Tim Blixseth and his ex-wife Edra in 1999.

The high-end club, which comes with a private, lift-served ski area to its membership and costs $250,000 to join, suffered a severe blow during the recession and entered bankruptcy in 2008 and is up for auction.

Winter wonderland: The Yellowstone Club, a private, member-only ski resort outside Big Sky, Montana, was previously listed for whopping $28million

Winter wonderland: The Yellowstone Club, a private, member-only ski resort outside Big Sky, Montana, was previously listed for whopping $28million

Picture perfect: The 15,500-square-foot timber mansion comes with eight bedrooms and 12 bathrooms

Picture perfect: The 15,500-square-foot timber mansion comes with eight bedrooms and 12 bathrooms

Polished look: An open living area decked in ancient logs and cherry hardwood floors feature a family room, bar, gourmet kitchen, breakfast and dining spaces

Polished look: An open living area decked in ancient logs and cherry hardwood floors feature a family room, bar, gourmet kitchen, breakfast and dining spaces

Special touch
Pool table

Special touches: The palatial resort combines a rustic ambiance seen in details like the unvarnished logs at the base of the staircase, left, with high style, like the elegant pool room, right

Great outdoors: The lavish dwelling includes an outdoor hottub surrounded by a deck made of moss stone and overlooking the picturesque mountains

Great outdoors: The lavish dwelling includes an outdoor hottub surrounded by a deck made of moss stone and overlooking the picturesque mountains

The rustic-yet-elegant 15,500-square-foot mansion on Andesite Mountain comes with all that is needed for a first-class ski vacation, including eight well-appointed bedrooms, among them a palatial master suite, 12 bathrooms, a three-car garage and breath-taking 230-degree views from every window, according to Curbed.

The members-only club boasts some special features: ample entertaining spaces decked in polished cherry wood, moss stone and ancient logs, enormous windows, cathedral ceilings and an African mahogany dining table for 14 with an antler chandelier overhead.

The house also comes with a top-of-the line gourmet kitchen, an elevator, fitness room, plush leather furniture and five fireplaces to keep the guests toasty after a day on the frosty slopes.

The club's 70 runs spread over 2,200 acres of skiable slopes are dusted with its trademarked Private Powered, and the resort has gained notoriety for hosting sumptuous New Year's Eve parties with a price tag of $1,000 a plate, CNBC reported.

Skying in style: The over-the-top 13,600-acre club with a membership fee of $250,000 was the brainchild of timber baron Tim Blixseth and his then-wife Edra

Skying in style: The over-the-top 13,600-acre club with a membership fee of $250,000 was the brainchild of timber baron Tim Blixseth and his then-wife Edra

Rustic elegance: The sprawling, fully furnished mansion features five luxury fireplaces as well as in-floor radiant heat

Rustic elegance: The sprawling, fully furnished mansion features five luxury fireplaces as well as in-floor radiant heat

Eating in: The house features a dining room that accommodates 14 around a long, African Mahogany wood table in leather seats covered in cowhide vests, and is lighted by an antler chandelier

Eating in: The house features a dining room that accommodates 14 around a long, African Mahogany wood table in leather seats covered in cowhide vests, and is lighted by an antler chandelier

Signs of trouble: The rest fell on hard times during the recession and entered bankruptcy in 2008, with the Blixseths accused of stealing hundreds of millions of dollars in loans

Signs of trouble: The rest fell on hard times during the recession and entered bankruptcy in 2008, with the Blixseths accused of stealing hundreds of millions of dollars in loans

The sprawling resort has attracted some fabulously wealthy members, among them politicians Dan Quayle and Jack Kemp, Peter Chernin, former president of News Corp, not to mention Microsoft founder Bill Gates, one of the richest men on the planet.  

With Yellowstone being a millionaires' retreat, its owners made sure to provide the best security money could buy, which includes a team made up of former Secret Service agents. The club’s director of privacy, Bruce Bales, was a veteran of President Gerald Ford’s protection detail.

Unlike the hedonistic ski meccas of Aspen frequented by Hollywood stars and Hip Hop artists, the Yellowstone Club has been marketed as a family friendly resort where celebrities, and pesky paparazzi, are a rare sight.

Blixseth once told the Los Angeles Times, ‘Our target member is a good, down-to-earth, humble person who is thankful for his or her success. ... No jerks allowed.’

Cook like a pro: The state-of-the-art kitchen features Viking Sub Zero appliances and fixtures, including enough refrigerators, dishwashers, ovens and disposals to prepare dinner party for 25 guests

Cook like a pro: The state-of-the-art kitchen features Viking Sub Zero appliances and fixtures, including enough refrigerators, dishwashers, ovens and disposals to prepare dinner party for 25 guests

Morning ritual: The breakfast nook features a round table for eight overlooking the snow-capped peak in the distance

Morning ritual: The breakfast nook features a round table for eight overlooking the snow-capped peak in the distance

Master of the house: The master bedroom comes with a rustic stone fireplace, cedar beams on the cathedral ceiling, a comfortable seating area and floor-to-ceiling windows

Master of the house: The master bedroom comes with a rustic stone fireplace, cedar beams on the cathedral ceiling, a comfortable seating area and floor-to-ceiling windows

Living in comfort: Cherry wood flooring, cedar pillars and leather couches fill the main living space, which also includes a baby grand and a wet bar for the hosts' entertaining needs

Living in comfort: Cherry wood flooring, cedar pillars and leather couches fill the main living space, which also includes a baby grand and a wet bar for the hosts' entertaining needs

Three months before the club filed for bankruptcy in 2008, Blixseth and his wife filed for divorce. Edra Blixseth was awarded the resort, but she was also settled with $360million worth of debt.

After Yellowstone’s owners were accused of stealing hundreds of millions of dollars from loans secured by the club's real estate, the luxurious property has been sold for $115million to a private equity firm, which continues to operate it today.

The initial listing price for the sumptuous timber estate was set at $28million, but the sellers decided to place the property on the auction block with the help of Concierge Auctions and sell it to the highest bidder on February 18.


 

 
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@Ruckus: What's the point of you bringing up individual examples when I just gave you statistics which demonstrate they are in the very small minority? Look up Spectrem Group 2010 charity poll if you won't take my word for it.

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I see class envy has reared its ugly head yet once again. The ol' "I can't afford that so no one should have it" seems to be prevalent on this board. Quit griping about other people's success and make your own. 86% of millionaires in the US are self-made, first generation. Yet the do-nothings seem to complain about ambitious and risk takers.

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wow, thats amazing! shame i'm just a pleb and cant afford to go! - tonymac, middlesbrough, 23/11/2012 7:37 That really made me chuckle, thanks :) Don't worry, I'm a skint pleb as well.

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At least we'll know where to find the ruling elite when the revolution starts. America is on the verge of collapse, flaunting this kind of wealth is asking for trouble.

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@Ruckus: Bill Gates is the exception, not the rule. If you look at the Spectrem Group statistics for 2010, 75% of US millionaires gave between $1000 to $9,999 to charitable causes, whilst 16% gave between $10,000 and $24,999, and a mere 2% gave in excess of $25,000. - James Smith, Exeter, United Kingdom, 23/11/2012 ######19:29 There are no figures of Millionaires giving. unless they publish it. But let me give you another example. Wareen Buffet is giving 90% of his50 Billion dollar fortune.(on record because allowed the media to publish it ) Mitt Romney gives 20% of his income every year ( on record because he ran for office. I am giving you a lot of exceptions her. Want more? You can look these three up on Google.

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Weird how you can see the same mountain, in the same position is more than 2 or the photos :)

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It does look beautiful.

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It would be nice if they had a few pitches for tourers

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Wondered where taxpapers money to fight the wars or the bail out money meant for your schools, hospitals and libraries or that goes to Luxembourg based multi-nationals where they dodge tax went? You guessed it.

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"The membership fee is ridiculous" It is only ridiculous to people like you and me, those who cannot afford it!

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