SE Group is thrilled to receive the 2023 Premier Award for Client Satisfaction! This award from PSMJ Resources, Inc. honors firms in the architecture, engineering, and construction industry that deliver an outstanding client experience.

We are fortunate to work with our clients to create great outdoor spaces and enrich people’s lives through the power of outdoor recreation. As trusted partners, advisors, and champions for our clients, we bring the value of experience to help implement a strategic vision and deliver exceptional projects that positively impact their communities.

At SE Group, we always view our work through a collaborative lens. Whether it’s our inquisitive approach to client communication, our integrated internal process, or our collaborations with individuals and organizations offering the specialized services our clients need, we know that the most successful projects are those that benefit from the passion and expertise of many.

This award is particularly meaningful because it reflects direct feedback from our clients. They share our passion for enabling people to deepen their connections to nature and the outdoors through recreation.

• “I want to thank you and the team, again, for an outstanding project process and understanding of our needs. The product is one to be proud of, and I hope we will be able to continue on together in implementing the next phase.” – Vermont State Parks
• “SE Group provided invaluable counsel and expertise as we transitioned from planning to implementation…We are ready!” – Bogus Basin Resort
• “I commend SE Group for keeping this process continually moving forward. Some of the best planning work that I’ve seen.” – City of Aspen, Colorado

We are grateful for the trust our clients place in us. We look forward to continuing these partnerships for many years to come.

SE Group staff pictured: Travis Beck, Director of Environmental Services (center) and George Schmidt, Chief Financial Officer (second from left)

SE Group is excited to share a major terrain expansion of the iconic Deer Valley Resort nestled in the Wasatch Mountains in Park City, Utah. The project is led by a landmark partnership between Extell Development Company and Alterra Mountain Company.

SE Group designed and planned the expanded terrain and seamless connectivity between the two resort areas. Chris Cushing led the master planning, which included flagging and field fitting each ski run. This design work honors his father, one of the principal designers of historical Deer Valley, and the namesake of Cushing’s Cabin at the resort.

The project features:

• 3,700 acres of new ski terrain, nearly doubling Deer Valley’s skiable terrain with 16 new lifts and a dual-stage 10-passenger gondola.
• A luxury alpine village (formerly named Mayflower Mountain Resort) with world-class lodging including 800 hotel rooms and 1,700 residential units, along with restaurants, retail, and a recreation center.
• New traffic access to Deer Valley from US Route 40 with convenient parking within or near the new alpine village. Together with existing portals, the resort will now offer 270 degrees of public access, helping reduce ski traffic congestion in the area.
• A partnership with Utah Open Lands to create the Forty-Fifth Star Conservation preserve with over 3,100 acres of wildlife and flora habitat and over 50 miles of public hiking and biking trails.
• Workforce housing within a half-mile of the alpine village core totaling 660 new residences, including apartments, townhomes, and dormitories.
• Environmental remediation to provide clean and compliant properties for future owners and guests.
• A community foundation funded by resort reinvestment fees to support environmental, recreational, educational, and cultural endeavors to benefit the land and local community.

SE Group is honored to be part of the team designing the next chapter of this industry leading ski resort.

For additional information, visit Deer Valley’s Expanded Excellence website: Home – Deer Valley | Expanded Excellence

The May issue of Ski Area Management magazine is out and we are pleased to report that it features not one but two articles from SE Group authors.

Director of Resort Planning Claire Humber‘s piece is titled “Investing in Retention of Interest.” Leaning on her deep expertise in strategic planning, Claire encourages ski area owners and operators to look beyond the traditional ROI (return on investment) to consider another ROI when planning capital expenditures: retention of interest. These are often strategies that transcend the timeframe of traditional modeling – and are critical to sustainable growth in this increasingly complex and competitive market.

On Saturday, December 17 2022, Palisades Tahoe officially opened the Base to Base Gondola, which connects Palisades Olympic Valley with Alpine Meadows. The new combined area makes Palisades Tahoe the largest resort in California, and the third largest in North America.  You can read about the gondola’s opening in the Tahoe Daily Tribune’s article.

SE Group is proud to have led the mountain planning and NEPA environmental analysis for this groundbreaking project, alongside Leitner-Poma Of America (lift design and engineering), Ascent Environmental (CEQA environmental analysis), Psomas (civil engineering), DOA Architecture (structure design), and RRC Associates (market research). During the course of this nearly decade-long project, SE Group analyzed more than 40 scenarios to connect the two valleys, ensuring a solution that was both environmentally sensitive and economically viable.

The benefits of the Base to Base Gondola are many, but crucially 1) it takes cars off of the chronically congested Highway 89; 2) it improves accessibility to the excellent beginner terrain at Alpine Meadows; and 3) it links the Alpine Meadows terrain to the robust accommodation options at Palisades Olympic Valley.

SE Group President, Kent Sharp participated in the Region 5 (Pacific Southwest) Roundtable, while Travis Beck, Director of Environmental Services, participated in the Roundtables held in Region 2 (Rocky Mountain), Region 3 (Southwestern), and Region 4 (Intermountain).

Roundtable topics included:

*   Forest Service introspective assessment of how the agency conducts NEPA, what is working and what is not
*   Getting back to the basics
*   NEPA process timelines
*   Opportunities for improvement
*   Agency culture and leadership

Summary reports, along with more on this discussion, are currently available online for Regions 1, 2, 3, 6, 8, 9, 10 and Washington, and can be found at: https://www.nationalforests.org/collaboration-resources/environmental-analysis-and-decision-making-roundtables.

Please contact Travis should you wish to explore how we can apply our expertise to your project.

SE Group has been working with Mount Spokane since 2006 to develop an action plan to expand their operations. This project exemplifies the power of collaboration and teamwork to identify solutions when navigating a variety of interests and stakeholders. In the following clip Brad McQuarrie, General Manager of Mount Spokane Ski & Snowboard Park, speaks about exciting improvements to the ski area and how SE Group’s long-term collaboration was instrumental in developing the vision, framework, and plan to bring these objectives to fruition.