SusanT

Yes, sad to see Firebird come to an end. It was an affordable option for many since the cost to own a home on one of the tournament lakes in Arizona is expensive and out of reach for many waterski enthusiasts. The drive from ASU to Spring Mountain is about an hour. I hope that works out well for the ski team. There is room for a jump at Spring Mountain. Perhaps they would consider bringing the ramp from Firebird over to Spring Mountain. Fingers crossed on that.

Thanks for the shoutout @bananaron and @Dacon62 .@ryanneod , the only place to buy membership skiing is at Firebird. Crystal, Santan, Lakeside, and Buchli all require that you be a homeowner or guest of a homeowner. Spring Mountain allows for owners to lease out their lot for a minimum of 6 months. Currently, the only ski properties for sale are a large home at Crystal for $2M, and a "unique" lot at Buchli". There is a home at Santan that will be coming on the market soon for a cool $3.25M. Wish I had better news for you, but like the housing market in general in Arizona, inventory is extremely low and getting more expensive.

Quick update... if you are looking for an AZ ski property under $1M, there is a property available at Lakeside Ski Village for $525k lakesideskivillage10.com

@HitIt Kris & Jennifer LaPoint have been selling real estate in that area for over 20 years. You may reach them at teamlapoint@gmail.com https://realtyexecutives.com/agents/jennifer-lapoint

Here is the link for the drone video over Spring Mountain from 2 weeks ago. I did this for one of the lots I listed. Hopefully this will quelch some of the chatter of the lake being "dried up" and not skiable. https://vimeo.com/323549635

@tlarocque @bananaron Thanks. I spend my weekends at Lakeside, but my primary residence is in Scottsdale. Maybe I will be at the lake full time after the kids finish school. So here is the “scoop” on what is happening at Spring Mountain. There is a breath of new life in the project. A few new lot owners and new leadership in the HOA have good things happening. They have put a few assessments in the HOA fee to upgrade the infrastructure and common area. They have their own well now that is pumping 1000 gal / min., have fixed the shoreline and continue to work on the common area. One of the newer owners has begun construction. She has completed her garage w/guest casita and plans to start building the home soon. 3 of the the docks are now “built out”. They are well constructed covered docks with outdoor kitchen space. I stopped by there 2 weeks ago to get some drone footage filmed. The water quality looks excellent and the lake level is where I belongs for skiing and dock usuage. In the last 2 years a few of the lots have transferred ownership through sales. The prices are slowly going up, but still a bargain as far as AZ ski lakes. Unless you have the bank account to purchase the $1m+ stuff at Crystal or Santan, Spring Mountain is your only viable option. Nothing for sale at Lakeside and not likely to be anything available in the near future. Lakeside Owner’s only sell when there is a life change that prompts them to sell. Hope that helps with all the urban legends and rumors surrounding Spring Mountain. It has potential, but will take several years before it reaches optimal desirability.

@aupatking I see your point if you have never partipated in show skiing. That being said the show ski division of USA waterski has the highest membership level of any of the disciplines. Yes, more than 3-event. Show ski nationals also has the highest participation numbers as well as spectator numbers. Most show skiers are extremely well rounded. They can foot, jump, barefoot, trick, wakeboard and slalom. A fair number also ski 3-event tournaments “just for fun”. Despite that fact that it looks like a stupid sideshow to you, most of the high level show ski athletes train seriously to avoid injury. Unlike slalom skiers, at times show skiers need to perform in water conditions that would have most slalom skiers would crying like a baby if they had to ski in them. Show skiing is also much more family friendly when trying to get the whole family into the sport. It is also an affordable option for many people to start waterskiing. No individual boat ownership is needed as they can join a show team that has boats and all the gear to learn. Personally, I find watching five skiers pop over the ramp doing flip, gainer, hell or a wall to 15 Footer’s much more exciting than a slalom tournament. Again, just my opinion. Not saying it is good or bad and I am not saying yours is good or bad. Something to think about as the numbers in our sport at large are dwindling. How do we attract new skiers?

The gmail address is correct for Dave - davebuchli@gmail.com Try phoning him at 602-920-9831 The baller with the house for sale on Buchli is Craig Hurtt. The home is still for sale. You may also want to check out Firebird Lake for pay for set skiing. Ed Fisher's contact info is fsd2@cox.net or 602-482-7571 www.firebirdwatersports.com

Thanks @Than_Bogan

@bananaron Thanks! I need to update the Spring Mountain video as it is 2 year old (ancient in the cyber world). Hoping to do that in the next few months before it gets too hot! @Than_Bogan the website is in my signature, but I will add it here for you waterskiarizona.com

@jpattigr Happy to have helped. Please feel free to contact me directly if you need additional or future info.

Contact Ed Fisher at 602-482-7571 fsd2@cox.net. He is very accommodating and a great guy. I have direct several out of area skiers to Firebird for ski sets.

I have been "absent" from the forum for awhile as I found some people a bit too hostile. That being said, I would like to clear up the urban legends surrounding Spring Mountain, dispose of Fake News and get the facts out there. Yes, the lots did sell for as much as $300k when the project started in 2004-2005, pre-housing crash. Several of the buyers where buying purely for investment purposes. A few of the lots are still owned by these investors, who are now looking to sell. Currently, one of the lots is under contract for $85,000. The last one that sold prior sold fro $63,000. There are 4 lots actively on the market for $75k, $80k and 2 for $120k. Logic would dictate that the will sell in order of best price since all the lots are essentially the same unless the orientation of the lake side of the house matters. The lots for $120K face east. If you are a year round resident you might prefer that. If you are a winter visitor, you would prefer the west facing lot. The original developer is no longer involved with the project and it is fully run by the current ownership and their home owners association. A few of the members are now being very aggressive with improving the lake and common area, thus the lake is in a serious redevelopment phase. The shoreline has been improved and the lake level is no longer dropped in the winter months. NOW to dispel the water myth. The water use rights are not "up" in 2025. The current water use agreement EXPIRES in 2025. What this means is that they will need to re-negotiate their agreement. Cost may or may not increase and the amount of water being purchased may or may not increase, so PLEASE stop saying they will not have water after 2025. The current building status is, one home currently in the building stage. The owner has her septic, well and footer/foundation poured. She is currently waiting for her final approval and building permit from the county. Another owner will begin construction of his dock this fall. It is being designed and built by a builder that has constructed very nice docks at Santan Lakeside. I would also like to address the "Lakeside Ski Village being almost built out". The last lot that has never been built on was sold Jan. 4 for $250k. The new owner is currently working on his home plans and will begin construction in the next few months. There are currently no homes available for sale. The last two sales were for $385k and $372K. Both new owners are in for the long haul. I do not anticipate anything coming on the market at Lakeside for sometime unless a current owner has a change of life situation. There are several people waiting for something to become available at Lakeside. That alone will help the values at Spring Mountain. Of course each successive sale at Spring Mountain will increase prices. I do know of owners with more than one lot that are waiting until that time to sell their additional lot. As for HOA fees of $500 a month a Spring Mountain, you would need to compare that to the other lakes as well. Crystal Point is $625, Santatn $550, Buchli $600, and Lakeside $425. Using and providing water to a private lake in the desert is expensive. I would be more than happy to address anyone's questions about this project. Feel free to contact me directly. Now, if you excuse me, I need to find my boat driver and take a ski set. THAT is the beauty of being in Arizona in the winter. For the record, NO drysuit needed! Ski ya later!

A very well done documentary. Great ski footage as well as seeing the real Jeff.

@bananaron Thanks! The goal was to give a fair and objective portrayal of all the lakes. Different strokes for different folks, different lakes for different lifestyles.

Both Dave Buchli and Ed Fisher firebirdwatersports.com/#!contact/c2q4 have the ability to offer "for hire" ski sets. Their info is above. I would bring a wetsuit. Yes, AZ is much warmer then everywhere else in February but the water can get chilly. It gets rather cold at night even if it is 75-80 during the day. Keep in mind that it can actually be cold in February too. It just depends on the weather patterns.

@escmanaze Where are you seeing the ad? Ski-it-Again or elsewhere? The one on Ski-it-Again is at Buchli lake, which is in the Santan Valley. It is NOT Santan Lakeside. They are 2 different lakes. The only lot for sale at Santan Lakeside at this time is listed to $549k.

@escmanaze Are you referring to the lot at Buchli Lake in the Santan Valley or a lot at Santan Lakeside? If it is at Santan Lakeside, it is not a lot on the lake and does not have ski privileges.

Great film @rwskier ! If I didn't already own a place there, it would make me buy one!

Hey @escmanaze, You are correct. Playa Del Rey is too short for a slalom course. It was originally designed as a cable lake, thus the short lake. It also has some odd lake rules. Motorized boating days are Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 8 am until sunset. You can only fill your gas tank to 3/4 full. Max speed is 35 mph. Bottom line, it is purely a recreational lake with some rules that keep serious skiers away. Personally, even on a private, I do like to ski before 8 am.

Jackee the Ski Dog...no longer with us, but best JRT I ever had. She snow skied too!

@Than_Bogan Unfortunately, we all have that one non-flattering photo of us out there. I'll find a better one next time.

@skigirl Does this work? ^^^^^^