If you are like most of us living in Breckenridge chances are you’ll be doing a lot of skiing and snowboarding this Holiday Season. And we found the perfect stocking stuffer for those of you who love the powder, Touchscreen-Friendly Gloves. If you own a touchscreen phone like the iPhone than you probably have noticed how difficult it can be to use your phone or iPod outdoors. The last thing you want to do on the lift is take off your gloves to text or change the music for your epic ride down the mountain. Check out these Touchscreen-Friendly Gloves from Agloves.

Developed by a Jennifer Spencer, a Boulder inventor, the Agloves are made with yam that contains silver, hence the Ag. According to New West Blog, “The silver fibers weave in conductive properties throughout the glove, rather than on a couple of spots or on the fingertips.”

For only $18 these gloves will be the hottest things on the slopes!

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It has been a pretty snowy week here in Breckenridge. The slopes opened last week and we have received close to 55 inches of fresh powder, 20 inches of that within the last 24 hours. The T-Bar also opened today; the lift’s earliest opening ever.

Below are some photos that we saw on Breckenridge Ski Resorts Facebook Fan Page. We hope you enjoy your weekend on the slopes!

Courtesy of Breckenrige Ski Resort

Courtesy of Breckenrige Ski Resort

For some a mountain retreat in Breckenridge, Colorado is a dream come true. At Trilogy Partners, we can turn your dream into a reality. We can build you a vacation home in the Rocky Mountains that will become the perfect retreat for your family and friends.

Colorado is home to some of the greatest ski resorts in the world and summertime here is just as exciting.  Take a look at some of our beautifully designed  mountain retreats.

Trilogy Partners

Trilogy Partners

For more information please visit us online at TrilogyBuilds.com or give us a call us at 970-453-2230.

So fellow Breckenridge residents tomorrow, November 12^th, is opening day of the 2010/2011 ski season. In its 49^th season, the Breckenridge Ski Resort is debuting some great new features and attractions such as the new Gold Runner Coaster, One Ski Hill Place and a 22-foot Olympic-sized halfpipe.

Those of us living and working in Breckenridge know of the benefits of this great ski town, but to all of you who have never been to Breck make sure you stop by this ski season. There is fresh powder on the ground so get ready to ski!

Courtesy of Breckenridge.com

Today we wanted to focus our Team Trilogy series on founding partner, John Rath. John, along with his brother and sister, started Trilogy in 1998. John journeyed to Breckenridge, Colorado after leaving his life producing movies in New York City behind. His love for the Colorado Rocky Mountain Region began in 1983 with his first trip out west. John along with the rest of our Trilogy Team has achieved much success thanks in part to our collaboration with our clients, designers, vendors and sub-contractors. Together we have built homes and communities in which we can be proud of.

Photo Credit: Summit Daily/Mark Fox

Michael Rath, a Trilogy Partner, has co-founded The Haiti Orphan Rescue Program (HORP) to build permanent adequate shelter for Haitian orphaned and abandoned children.

Mike M January 2010

Joined by builders Mike Mahon and Andrea DeLuca of sustainable building company Adaptive Building Solutions in Ann Arbor, Michigan, HORP will raise funds and assist Haitian labor to construct multiple orphanage projects over the coming years. Haiti’s “children without family” receive no aid from their government, and Mike M and his family have years of experience in Haiti helping these most vulnerable Haitians and their caregivers with support and medical aid. The earthquake of January 12, 2010 left more than 500,000 children without family or government support, spurring the two Mikes and Andrea to establish HORP as a non-profit 501(c) charitable organization. The next project commences mid April when members of HORP will travel to Haiti to refurbish a damaged orphanage housing 20 children more than half with disabilities. Visit HORP to learn more about this worthy cause and to contribute through programs like the “Adopt an Orphanage” and “HORP Ambassadors.”

The first match of the World Cup will be played tomorrow as the home team of South Africa competes against Mexico.  Although soccer (football) isn’t as big in the United States as it is for the rest of the world, there is still much excitement and anticipation whenever the World Cup is played.

In gearing up for the big match that is taking place Saturday when our team, USA, takes on England we thought we’d share something we came across on Inhabitots.com.

“Just in time for the World Cup tournament, a group of enterprising women entrepreneurs has unveiled a soccer ball that captures and stores energy generated by play. Called the sOccket (a mashup of “soccer” and “socket”), the ingenious little ball was created by Harvard alums Jessica Lin, Jessica Matthews, Julia Silverman, and Hemali Thakkar with developing nations in mind….” click here to read the article in its entirety.

We thought we’d share some beautifully designed American Stables that we came across in the June issue of Architectural Digest for those of you who witnessed Drosselmeyer 13-1 upset in the 142^nd Belmont Stakes over the weekend.

Below are a few of our favorites.

This ranch in Montana was made out of recycled pine logs and native fieldstone.

This above stable in East Hampton, New York belongs to Steven Spielberg and his wife, Kate Capshaw.  The weathervane on top of the stable is in the form of a dinosaur reminiscent of Spielberg’s film Jurassic Park.

According to Architectural Digest this stable is one of “Kentucky’s showplace for racing and breeding thoroughbreds. Located in Lexington, the property has 847 acres of lavish pastureland and more than 40 buildings, including a 14-room residence, 15 white barns with red-trimmed cupolas, a sophisticated veterinary clinic, an equine swimming pool and underwater treadmill, two racetracks, a gazebo and a modest log cabin.”

AD: “Frank Lloyd Wright couldn’t design an ordinary-looking building,” says producer Joel Silver, who restored the little-known Auldbrass, Wright’s 1939 plantation in Yemassee, South Carolina. A crushed-brick walkway leads to the barn. “By folding the roof down and the corners of the doors back, Wright created something origami-like,” Silver notes.

The next Team Trilogy member we wanted to highlight is Melinda Fleming.  For those of you who have worked with Melinda, you know she is more than just our business manager.  She is instrumental in making sure Trilogy Partners runs smoothly and efficiently.  Read below to learn more about Melinda.

Melinda Fleming

I grew up in Oklahoma and every year my family vacationed in Colorado. I fell in love with Colorado and the mountains on these vacations. My husband and I moved to Colorado in 1998. I spent the first years in Summit County working for Vail Resorts and an internet company before joining Trilogy Partners in 2004.

My husband and I have a hot air balloon and we spend our spare time sharing the sport of hot air ballooning with friends. We enjoy being able to view the Rocky Mountains from our balloon, the best view in town. We also enjoy snowmobiling and snowshoeing in the winter. These are great ways to experience the back country and truly enjoy nature at its finest.

I love my job and I feel privileged to work with the team of people that makes up Trilogy Partners. The thing I enjoy the most about my job is working with our clients through the entire project. It is very fulfilling to be a part of the team that takes the designs and ideas of clients and turns them into a home. It is great to be a part of taking people’s dreams and visions and turning them into reality.

Breckenridge is now the place that I call home. I hope in five years that I am still here enjoying the lifestyle the county has to offer and I still want to be a part of the great team here at Trilogy Partners.

We recently read an article on Residential Design & Build Magazine about the growing need for custom built second homes.  RBD magazine has found that  builders are still “creating high-end vacation retreats designed with a family-friendly emphasis, and with budgets that often rival those of their owner’s primary residences.”   With second homes, buyers are are looking to build a home complete will all the amenities of their primary residence, but with a more casual look and feel.

Residential Design and Build also stated in their article that “Creating these comfortable, laid-back homes can be a deceptively stressful experience.  First, from a planning standpoint, the lots often are challenging… the high demand for access to water and views means building sites can be both expensive and narrow, so architects have to be creative to make the most of the scenery while also protecting privacy.

Also, in many cases designers and builders are working with either clients or design professionals from other states. This forces the team to create — and stick to — communication plans. It also can require educating both clients and remote building team members about local codes and practices that may differ from what they’re used to.”

That is why when building your second or vacation home, it is important to find a firm who will work closely with you on all aspects of the project.  At Trilogy Partners we partner with our clients to guide projects from concept through construction to completion.