You Love A-Frames. You Love Hotels. Guess What We Found in Colorado?
Bring your ’70s ski suit for a stay in one of these A-frame cabins.
Editor’s note: This story originally ran in March of 2022. We’re happy to announce that A-Frame Club is fully up and running now, just as described.
It’s time to bust out that color-blocked Lycra ski suit that’s been sitting in a box in your attic since the ’70s. Or, if you missed the golden area of fashion on the slopes, make a trip to your local thrift store to find a bold red nylon parka or baby blue insulated overalls. Your destination? The soon-to-open A-Frame Club in Colorado.
If you’re as big a fan of the A-frame as we are here at Sunset, this Winter Park hotel should be in the running for your next alpine vacation. Construction is underway on the 31-cabin property, complete with a historic saloon turned restaurant and bar, just steps from the Fraser River.
Designed by Skylab Architecture, this group of 450-square-foot cabins are an ode to a bygone era of American ski culture, each set on low stilts and connected by a series of boardwalk-like pathways amid the pines. You’ll be able to climb up a ship’s ladder to your lofted bedroom, which will sit above a living room, bathroom, and kitchenette, not to mention a Malm fireplace and sweeping glass windows.
“The concept behind A-Frame Club, is to provide a modern take on A-frame ski lodging while touching lightly on the land,” the team behind Skylab, the architectural firm for the project, says in a press release. “All of the cabins and walkways are elevated to maintain the trees and natural watershed of the site.”
Malm fireplaces may also be found at a nearly 10,000-square-foot gathering space called The Lodge, where guests can expect to sip Negronis on the fire pit-clad patio or take in the midcentury vibes inside the bar and restaurant.
“This project pushes beyond the tradition of Colorado ski hut lodging by embracing sustainability and contemporary prefabrication strategies,” says project architect Conor Wood in the release.
Winter Park sits just south of Rocky Mountain National Park, about a 90-minute drive west of Denver. The eponymous resort is home to more than 3,000 acres of terrain for skiing, snowboarding, and more; not to to mention mountain biking and hiking in the warmer months.
The property is slated to open in late summer 2022, with suites in the range of $200 to $600 per night. In the meantime, you’ll find us thrifting for turtlenecks.