BOULDER — New ownership will take over the Boulder Mountain Lodge on Dec. 1. Starting next year, the new management group will also mean a new look for the establishment, a shifting focus on serving adventure sports enthusiasts, and — potentially — a new name: Boulder Basecamp.
The lodge is located in the Boulder Canyon area, at 91 Fourmile Canyon Drive, a little more than a mile west of the city. For the last 27 years, it has been owned and operated by the family of Four Mile Fire Department Chief Bret Gibson.
Gibson said he bought out his mother’s share after she died in 1990, and eventually took over for his father around 2000. He and his wife have been running the business for the last 14 years, and he felt it was time to turn the inn over to a “new kid.”
“We survived the flood and the economy, and we’re happy to turn it over to a young man who has a lot of energy,” Gibson said. “I think he is going to take it to the next level.”
Enter Asa Firestone. Though the lodge will technically be owned by an LLC, Firestone’s Basecamp Ventures, he and friend Kris Klauber, a former manager at the Mountain Sun Pub & Brewery, will be in charge of the day-to-day operations.
Firestone, a University of Colorado alumnus, has been an avid climber for 15 years, receiving grants from the American Alpine Club and National Geographic for climbing expeditions. He said he saw an opportunity to bring a “rock ranch” to Boulder; a hostel-style establishment with bunk rooms, and campsites to more cheaply accommodate adventure sports enthusiasts, in addition to traditional hotel rooms and private cabins.
He said he also plans to run a shuttle service between the lodge and the Pearl Street Mall to offer his guests a range of recreational options.
“I realized the opportunity to focus on adventure and climbing in the hospitality industry in Boulder was a very good one,” Firestone said. “We really want to focus on community and get people up there that really want to meet other people and not just stay in a room. We want people talking about their adventures and planning new adventures.”
Firestone has a ways to go before he is ready to unveil the rebranded lodge, but some people around Boulder were already excited by the idea of a mountain hostel near town.
“I think that’s a great idea. People are looking for less expensive alternatives,” said Shannon Long, co-owner of Pearl Street’s Boulder Army Store. “That’s a good location for sure.”
Gibson said he sold the Mountain Lodge for $1.8 million. He has no immediate plans following his departure from the hospitality industry, but said he will remain the head of Four Mile’s volunteer fire department.
“We’ve spent 27 years as a business in the canyon but also as a community gathering spot and safety net for some of the canyon folks when they were temporarily or long-term without housing,” Gibson said. “We played a nice role here, and I hope the new folks will continue doing that.”
