John Elway's Ruby Ranch Home

Silverthorne, Colo.

For $1.5 million, you can sleep where football legend John Elway once bunked. The former Denver Broncos quarterback is selling his 3,150-square-foot Summit County, Colo., ski home. The reason? According to Elway, he and his wife, Janet, have been spending less time in the mountains and more time in Denver on the sidelines of their four kids’ sporting events.

Located in the gated Ruby Ranch community¿just a 5-minute drive from the bustling ski town of Silverthorne¿this large, secluded log home sits on nearly 6 acres, overlooking Lake Dillon. An ideal family property, it has 4 bedrooms, 4 baths, a recreation room with a hot tub and pool table, as well as a separate 700-square-foot bunkhouse for vacationing friends and relatives. Hardwood floors, vaulted ceilings, a tiled entryway, a river-rock fireplace, log beams and pine doors are all features that lend the property its classic mountain-home ambiance.

From any one of the home’s outside decks, expansive mountain views will satiate your thirst for beauty. And in the kitchen and dining room areas, residents can indulge in the south-facing views of Keystone Resort and the panorama of the alpine peaks surrounding Lake Dillon. The living room’s floor-to-ceiling windows have a western exposure of the Gore Mountain Range.

The home has a 3-car garage with a workroom, and for horse-lovers, there’s a 3-stall horse barn and paddock. Ruby Ranch also has a central stable where residents can leave horses when they’re away.

Elway’s home could be the ultimate year-round residence. The south property line borders national forest land and Eagle’s Nest Wilderness Area with direct access to hiking and mountain biking trails. Flyfishing, golf and sailing are easy local activities in the summertime, too.

PROS Silverthorne, which sits directly off I-70, is a major hub in Colorado ski country. It’s known for its outlet stores and its ideal proximity to a variety of choice Colorado resorts, such as Arapahoe Basin, Breckenridge, Keystone and Copper Mountain¿where you’ll likely find Elway and his family skiing¿all within a 20-minute drive.

CONS With the current state of growth in mountain towns, I-70 is known as one of the country’s busiest highways, and traffic can often get backed up for hours.

DETAILS
LOCATION 1221 Emerald Road, Ruby Ranch, Silverthorne, Colo.
PRICE $1,495,000 (price per square foot: $388)
BEDROOMS 4
BATHROOMS 4
TOTAL SQ. FT. 3,850 (includes bunkhouse)
TIME ON MARKET 5 months
LISTING BROKER Dave Petersen, ReMax Properties of the Summit, Frisco, Colo., (800) 289-5305; e-mail: Petersenre@aol.com.

Mountain Property: Bulldozer Blackmail

Design File: Zoe Murphy Compton Lighting