The team behind the Powder Peak development near the base of Chair 2 at Whitefish Mountain Resort met for a groundbreaking Jan. 22, although construction of the first of several buildings is already well underway. 

The project that includes 38 ski-in ski-out townhomes is being built on about an acre at the site of the former Alpinglow Inn. 

Canadian developers and owners Reid Keebaugh and Jason Ortt worked with Neo Studio, an architectural firm in Denver, for the design.  

The development features two- and three-bedroom units, each with outdoor decks, private hot tubs, 10-foot ceilings and heated private garages. Residences range from approximately 1,700 to 2,800 square feet, with prices starting at $2.5 million. 

The concrete foundation was recently poured for Phase 1 which comprises 10 units in two buildings. When completed, nine buildings will make up Powder Peak. 

The northernmost building will house retail space and at least one restaurant. Six additional buildings each contain five residential units, and the plan calls for two smaller residential structures.  

“It was the most efficient design for the project,” Keebaugh said.  

The Powder Peak development is the Canadian’s first project in the United States, though he has built several residential and industrial projects in Canada, as well as homes on Big Mountain.  

So far, five units in the first two buildings have been sold. 

THE ALPINGLOW INN was the first resort condominium in Montana when it was built in 1968.  

The Pilot wrote in May 2010 that the building's 54 units initially sold for $9,951 each, complete with individual electric heat, private baths and wall-to-wall carpeting. 

The beloved condominium units were torn down in 2010 due to structural concerns. 

“It was owned by 52 or 54 different owners. I had to buy every unit individually from everybody because they had no HOA,” Keebaugh said of the Alpinglow. “It took me a year to buy this piece of land.” 

After securing the parcel around 2018, Keebaugh and Ortt proposed a project in 2020 called Landmark Whitefish that had to be scrapped due to the pandemic. 

Landmark Whitefish was to include 70-80 residential units, priced at $1.2 million each, as well as retail space with restaurants, a heated pool, a spa and underground parking. 

Reportedly, Keebaugh and his team sold 35% of units in just two days, despite feelings from locals that the plans made the mountain resemble a mega resort. 

Keebaugh said he sold $100 million worth of Landmark condos for $1,000 a square foot. 

“Then Covid hit and it was $1,500 a square foot to build,” he said. “It was not feasible, so we gave people their money back and redesigned and here we are.” 

After developers returned to the drawing board, they came back with the Powder Peak project. 

“I think people like this project better than the last project. The Landmark was such a big, massive project,” said Sean Averill, owner PureWest Christie’s Real Estate. “This fits the site better, fits the town better.”