# Telluride BC closed - Tom Chapman royal douche



## bobbuilds (May 12, 2007)

if you have the money...........

fuck the poor.


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## rwhyman (May 23, 2005)

Just another example of why the top 1 % should continue to get their tax cuts so they can piss on or I mean trickle down on the poor. Those poor rich bastards really need our help.


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## DurangoSteve (Jun 2, 2006)

Greed trumps the greater good... again.


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## mjpowhound (May 5, 2006)

Wow. What a scumbag.


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## Dave Frank (Oct 14, 2003)

Sure seems like the historic use clause could not only keep it skiable, but possibly even strip it from the guy. A legitimate building lot in Boulder, got taken from the actual owner because the neighbors could demonstrate they had been using it as a path for a certain # of years. This seems like the same idea.


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## glenn (May 13, 2009)

Nothing like being turned away from public land. Hope this fucker gets his land removed.


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## blutzski (Mar 31, 2004)

No argument Chapman is an unapologetic douche. But what are you all saying? People have to allow skiers access to their property? Telluride is the one who closed the gates. The skiers are the ones who didn't respect private property boundaries. It's private property not public. The problem is our ridiculous antiquated mining rights laws that allows people to buy these lands under the ruse that they are somehow miners.


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## glenn (May 13, 2009)

I'm not there, and I don't know the whole story. It sure sounded like there was access to/from public ski lands without crossing the private property, but many/most/all BC travelers were cutting through the private land right now. It also sounds like there isn't anything there yet, and Chapman is setting a precedent so he can offer those public lands up as a private playground for his buyers/renters.


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## JCKeck1 (Oct 28, 2003)

I'm not a t-ride local, but I've skied Bear Creek a fair bit. My understanding is that Chapman bought a thin strip of land that goes from one side of the valley to the other. The valley has 400+ vertical walls on either side. There is no road to the land and no motorized access. Hence, the land for development purposes is essentially worth nothing. However, if you ski out any of the backcountry gates into the Bear Creek drainage, you are pretty much committing yourself to briefly skiing across his land. There are exceptions for those on monster BC tours that could egress somewhere else, but 90% of people are going right over his land. It sounds to me that he saw T-ride trying to expand into that area with guided tours, etc and decided to take advantage of the situation. He bought pretty much worthless land surrounded on all sides by huge cliffs and forrest service land. Then he demanded that people stop skiing across it. The Forrest Service (not Telluride - they don't really have any say) decided to close the backcountry access gates to keep people off his property. I imagine that he's in negotiations right now with T-ride to see how much they'll pay for his sliver of property.

Again, I'm not a local and this is not fact, but I have spent some time back there and know the lay of the land...
Joe


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## fella (Jul 29, 2008)

blutzski said:


> No argument Chapman is an unapologetic douche. But what are you all saying? People have to allow skiers access to their property? Telluride is the one who closed the gates. The skiers are the ones who didn't respect private property boundaries. It's private property not public. The problem is our ridiculous antiquated mining rights laws that allows people to buy these lands under the ruse that they are somehow miners.


 
For 40 years, the owners of the mining claims have implicitly permitted skiers and backcountry travellers to cross/ tresspass on these Bear Creek claims. 

The claims that Chapman bought are NOT contiguous, and to exit upper Bear Creek does NOT require tresspass on Chapman's claims!

The Forest Service and Telski conspired to close access to Bear Creek because Chapman will not negotiate to sell to Telski (yet). By Closing access, Telski seeks to create a local movement supporting the ski company's expansion into BC.

This is local "politics" and manipulation at its worst. Telski and the Forest Service should be ashamed.


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## Flohotter (Jun 22, 2010)

Q:A with the man himself

Thomas Chapman — Bear Creek Telluride — His Story - The Backcountry Skiing Blog


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## mania (Oct 21, 2003)

andru187 said:


> Q:A with the man himself
> 
> Thomas Chapman — Bear Creek Telluride — His Story - The Backcountry Skiing Blog


I'll summarize. "I'm just like all of you a good capitalist trying to maximize profits. so how can that be wrong?"

what a huge load of crap he thinks we are supposed to swallow and enjoy it.


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## glenn (May 13, 2009)

"I've got some friends who are liberal environmentalists"


Anyways, it actually sounds like he has a claim to shutting down access. There is no way to get through the drainage without cross either his private property another parcel of private land which also does not want skiers crossing. So he says.


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## fella (Jul 29, 2008)

glenn said:


> "I've got some friends who are liberal environmentalists"
> 
> 
> Anyways, it actually sounds like he has a claim to shutting down access. There is no way to get through the drainage without cross either his private property another parcel of private land which also does not want skiers crossing. So he says.


So, the public record, including original plats, as well as modern GIS plotting of mining claims which have been inactive for many decades is wrong because Chapman says so?!? You'd think the owners might have addressed this sometime in the last 40 years, no?

Additionally, Chapman claims in the linked "interview" that he is a "real estate broker" rather than a land-swap swindler, having only one land-swap robbery under his belt... Just like he claims he is barely involved in this fiasco -- since some ambiguous company is behind the development plans (He just happens to be a partner in the company!) Chapman has a long and dirty history. I'd have created LLC's to do my bidding too, if I were doing what he's done

Just because someone tells you he's honest, and assures you he's good people doesn't make it so!


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## gh (Oct 13, 2003)

Sounds like the same guy that did this development in the springs. Welcome to Gold Hill Mesa - Colorado Springs? Newest Traditional Neighborhood Development
Built it on what looked like a hazmat site. I heard rumors that the city workers that laid out the water and sewer pipes had to wear protective (hazmat) suits while working. I assumed after folks lived there for several years that they would begin to have weird, abnormal cancers and autoimmune issues. Sounds like a great guy all round.


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## glenn (May 13, 2009)

> I certainly remain very skeptical of anyone who is shutting down a major reason for me to visit Telluride. I hope this will go to court, Chapman will have his chance to put it all on the table, and so will the community/ski area and hopefully the judge will be able to see things clearly and make a just decision. I'm certainly hoping that means things get reopened, and this dude loses his land. But I don't have all the facts. It is interesting he has his own conspiracy theory which seems viable considering he isn't wanted there....


Your forgetting the golden rule.


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## Tkoch (Jun 10, 2009)

This Scumbag has been up to these same old tricks for 20 years. Yes I know the Congressional inability to change the 1892 mining Law is part culprit but no other reptile has used these in-holdings of NP and FS lands for extortion again and again and again like this worm!!Park Service Finds Nemesis in Colo. Mansion Developer - NYTimes.com Google Thomas Chapman for more stories of shame!!


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## hojo (Jun 26, 2008)

The land swap deal is wholly tainted. There are tracts of public land completely surrounded by private land with no right of way rules in place. It's "ironic freedom" at it's finest. I'm free to make everything private. You're free to f***off if you don't have the money.


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