Typically, he said, it's located in an obscure, out-of-the-way area on the lower level.

With this home, it is celebrated with a bridge that has a water feature running beneath it that drops into the pool. Skiers will go over the bridge and enter on the main level into a very elegant ski-prep room with individual lockers, sitting area and a bar.

This room, Hill said, "is three to four times larger than what you'd find in other homes of this size."

"We really tried to tie everything together, especially the indoor/outdoor experience, which is why you see this whole bank of windows in the ski-prep room open up on to the deck."

He felt the most difficult challenge was the radius features on everything from the stairs to the railings to the stone work on the counters.

"Anytime you go away from straight lines, the work become much more difficult. Take the grand staircase, for example. Work started on the stairs when we started framing, and they were one of the last things finished. I look at them as artwork, and you see this throughout the home.

"Also, the technology in this home is the most advanced available. You have control of almost everything from every room."

Ballstaedt said his committee would continue to gather opinions from skiers and other sources, and he would try to incorporate some new ideas into the next home, which might include the bowling alley.

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E-mail: grass@desnews.com