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Trying to sell new home lots in a depressing national real estate market, Todd Gilbertson didn't miss a beat.

"If there's any biathletes out there looking to build a house," the Steamboat Springs developer said, a wry smile across his face, "we've now got the perfect spot."

The demand for biathlon-equipped houses remains unclear. It was perfectly clear, however, that the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club's biathlon program found a home worth investing in at the new biathlon course at Gilbertson's Saddle Ridge development west of Steamboat Springs.

The Saddle Ridge biathlon course, introduced for the first time Thursday, is the product of generous donations from the community. That same community could reap its benefits for years to come.

Big plans

Just how essential could the course, laid out on land donated by Gilbertson, turn out to be?

"I'd be surprised if we don't have an Olympian come out of this program in the next 10 years," SSWSC executive director Rick DeVos said, watching young athletes knock down targets on the course's opening day.

The biathlon course sits on a hill overlooking the iconic Saddle Mountain.

At some point, the seven-home site property will include snowshoe trails and a warming hut. For now, it features a lengthy cross-country ski track that extends up, around and through the development. The shooting range - safely tucked far away from the home sites, and placed against a robust ridge capable of absorbing all bullets - is the newest addition.

The project came together after Gilbertson approached the SSWSC about helping design the development's skiing trails. He offered to allow club athletes to train there, and he jumped all over the concept of a biathlon range when the club hierarchy revealed that's the facility it really had been hungering for.

"It's safe. It's in a good, controlled area, and we have a good backstop. It's not near any home sites," Gilbertson said. "It's great to provide for the community."

The entire site was just another grassy hillside meadow in early November. Brad Hoefer at All Terrain Excavation - with the help of Mike Bell, of Mike Bell Construction - went to work changing that late in the month.

It took Hoefer five weeks - donating his time and equipment - to dig out a level shooting range 60 meters wide and deep enough to accommodate the necessary 50-meter distance from firing line to target.

Essential facilites

The two elements of biathlon - skiing and shooting - at first don't seem to require a dedicated facility. The club previously used the Routt County Rifle club's range for shooting, and there are plenty of cross-country ski tracks in the area.

But there's more to the sport than those two elements.

"It's going to help a lot. Before, we would have skiing practice, then shooting practice, and you didn't get a good chance to get your heart rate up while on skis," 14-year old biathlon veteran Evan Weinman said. "You can't really shoot when you're breathing heavy, so a big part of the sport is getting your heart rate down quickly."

It's a sensation the team used to try and replicate with short runs or a series of jumping jacks. Still, nothing compares to the real thing.

"Coming in, taking the poles off, getting ready and shooting with skis on is a big part of the game," Osteen said. "Putting it all together is something you can only learn from practice."

The potential that a home course unlocks wasn't lost on anyone Thursday at the course's opening-day festivities.

"It really validates the program," Donna Weinman, Evan's mother, said. "It's an Olympic sport. It's a sport colleges really want to attract kids for. It's great having this."

'New era'

The facility is not yet finished. A good blanket of snow will help cover the torn up tracks of Hoefer's construction equipment. The trail needs fine-tuning, and the club still is seeking enough of the $750 targets to fill out its world-class 20-target range.

"I'm sure we'll be out here this summer working on it and doing landscaping," said DeVos, who recalled logging plenty of hours putting the finishing touches on similarly donated projects.

The course can host small events already, but only the sky appears to be the limit for the future.

"Next year, we hope to host Colorado Biathlon Club events and maybe something like the junior state championships," Osteen said. "The USBA (United States Biathlon Association) is very excited for us to get the range. They know we want some of the big races as soon as we've had a chance to prove ourselves.

"This is something we've been looking forward to and the work that's gone into it and the volunteer effort we've gotten despite the economy, it's certainly a blessing to have that, and it has helped us start a new era for biathlon in Steamboat."