While I have set a minimum bar for what constitutes a lodge worthy of being designated “Mountaintop”, even within that elite group there are a number of sub-divisions:

  1. Isolated – The peak-perched property with no other lodge in sight. The classic of the genre.
  2. Mid Mountain – Ticks all the boxes essentially, but might be a bit further down the mountain, have less of a panoramic view, or some other limitation. Might be a reasonable alternative if the property meets other needs even if it isn’t truly mountain ‘top’.
  3. Village – These are clusters of pretty much “Mid Mountain” properties. The key minimum criteria are (a) it requires a gondola ride to access, (b) it does not have vehicular traffic, (c) the ski pistes run right through the middle of it.