Along with double diamond trails, high-speed lifts and fresh powder, it's a must on the wish list of any skiing aficionado: a "ski in, ski out" luxury townhouse, where the trails and lifts are just steps -- no, make that a quick schuss -- from your door.

	Pam Panchak, Post-Gazette Town homes at Southwind at Lake Tahoe start at $430,000. Click photo for larger image. More information Information: www.7springs.com or Alicia Thompson or Greg Spearn at 1-814-352-7777, ext. 7676 or 7506.

At Seven Springs Mountain Resort in Champion, Somerset County, some skiing families have been able to find all of the above for years. But if you're looking to join them, time may be running out.

Last month, 26 town homes starting at $430,000 went on the market at Southwind at Lake Tahoe, clustered near the resort's lake of the same name (actually a 125 million-gallon water supply used for snow-making operations) and overlooking the resort's main lodge and hotel. It's the third and final phase of construction at the 26-acre ski in/ski out gated community, with a network of ski trails winding by the new homes, leading to the resort's main slopes. There's a private chairlift, too.

Southwind is perhaps the most upscale component of a larger expansion plan at Seven Springs that was announced in 2001. The community will eventually consist of 154 town homes built in clusters of two, three or four units from 1,700 to 2,900 square feet in size, along with 65 condominium-hotel units. All units are centrally air-conditioned, while the larger end units feature double furnaces and two-car garages.

Southwind is just one of many changes under way at the 75-year old resort, which was owned by the Dupre family before being sold last year to the Nuttings of Wheeling, W.Va., who own a chain of newspapers and the Pittsburgh Pirates.

An ongoing expansion plan gained momentum last year when the Nuttings added a U-shaped superpipe and terrain park for snowboarders. A six-seat high-speed lift was added in 2001; a second one will be in operation at the resort's North Face side next season.

Like so many large ski resorts, Seven Springs has transformed itself into a four-season resort -- the state's largest -- with nearly 1.2 million overnight and day guests for snow sports during the winter, and golf, tennis and other activities during the spring, summer and fall.

The resort, which hosts 1,000 meetings, conferences and banquets a year, can accommodate more than 5,000 overnight guests in its 418-room hotel, nearly 1,000 condominiums and town homes, 20 chalets and five cabins.

During a visit last week, there was plenty of construction going on at Southwind -- overseen by Dynamic Building Corp. of Cranberry -- even as skiers hopped off the Polar Bear Express, the high-speed chairlift, and headed down Phillips Run.

Two town home models are currently open to visitors. One is a basic model whose price ranges from $430,000 to $740,000, but with plenty of amenities. Each standard unit has a two-story great room with a gas fireplace fronted in stone and maple; granite tile countertops in the gourmet kitchen; GE Profile appliances, including a gas-burning stove; solid maple doors and trim; and ceramic tile and accents in the bathrooms.

	Pam Panchak, Post-Gazette Above: The finished lower level of a town home at Southwind at Lake Tahoe, a 26-acre ski in / ski out development adjacent to Lake Tahoe at Seven Springs Mountain Resort. Below: The kitchen space in the great room, left, comes with a granite tile-topped island. Click photos for larger image.

The other model town home is a customized version, and drop-dead luxurious, with gleaming onyx bathroom floors, handmade wrought-iron hooks for ski boots in the ground-floor "ski room," a redwood-lined wine room and a state-of-the-art media room with leather reclining seats.

Regardless of price, all of Southwind's town homes have extraordinary views. At an elevation of nearly 3,000 feet, with the wooded ridges of neighboring Forbes State Forest stretching off into the horizon, and the Laurel Highlands hiking trails nearby, there's a simultaneous sense of being in the middle of the wilderness and on top of the world -- which is pretty amazing, considering that Pittsburgh is 90 minutes away.

One tradeoff is the noise made by snowmaking machines. At Seven Springs, they make 100 inches each year in addition to what falls naturally. But those near Southwind are smaller and quieter, said Greg Spearn, director of real estate. Then there's the common problem in condo developments of noisy neighbors, which is why the common wall between the units is extra thick, he said.

Quality construction is one attraction for these town homes. Each house's exterior wall is built with 2-by-6-inch studs, which are stronger than standard 2-by-4s and allow room for thicker insulation. The town homes are finished with cedar siding and the resort's signature "dry stack" stone chimneys, a theme carried inside, where even the basic model has a stone fireplace.

Buyers can choose three-, four- or five-bedroom models, and there's additional basement space, which can be finished to add between 450 and 1,250 square feet. All of the rooms have 9-foot ceilings and there's a security system in the custom town home; the basic model is wired for one.

The 15-by-15 1/2-foot master bedroom in all models has a private deck and a gas fireplace that's visible from the bed. The basic model's master bathroom also features a deep soaking tub and a large walk-in shower with a bench, along with attractive stone accents.

The basic model's kitchen flooring is hardwood, and buyers can choose between a a variety of stains for the floor and cabinets. Three brushed nickel pendant lights cast a warm glow over the granite tile-topped island, and there's a full granite backsplash.

The custom model kicked things up a notch: no, make that a couple of thousand notches. Designed by Cindy Slayback of Dynamic and Dee Dee Lucas of Greensburg-based Better Homes Interior Design, it features furniture by Century and Maitland Smith in warm, rustic colors.

Instead of carpeting in the living room, the custom model has slate floors in the foyer and distressed and pegged oak floors in the great room. Here, the stone fireplace extends two stories high.

The open kitchen has distressed cherry wood cabinets and a bar with a temperature-controlled wine storage, two refrigerated beverage drawers and a copper sink etched with pine cone designs. There's a Wolf double oven range and a Sub-Zero refrigerator, too.

If you'd rather be a couch potato than cook potatoes, you can chill out to music with whole-house audio or movies with sense-surround-sound, which comes with each wall-mounted, high-definition television in the great room, master bedroom and the ground floor's wet bar. If you're a clean freak, there's central vacuum technology, too.

There's more luxury upstairs in the master bathroom, where the stone floors are heated and the whirlpool bath is lined in Rainforest granite as is the vanity top, which features two limestone drop-in sink bowls. There's also an extra large steam shower with Murano glass tile accents.

	Pam Panchak, Post-Gazette A redwood-lined wine room with a cork floor is located in the lower level of the customized town home model. Click photo for larger image.

The stone details throughout this town home are perhaps its most stunning feature: a hall bathroom on the second has shimmering "copper" slate flooring etched with animal figures, a shower tiled in Oceana "hard roc" glass, and a mounted vessel sink, also in Oceana glass. A first-floor powder room has polished brown onyx floors and a green onyx vanity top, while the ground floor's wet bar countertop is lined in Red Dragon granite.

If you find mixing cocktails tedious, you can always watch the HDTV mounted above the wet bar's sink on a hand-painted mirror. There's also an adjacent bedroom with frosted glass pocket doors -- to let natural light in while preserving privacy -- and a bathroom with a walk-in shower and limestone tile floors.

But the piece de resistance has to be the media room, with a huge rear-projection screen and eight tiered leather reclining seats. A riser is built in the back for optimal viewing.

Then again, the back ski room has its own allure: slate floors in African Blaze slate with heavy Asian-style wooden benches. The wrought-iron boot holders were made by a local craftsman, Shawn Gross, who also created a custom fireplace screen in the great room. And if you step outside the custom model's ski room onto the ground floor porch, you'll see a large hot tub.

If you're too busy to pick out tile or sheets, Southwind's designers will do it for you, down to the last fork and spoon. An on-site design center is available for one-stop shopping for furniture, bedding, accessories and artwork.

Maintenance -- landscaping, snow and leaf removal -- is handled by the Southwind of Lake Tahoe Homeowners' Association. By the end of this year, there will be a 3,500-square-foot clubhouse with an outdoor pool, hot tub, exercise and changing rooms, as well as a kitchen and common facilities that guests can book for private entertainment.