What happened to Valhalla?

[ronterry]

Noticed there website is parked? Are they defunct, or restructuring?

Would be nice to have that level of training in my backyard of Colorado...

Anyhow, what are closest schools with that level of training?

Ron
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[Rob Pincus]

Really long story .... short version:

pre 2000: Founder pitches family corporation on backing a resort property with a shooting club. Permission Granted.
Post 9/11: Founder decides to expand original plan for basic firearms training to include renting the shoothouse to training companies interested in using it.
late 2002: Owner meets me, we hit it off. I was at the facility with ESI, as they were invited to consider renting the facility. I wrote an article for SWAT Magazine that included a comparison of the idea of a top notch training center at a high end resort to the legend of Valhalla (traing hard all day, feast and party all night).
Early 2003:  After founder changed name of club to "Valhalla", while following up on discussions about renting the facility, I get offered a job running the club. I agree, based on the inclusion of an actual "training center" that would use the faicility in Spring and Fall  (resort off-season).
Fall 2003: Valhalla, as everyone knew it, opens as training center and private shooting club. (Resort opens the following June).
December 2007: Resort hasn't done well to date, but Valhalla is thriving. Family  Corporation reminds founder that "training center" was never part of plan and blames failure of resort on said training center... demands that it be closed. I leave with the blessing of Founder with all the training programs (including my flagship program: Combat Focus Shooting) under the banner of my company, I.C.E. Training. Valhalla officially becomes a shooting club only.
December 2008: Founder resigns after another unsuccesful year for the resort and stagnation at shooting club.
March 2009: Family Corporation announces that Resort and the Shooting club are officially defunct, with no plan for re-opening. The property is for sale and the members are negotiating for a refund of their monies. I'm still friends with the founder... talk to him relatively frequently.

That's the most comprehensive list of events ever presented in one place.... everything for 2004 on is pretty well documented in the archives of the newsletter available through www.icetraining.us. In 2006 or so, The Rand Corporation identified us as the most advanced indoor close quarters training facility available in a 425 page white paper. In 2007, we were named "Range of the Year" by the National Association of Shooting Ranges (true story, when I accepted the award at SHOT 2008, I technically didn't even have a range!). The internal issues at the family corporation as well as their interest in selling the resort to the types of companies that would not be interested with a "training center" on site were the primary reasons for the shutdown. Luckily, the reputation of the training and programs allowed my company to thrive almost instantly. My two primary instructors at the time that I left remained employees of the club, as well as lead instructors for I.C.E., until last month.

Also at that website, you can find information about our training programs, which are avialable across the US and Europe. As far as the building itself, it is not available and I am not aware of anything quite like it (360 scenario based live fire facility) available to the public anywhere on earth.

Thanks for asking.

-RJP

[ronterry]

Well I appreciate you taking the time out of your busy schedule to answer it...

Ron