Routt County commissioners revoke Thunderstruck Adventures special use permit after hearing on alleged repeated violations

Routt County commissioners voted Feb. 11 to revoke the special use permit for Thunderstruck Adventures after planning staff presented evidence the operator repeatedly failed to comply with the permit’s conditions.

Planning staff told the board the permittee’s base of operations is a 35-acre parcel at the south end of County Road 80 and that the approved operating area includes roughly 12–13 miles of County Road 80 and an operating area of about 7,400 acres adjacent to U.S. Forest Service land. Staff said the county first found violations in December 2022 and that an amended special use permit was adopted in November 2023 that expanded the approved operating area and required “100% compliance.”

Why it matters: The board’s action removes county authorization for Thunderstruck to stage, rent and guide snowmobile tours from the identified 35-acre base parcel and associated county road access. County staff said the violations raise concerns about unpermitted site modifications, use of county and state-managed lands for staging, trespass risk, and public-safety conditions when snow cover is thin.

Planning staff described a timeline of recent problems: a paved area and unannounced site work around the storage structure in summer 2024; an October 2024 request to change the site plan that staff said was not approved; fuel tanks, a generator, additional porta-potty and a dumpster seen on site though not approved; allegations of tours staging and beginning at a County Road 80 intersection rather than the approved 35-acre parcel; Google reviews and photos alleging tours ran on bare or muddy roads; and GPS data staff said was unusable for verifying permittee-provided tracks. Staff said they repeatedly asked the permittee for clarifying information and that some requested documents (insurance certificate, updated lease) were not in county files until January or February 2025.

Planning staff summarized the permit conditions they allege were violated: site-plan conditions governing the approved development layout and outdoor storage; a required fence and downcast shielded lighting; operational limits including a maximum of eight clients per trip and guide-to-client ratios; restrictions that snowmobiles not operate on Routt County roads except under sufficient snow conditions; and insurance and lease documentation requirements. Staff recommended a finding of violation and revocation.

The operator’s attorney, Sarah Strom of the Law Offices of Ellen and Strom, and the permittee, Clay (Clay) Hochul, disputed several of staff’s factual points and urged the board to allow a path to compliance. Strom said the permittee had tried to work with staff, submitted proposed site-plan changes in October–December 2024 and did not receive clear notice the proposed plan was denied before staff issued the notice of violation. Strom argued a temporary change in operations in December 2024 resulted from county plowing that removed snowpack on County Road 80, forcing Thunderstruck to trailer and briefly stage sleds at an alternate location to avoid putting clients on bare roads. “This was not an ongoing issue…This was only done for a period of a few days,” Strom told the board.

Permittee Clay Hochul acknowledged he used an alternate route and said he takes responsibility: “I take full ownership and responsibility of that,” he said. Hochul and his attorney presented a file of exhibits and affidavits, including guide-assignment records and an employee incident report, that they said show the company generally met guide-to-client ratios and that staging at the alternate location was temporary and done for safety when the county plowed CR-80.

County staff and several commissioners pressed the operator on multiple points: that proposed site-plan changes submitted in December were not administratively approved; that fuel tank counts on site exceeded the number authorized by the permit; that outdoor shipping crates and certain lighting were visible in January inspections; that there were documented instances where tours exceeded permitted sizes according to online reviews and a staff-verified statement from a reviewer; and that staging at a County Road 80 intersection occurred on state land without authorization from the State Land Board. Road and Bridge staff explained they had plowed a stretch of County Road 80 in early December to allow a geotechnical drill (a landslide investigation), and that scheduling by the driller compelled work on short notice; the county did not notify permittees in advance about that plowing.

Employee and community testimony: Thunderstruck employees and community partners spoke in support of the business and the staff it employs. An employee, Steven Crank, described responding to an on‑trail incident and urged the board to consider the effect of revocation on 18 employees. Martin Spann, president of nonprofit High Flight Heroes, described multiple veteran rides organized with Thunderstruck and said the company had been supportive of veterans. Several residents, including Andrea Williams, described positive guest experiences.

Board decision and direction: After deliberation the board found violations of the permit’s conditions and approved a motion to revoke special use permit PL20230055. The motion included directives that the permittee cease operations related to the SUP unless and until conditions set by the board are met, that advertising referencing tours be removed by Feb. 14, 2025, and timelines for removal or indoor storage of equipment from the 35-acre parcel (the motion as adopted set dates to remove or indoor-store outdoor equipment and remove unapproved items by specified dates). The board also authorized the county attorney to seek injunctive relief to enforce the revocation and associated requirements.

What the county identified as the key violations: site-plan discrepancies (unapproved fuel tank locations and quantities; unapproved generator, dumpster and lean‑to; visible shipping crates without the required mitigation fence), operational violations (alleged tours starting/staging off-site on county or state land and operating where snow depth was inadequate), and administrative noncompliance (insurance and lease documentation delays). Planning staff told the board these issues constituted repeated noncompliance following the 2023 amendment and the board accepted staff’s recommendation to revoke.

What’s next: The revocation is effective as the board specified in its adopted motion and the county attorney was authorized to pursue legal enforcement. Staff said the county would follow up on implementation steps and compliance with the timelines the board adopted. The permittee and attorney asked the board to consider allowing time to cure violations rather than immediate revocation; the board determined revocation was the appropriate remedy based on the record presented.

Speakers (as identified on the record): Alan Goldich (planning staff), Greg (planning staff), Mike (Road and Bridge/public works staff), Jay (county manager), Judy M. Ward (planning correspondence contact), Sarah Strom (attorney for the permittee, Law Offices of Ellen and Strom), Clay Hochul (permittee/Thunderstruck Adventures), James J. Cassell (Thunderstruck general manager), Steven Crank (Thunderstruck employee), Andrea Williams (resident), Martin Spann (president, High Flight Heroes nonprofit), several county commissioners (identified in the record as Commissioner Macy, Commissioner Redmond and Commissioner Hayes).

Clarifying details extracted from the hearing record: 35-acre base parcel at the south end of County Road 80; ~12–13 miles of County Road 80 to the operating area; operating area amended in Nov. 2023 to roughly 7,400 acres; Nov. 2023 SUP amendment increased allowed people on site from 40 to 100 (the board clarified that number included guides); condition 5 allowed up to 40 snowmobiles and listed allowed equipment types; planning staff reported 2 additional fuel tanks and other unapproved items on site; staff conducted a site inspection Jan. 10, 2025 and photographed outdoor crates and lighting; staff reported a Dec. 21, 2024 video and subsequent complaints and Google reviews alleging improper staging and bare-road operation; staff received insurance and lease materials in January–February 2025 after earlier correspondence requested updates.

Proper names referenced: Thunderstruck Adventures; Clay Hochul; Sarah Strom; Law Offices of Ellen and Strom; Routt County Unified Development Code (UDC); Special Use Permit PL20230055; County Road 80; Smith Ranch; State Land Board; U.S. Forest Service; High Flight Heroes (nonprofit); James J. Cassell.

Ending: The revocation marks a significant enforcement action by Routt County to enforce SUP conditions for recreational commercial operations. County staff said they will implement the timelines the board adopted and pursue legal enforcement as needed; the permittee said it would consider next steps including appeals or remedies but also emphasized the economic impact of a shutdown on employees who work for the company.