From: mwallace@nyx.cs.du.edu (Mark Wallace)
Subject: Closed Ski Areas in Colorado - Post 4
Organization: Nyx, Public Access Unix @ U. of Denver Math/CS dept.
Date: Sat, 29 Aug 92 01:18:43 GMT

Following is an article I'm posting which was written by a 
co-worker of mine who's hobby is ski area trivia.  The main
motivation for these postings is feedback, so if there is
anything you can add please do.  I'll pass along any feedback 
you may have, but don't question this information without 
consideration, I've seen some of his resources.  We'll 
be posting for awhile so if there is an area you're 
interested in it should be covered soon.

Mark Wallace, Castle Rock, CO
mwallace@nyx.cs.du.edu
*********************************************************************** 

Subject:  CLOSED SKI AREAS in COLORADO  -  Post 4

Greetings from THE COLORADO SKIER

During early July there were several articles from several folks
concerning closed Colorado ski areas.  Researching lost Colorado
ski areas just happens to be the hobby of The Colorado Skier.  We
even wrote a book on the subject (Would you believe a pamphlet? 
How about a typewritten list?).

The Colorado Skier is prepared to clarify the history and status
of every dead or lost ski area in Colorado.  There are at least
75 of them.  But that's too many for one posting.  So we will
pick 5 from the 20 or so discussed in the recent series of
articles and provide info on them.  Then we will also add five
new areas to challenge your collective memories.

If we discuss 10 dead/lost ski areas every week or so, we should
have covered them all by the time the snow flies and then can
turn our attention to current ski area info. 


EDITOR'S REMARKS:  Thanks for the feedback on Edition #3.  Lots 
  of good input, which is discussed under follow-up news in
  Section 3.  Please keep telling us about your favorite lost ski
  area.  We may have already covered it; we may be about to cover
  it; or by golly, stop the presses, it may be a "brand new" lost
  area!  We are planning a special issue to bring everyone up to
  date on what "new" areas have been discovered.  And as always,
  we thank you for your support.

  AN APOLOGY:  We wondered how long it would take before our
  flippant style twisted somebody's tail.  Well, one of the
  former owners of the PIKES PEAK ski area became irate after
  reading our statement that the area had gone "bankrupt".  It
  didn't.  Bankruptcy is a legal term and does not apply in this
  case.  The ski area was losing money (the biggest problem was a
  faulty snowmaking system - low water flow) and the owners
  simply decided to close and go out of business.  Creditors were
  dealt with and the new triple chairlift was returned to the
  manufacturer to pay off the amount owed,  No bankruptcy here! 
  We sorry.

  About 40% of the responses to our postings have been from
  outside Colorado (all the ones in-state are from Boulder!), so
  maybe one of these days we will reach out and touch another
  state.  For example, do any of you surfer dudes/dudettes
  remember:  Blue Ridge, China Peak, Goldmine, Holiday Hill, or
  Ski Safari Basin?



LOST COLORADO SKI AREAS  -  EDITION #4


1.  Five Lost Ski Areas you have been discussing:


DALLAS DIVIDE  (Ridgway), [closed],  Easily visible about four 
  miles west of "Dallas Divide" (on the rode to Telluride)
  immediately adjacent to CO Hiway 62.  Operated from about 1962
  to 1976.  After 1967 it was called SKI DALLAS.  The lift was
  gone as of 1991, but there are still buildings. 

    Vertical drop:  800 ft      Top:  9000    Base:  8200 
    Lifts:  1 t-bar 


RIFLE - 1   (Rifle), [obscure], Located 12 miles north of Rifle 
  near Rio Blanco on CO Hiway 13.  Appeared on highway maps from
  1962 to 1988.  The words "ski tow" appear on the 1973 White
  River NFS map, about 3 miles south of Rio Blanco at elevation
  6930 ft.  We have found no text references. 


RIFLE - 2   (Rifle), [planned], Would have been 10 miles south on
  Mamn's Peak/Battlement Mesa.  In the planning stages since
  1968.  Forest Service approved the draft EIS in 1982.  Planning
  talk continued, circa 1987.  The principal developer died in a
  plane crash while surveying the area.  The oil shale bust also
  destroyed enthusiasm.  Dormant.


STAGECOACH   (Steamboat Springs), [closed 1974], Located about 15
  miles south of Steamboat Springs to the east of Hiway 131 and
  visible south and west of Rabbit Ears Pass (further south and
  west than the proposed LAKE CATAMOUNT).  Operated during the
  1972/73 and 73/74 seasons.  Went bankrupt with the Woodmoor
  development near Colorado Springs.  Probably the largest ski
  area in Colorado to permanently close.  The lifts were still in
  place a few years back but we haven't been there lately.  The
  base lodge was temporary and looked as fragile as a movie set -
  probably gone.

    Vertical drop:  1700 ft     Top:  9150    Base:  7450
    Lifts:  3 double chairs 


STONER   (Stoner), [closed 1985], Operated from 1951 to 1985 by 
  the Ski-Hi Ski Club of Cortez.  A hefty vertical drop for a
  small, obscure area.  Advertised for sale in 1987.  Lifts
  appeared to be gone in 1991.  Easily visible from Hiway 145 at
  Stoner. 

    Vertical drop:  1200 ft     Top:  8800    Base:  7600
    Lifts:  2 t-bars, 2 rope tows


  This concludes the rundown of lost ski areas that y'all were
  discussing in the early July posts, except for Lake City which
  we are being coy with - it will show up later under a different
  name.   Did we miss any?   We will continue the other list
  (Section 2) of Lost Colorado Ski Areas from our data base until
  we have covered all 75.  With this issue we have covered 35. 



2.  And here are the Ski Area Descriptions from Edition #3:


MANCOS   (same), [obscure],  A 1950 reference says it was located
  eight miles east of Mancos along U.S. 160 on "Mancos Hill".  No
  sixties references.

    Vertical drop:  150 ft      Top:          Base 8,000
    Lifts:  1 rope tow


MEADOW MOUNTAIN   (Minturn), [closed 1969], Operated 3 seasons 
  from 1966 to 1969.  Had Colorado's only Luge run.  Purchased by
  VAIL and closed in the summer of 1969 (clever way to eliminate
  competition!).  The base lodge (now a day care center) is still
  visible between Minturn and I-70 on U.S. 24.  Ski lifts have
  been removed (Vail used the chairlift).  Some land was sold to
  the Forest Service for back country access. 

    Vertical drop:  900 ft      Top:  8800    Base:  7900
    Lifts:  1 double chair, 1 Poma 


MERCURY   (Alma), [obscure], The trail is visible on the 
  northwest side of town as you head south from Hoosier Pass. 
  Looks like your typical small rope tow area.  The area appears
  on all Gousha highway maps from the sixties and seventies,
  altho usually located at Hoosier Pass, which had a separate ski
  area (covered in Edition #2).


MESA CREEK   (On Grand Mesa), [closed 1966], Visible along Hiway
  65 about two miles past the Powderhorn turnoff.  Originally
  opened in 1950 under the name GRAND MESA with two rope tows. 
  Used the name MESA CREEK in the early sixties.  The name came
  from a creek running thru the area.  The area was moved to a
  new location nearby and reopened under the name POWDERHORN in
  1966.  Some locals refer to the area as "Old Powderhorn".

    Vertical drop:  300 ft      Top:  9300    Base:  9000  
    Lifts:  2 pomas, 1 rope tow


MONTEZUMA BASIN   (Aspen), [closed], Summer skiing (circa mid-
  60's) on a glacier-like area above Ashcroft near Aspen.  Skiers
  had to ride a four-wheel drive vehicle about 3 miles past the
  end of the Ashcroft (Castle Creek) road to get to the area. 
  Used a portable rope tow in 1966 and a portable poma in 1967
  with 1000 feet of vertical.  Open from August thru October. 
  Listed in Skiing's 1971 Ski Area Guide as 1100 ft vertical, 2
  t-bars, June-Oct.  Some sources say there were also plans to
  develop a permanent ski area at the site.  Note:  The area is
  still popular for summer skiing - no lifts.  One guide to
  summer skiing in Colorado calls it MONTEZUMA GLACIER.



3.  Follow up to Editions #2 and #3 

 a.  And we have a winner!  Mr. "R.O." of Boulder, CO correctly 
     identified all four of the gondolas at Colorado ski areas
     which have been removed or replaced (described in Edition
     #3).  Someone else remembered the first gondola at Steamboat
     and had enjoyed "those high towers".  Congratulations, Rick!

 b.  Rick hinted that the Lions Head gondola was replaced after
     the accident and thus indirectly suggested that the answer
     might really be five dead gondolas.  We do not believe that
     the Lions Head gondola was replaced.  Repaired, yes. 
     Refurbished, yes.  Improved, yes.  Replaced, no.  The towers
     are the same.  The top and bottom lift machinery is the
     same.  The gondola cars are the same.  The "haul" cable was
     replaced, as it unravelled and caused the problem.  Sensors
     were added to the lift towers to detect derailed cables
     (thus causing stoppages during every windy day until they
     got the sensitivity tuned).  Devices were added to each car
     to allow passengers to signal a problem.  A rope was added
     to each car to aid in raising rescue equipment.  So, a lot
     of overhaul - but still the same gondola system.

c.   CLAUDINE LONGET - Why did we mention her name?  Claudine was
     a petite, gorgeous creature who made records and TV movies,
     and was married to singer Andy Williams.  After she divorced
     Andy she moved to Aspen and took up with famous pro ski
     racer Spider Sabich.  When she tired of him, she took out
     her cute little pearl handled revolver and blew him away! 
     Proving that the rich and famous can't just hire a high
     powered lawyer and get off scot-free, Claudine actually did
     serve 30 days in the county jail for her little misdemeanor. 
     She still lives in Aspen and we saw her playing softball one
     day, looking a lot like Goldie Hawn in "Private Benjamin". 

      [Sure hope Claudine and her lawyer don't read REC.SKIING!]

     How does this relate?  Well, the killing took place about
     the time of the Vail gondola disaster.  Hence the line: 
     "What is the worst possible luck for a Colorado skier?  
     Answer - Riding on a Vail gondola with Claudine Longet!"

     "SNL" did a cute bit with a film showing lots of expert
     skiers falling down on a steep bump run.  Every time a skier
     fell, there was the sound of a gunshot.  Then the announcer
     said "In the news, Claudine Longet visits local ski area!" 

d.   Remember the confusion over the first rope tow in Colorado? 
     We claimed BERTHOUD in 1937, a faithful (we hope) reader
     claimed the first was at CLIMAX in 1936, while we remembered
     Climax as having a T-bar.  Well, the other day we were
     reading a history book which states "the first rope tow west
     of the Mississippi was opened on PIKES PEAK in 1937 by the
     Spruce Mtn Ski Club".  So now we have another candidate.  

     We find the ski club name interesting as another reference
     says that the "Silver Spruce Ski Club" operated a ski area
     (sans lifts) north of Woodland Park near "Edlowe" (which is
     west of Woodland Park, not north) in the early thirties. 
     Later that club moved to Pikes Peak and built a ski lift. 
     Curious, eh?  We love it when trivia comes together.

     "Reading a history book"?  Do you mean to say that the
     virile, athletic, gung-ho skiing, outdoors person called
     "The Colorado Skier" actually goes to dark, dank, damp, old
     libraries to read boring old musty, dusty history books? 
     You bet!  How else would we know all this stuff?



4.  Who remembers these Lost Colorado Ski Areas?

      PETRIFIED FOREST

      PIONEER

      RAINBOW VALLEY

      REDSTONE

      RIMROCK


  And the list goes on and on and on ...



5.  Answer to the Edition #3 Bonus Question -  The questions 
    were:  

    a.  Which ski area operated the first QUAD chair in Colorado?
          ANSWER:  Breckenridge - 1981

        Boyne Mountain had the first quad anywhere way back in
        1964.  By 1981, Boyne Mtn and Boyne Highlands had 3 quads
        apiece.

    b.  Which ski area operated the first DETACHABLE (hi-speed) 
        quad chair in Colorado?     ANSWER:  Breckenridge - 1981

        One of our faithful readers lived in an apartment
        overlooking the site and watched it being built. 
        Curiously, Breck advertised it as "the fastest chairlift
        in the western hemisphere" for 3 years.  Then, in 1984,
        they suddenly switched to "first detachable quad chair in
        the world".  Besides our eyewitness, we quote a very
        reliable ski publication which in 1981 said:  "World's
        first detachable grip quad chairlift."

          (In case you were wondering what happened to Vail, they 
          added four Super Quads in 1985.)

    c.  Which ski area operated the first "SIX-PACK" (6 
        passengers) chairlift in Colorado?
          ANSWER:  None, so far.  All right, it was a trick
          question - so sue me!   The first Doppelmayr "Six Pac"
          operated at MT. ORIGNAL (Moose Mtn), Quebec for the
          1991/92 season.  The second six-pack is scheduled to
          open at BOYNE MOUNTAIN, MI in Dec, 1992.  None is
          scheduled for Colorado so far, altho Vail is "studying
          the situation". 

        Note:  BOYNE MOUNTAIN has always topped our list of the
        most excessively lift served ski areas in the country. 
        They have a vertical drop of 415 feet (less than Ski
        Broadmoor) and serviced that last season with 11
        chairlifts, including 4 quads, for a total lift capacity
        of 17,000 skier per hour!  And now a six-pac.  Wow!



6.  New Bonus questions:

    a.  Name the five NEWEST ski areas in Colorado.

    b.  Name the five OLDEST Colorado ski areas still operating
        (not counting Berthoud Pass). 

    c.  Name the NEWEST ski area in the country.

    d.  Somewhere between the Rockies and the Appalachians was a
        ski area called TRAIL RIDGE.  In what unlikely state was
        it located?

    e.  Which ski area CLAIMS to be the "largest ski area in the
        country" even tho they do not lead in ANY category,
        including:  vertical drop, number of trails, acreage,
        number of lifts, lift capacity, number of skier days, or
        even highest lift ticket price.  They do, however, lead
        in size of ego. 



7.  Trivia Question of The Year (Mother of All Trivia Questions?)

    Here is advanced notice of Edition 5's primo question. 

      "Which Colorado Ski areas receive the most snow?"

    The answer will involve base depths, rather than yearly
    snowfall so that we can be precise and won't have, for
    example, 3 areas tied at 350 inches.  We will explain the
    ground rules next time.  Be thinking about it.  No early
    guesses on the NET, tho.  You won't want to tip off your
    buddy and have him or her steal one of the nifty prizes! 


Cheers from THE COLORADO SKIER


    "A day without liftlines has got to be rated at least GOOD!"  
        (Lee Fry, alias "Tattoo", 1976).