Spring Skiing

There are many great aspects to skiing and snowboarding that draw people to the mountains every year. Typically people associate skiing and snowboarding with frigid temperatures, snowfall, and drinking hot coco at the lodge but there is another season that is quite the opposite. During the spring months, people flock to the slopes to get in some final turns before the resorts close for the summer and it’s during this time of the year that you will witness some unusual sights. People like to take advantage of the warm temperatures by wearing shorts, t-shirts, and even bikini’s while doing one of their favorite past times.

Avid snowboarder Jordan Blair enjoys his time on the slopes during the spring months. “The weather is warm and there are babes in bikini’s, whats not to like about spring skiing?” Blair said. In addition to the partying and free concerts that many resorts like to host, people can partake in some fun activities on the hill.

During the end of the season when the warmer temperatures start to melt the snow, the water will accumulate into a pond giving skiers and snowboarders an opportunity to attempt to cross the pond before falling into the freezing water. Scott Finley has attempted to ski across the pond that forms at A-basin every spring. “I tried to get across the pond, which is like 20 feet and as soon as I hit the water I caught an edge and went down into the water… it was freezing,” Finley said.

At the end of the ski season, many resorts will host free concerts. At Copper Mountain, they call this event Sunsation and will have popular bands come and play for skiers and snowboarders. Will Shaffer, a season pass holder for the past five years always looks forward to these end of the year events. “The Expendables played last year; it was a sick show especially since it was free,” Shaffer said.

1)  http://snowbrains.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/63066_10152665258225360_639985281_n.jpg

Mesa Creek Ski Area

Mesa Creek Ski Area is located in on the western slope of Colorado near Grand Junction. It is known by many locals as “Old Powderhorn” and had originally opened in 1940 by the Grand Junction Ski Club. The area opened with two rope tows which were later updated to Poma lifts at an estimated $20,000 in the 1956. Two years earlier, a volunteer ski patrol had been formed under Bob Beverly and Pat Paterson. Mesa Creek closed down for good in 1966 once the development of Powderhorn had begun (1). It is at an elevation of 9,750 (2) feet and is a popular spot for back country skiers and snowboarders to go.

Topographic map showing where Mesa Creek Ski Area was located.

Mesa Creek Ski Area.

1) http://www.coloradoskihistory.com/lost/mesacreek.html

2) http://www.trails.com/tcatalog_trail.aspx?trailid=SGR

Ski Hesperus

Hesperus Ski Area is located in south western Colorado near Durango and first opened in 1962 and remained open until 1984. Like other abandoned ski areas, Hesperus has faced challenges such as insufficient snowfall, lift problems, and issues with the Tramway Board. The area first closed down after the 1984 season but the opened back a few years later. The sporadic opening and closing of Hesperus would last throughout the 1990’s and in to the 2000’s (1).

Hesperus is at an elevation of 8,880 feet, with a vertical  drop of 700 feet. The area had a rope tow, double chair lift, base lodge, half pipe and night skiing. There were 13 runs, 50% of which consisted of expert terrain (1).

Trail map of Hesperus Ski Area.

The double chair lift at Hesperus Ski Area.

The lodge at Hesperus Ski Area.

1) http://www.coloradoskihistory.com/history/open/hesperus.html

Eagle Creek Ski Area

Eagle Creek Ski Area is a lost resort located in Ruidoso, New Mexico and had gone through several name changes throughout its history. It opened up under the name of Eagle Creek in the 1960’s, it was then changed to Cedar Creek, and in the 1970’s to Ski Ruidoso, finally going back to its original name of Eagle Creek in 1980. The area finally closed down in the early 1980’s because of warm temperatures and low snow fall, averaging only 75 inches a season (1).

Eagle Creek had one chair lift, a T-bar, and two rope tows. Additionally, the ski are had a base lodge, night skiing, an alpine slide that operated during the summer months. The ski area also created 75% of it’s snow with inevitably lead to its closure (1).

The abandoned chair lift at Eagle Creek Ski Area.

The spin wheel at the top of the chair lift at Eagle Creek Ski Area.

Aerial view of Eagle Creek Ski Area next to Highway 532.

1) http://www.coloradoskihistory.com/lost/nm_eaglecreek.html

Steamboat Lake Ski Area

The developers of Steamboat Lake Ski Area had big plans for the area but it unfortunately lasted only a few months. It was opened in January 1973 and closed in April of that same year. Like Stage Coach Ski Area, the developers had hoped to turn Steamboat Lake into a world class ski area with a golf course and all the amenities of a major resort (1).

Steamboat Lake had two Poma double chair lifts. One for the beginner runs and one for the intermediate and expert runs. One of these lifts would later be moved to downtown Steamboat at Howelson Hill (1).

1) http://www.coloradoskihistory.com/lost/steamboatlake.html

2) http://www.trails.com/tcatalog_trail.aspx?trailid=SGR039-033

Marble Ski Area

Marble Ski Area is located in Marble, Colorado and had a short life. It opened in 1971 and closed in 1974. The first year of its operation the ski area was using only snow cats to get skiers up the mountain but the following year in 1972, Marble Ski Area had installed a double chair lift up its main run (1).

There were major plans to develop the area with numerous chair lifts, a hotel, condos, and even a golf course (1). The construction of the lodge had even begun but during one spring, mudslides had shown the Forest Service how hazardous the land was. The Forest Service refused further expansion of the ski area and the project crumbled leading to the areas closure in 1974 (2).

Trail map of Marble Ski Area with its single chair lift.

The abandoned chair lift at Marble Ski Area.

The incomplete lodge at Marble Ski Area.

1) http://www.coloradoskihistory.com/lost/marble.html

2) http://www.skimuseum.net/content/contentpages.php?catid=15

Shadow Mountain Ski Hill

Shadow Mountain Ski Hill is located in Grand Lake, Colorado and was opened by the The Grand Lake Winter Sports Club.  It was originally created as a place for children to ski as a part of a physical fitness program for the children. The first skiers took to Shadow Mountain in 1931 when a ski jump was built there. Later a rope tow would be added in the 1930’s prior to the break out of World War II (1).

The town had hoped that a major ski area could be opened at Shadow Mountain but the idea never took off and all that remained was the small ski hill at the bottom of the mountain. It was in 1961 that the proposal for a major ski resort was proposed. The area would have had hotels, chair lifts, a lodge, shops, and even a tramway. During the proposal process, it was discovered that the area would be encroaching on Rocky Mountain National Park and the idea was shot down. Additionally, the Shadow Mountain Lake level was to be raised which flooded the area that would of been used for the base area (1).

1) https://books.google.com/books?id=YHJhBAAAQBAJ&lpg=PA42&ots=GWudfyCGyI&dq=shadow%20mountain%20ski%20area%20grand%20lake&pg=PA41#v=onepage&q=shadow%20mountain%20ski%20area%20grand%20lake&f=false

Fun Valley Ski Area

Fun Valley had a brief life span only lasting five years from 1965 to 1970. It was located in the Jefferson County, making it one of Denver’s closest ski areas during it’s years of operation. Fun Valley was a smaller ski area with a vertical drop of only 600 feet. It had a single chair lift that it acquired from Arapahoe Basin, a rope tow that was 1060 feet long, and a platter lift that pulled skiers up the hill. Additionally, Fun Valley offered night skiing, had snow making, and had heated huts so skiers could warm up. Fun Valley is currently on private property and located near Homewood Park, Colorado (1).

The remains of a lift at Fun Valley Ski Area.

Looking up one of the runs at Fun Valley.

1)http://www.coloradoskihistory.com/lost/funvalley.html

2)https://www.google.com/maps/@39.5494832,-105.2011147,15z

Camp Hale: B-Slope

B-Slope at Camp Hale was an area that was originally used by the U.S. Army during World War II for the training of soldiers that specialized in mountain warfare and that could be taught to ski. In 1942, the construction of Camp hale was completed with the army cutting four trails into the forest and installing the longest tow rope in the United States up until that point (1).

Camp Hale was used by several army units including the 99th Infantry Battalion, 38th Regimental Combat Team, and the well known 10th Mountain Division. Camp Hale was officially closed in 1965 as a military installation and was given back to the Forest Service (2).

Base area of Camp Hale located near Leadville, Colorado.

One of the support poles for the rope tow along the lift line at Camp Hale.

Base foundation for the rope tow at Camp Hale.

1)http://www.visitleadvilleco.com/camp_hale

2)http://www.camphale.org/History/History.htm

3)http://www.coloradoskihistory.com/lost/camphale_bslope.html

Kendall Mountain Ski Area

Kendall Mountain is a small ski area located near Silverton, Colorado and is similar to Ski Broadmoor in that it was originally developed by a hotel, the Grand Imperial. It was developed in 1954 but had not officially opened until 1961 and had a spotty operational history throughout it’s life span (1).

During the late 70’s and early 80’s, Kendall Mountain had a double chair, which has since been removed, and a rope tow that gave people access to just 35 acres. This small area was ideal for beginners because most of the terrain wasn’t very difficult. It was discovered in 1982 that the area was operating without a permit and it was forced to close down and remained dormant until the late 90’s when it reopened and continues to operate to a niche group of skiers (1).

Trail map of Kendall Mountain Ski Area.

A look up the rope tow from the base of Kendall Mountain Ski Area.

1)http://www.coloradoskihistory.com/history/open/kendall.html