Vail
Truckers or skiers bound for Aspen coasting west from the 12,ooo-foot heights of Loveland Pass might have paused to admire this tree-lined trout stream, a herd of mule deer, or even a Rocky Mountain bighorn ram, silhouetted on a rim of red rock. They would have seen little else."
Vail is a case of a few people really wanting to found a ski area-and then going right ahead and founding it. Yes, there were some mines here (Irishman "Lord" George Gore and American Jim Bridget were among the first prospectors). Some sheep ranchers. A legacy of Utes. But Vail, unlike Aspen or Breck or Telluride, was started from scratch with ski turns and chairlifts in mind, and built into a world-class resort and town. Forty years ago, it was a pasture-arid now it's one of the biggest and busiest ski resorts in North America, with 1,676,118 skier-days last year.
And we basically owe it all to the vision of one man, Pete Seibert. Seibert, a l0th Mountain Division soldier in World War II, a member of the 1950 U.S. Ski Team, and manager of nearby Loveland Pass ski area, had long harbored ambitions to found a great American ski area. In 1957, he was tipped off by his friend, Earl Eaton-a ski patroller and snowcat driver who thought he saw some potential in a certain area west of Vail Pass. One day, the two men skied up from old US 6 to scope things out. When they reached the top of the ridge-and the 4,000 acres of what are now the Back Bowls unfolded before them-Seibert knew he'd found his place.
From then on, things moved quickly-very quickly. Seibert and crew started building in 1962, and in just 20 months, they'd cut 3,ooo vertical feet of trails, erected three chair-lifts and a gondola (the first in the United States), and constructed a restaurant, parking, shops, and even lodging. As Denver Post writer Gal Queal wrote, "The Vail area . . . looks to be a honey."
Although opening day only attracted a few curious locals, by its third season Vail had piled up more skier-days than any other resort in the state. By 1969, there were seven chairlifts, two gondolas, 30 restaurants, and a ski school with 70 instructors. And its fame was sealed when Gerald Ford started vacationing here in the 1970's.
Vail is a case of a few people really wanting to found a ski area-and then going right ahead and founding it. Yes, there were some mines here (Irishman "Lord" George Gore and American Jim Bridget were among the first prospectors). Some sheep ranchers. A legacy of Utes. But Vail, unlike Aspen or Breck or Telluride, was started from scratch with ski turns and chairlifts in mind, and built into a world-class resort and town. Forty years ago, it was a pasture-arid now it's one of the biggest and busiest ski resorts in North America, with 1,676,118 skier-days last year.
And we basically owe it all to the vision of one man, Pete Seibert. Seibert, a l0th Mountain Division soldier in World War II, a member of the 1950 U.S. Ski Team, and manager of nearby Loveland Pass ski area, had long harbored ambitions to found a great American ski area. In 1957, he was tipped off by his friend, Earl Eaton-a ski patroller and snowcat driver who thought he saw some potential in a certain area west of Vail Pass. One day, the two men skied up from old US 6 to scope things out. When they reached the top of the ridge-and the 4,000 acres of what are now the Back Bowls unfolded before them-Seibert knew he'd found his place.
From then on, things moved quickly-very quickly. Seibert and crew started building in 1962, and in just 20 months, they'd cut 3,ooo vertical feet of trails, erected three chair-lifts and a gondola (the first in the United States), and constructed a restaurant, parking, shops, and even lodging. As Denver Post writer Gal Queal wrote, "The Vail area . . . looks to be a honey."
Although opening day only attracted a few curious locals, by its third season Vail had piled up more skier-days than any other resort in the state. By 1969, there were seven chairlifts, two gondolas, 30 restaurants, and a ski school with 70 instructors. And its fame was sealed when Gerald Ford started vacationing here in the 1970's.
Ski Areas
