Summit County Citizens Voice

Colorado Ski Country USA is releasing an updated version of a 'Lost Resorts' poster.

Updated poster helps keep memory of historic ski areas alive

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Colorado’s ski resorts are an integral part of the state’s modern history, helping to shape the culture and economy of mountain towns. And while we all take our favorite ski area for granted, an updated version of the Lost Resorts poster, created by Colorado Ski Country USA, helps commemorate some of the areas that have come and gone over the years.

The latest edition of the poster accounts for 169 Colorado ski areas, including about 140 areas that were once in operation but have now ceased to exist, showing their location on a state map and giving a brief description of the their history. In addition to lost resorts, the poster shows the location of resorts currently in business as well as town areas still operating. Click here for more information.

From resorts with three lifts to ski hills with only a rope tow, the poster documents the rise and fall of some of Colorado’s most storied ski areas. Underneath a state map which pinpoints each resort is a list of the 20 Most Memorable resorts and a few notes about each one. The remaining resorts are presented in chapters defined as Recently Lost, Long Ago and Long Long  Ago and are also designated by location on the map.

Ski-history facts and trivia adorn the poster’s border and are sure to delight ski-industry history buffs everywhere. For example, $10: price of a season pass to Climax in 1936, 3: number of feet off the ground of the state’s first chairlift, 70: percentage of terrain rated “most difficult” at Hidden Valley.

This is the second edition of the legendary poster. The original Lost Resorts poster was created in 1999 by Colorado Ski Country USA with input from ski historians. In similar collaboration, some notable discoveries have been accounted for on this second edition. Updates include finding one lost resort, the opening of a new resort and two resorts joining the lost.

“We thought it was important to continue telling the story of our state’s ski history since it is such an integral part of Colorado’s culture,” said Melanie Mills, president and CEO of Colorado Ski Country USA. “The Lost Resorts poster captures the narrative of the ski industry in a way that gives lasting tribute to ski areas that are now a part of the past.”

Filed under: Colorado, ski industry, Ski Resorts Tagged: | Colorado lost resorts, Colorado Ski Country USA, Colorado skiing, history, lost resorts poster, ski history, skiing and riding, Summit County News, Winter Sports