CMC’s second annual Pioneer on Planks shares ski history this Friday
This article was published in the Summit Daily News. By Kimberly Nicoletti.
It was a time of bear-trap bindings, bamboo poles and lace-up leather boots — or at least visions thereof.
Friday, representatives from Summit County’s four ski areas will talk about the years between 1956 and 1965, in honor of Breckenridge’s opening year, 1961, as well as the handful of years leading up to and following it.
Of course, not all the ski areas existed then. Arapahoe Basin was the first to open, in 1946; followed by Breck; Keystone in 1970; and Copper cutting trails in the summer of 1971 for a 1972 opening.
Peggy Hiller, director of really cool Basin experiences (aka assistant general manager) will represent Arapahoe Basin’s early years. She’ll explain how the fledgling Colorado ski industry started getting stronger during those years and how the passion of the Basin’s founder, Larry Jump, helped spur the growth.
In those days, snow was an essential ingredient in the success or failure of a season, and competition, with the addition of (click for rest of article)