Berthoud Pass Ski Area
One of Colorado's oldest ski areas, straddling US Highway 40 at the Continental Divide, which ran from 1937 until the lifts stopped in 2001 and is now a free-access backcountry zone.
- Region
- Colorado
- Country
- USA
- Status
- closed
- Year opened
- 1937
- Year closed
- 2001
- Reason for closure
- The final operator closed the chairlifts after the 2000-01 season, saying the area could not compete with the multi-resort buddy passes sold by larger Colorado operators. A snowcat operation carried on for two more seasons before ending in 2003. Long-running problems with water supply and sewage at the top of the pass made redevelopment impractical.
History
Berthoud Pass Ski Area sat astride the Continental Divide on US Highway 40 between Empire and Winter Park, Colorado. A rope tow opened on 7 February 1937, making it one of the first lift-served ski areas in the state, and a Heron-Huntington double chair followed on 17 February 1947. Skiing ran on both sides of the pass, with shuttle buses used to return skiers who descended to the highway, and the terrain covered around 80 acres with more than 18 marked runs including The Plunge and The Roll. The summit was 12,015 ft, the base 11,022 ft and the lodge sat at 11,314 ft, giving 993 ft of lift-served vertical - though the highway shuttle allowed far longer descents. A major reinvestment in 1989 brought in Borvig triple and quad chairs. The area could never solve its lack of water and sewer service at 11,000 ft, and the final owner, Marise Capriani, shut the lifts after the 2000-01 season, unable to compete with the discounted multi-area season passes then reshaping Colorado skiing. Snowcat skiing continued until 2003, the Borvig quad was removed the same year, and the US Forest Service demolished the historic lodge in June 2005. A new Forest Service warming hut and rest area opened on the site in May 2008. Only lift tower footings and the old trail corridors remain, and the pass is now one of Colorado's most popular roadside backcountry ski areas.
Lifts
| Name | Type | Manufacturer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Original rope tow | Surface lift | Opened 7 February 1937; one of the first ski lifts in Colorado, later superseded by the chairlift | |
| Constam T-Bar | T-Bar | Constam | Part of the pre-1989 lift fleet |
| Berthoud Pass Double Chair | Chairlift - Double - Fixed | Heron-Huntington | Opened 17 February 1947; removed in 1991 |
| Triple Chair | Chairlift - Triple - Fixed | Borvig | Installed as part of the 1989 rebuild of the area |
| Quad Chair | Chairlift - Quad - Fixed | Borvig | Installed as part of the 1989 rebuild; removed in 2003 after the area closed |
Runs
- The Plunge
- The Roll
Sources and further reading
More in USA
Location
39.7982, -105.7769