JANUARY THEME: SKIING
SUMMIT COUNTY COLORADO 150
Photo Credit: 1912, Skiers in Summit County. Frances Long Collection, Summit Historical Society Collection
Celebrating 150 Years of Summit County History
Skiing
Today, Summit County is famous for its abundant “white gold” and world-class ski resorts. Summit County skiing began in the 19th century, when mining communities used skis for travel, mail delivery, recreation and sport competition.
After World War II, as mining waned, improved transportation and growing recreational interest spurred ski-area development, shaping its economy, culture, and establishing it as a premier U.S. skiing destination.
The County’s first ski area was Chalk Mountain Ski Area, open from 1934–1962. Arapahoe Basin Ski Area opened in 1946, followed by Breckenridge Ski Resort in 1961, Keystone Resort in 1970, and Copper Mountain Resort in 1972.
Enjoy reading about each individual we selected to represent each 50 year span! 50+50+50=Colorado 150, plus a bonus highlight every so often from our pre-statehood days.
Support Summit’s Past.
JANUARY: WEEK 1
Pre-Statehood
Photo Courtesy: Summit Historical Society Collection
Father John Lewis Dyer
(March 16, 1812 – June 16, 1901)
Colorado Territory, 1861
Crossed the Continental Divide on homemade 7-foot skis to deliver mail and sermons to remote mining camps.
He built a chapel in Breckenridge, where he also lived and is still operating today. He was one of the 16 founders of the state of Colorado and is depicted in the Colorado State Capitol and has a mountain peak named after him.
1876-1926
Photo Courtesy: Colorado Snowsports Museum post
Peter Prestrud
(Nov 7, 1883 – Oct 11, 1976)
Frisco, CO
Peter Prestrud, a native of Norway, settled in Frisco, Colorado, in 1910. In the process of becoming postmaster, he and some friends built one of the state’s first ski jumps on nearby Tenmile Creek for weekend recreation.
An accomplished competitor, Peter once skied 55 miles across Ute Pass to participate in a meet at Hot Sulphur Springs. He was Colorado Amateur Jumping Champion in 1921. The ski jump at Dillon, one of the state’s best, was renamed Prestrud Hill in 1954.
1926-1976
Photo Courtesy: Arapahoe Basin
Arapahoe Basin Founders
Opened in 1946
Larry A. “Larry” Jump
(1913 – 1989)
A 10th Mountain Division veteran who led the survey & development, becoming a founder and manager. He was also one of the U.S.’s first certified ski instructors. The Jumps founded the nation’s first amputee skiing program.
Frederick “Sandy” Schauffler
(Aug 15, 1916 – Jul 10, 2011)
An Olympic skier who partnered with Jump to scout locations.
Richard Durrance
(Oct 23, 1914 – Jun 13, 2004)
An Olympic medalist helped develop the initial plans with Jump and Schauffler.
Max Dercum
(Oct 2, 1912 – Sept 30, 2011)
A local pioneer and U.S. Forest Service worker who owned land in the basin, which facilitated the development, along with his wife Edna.
1976-2026
Photo Courtesy: Arapahoe Basin
Alan Henceroth
(Aug 1, 1961 – )
Arapahoe Basin Ski Area
Alan Henceroth is the long-serving Chief Operating Officer of Arapahoe Basin Ski Area and a key figure in its modern development. He joined A-Basin in 1988 as Ski Patrol Director, later serving as Director of Mountain Operations, and became COO in 2005.
Henceroth has guided major projects including the 400-acre Montezuma Bowl expansion, the Black Mountain Express lift, and significant infrastructure improvements. A respected industry leader, he has served on the board of the National Ski Areas Association and chaired the Colorado Passenger Tramway Safety Board.
He co-authored the book Arapahoe Basin: A Colorado Legend Since 1946.
JANUARY: WEEK 2
1876-1926
Photo Courtesy: Summit Historical Society Collection
Eyvind Flood
(Apr 21, 1886 – Mar 28, 1964)
Frisco, CO
Eyvind Flood, originally from Norway, was a mining engineer at the Excelsior Mine and an accomplished skier. Known locally for his professional equipment and daring exhibition runs, he helped develop one of the early world-class ski jump hills near the spot where the scenic overlook on the Dillon Dam Road sits today.
Photo: Scandinavian Nordic Ski Jumping Team, from left to right, Hans Hansen, Eyvind Flood, Carl Howelesen, Anders Haugen, Peter Prestrud and Lars Haugen. Circa: 1919-1920.
1926-1976
Photo Courtesy: Trygve Berge
Breckenridge Ski Area Founders
Opened December 16, 1961
Bill Rounds
(1922 – Jan 20, 2017)
Modern skiing in Summit County took shape around 1959 when Bill Rounds of the Rounds and Porter Lumber Company began exploring land development near Lake Dillon. Although his first interest was mining, Rounds, a skiing enthusiast, recognized that Breckenridge’s mountains offered strong potential for winter recreation.
His company began scooping up real estate and purchased 5500 acres for about $55 per acre. He created Summit County Development Corporation and obtained a US Forest Service permit to develop the ski area. He worked with Berge and Rockne to help develop the ski resort on what became Peak 8.
Trygve Berge
(Apr 19, 1932 – )
A Norwegian Olympian and ski instructor who helped design and build the initial lifts and runs, also starting Breckenridge’s first ski shop.
Sigurd Rockne
(1933 – )
A Norwegian skiing expert who earned a spot on Norway’s 1956 Olympic team. After a pre-Olympic injury ended his Olympic bid, he came to the U.S. in 1958 to teach skiing at Aspen. He is in the Colorado Snowsports Hall of Fame.
1976-2026
Photo Courtesy: Stephen Ellison
John “CJ” Mueller
(1951 – )
Breckenridge
Legendary Colorado Olympic speed skier, known for being the first to surpass 130 mph and setting multiple world records in the 1980s-90s. Inducted into the Colorado Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame (2014) and the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame (2022).
JANUARY: WEEK 3
Pre-Statehood
Oliver Milner
Montezuma, CO – Arrived 1860
“Mailman Milner”, first carried mail on 8’ wood skies, in 1869. Through heavy snow and bitter temperature from St. John Creek in Montezuma, past the General Teller Mine, over the 12,000 foot pass and down along the Swan River to the Blue River gold fields, for a fee of $15 round trip.
Milner also located the Don Pedro and Aladdin’s Lamp mines and built one of the first cabins in Sts. John in 1865-1866.
1876-1926
Photo Courtesy: Summit Historical Society Collection
Anders Haugen
(Nov 24,1888 – Apr 14, 1984)
Dillon, CO
Anders emigrated from Norway to the United States. Living in Dillon, Colorado, he set successive ski jumping world records of 213 feet at the Dillon Ski Jump in 1919.
He captained the U.S. ski jumping team at the 1924 Olympics, initially placing fourth in the Special Jumping Competition. Fifty years later, a scoring error was discovered, and he was rightfully awarded the bronze medal.
1926-1976
Photo Courtesy: Bill Bergman Collection
Keystone Founders
November 21, 1970
Bill & Jane Bergman and Max & Edna Dercum
The vision for the early-day sawmill town and railroad end of the line, Keystone, began in 1945 when Max Dercum had the idea to turn a big, gentle mountain named Keystone into a ski area.
On a snowy Christmas in 1968, Bill and Jane Bergman met the Dercums in their Alhambra log cabin while on a ski vacation. Bill Bergman, an Iowa-based attorney, secured the initial funding and investors and went on to plan and operate the resort. Jane Bergman led marketing efforts, shaping the resort’s early identity and growth.
Max Dercum
(Oct 2, 1912 – Sept 30, 2011)
Edna Dercum
(Aug 2, 1914 – Sept 15, 2008)
Bill Bergman
(Mar 15, 1924 – Dec 11, 2023)
Jane Bergman
(Jun 28, 1924 – Sept 27, 2015)
1976-2026
Photo Courtesy: Summit Daily/Brad Odekirk
Gene Dayton
(March 20, 1943 – )
Breckenridge – Arrived, 1969
Gene Dayton was a pioneering figure in Nordic skiing and adaptive outdoor recreation. He founded the Breckenridge Nordic Center in 1969 and later established the Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center (BOEC) in 1976, then known as the Breckenridge Ski Touring and Ski Mountaineering School.
With early support from Breckenridge Ski Corporation, which provided a small warming hut at the base of Peak 9, Dayton and his team built an adjacent igloo that slept eleven participants serving children and adults with disabilities. As the programs grew, the Town of Breckenridge leased Dayton 38 acres of land for one dollar per year, where the Griffith Lodge was eventually constructed, enabling expanded year-round outdoor recreation opportunities for those with disabilities.
JANUARY: WEEK 4
1876-1926
Pictured 4th from left, Agnes Finding Miner, 5th from left, Antonia Finding. Courtesy: Summit Historical Collection
Early Skiing
(1880s)
Breckenridge
In the 1880s, skiing was not only a recreational activity but a practical means of delivering mail, transporting supplies, and participating in organized ski races.
Skis, then commonly referred to as “snowshoes” were Norwegian-style wooden boards designed to slide over snow. Typically measuring nine to fourteen feet in length, they were homemade and used with a single long pole, which served for balance, turning, and braking.
1926-1976
Copper Mountain’s G-Lift. Winter of 1983-84. Courtesy: Summit Historical Society Collection
Copper Mountain Founders
Opened December 5, 1972
Charles “Chuck” Froelicher
(1924 – October 17, 2014)
Chuck Froelicher, a prominent Colorado educator, conservationist, and businessman was a key figure who initiated the project, forming Copper Mountain Associates in 1968 and securing the land from Eugene Sanders.
Froelicher was a key developer of the resort and served as a partner and director until 1980.
His broader legacy includes being founding headmaster of Colorado Academy, a principal founder of the Colorado Outward Bound School, served as the first executive director of the Gates Family Foundation, and played key roles in establishing the Sangree Hut and the South Platte River Greenway.
Chuck Lewis
(June 22, 1936 – March 16, 2000)
Chuck Lewis (Charles D. Lewis) was the visionary force behind the development, bringing experience as a former Vail executive and accomplished skier. Faced with the challenges of Copper’s remote location, he implemented innovative, in-house solutions, including establishing lumber and concrete companies to support resort construction using on-site resources.
A pioneer of natural trail design, Lewis served as president of Copper Mountain and was inducted into the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame.
1976-2026
Photo Courtesy: Stephen Ellison
Red Gerard
(June 29, 2000 – )
Silverthorne
Professional Snowboarder, Red Gerard’s family moved from the Cleveland area to Silverthorne in 2007, where he trained at Copper Mountain with strong community support.
A two-time Olympic snowboarder, he won gold in 2018 and is set to compete again in February 2026. He also founded Red’s Backyard, a nonprofit that provides free access to outdoor sports for children.
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