Hot Sulphur First To Jump Into Competitive Skiing
By Cynthia McCoy / Photos proprietary of Elizabeth Dailey

Hot Sulphur Springs Ski patch circa 1950s.

Our snowy journey begins in 1911, almost a century ago. Amongst excited train passengers headed from Denver over the Continental Divide were two Norwegian fares. Carl Howelsen and Angell Schmidt must have planned this trip with great enthusiasm and care. They were going into wild country in winter, when temperatures were reported as low as 65 degrees below zero Fahrenheit.

Howelsen and Schmidt were both skilled skiers and this descent was like a dream. (Throughout his career, Howelsen, a.k.a. “The Flying Norseman,” was a nine-time national champion and three-time Olympian.) Unlike snows of the Norwegian area, Colorado’s was light and dry, reflecting the brightest sunshine.

They stepped out that crisp morning, December 30th, 1911, at Corona Station, Rollins Pass. Expansive, snowy views that have inspired travelers for years greeted their eyes. At 11,660 feet above sea level, two days before New Year’s Eve, they probably saw their breath being taken.

While other passengers continued on their ride, these two had another journey in mind. Howelsen and Schmidt gathered their packs and strapped on skis, similar to what was used in the county back then (wooden boards with leather toe straps and curved tips).

They headed for a town west of the Fraser Valley to the County Seat, Hot Sulphur Springs (HSS). An outdoorsmen’s paradise, HSS was already known since 1864 for its geothermal heated mineral baths (no secret among Ute tribes for centuries prior).

The first Ski Carnival held west of the Mississippi was in Hot Sulphur Springs in 1911.

Howelsen and Schmidt’s initial descent dropped them 3,000-plus feet into Fraser – 16 miles carving through majestic terrain. The pair carried 35-pound backpacks and a rifle each. They most likely warmed up around a fire during a pit stop, but continued pressing toward their destination.

Hot Sulphur Springs was aflutter in preparation for its first-ever winter carnival. The event would, in its existence, include skating, tobogganing, snowshoeing, Nordic skiing, and skijoring, ending in a Grand Ball. Residents in the area were already familiar with snowshoeing; skis were just becoming popular. Winter travel was a necessary means of life, to get to work, school and church, as well as to deliver mail and get medical assistance. Skis hadn’t been used for fun, but the little town of Hot Sulphur Springs was in for a big surprise.

For the rest of the journey, Howelsen and Schmidt, unfamiliar with the region, wound through downed timber and stuck close to the railroad tracks. That last stretch took them through 18 miles of pristine woods and valleys to an elevation of 7,600 feet above sea level. The entire fantastic voyage of 44 miles took them a mere nine hours – the last four miles downhill. They arrived in Hot Sulphur Springs, just a little past suppertime.

This ski boot advertisement for Henke appeared in the Ski Carnival program, c. 1920.

The next day, carnival-goers were intrigued to see signs for the “Field Sports and Grand Ball of the Winter Sports Club of Hot Sulphur Springs” with an addition: exhibition jumping by the Norwegians. Heads turned to a southern mountain at the mouth of Byers Canyon called Bungalow Hill where the two, later deemed “birdmen,” improvised a jump seven feet high compiled of logs and boxes. Wearing no helmets, the athletes swooped down the slope and flew like the wind over what is now US Highway 40.

(Later, when the automobile was introduced, spotters were used to look out for traffic. After a second jump was formed on Mt. Bross (1937-’40) spotters were used to watch for trains. The mountain would also serve as Colorado’s first real downhill course.)

The carnival was a growing success, and in fact, performed an encore in February with an improved jump. Special trains with reduced fares dropped off increasing numbers of festival-goers each year. For the carnival’s 25th anniversary, they unloaded 2,200- plus passengers from Denver, with another 50 from Steamboat, plus a 42-piece marching band.

Anytime they came, Howelsen and Schmidt were, of course, the guests of honor. Several youths in town would be so inspired by their demonstration, they would compete in later contests and do extremely well in the sport. The event, last held in 1940, launched what wouldbe the county’s pioneer racing circuit, with tournaments through 1937.

At age 12, Horace Button won first place in the 1913 carnival. The future Colorado Ski Hall of Famer traded in his barrel-slat skis for a pair made by Bob Throckmorton, a friend’s father. Throckmorton made several pairs out of hand-sawed hickory boards and soaked them overnight in the hot springs to curve and shape over a fire.

Jim Harsh of Grand Lake, who frequently skied from Grand Lake to HSS, would later become the first Colorado skier to qualify for the 1932 US Olympic Games. Ski Team (1948) Captain Barney McLean won his first regional jumping title in Hot Sulphur in 1930. He would go on to win titles in 12 national championships, winning every major race in the country during his career. Olympic teammate, Gordy Wren, joined the town’s carnival competition in 1932.

Skiers compete in a three-legged race down Grand Avenue in Hot Sulphur Springs, c. 1920.

In all, the town hosted three areas and a near-fourth (toward Cottonwood Pass). Snow King Valley Winter Sports Area, southeast of town, opened January 19, 1947. It had a 1,500-foot tow, a quarter-mile practice slope, two intermediate runs and a shelter house. A rope tow was added to Maggie’s Hill in 1949 (fee was 50 cents a day) and it operated into the ‘60s; children were allowed to include ski training as the school’s physical education requirement starting in 1957.

The areas were short-lived however, mostly due to climate change and development in Winter Park. The old tow ropes from Hot Sulphur were moved from area to area, as need demanded: Snow King Valley’s 50HP tow went to Frosty Basin Ski Area on the John Murphy Ranch outside Granby. The old wooden ski jump met its demise when, unable to fully appreciate its historical significance, a neighboring property owner was given permission to disassemble the old jump on Bungalow Hill for firewood in 1983.

Thus, the end of an era. Today, skiers from the Winter Park area visit Hot Sulphur Springs for warmth and rejuvenation.

Stay tuned for Part II in our Winter 2011-12 issue: GrandLake. Also watch for the Heritage Coalition’s 100th anniversary celebration of Colorado’s Winter Carnival (coming December 2011 thru February 2012).

READ MORE STORIES FROM THIS ISSUE:
• Aiming at the Stars: A man, a Telescope, and Far Off Galaxies
• Green Parade: Power to the Students = Power to the School at MPHS
• History: Named After a Turn in the Track - The History of the Town Arrow
• Lifestyle: The Grand Circle Yurt Route ... Impossible Dream or the Future?
• Winter 2010 Articles