At the Mercy of the Mountains by Peter Bronski

The resort closed in 1952, but the terrain – including the once-harrowing Big Dipper ski run – still is accessible after about a mile of hiking.

Pioneer Ski Area near Crested Butte installed the state’s first overhead chairlift in 1939, a 30-chair machine cobbled together with old mining parts and strung atop a series of wooden towers. He was left with a wide variety of slopes that, for those inclined to make all the stops, offers a history tour of skiing in Colorado. “At some of the places, there isn’t a lot left to see, or sometimes there wasn’t terrain skiers would like to ski.” “The list whittled itself down pretty quickly,” Bronksi said. That ruled out many Front Range locations, including one at the famous Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs and another near Greeley that featured a peak elevation of 4,750 feet. He also eliminated former ski destinations that no longer receive adequate snow. That immediately cut his potential resorts by half and ousted the inclusion of the former Stagecoach Ski Area, one of the largest abandoned resorts in the state. He only included runs on, and accessible from, public land. Nearly 200 lost resorts dot Colorado, but Bronski narrowed the list with a set of qualifications. When he was finished, his book included the history of three dozen ski areas and directions to accessing and skiing the forgotten powder. “I lost track of how much time I spent tracing the histories and preparing the book,” Bronski said. He piled up 7,000 miles during his trekking to and from each potential location.

At the Mercy of the Mountains by Peter Bronski