The lost ski area on Chautauqua Mesa, once Boulder’s winter playground

My recent history column on the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s mentioned the dismantling of the Corps’ barracks west of Chautauqua Park and south of Baseline Road. This same location, a decade later, became part of the city-run Chautauqua Mesa Ski Area.   

For many Boulder residents, the ski area was their introduction to skiing. In the 1940s, the city’s few experienced skiers included members of ski clubs and teams at Boulder High School and the University of Colorado. 

For them, the closest established ski areas were Berthoud (on top of Berthoud Pass) and farther north at Winter Park. Boulder residents also drove to the entrance of Coal Creek Canyon, where they boarded the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad trains that ran from Denver, through the Moffat Tunnel, to Winter Park.

Meanwhile, ski jumpers, mostly from CU, practiced near Allenspark, in northwestern Boulder County, and at Rogers Park in upper Boulder Canyon. After a few snowy winters, ski enthusiasts and those wanting to learn were eager for a ski area with a jump closer to home. 

In October 1948, sporting goods store owner Ross Chivers and University of Colorado ski coach Steve Bradley organized what a Daily Camera reporter called “Operation Big Push.” National Guardsmen with bulldozers, along with members of ski clubs, scout troops and other volunteers, cleared the 200-foot slope of rocks, then raked and planted grass seed.

To get skiers up the hill, the City of Boulder granted a permit for a 200-foot rope tow, run by volunteers and powered by a Dodge gasoline engine from a World War II army truck.   

The lift served its purpose, but it was slow. Some of the skiers claimed they could climb to the top faster than those on the tow. Daily lift fees were $1 for adults and 50 cents for children. Ski lessons were free. Before long, the city installed lights for night skiing.

The following season, Boulder skiers were skilled enough for a longer ski run. The “motor shack” at the top of the rope tow was moved 850 feet uphill. Field telephones connected the upper and lower lift operators. The new lift was designed so that beginning skiers could get off at the “gentler” slope, while more experienced skiers continued to the top of the run.

The coach, Steve Bradley, gave a ski jumping demonstration at Chautauqua Mesa’s grand opening in January 1949. Spectators were urged to bring boards to stand on and to leave their dogs at home. 

As ski jumping gained in popularity, two additional jumps were created for intermediate and advanced jumpers. University of Colorado and American Olympic ski team members competed for prizes. Many prizes were donated by the Chivers Sporting Goods store that no doubt did a good business selling skis and clothing. 

Ski clothing was also sold at the Montgomery Ward and Sears Roebuck company stores in Boulder, although many residents improvised with whatever they had on hand.

Bill Reynolds, a Boulder native, was 11 years old at the time. The commercial real estate developer and founder and owner of the W.W. Reynolds Companies remembers going to the ski area with his friends. He recently recalled that he bought his first skis at the Boulder Army surplus store on Pearl Street. 

“The skis were white on top, with a reddish-pink base, and were seven feet long.” He added that they were probably left over from the 10th Mountain Division during World War II.

 “When I was 11 or 12,” said Reynolds, “I took those skis to the ski jump. No one told me how to jump, and one time I landed on my head. I woke up seeing stars.”

During the winter of 1949-50, the Boulder Recreation Department took over the operation of the rope tow. The area operated intermittently through 1953, whenever there was enough snow. Then vandals cut the rope into pieces, and the ski area was temporarily abandoned.

After nearly a decade of poor-snow years, Boulder residents were ready to try their ski area again. The Boulder Junior Chamber of Commerce repaired and reopened the ski area after a sizable snowfall in January 1962. This time the lift was free. 

Vandalism and a lack of reliable snow, however, continued to plague the new operators. In March 1963 (one year after the opening of the Eldora Ski Area, less than an hour away), volunteers planned to reopen, but the ignition system for the tow motor and the field telephones had been stolen. Parts were replaced, but sunshine and Chinook winds quickly melted the snow.

Left behind are some of the contours of the jumps. In recent years, the area has been popular with sledders, thanks to the efforts of those who groomed the slopes more than a half-century ago. Now, all that’s needed is snow.