Ski Idlewild

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Ski Idlewild
1966 trail map & brochure
Location:	Colorado, USA
Nearest city:	Winter Park, Colorado
Coordinates:	39°55′38″N 105°46′45″W / 39.92722, -105.77917 (Ski Idlewild)Coordinates: 39°55′38″N 105°46′45″W / 39.92722, -105.77917 (Ski Idlewild)
Top elevation:	9,100 feet (2,800 m)
Base elevation:	8,700 feet (2,700 m)
Runs:	5 total 60% beginner 40% intermediate 0% advanced/expert
Longest run:	.5 miles (.8 kilometres)
Lift system:	2 total (1 fixed-grip chair, 1 surface lift)

Contents 1 History 2 Idlewild prices over the years 3 The Future of Ski Idlewild 4 External links 5 Notes and references

[edit] History

Ski Idlewild was a small ski area located in Hideaway Park, Colorado (now downtown Winter Park). It began operation in 1961 with a blue Pomagalski (now Poma of America) double chair with shield. In 1967 a platter lift was installed, yielding better access to the north ski runs and giving first-time skiers an easier way to access the slopes. At the base of Ski Idlewild was which was Idlewild Guest Ranch, a hotel built three years before the ski area opened. The Idlewild Lodge hotel, not to be confused with the Ski Idlewild base lodge, was a part of the Idlewild Guest Ranch and featured tennis courts, a swimming pool, a disc golf course, cross country ski trails, and the Idlewild Barn, an ice skating rink. After many years of providing novice skiers with fun and affordable skiing, Ski Idlewild closed on March 20, 1986.

In 1986, the left sheave train (wheel system) of the chairlift failed and fell to the ground. There were no deaths or injuries, but four people had to be evacuated from the lift by the ski patrol. Ski Idlewild could not pay the $550 inspection fee to the Colorado Passenger Tramway Safety Board, and the ski area was abandoned.^[1] The Idlewild Guest Ranch continued its operation as a cross-country ski area, and the Ski Idlewild base lodge was closed and used for document storage. Idlewild Lodge teamed up with Devil's Thumb Ranch in Tabernash, creating a vast network of cross country ski trails connecting Tabernash, Fraser, and Winter Park. In 1994, the Idlewild Lodge hotel was sold, renovated, and reopened for winter and summer operation until closing again in summer 1996. Up until the close of the hotel, the ski area was serviced by the Winter Park Resort shuttle, which provided free transportation to Ski Idlewild. Ever since, Ski Idlewild has been abandoned and boarded up, though all lifts and buildings remain except the ice skating barn.

[edit] Idlewild prices over the years

(Some 1984 stats based on info from ColoradoSkiHistory.com)

1967-1968 Ski Season

• Lift Tickets
  • 1 Ride $1.00
  • Half Day $3.00
  • Full Day $4.00
  • 3 days $10.00
  • 1 Week $21.00
  • Under 18 $3.25
• Ski School also offered

1974-1975 Ski Season

• Ski School
  • 1 day $8.00
  • 3 days $21.00
  • 5 days $35.00
  • 1 half day $6.00
  • 3 half days $16.00
  • 5 half days $26.00
  • Private Lesson $6.00 per hour plus $6.00 per person
• Lift Tickets
  • All day $6.00
  • Half day $4.50
  • Under 12 $4.00
  • 3 day $17.00
  • 5 day $27.00
  • Over 65 half price

1976-1977 Ski Season

• Ski School
  • 1 day $9.00
  • 3 days $24.00
  • 5 days $35.00
  • 1 half day $7.00
  • 3 half days $19.00
  • 5 half days $31.00
  • Private Lesson $6.00 per hour plus $6.00 per person
• Lift Tickets
  • All day $6.50
  • Half day $5.00
  • Under 12 $4.00
  • 3 day $18.00
  • 5 day $29.00
  • Over 65 half price

1984-1985 Ski Season

• Ski School
  • 1 day $18.00
  • 2 days $32.00
  • 1 half day $12.00
  • Private Lesson $17.00 per hour plus $8.00 per person
• Lift Tickets
  • All day $11.00
  • Under 12 $8.00
  • Over 65 half price

[edit] The Future of Ski Idlewild

Ski Idlewild still stands, with its alpine trails overgrown almost beyond recognition. The base lodge has been broken into several times and vandalized. A large pine beetle extermination operation took place there in 2006. In mid-June 2006, Ski Idlewild along with its adjacent parcels of land were annexed by the town of Winter Park, CO. At the meeting where this was decided, a local developer announced his plans to build a development atop the Ski Idlewild Parcel and the Arrowhead Parcel.^[2] Recently, however, the property was resold to the Rendezvous development and Ski Idlewild will not only be demolished, but it will also be used as an in town entrance for the existing development.^[3]

[edit] External links

• Colorado Ski History's page on Ski Idlewild
• Winter Park Manifest article on the future of Ski Idlewild

[edit] Notes and references