A FIELD GUIDE TO THE EARLY HILLS

Before the hoopla of Aspen and Vail, skiing was a more local game. There were even a handful of hills around Jefferson County, which is where Denver went to ski. Shocking given what I-70 has become on a winter weekend. Drawn from a longer article by John McMillin (starting on page 6), here’s a fun blast from the past of early Colorado ski history and abandoned hills.

Inspiration Point (near Sheridan and I-70)
Where it started. A December 1913 blizzard buried Denver, pro skier Carl Howelsen decided to put on a show, and a ski jump followed, built partly on borrowed painters’ ladders. It’s all houses now.

Genesee Mountain (Mt. Vernon Canyon)
The big one. Jump meets from about 1920 drew up to 8,000 fans, and the record hit 152 feet in 1931. Some years, the snow had to be hauled in. College meets brought it back through 1956.

Homewood Park (Deer Creek Canyon)
Two Scandinavian brothers hosted pro jumping on their ranch starting in 1928. There were no lifts, so each climb took about 30 minutes. Norwegian star Johanna Kolstad caught a gust mid-air here and still landed a 106-footer.

Watson’s Ski Hill / Fun Valley (Watson Gulch Road, Deer Creek Canyon)
It opened in winter 1938-39 with a sled tow that hauled 12 to 15 people, powered by a mine hoist. A Poma lift and night skiing came later. It reportedly closed in 1977.

Meyer Ranch (today’s Meyer Ranch Open Space)
A modest hill, about 150 vertical feet, popular in the 1940s. The draw may have been its horse-drawn sleigh. Look for “Old Ski Run Trail” on the map.

Pence Park (Meyers Gulch Road, Kittredge)
No lifts and no real run. From about 1954, locals just skied off the road, with tubes and toboggans. It lasted into the 1970s, when parking became a problem.

Magic Mountain (near today’s Heritage Square)
An 1,100-foot beginner slope with two rope tows and pioneering snowmaking, starting in 1958. The hill is now a quarry pit.

Arapahoe East (Mt. Vernon Canyon, along I-70)
Opened in 1972 with a 550-foot drop, 20-cent lift tokens and a $2 day ticket. Thin snow and a lost alpine slide fight wore it down. It ran as Ski Golden in the 1980s, and the towers came down in 1996.

Evergreen Basin (near the Brook Forest Hotel)
O.J. Stransky’s 1965 plan called for three chairlifts on 970 acres. It made the state ski map, but no lift ever went in.

Ski Golden (Green Mountain)
A 270-acre plan that won a water vote from Golden’s council in 1966, then quietly died.

Ski Skyline (Lookout Mountain)
A 1968 resort planned near Buffalo Bill’s Grave, with 13 lighted runs, a ski jump and a ski run doubling as a golf course. Local opposition and money trouble apparently ended it.

SUNRISE: 6:31 AM
SUNSET: 4:56 PM
FORECAST: Pretty, pretty nice all week - 50s and 60s
BEST DAY TO GET OUTSIDE: honestly, can’t go wrong any day this week

Want a Featured Event? Reach out and say hello.

Care to submit an event? Send it here.

Join Saturday from 9am-4pm for the 49th Annual Conifer Holiday Boutique at Conifer High School. Thoughtfully made and carefully curated craftsman and other treats to get the holiday season started right.

Green Mountain, Lakewood- JeffCo Mountain Bike Club Last group ride on the 2026 schedule, 5:30pm. Last call

Green Mountain Brewery, Lakewood- Weekly Run Club, 6pm. Run, then beers

Snowpack Taproom, Conifer- Cribbage Night, 6-8pm. Peg out

Beck Venture Center, Golden- Startup Forum on biology and the new frontier of mining, 3:30-7pm. Dig in

New Terrain Brewing, Golden- Sunset Campfires with caramelized beers and s’mores, 5-8pm. Fire up

Miners Saloon, Golden- Live music Wednesdays, 6-9pm.

Snowpack Taproom, Conifer- Open Bluegrass Jam, 6:30-9pm. Pick a little

Sovrn, Golden- Run Club led by Olympian Lanni Marchant, 6am. Early miles

Evergreen Nature Center, Evergreen- Preschool Adventures. Little naturalists

The Hummingbird Club, Evergreen- Mobius Jazz during dinner, 5-8pm. Smooth

Mountain Toad Brewing, Golden- Cheese Night with Cheese Ranch, 5-10pm. Yummy

Evergreen Christian Church, Evergreen- Evergreen Speaks! with long-distance hiker Diane Gansauer, 5:30-6:30pm. Travel lightly

Runner’s Roost, Golden- Weekly Run Club, meet at 6pm

BP Run Co, Wheat Ridge- Weekly run club, starting at 6pm. Lace ‘em up

New Terrain Brewing, Golden- Music by the Mesa: At The Watertower, 6-9pm. Roots

State 38 Distilling, Golden- Christmas Candle Pouring Party, 6-8pm. Tickets

Majestic View Nature Center, Arvada- Birding for Beginners, 8am. Bird nerds

Cheese Ranch Artisan Deli, Golden- Fondue Friday, 5pm. Yummy

Blue Quill Anglers, Evergreen- Hackle & Dry Fly Masterclass, 6-8:30pm. Sign up

Buffalo Rose, Golden- Message In A Bottle and Sons of Genesis, tributes to The Police and Genesis, 7pm. Roxanne

Center Stage, Evergreen- Instant Musical, fully improvised, 7pm. No script

Conifer High School, Conifer- 49th Holiday Boutique with 100+ artisans and a bake sale, 9am-4pm. Shop local

Snowpack Taproom, Conifer- Saturday Morning Yoga, 10-11am. Flow state

Resolute Brewing Tap & Cellar, Arvada- Bunny Yoga, 10am. Bunnies

Boone Mountain Sports, Evergreen- Evergreen Snowdance parking lot party, 1-7pm. The Deets

Miner’s Alley, Golden- Cavemen vs Zombies performance, 1-2:30pm. Kid friendly

The Golden Outpost, Golden- Super Cruise Saturday with drinks, vendors, food trucks and live music, 2-8pm. Cruise

LUKI Brewery, Arvada- Encore: one final Karaoke Under the Big Top, free, 7-10pm. Sing it

Buffalo Rose, Golden- Sunday Swing with the Flatirons Jazz Orchestra, 4-7:30pm. Swing

Mountain Toad Brewing, Golden- Board Game Night, 5pm-close. Have fun

Golden Game Guild, Golden- Teach Me to Play Mondays, 6-9pm. Learn new games

New Terrain Brewing, Golden- Yoga on Tap, 6-7pm. Get your ticket

Mad Macks Brewing, Golden- Monday Trivia, 6:30-9pm. Chaos meets clever

🤝 If you think someone else would enjoy these updates, please pass along. The more the crew grows, the better it gets for everyone.

💌 If you have good friends who were kind enough to forward this to you, skip the middleman and join the crew directly! 👇

See you around the next bend!