This group had grandplans of reviving the ski area. Last spring, my husband and I were two of them as we stood at the site of the former ski lodge and marveled at the solitude. Open: 5, New (24 hr): N/A" | Base: 33" As a result, the Colorado Tramway Board closed the resort until adequate maintenance could resolve the issues. Users can sleep in it if they want, but it is kinda dirty. Not only were we carrying our skis far more than we wearing them, but hiking in my insole-less ski boots was killing my feet. However, foreclosure was the least of the unfortunate events that took place at Geneva Basin, ultimately leading to its abandonment. Mileage: Its roughly 4 miles from the gate to the base of Geneva Basin. [4]), Indianhead went into foreclosure and the property was sold at auction to then-state Senator (later Governor) Roy Romer and the Walter J. Burke family, who renamed the ski area to Geneva Basin. One day an empty chair fell, forcing the state to shut down . There are two options when skinning into Geneva Basin: approaching from the north or the south. In addition, legend has it that a construction worker at the resort by the name of Ed Guanella was the victim of a tragic accident involving a chairlift cable that took his life. Any day outside with my husband is a good day, yanno? That ski area was my whole life growing up there. After all, we still had the four miles of road. The location, topography, and nearby roads & trails around Geneva Basin Ski Area (Locale) can be seen in the map layers above. 6.3mi Road to the ghost town of Geneva City, Colorado. To complicate our situation further, I realized I was an idiot. Exploring the powder stashes near the now-shuttered Berthoud Pass, Colorado's first ski area. From the gate to the Geneva Basin, it is roughly four miles so we still had a trek ahead of us. Each donation will be used exclusively for the development and creation of increased news coverage. Human Resources Technician City of Craig Clerk/Personnel Department $19.68/hour-$28.29/hour. As such, we opted to approach from the south and highway 285. Open: 5, New (24 hr): N/A" | Base: 18" applink.title = 'iOS'; -1,812 ft Descent Laden down with packs full of backcountry skiing gear and calorie-dense snacks, we focused on our singular objective: find Geneva Basin. I just wanted to let you know you made me smile with the amazing memories I have about the best ski area that existed! The lack of maintenance became grossly evident in 1984 when a chair fell from the cable on the Duck Creek lift. Located around 12,000 feet above sea level in Colorado, near Guanella Pass, is a small ghost town only accessible by a rugged road called Geneva City. Not easily deterred, we still awoke early, drove up to the south entrance, and found the locked gate. Geneva Basin Ski Area | Lost Ski Areas It was early on a Saturday and the two of us were on the side of Georgetowns Guanella Pass somewhere between Highway 285 and the 11,670-foot summit. At Northwest Colorado Health we believe everyone deserves the chance to achieve their best health. Here is a link to it with a free selfie stick ONLY through this link below!! function androidOrIOS() { As you might guess, the runs here are still super popular with backcountry skiers today - though it's an 8-mile trek through deep snow to get there. Finally, after years of hardships, the ski lodge was eventually burned to the ground by United States Forest Service employees and Geneva Basin has sat empty ever since. CDL Drivers $25-$27 per, Seeking a full-time Computer Support Technician to join our IT Department! We chose a run that we had seen while skinning up and enjoyed the rewards of our skinning. Originally dubbed Indianhead Ski Area, Geneva Basin is easily Colorados most famous abandoned ski resort. And there is no snow as far as we can see on the road.. Open: 10, New (24 hr): N/A" | Base: 23" At its opening, it had a double chair and a T-bar with two Poma lifts installed soon after.. Two more Poma lifts were added in the 1960s to provide additional access to bowl and beginner-friendly terrain. I was not an expert skier (an upper immediate), but here I found myself all on my own, skimming down into the shadows below me. Geneva Basin *Amazon Affiliate Links This old ski area has not been operated since the mid 1980's, although several groups have tried and failed to resurrect it since then. It first opened in 1963 with two chairlifts: a double known as the Duck Creek lift and a T-bar called Sundance. The old trails are marked on the map. -1,725 ft Descent Great Pay. Latitude. 1.4 km } Crested Butte: The Most Haunted Ski Town in America [Curbed Ski], This story is part of a group of stories called, The 8 most important principles of interior design. Originally dubbed Indianhead Ski Area, Geneva Basin is easily Colorado's most famous abandoned ski resort. Must pass a post-job offer. A few weeks back, Will and I decided to tackle a new-to-us adventure: venturing to an abandoned ski resort known asGeneva Basin. I was thinking about visiting in this fall before the snow comes. Uncover Colorado | Sitemap | Advertise. You brought back some great memories! applink.innerHTML = ' Open mobile app'; Geneva Basin Ski Area - AnyPlaceAmerica.com [7] The ski area was sold to an investment group based in Kansas in 1972 and the T-bar was replaced with a Heron Poma double chair in 1974.[8]. applink.href = 'https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.whiz.craigdaily&hl=en_US'; It is used by backcountry skiers that travel by foot from an access gate to ski the former trails. Being a jerk / offensive? Geneva Basin! Geneva Basin Ski Area - Wikipedia The runs were engineered by Sel Hannah. The property was sold again to another investment group in 1985 with ambitious plans to revitalize the ski area. An Adventure Projects staff member will review this and take an appropriate action, but we generally don't reply. I love hearing about further history with GB; we really love that spot! Open: 4, New (24 hr): N/A" | Base: 54" Geneva City, CO Ghost Town - near Montezuma, CO - Uncover Colorado My Brother was two years older and was on the ski team. Print/PDF map. its looked after by a lot of people. Quite the process. It was early on a Saturday and the two of us were on the side of Georgetowns Guanella Pass somewhere between Highway 285 and the 11,670-foot summit. Open: 13, New (24 hr): N/A" | Base: 18" However, ambitious planning couldnt supersede the ski resorts financial woes. The ski area is said to be haunted by Headless Ed's ghost. ). From there, drive roughly 7 miles to the winter-access gate. Equipment Operators $25-$37 per hour . , Customer Experience Specialist $28.67-33.00 per hour. Once owned by former state governor Roy. 4h 29m, Road was dry for about 200 yards below the turn-off to the ski area parking lot. The Guanella Pass Rd (closed to traffic in winter, but there may be snowmobiles) is paved so it can melt out on low snow years and sunny days. Geneva Basin failed to open that year due to money reasons. } The national group's long-term tracking of skier fatalities shows less than one death for every million skier visits. ASK US ABOUT OUR ALTERNATIVE LICENSURE PROGRAM! Finally, in 1993, the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) opted to burn down the ski lodge at the base to avoid any future liability concerns. A ghost story of \"Eddie the Head\" thanks to Lee: \"Ed Guanella was the son ofPaul Guanella (the pass fame). Summer season May 8 October 13 All roles start at $21.50, Housekeeper For Private Family in Vail. Take a virtual tour of Colorados forgotten ski resort, Cuchara Mountain Park, which despite being abandoned for over 20 years may be reopening soon. The base lodge was at 6,800 feet and the summit was about 7,400 feet. Colorado's Guanella Pass: The Complete Guide - TripSavvy Backcountry Skiing an Abandoned Resort: Geneva Basin - Just a Colorado Gal I joined the Ski Team when I was a freshman at Platte Canyon High school. Borvig never installed the lift's drive unit orchairs. Was there the last day it was open and was heart broken when it closed. What a great day, and a great adventure! Eventually, we knew it was ridiculous and threw in the towel: time to remove the skis! Between 1972 and 1984, Geneva Basin changed hands numerous times, and the resort fell into disrepair due to minimal funding. Whoops! Open: 3, New (24 hr): N/A" | Base: 41" Colorado - Clear Creek County - Geneva Basin - Backcountry Recon However, ambitious planning couldnt supersede the ski resorts financial woes. The ski runs are still there if you can get to them! They could not pay off the new ski lift. But their ownership didnt last much longer. Alas, life got in the way and Will and I couldnt make it up on Saturday. After the exhausting, multi-faceted morning of skinning, I was pretty damn tired. We logged roughly 11 miles round-trip. Thankfully, it didnt take us *too* long to get to the summit and I let out a gleeful whoop when I saw the little cabin. Smoke free workplace. Your FREE account works with all Adventure Projects sites. }, exploring both Geneva Basin{an abandoned resort} and SevenUtes{a resort that fizzled before it ever happened}. Two more Poma lifts were added in the 1960s to provide additional access to bowl and beginner-friendly terrain. There were a few moment when I had to hunker down to get out of the gales; I was afraid Id get blown right over. It was the old ski patrol hut! Roy Romer was not the sole owner of Geneva Basin but he is the familiar name. The Avalanche championship dynasty crumbles less than a year after hoisting the Stanley Cup. [10] The ski area changed hands numerous times from the mid-1970s to mid-1980s, during which time the ski area's facilities and maintenance declined. Experience preferred, but will train. Between 1972 and 1984, Geneva Basin changed hands numerous times, and the resort fell into disrepair due to minimal funding. Truck Drivers - CDL A or B $28-$35/hour. Geneva Basin was a ski resort way up in the middle of nowhere south of Georgetown, Colorado that originally opened in 1961 as Indianhead Ski Area. I still have contact with most of the Ski Team members and their families. Winter closure for Guanella Pass Road: there is a Forest Service gate that is usually closed in the winter. But then things got.tricky. } RELATED:Beautiful (and easy) backcountry skiing trails near Denver. This is the last place I skied in my life. The death is . Minor steeper, uneven terrain. Your financial contribution supports our efforts to deliver quality, locally relevant journalism. 1.7 km They promised to take care of the hut and somehow everyone agreed on keeping it intact. A long, gradual climb to an old abandoned ski area, Geneva Basin. Longitude. 2021 Just a Colorado Gal. 9.7mi 2h 59m, Up the road to base, cat track to patrol cabin, down Jolly Time to Knicker Knocker, back on shortcut Sure enough, we were not driving around that metal barrier.and there was definitely no snow on the road. Roy Romer purchased it, along with the Burke family. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. The trail passage, which still has snowmaking equipment on it. I missed that place grew up and learned to ski there and had fun for years every weekend with the exception of the lift stalling they were gas and you could hear them trying to start the engine up again LOL once and a while they would flood the engine. While the area received 300 inches (760cm) of annual snowfall, the unpaved road adjacent to the ski area frustrated the ski area ownership. else if(/iPad|iPhone|iPod/i.test(userAgent)){ This ski spot was open from 1963 to 1984. Instead, the old ski patrol building still stands, complete with an oversized trail map secured to the wall. But if you google Geneva Basin, click on the Google Maps directions on the right side of the screen you can get directions from wherever you are. try to contact GEMS the Geneva Environmental Management Society their info is in the hut but you can probably find it on line somewhere, [] year was our first foray into these Colorado ski resorts {or powder ghost towns! Geneva Basin (originally Indianhead Ski Area) was a ski area in the western United States, located in Clear Creek and Park County, Colorado, 10 mi (16 km) north of the community of Grant and 13 mi (21 km) south of the town of Georgetown. This area is totally on Forest Service, The construction currently at the area is related to Guanella Pass Road, the, (After the Duck Creek Lift was replaced by a triple chair. This route takes the road the whole way for . The Duck Creek lift was also upgraded to a triple and moved to a better line. Thearea sat idle again.Another revival was brought about in 1991. From Grant, look for signs on the right-hand side that indicate Guanella Pass. It was early on a Saturday and the two of us were on the side of Georgetowns Guanella Pass somewhere between Highway 285 and the 11,670-foot summit. This was my neighborhood range: I lived on Conifer Mountain and had arrived via 285, from the south. Abandoned Colorado Ski Resorts: Mesa Creek -Just a Colorado Gal. Even worse, the cable had allegedly decapitated him, earning the deceased man the nickname "Eddie the Head," whose spirit is said to still haunt the chairlift that killed him. Mainline Pipe layers $25-$29 per hour . [16][17], - 5 Beginner - 3 Intermediate - 8 Advanced. It first opened in 1963 with two chairlifts: a double known as the Duck Creek lift and . . -147 ft Descent Miraculously, the USFS did not burn down the cabin when mitigating liability in the early 1990s. Abandoned. androidOrIOS(); I bet they call it skinning because it sounds painful, I grumbled to my husband. The new lift ran parallel to the former Duck Creek lift but was positioned farther right, making the high-speed Poma lift serving the bowl unnecessary. This is Colorado's most famous abandoned ski area Must work weekends & holidays. Cant wait to read it thank you so much for writing a guide! Look back at 7 abandoned ski areas in Colorado const whizDeepLink = 'craigpressmobile://content?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.craigdailypress.com%2Fnews%2Fthis-is-colorados-most-famous-abandoned-ski-area%2F§ionId=&fallback=1'; Kevin Durant moped. } Development corporations formed and proposals were made over the years following the ski area's closure, including ones made by Michael Marsh in 1991 and 1992 that would have reopened the existing facilities and complete the snowmaking system. If from the north, you have to skin up and over Guanella Pass before dropping into the basin where the ski area is. I lived at the bottom of the South (285) pass where the gate is now. We hiked the remainder of the road, carrying our skis in our arms rather than taking the time to re-secure them to our packs. Unfortunately, the group wasunable to accomplish this. Ive been struggling with my backcountry ski boots for months, constantly battling blisters, hot spots, and losing toe nails. We were the only skiers on the hill; we had the entirety of Geneva Basin to ourselves. Actually, my father and uncle, Walter and Bob Burke, were more instrumental in the ownership and daily operations of Geneva Basin. Location: Colorado, Rocky Mountains, United States, North America. From there, we spotted a small structure perched at the summit of the resort: the former ski patrol hut. [13] It was defeated by a margin of 2:1. My wife and I had skied most of the other slopes in Colorado over the years, but executive unemployment forced us back east where we live nowVirginia, in the Piedmont region where our daughter goes out to ski in Massanutten and Wintergreen. Keeler: Chris Paul got dirty. My ski tips pointed downhill, I launched into the untouched run, hooting and hollering with abandon as pristine powder flew through the air and soaked the perma-smile stretched across my face. "Abandoned" Film Explores Colorado's Lost Ski Areas - 5280 const userAgent = navigator.userAgent; 1.7 km It "Forest Service Promoting More Ski Areas", "Aspen ski complex leads state in visits last winter", "Colorado's 'lost ski areas' offer skiers the best beginner backcountry", "This is Colorado's most famous abandoned ski area", Geneva Basin Ski Area - Colorado Ski History, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Geneva_Basin_Ski_Area&oldid=1117202773, Buildings and structures in Clear Creek County, Colorado, Buildings and structures in Park County, Colorado, Defunct ski areas and resorts in Colorado, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 20 October 2022, at 13:02. Skier numbers totalled 24,490 in Geneva Basin's last season.Geneva Basin was sold again to another investment group in 1985. I lived there since I was three years old and my mother worked there in the cafeteria. Kiszla: One-hit wonders? Beyond that, mileage will vary depending on how many laps you run. The climb tops out at the old ski patrol hut (maintained by volunteers). My dad is now 86 and really enjoys all of the articles posted about GB. Thank you for the correction! Because the nearest station and this geographic . Gallery Credit: Nate Wilde Google Maps Location As you can see, the resort was situated just south of Georgetown, Colorado. I had hot spots and blisters all over the place, and Geneva Basin was nowhere in sight. I remember watching in awe as the ski school director, Dan. The joy felt never-ending, even as the singular ski run came to a close. Looking up and down the Sundance lift line, "As a kid, I grew up skiing at Geneva Basin. NOT OKAY! Roy Romer purchased it, along with the Burke family. Geneva Basin, Guanella Pass, Colorado - Lamson Adventures It is situated south of Guanella Pass at an elevation of 11,750 ft (3,580 m). Lots of sugary, faceted snow. Apr 19, 2018. Almost immediately, it was clear that the sun had melted all of the snow. I was having fun again! This abandoned resort not only appears to be a permanent part of Colorado's past, but it also comes with a rather unfortunate, Keep scrolling to learn about, and take a virtual tour of. Focusing mainly on three areas, Geneva Basin, Berthoud Pass, and Cuchara Mountain, the film dives into the rich history of each ski area, talking with past owners, ski patrollers, and locals, letting their . [14], Forest Service employees burned down the ski lodge on November 5, 1993 to avoid further vandalism and any associated liability. Colorados Ghost Towns: What Caused Their Demise? Geneva Basin Ski Area is another one of Colorado's lost ski areas. This place has been closed for the last 35+ years but is free to snowboard, ski, or sled if you are willing to hike it or skin it.Operation Dates for Geneva Basin Ski Area: 1963 - 1984* Elevations: Summit 11,750; Base 10,500; Vertical Drop 1,250ft* Season: December - Easter; Hours 9-4pm* Tickets (1983): $10-13 AdultsHistory:This area dates back to 1963 when it opened under the name Indianhead. Abandoned Ski Area Documentary. Open: 0, New (24 hr): N/A" | Base: 36" Must have a valid Colorado drivers license. It felt so good to sit in the sun and soak in the scenery. Just a few years after opening, what was then known as Indianhead Ski Area would see its first of multiple tragedies in the death of a skier due to an avalanche in 1965. In many places, the onset of spring means the end of ski season. Join our team! All Rights Reserved. It was eventually owned by former Governor Roy Romer and operated for some years until permanently closing in 1984. ATTENTION STEAMBOAT SPRINGS: Are you looking for something new? Regret not buying one of their Geneva Basin hat pins or keeping the lift tickets. Historical Weather. This place has been closed for the last 35+ years but is free to. At the height of the areas operation, Geneva Basin . You know, Ive gotten quite a few questions re: how to start backcountry skiing, so I think a post will be coming on that very topic. View on OpenStreetMap. The next four years were the best of my life. Open: 4, New (24 hr): 1" | Base: 28" Now 73, Im a little disinclined to brave the bumps and turn my ski-tips straight down. I first explored the 1,250 vertical feet of this ski basin on a scorching late-spring day and almost bonked during the arduous eight-mile uphill slog.
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