A Harold Sanborn postcard from the winter of 1938-39 on Berthoud Pass was cataloged into the archives recently, along with a trio of photographs from the Fourth of July in 1938.

The first rope tow was added here in 1937, but people had already been skiing here for many years by this time. The parking and traffic was bad enough that a pair of courtesy patrol officers had to be stationed at the top of the pass on weekends. One of their cars can be seen parked in front of the bus in this postcard.

They can also be seen in the postcard below from one of the following winters. This one has also been documented here.

More Winter 1938-39

Another Sanborn postcard from the archives has been photographed below for this newsletter. This one is easy to date to the winter of 1938-39 because it shows the new shelter house before the expansion was added in 1939.

Fourth of July 1938

These 3 photographs were also added into the archives recently.

The Berthoud Pass Inn was torn down in 1938, and the new shelter house was built in its place before the winter began. This set of photos was captured during the summer when neither of those buildings existed here.

In the background, you can see a small outpost that was set up by the local American Legion chapter that was based out of Georgetown, CO, at the time.

The scanned versions of these photographs allow you to see the observation deck in the background better, along with the other sign, and the American Legion post.

The Sign That Ties These All Together

This is the Continental Divide sign that is seen in the photographs from the Fourth of July.

The same sign can be seen in the background of some of the winter postcards while mounted in its new spot on the shelter house.

Here is another photo of that sign from the archives showing it in the new location.

What Happened to the Sign?

That shelter house burnt down after being struck by lightning in 1946. The fire was bad enough that it also destroyed the rope tow house for the ski area. I suspect that the sign did not survive.

Also Read: The In-Depth History of Berthoud Pass, The Coloradotopia Archives Collection

Upcoming Coloradotopia

There is a small pile of film from the mountains ready to be digitized. Some old lift tickets have just arrived, and there is still a backlog of photographs and ephemera to catalog into the collection.

The next newsletter will be a one-off article that has been in the works for a few years. Keep in mind, that doesn’t necessarily make it good.

Thank you to the 1,300+ subscribers who still receive this newsletter. If you are not yet a subscriber, please consider subscribing by entering your email below.

The Colorado toll road ticket collection has grown again this week. A pair of Pikes Peak souvenir tickets from 1922 was catalogued, in addition to a toll receipt from 1981.

There were already a few 1922 toll road tickets in the collection, but none like these. The styling is different and the border is different. The others are from September and October, while these are from June. See the comparison below.

The 1981 receipt might be the most mundane thing in the archives, but at least we know how much it cost to drive up the Pikes Peak Highway during the 1980s now.

See the full Coloradotopia Archives Collection.

Ski Resort Closing Dates

Buttermilk had hoped to make it through April 5th, but has now closed for the season due to lack of snow. An updated list of ski resort closing dates can be seen below.

• Arapahoe Basin: TBA

• Aspen Mountain: April 19

• Aspen Highlands: April 12

• Beaver Creek: April 12

• Breckenridge: TBA

• Buttermilk: Closed

• Copper Mountain: April 26

• Crested Butte: April 5

• Echo Mountain: March 29

• Eldora: April 19

• Granby Ranch: TBA

• Howelsen Hill: March 22

• Keystone Resort: April 5

• Loveland Ski Area: TBA

• Monarch Mountain: March 29

• Powderhorn: March 22

• Purgatory: March 29

• Ski Cooper: March 22

• Silverton: Not listed

• Snowmass: April 12

• Steamboat: April 12

• Sunlight Mountain Resort: March 22

• Telluride: April 5

• Vail: April 19

• Winter Park: TBA

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This image comes from a 1960 Kodachrome slide that was scanned into the archives this week. A woman is seen signing the travelers’ registration book while a pair poses next to the Continental Divide sign on Cottonwood Pass.

Photographs of this sign from the 1900s are rare compared to other passes in Colorado like Berthoud Pass and Loveland Pass. The only images that have been acquired for the collection so far are the three slides seen below from 1960, 1983, and 1985.

See more Continental Divide sign images in the archives here - https://www.coloradotopia.com/history/archives/continental-divide-signs/

Red Bull Party Line at Copper Mountain, March 14

This should be a fun race to watch if you head to Copper Mountain this weekend. The course features a slopestyle pump track on steroids, done the Red Bull way.

You can see video and the event schedule on the Red Bull website here.

Telluride Skijoring, March 14 & 15

This will be the first time that Telluride has hosted a skijoring event. Horses and skiers will be racing through the center of town for two days. Details here.

Dew Deck at Arapahoe Basin, March 14

Booze and music at the mid-mountain lodge on Saturday. Artists include Groove Affair, RHNO, and MOONLGHT. Details here.

A 1938 toll road ticket from the Broadmoor–Cheyenne Mountain Highway was cataloged into the archives this week, along with another ticket that was likely used with it on the same trip.

This road is located in Colorado Springs above the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. It leads to the Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun and the Broadmoor Cloud Camp. The upper half is a dirt road now.

These “souvenir tickets” were actually the top half of the full toll road ticket. The bottom portion was the part that gave visitors access to the road.

Here is a ticket from 1947 that still has the stub attached.

See the full Colorado toll road ticket collection here - https://www.coloradotopia.com/history/archives/toll-tickets/

Vail Legacy Weekend - Feb. 28 to March 1

This weekend is Vail Legacy Weekend. Vail was founded by Pete Seibert, a soldier in the 10th Mountain Division.

There will be tributes to the 10th Mountain Division, a display of WWII vehicles, a parade, fireworks, music, the Troopers Cup soldier competition, and more.

See the schedule here - https://discovervail.com/event/vail-legacy-weekend/

Another Kodachrome slide from the Continental Divide was cataloged into the archives this week. This one comes from the early 1950s, just before the visitor center was built on top of Monarch Pass.

The enlarged image below shows the traveler’s registration box that was located to the right of the sign.

This sign would soon disappear, but it would not be gone forever. After the Monarch Crest Visitor Center opened in 1954, this same sign was added above the door for a brief period before being replaced by some nicer lettering.

Under magnification, the text “Colorado State Highway Department” can still be seen at the bottom of the sign above. Signs made after 1953 had the new name at the bottom, so this would have said “Colo. Dept. of Highways” if it was made after 1953, if anything.

An updated screenshot of the Monarch Pass collection is seen below.

Colorado Travel Deals

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This Pikes Peak toll road ticket from 1919 was cataloged into the archives this week. It isn’t in great shape, but it does have a date stamp on the back, which makes it an important addition.

The modern toll road was opened by Spencer Penrose in 1915.

These early Pikes Peak tickets are stored in 3” x 5” toploaders. Those are easy to find, but the polypropylene sleeves are trimmed on a cutting mat using a pizza cutter-style blade.

These photos will give a better sense of the scale.

The oldest ticket in the archives dates to sometime between 1892 and 1906, but this is the oldest Pikes Peak toll road ticket in the collection so far.

See the full Colorado toll road ticket collection here

Colorado Travel Deals

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A photograph of the Marshall Pass Continental Divide sign from 1969 was cataloged into the archives this week. The sign pictured here is unlike any of the other Continental Divide signs in CO that I have seen from this era. Old photographs of this sign are extremely rare compared to other mountain passes like Loveland or Berthoud.

See the full collection of Continental Divide sign images by clicking here.

The Marshall Pass Ski Course and the 75-Cent Train Ride

The Salida Ski Club set up a ski train in cooperation with the D&RG Railroad in 1937. The train hustled skiers from Salida to the Shawano stop on Marshall Pass for a few years. A shuttle train ran every 45 minutes to bring skiers back to the top of the hill for each run.

The building shown in the photo below is the section house, which the railroad agreed to let skiers use.

Trails were cut, and a ski school was even established. A grand opening (almost certainly pictured above) was held in February 1938, in which the ski train brought 600+ people to the pass in a single weekend.

A ski tow was added to nearby Monarch Pass in 1939, and this would ultimately become the site of the ski area that was envisioned for Marshall Pass (ref). The train did continue to run, allowing skiers a choice between the two.

Frank Ashley and Thor Groswold are pictured on Marshall Pass in the photograph below. Both men are inductees in the Colorado Snowsports Hall of Fame. Groswold began winning ski races in the 1920s, and retired from his position as Senior Vice President of the Winter Park Ski Resort in 1987. Ashley raced during the 1930s and went on to become General Manager of the Aspen Ski Corporation.

1950s Milner Pass Kodachrome Slides

These slides were photographed on the light table this week so that images of the front and back could be added to the archives. The slide from 1952 is important for establishing a date range that can be used for other images of this sign.

The map below comes from the Milner Pass page on the main Coloradotopia website.

Colorado Travel Deals

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A pair of Berthoud Pass Ski Area lift tickets was cataloged into the archives this week. Both tickets date to the period between 1968 and 1974.

These tickets join a summer lift ticket from Berthoud Pass that was already included in the collection.

See also: 1970 Winter Park 30th Anniversary Lift Tickets, Coloradotopia Lift Ticket Collection

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Mary Jane Celebrates 50 Years

Mary Jane was added to the Winter Park Ski Resort for the 1975–76 ski season. A 50-year anniversary celebration is planned for this weekend. You can find more info here.

Lift tickets were only $9 when Mary Jane opened in 1976. Adjusted for inflation, that’s the equivalent of more than $50 in 2026. If you want to ski at Winter Park this weekend, it will cost just under $270 for the day.

The price chart below from January 1976 was originally found on ColoradoHistoricNewspapers.org.

Colorado Celebrates 150 Years, and America Celebrates 250 Years

Colorado was granted statehood on August 1, 1876. The date that America’s Declaration of Independence was actually signed is still debated, but it is generally accepted as August 2, 1776, not the 4th of July.

August 1st and 2nd will fall on a weekend this year. Celebrate responsibly.

Colorado Travel Deals

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A 1904 annual toll pass from South Cheyenne Canyon was cataloged into the archives this week. This ticket comes from the early days of the auto boom, when you would have likely seen a mix of horse-drawn carriages and early automobiles on the road. The number of cars in the Denver area grew from 90 to 4,000 between 1900 and 1910.

This toll road was built during the early 1880s to bring people to the Seven Falls attraction in Colorado Springs.

Locals were never happy that a toll gate had been put up in this canyon. Colorado College purchased land in the adjacent North Cheyenne Canyon in 1884 and began charging tolls there as well, which brought even more distaste for the practice. The cost was 25 cents to enter each canyon by that point.

There were no exceptions when it came to collecting tolls in the early days. Even back then, hikers were charged. An angry scientist from the Smithsonian Institution still had to pay 50 cents to get through the two gates while gathering specimens in 1884.

If you didn’t pay, the Hull brothers would not be afraid to go toe-to-toe and shoot it out. Here they are, defending themselves in court in 1904…

This image below was sent by the Broadmoor Hotel earlier this year. This looks like an annual pass for the canyon from 1916.

See the growing collection of Historical Colorado Toll Road Tickets Here.

The Silverthorne Ice Castle Opens This Weekend

After a long hiatus, the Silverthorne Ice Castle is back and open for visitors this weekend. Expect to pay $20–$30 depending on your age and when you go. The same event is planned in Cripple Creek, but has been postponed due to warm weather.

The castle is located near part of the Outlets at Silverthorne. You can buy tickets and find more info here - https://icecastles.com/silverthorne-colorado/.

Save the Date – Breckenridge Snow Sculpting

This is another fun snow event in Summit County to check out. There will be 12 teams from 11 countries competing in the International Snow Sculpture Championships this year. This includes one team from Breckenridge and one from Vermont.

• Sculpting Week: Saturday, January 24 – Wednesday, January 28, 2026

• Viewing Week: Wednesday, January 28 – Tuesday, February 3, 2026

Travel Deals

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Ref Links:

Reference links in this newsletter may eventually break. The raw info is included below so that it is not lost.

• The Rocky Mountain News (Daily), Volume 25, September 4, 1884, p. 6.

• The Rocky Mountain News (Daily), Volume 25, September 5, 1884, p. 3.

• The Colorado Daily Chieftain, Volume LXIV, Number 140, March 18, 1904, p. 7.

This week, a 1983 slide showing the Continental Divide sign on Independence Pass was cataloged into the archives.

The US Forest Service began adding signs like this around 1970. The agency had maintained the signs on the Continental Divide since the mid-1950s. Previously, this was done by the state’s highway department.

See more images of this sign here - Independence Pass Sign Collection

Visa Ski & Snowboard Big Air World Cup at Steamboat

Skiers and snowboarders began competing today on a 60-foot big air jump to qualify for the US Ski and Snowboard team. This is an important event for athletes who want to qualify for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.

• Dec 11 - 13

• Website

Events will be streamed on Outside Television starting at 12:20 EST on Saturday.

Ski Resort Openings

Buttermilk and Aspen Highlands are both opening on Sat. Dec 13. Ski Cooper, Sunlight Mountain, and Kendall Mountain Ski Area will also be open for the weekend.

Nearly all of the ski areas in Colorado are open now. Exceptions include Silverton, Hesperus, and Echo Mountain.

The Birds of Prey World Cup event began yesterday at Beaver Creek, a day early due to weather concerns. The Super G event is today, and the slalom event is still on Sunday Dec. 7th.

As a timely ode to the event, a 1989 Alpine World Championship celebratory medal was added to the archives this week.

The Birds of Prey downhill course at Beaver Creek was not built until 1997. The 1989 championship downhill event was instead held at Vail. You can read more about the 1989 event in this wonderful article from John Meyer at the Denver Post.

1951 & 1952 Berthoud Pass Continental Divide Sign Slides

This pair of Kodachrome slides from 1951 and 1952 was photographed on the light table this week for the archives. The images show the Continental Divide sign, the old shelter house, Berthoud Pass Lodge, and a rope tow for the Berthoud Pass Ski Area in the background.

See them in the Berthoud Pass collection here.

Colorado Ski Resort Opening Updates

Telluride will be opening this weekend on Saturday Dec. 6th.

Monarch Mountain had delayed its opening, but was finally able to open on Tuesday.

The photo above shows No Name Basin, a new 377-acre expansion at Monarch Mountain with 1,000 vertical feet of skiing that stretches onto the other side of the Continental Divide.

View the updated list below of all Colorado’s open ski resorts:

• Arapahoe Basin

• Aspen

• Beaver Creek

• Breckenridge

• Copper Mountain

• Crested Butte

• Eldora

• Granby Ranch

• Keystone

• Loveland Ski Area

• Monarch Mountain

• Purgatory

• Snowmass

• Steamboat

• Telluride

• Vail

• Winter Park

Colorado Travel Deals

As newsletter #43 is published, there are just over 1,200 subscribers. Thank you to everyone for staying subscribed, and thank you to Josh over at Powderhound Transportation for continuing to offer deals to the subscribers here. As the numbers grow, more deals will follow.

If your business would like to offer a deal to subscribers in this section of the newsletter, feel free to reach out through the website here.

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Added to the archives this week: a 1905 pin and ribbon awarded to a Union soldier who was taken prisoner during the Civil War. The pin features a Mt. Holy Cross image (now called Mount of the Holy Cross), the Pikes Peak Cog Railway, and 13 stars on each side, representing the original 13 states.

The ribbon has clearly seen better days.

This is a non-government-issued pin, commissioned by the National Association of Union Ex-Prisoners of War. It was made for the 1905 Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.) Encampment in Denver, which brought together veterans’ groups from around the country.

See the pin in the collection, and read about the G.A.R. Encampment here.

Colorado Ski Resort Openings

Ski resort openings in Colorado for this weekend include: Aspen Mountain and Snowmass, Beaver Creek, Crested Butte, Granby Ranch, and Purgatory.

Delays: Powderhorn is still delaying its opening. Telluride’s target date has been pushed back to Dec. 6th.

Here is an updated list of resorts now open for skiing and riding in Colorado:

• Arapahoe Basin

• Aspen

• Beaver Creek

• Breckenridge

• Copper Mountain

• Crested Butte

• Eldora

• Granby Ranch

• Keystone

• Loveland Ski Area

• Purgatory

• Snowmass

• Steamboat

• Vail

• Winter Park

Also read - Ski Resort Opening Dates, Rabbit Ears Pass 1954

Mountain Travel Deals

If you own a local business and would like to offer a deal to subscribers in this section of the newsletter, feel free to reach out through the website here.

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A set of three Kodachrome slides from Wolf Creek Pass in 1968 was cataloged into the Coloradotopia Archives Collection this week.

The red paint splatter that is seen on the sign is not visible in earlier slides from June of the same year. These slides were added to the collection primarily to help date other images. Details like the weathering of the plaque can be used to do this as well.

See the full collection of Wolf Creek Continental Divide sign images here.

Colorado Ski Resort Openings

Resort openings for this weekend include Eldora and Steamboat. Powderhorn and Purgatory were scheduled to begin operations this weekend, but both mountains have pushed their opening dates back (TBA). Here is an updated list of all of the open ski resorts in Colorado:

• Arapahoe Basin

• Breckenridge

• Copper Mountain

• Eldora

• Keystone

• Loveland Ski Area

• Steamboat

• Vail

• Winter Park

World Cup Reminders

The FIS World Cup will be at Copper Mountain next weekend, and Beaver Creek the following weekend.

• Stifel Copper Cup presented by United Airlines - Copper Mountain, Nov. 27–30

• Stifel Birds of Prey Audi FIS Ski World Cup - Beaver Creek, Dec. 4–7

Mountain Travel Deals

See Josh at Powderhound Transportation if you need a group ride into the mountains. If you own a local business and would like to offer a deal to subscribers in this section of the newsletter, feel free to reach out through the website here.

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This ticket comes from the Manitou Incline in 1926. You can see the oxidation starting to develop in some of the ink due to its age.

The photograph below from 1908 shows the cable car on the incline shortly after it was converted into a tourist attraction. The funicular lift was originally built for the construction of a hydroelectric plant near the top. It ascended the mountainside at a maximum pitch of 68 degrees.

The brochure pictured in some of the gallery photos below comes from a later decade.

The cable car and its tracks are gone now, but the incline’s path remains, and the trail is just as popular today without the lift in place. There are 2,768 steps that ascend 2,000 feet. You’ll need to make reservations to hike here, but there is no cost.

View the scanned versions of the ticket on its permanent page within the archives here.

Ski Resort Openings

Vail is joining the list of open ski resorts in Colorado today. See the full list below.

• Arapahoe Basin

• Breckenridge

• Copper Mountain

• Keystone

• Loveland Ski Area

• Vail

• Winter Park

More upcoming ski resort opening dates are visible here.

Photo Credits: Photos of the ticket and brochure all belong to Coloradotopia. The Manitou Incline photograph by Mark Gallagher has been published under CC license with no changes.

A group of tickets from Loveland Ski Area was cataloged and added to the collection this week. The grommet reinforcing the hole at the top is one indicator of the decade. Grommets began to show up during the 1960s, and by the early 1970s, they were widely used.

See more historical Colorado lift tickets here.

Open Colorado Ski Resorts

Copper Mountain, Breckenridge, and Loveland will all be opening this weekend. See the full list of open ski areas in Colorado below.

• Arapahoe Basin

• Breckenridge

• Copper Mountain

• Keystone

• Loveland Ski Area (Opens tomorrow Nov. 8)

• Winter Park

You can see more opening dates here.

Upcoming Ski Movie Screenings in Colorado

Matchstick Productions - After The Snowfall - Watch the Trailer

• RMU (Breckenridge) - Nov. 8

• Wildhorse (Steamboat) - Nov. 8-9

• Freight (Leadville) - Nov. 15

• Riverwalk Theater (Edwards) - Nov. 20

• Sheridan Opera House (Telluride) - Nov. 22

• Warren Station (Keystone) - Nov. 22

• Surf Hotel (Buena Vista) - Dec. 5

• Cuchara Mountain Mercantile (Cuchara) - Dec. 27

Armada - ORNADA - Watch the Trailer

• Evergreen Brewery (Evergreen) - Nov. 20

• Sunlight Mountain Resort (Glenwood Springs) - Nov. 20

• Wheeler Opera House (Aspen) - Nov. 20-21

• Eldora (Nederland) - Dec. 5

• Elevation Hotel (Crested Butte) - Dec. 12

• Miners Tavern (Silverton) - Dec. 13

Warren Miller - SNO-CIETY - Watch the Trailer

• Sunlight Mountain Resort (Glenwood Springs) - Nov. 8

• Stargazers Theatre (Colorado Springs) - Nov. 8

• Vaudeville Theatre (Glenwood Springs) Nov. 8

• Salida Steamplant Event Center (Salida) - Nov. 8

• The Rialto Theater (Loveland) - Nov. 11

• The Buffalo Rose (Golden) Nov. 12

• Colorado Mountain College Steamboat (Steamboat Springs) - Nov. 13-15

• Boulder Theater (Boulder) - Nov. 13-15

• Nederland Backdoor Theater (Nederland) - Nov. 19

• The Foundry Cinema & Bowl (Fraser) - Nov. 21-23

• Ski Cooper Lodge (Leadville) - Nov. 21

• Paramount Theatre Denver (Denver) Nov. 21-22

• Lone Tree Arts Center (Lone Tree) - Nov. 24-26

• The Lincoln Center (Fort Collins) - Nov. 25-26

• Sheridan Opera House (Telluride) - Nov. 28

• The Historic Avalon Theatre (Grand Junction) - Dec. 3

• Vilar Performing Arts Center (Beaver Creek) - Dec. 4

• Snowpack Taproom and Pizzeria (Conifer) - Dec. 5-7

• Evergreen Lake House (Evergreen) - Dec. 7

• Wheeler Opera House (Aspen) - Dec. 7

Teton Gravity Research - Pressure Drop - Watch the Trailer

• Durango Arts Center (Durango) - Nov. 13

• Crystal Theater (Carbondale) - Nov. 13

• Majestic Theater (Crested Butte) - Dec. 6 - 7

• Sheridan Opera House (Telluride) - Jan. 29

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This Kodak Kodachrome slide from Berthoud Pass was scanned and cataloged into the archives this week. The graffiti allows this to be roughly dated to the summer of 1951. It has been given the “circa 1951” label for now, until the date can be confirmed with more certainty.

See this slide along with further discussion in the archives here, or view the full Berthoud Pass sign collection here.

Winter Park Opens Today

Winter Park is the third ski resort to open in Colorado this year. Keystone was the first, where skiers and riders hit the slopes with only a few hours’ notice on Saturday, Oct. 25th. Arapahoe Basin opened the next day.

• Arapahoe Basin

• Keystone

• Winter Park

For a list of opening dates, read: Ski Resort Opening Dates, Rabbit Ears Pass 1954

DIA Mountain Shuttles - $75 off Denver airport shuttles w/ code “coloradotopia75” at Ridethepowder.com.

This slide from 1989 was scanned and added into the archives this week. It arrived from Germany via Deutsche Post more than a year ago.

See All Loveland Pass Continental Divide Signs

Racoon Cassidy and the Vandal Bears

I spent much of the week doing AI artwork for various projects. Don’t be shocked if you see Racoon Cassidy shirts and vandal bear posters this winter.

This image comes from a Kodak Kodachrome slide that was cataloged into the archives this week. The slide was likely created during the late 1950s or 1960s.

Ski Cooper is located right across the road from this sign, and Camp Hale is located straight ahead, just a few miles down the road. The military installation at Camp Hale, built during WWII, was largely decommissioned by the time that this image was captured. However, the CIA continued training Tibetan troops there until the 1960s.

The postcard below is one of the oldest in the collection. It shows the first sign that was added on Tennessee Pass in the early 1900s. This image was likely captured between 1915-1930. See this postcard in the archives here.

Colorado Pro Ski/Snowboard Event Schedule

Copper Mountain - Stifel Copper Cup

Killington is installing a new lift on Superstar this year, so the World Cup that would usually be held there has been moved to Copper Mountain. Events will include Men’s Super-G, Men’s GS, Women’s GS, and Women’s Slalom.

• Nov. 27–30

• Website’

Beaver Creek - Stifel Birds of Prey World Cup

The annual classic featuring Men’s Downhill, Super-G, and Giant Slalom events.

• Dec. 4–7

• Website

Steamboat - Visa Big Air Olympic Qualifier

This is the Olympic qualifier event for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy. This will feature men’s and women’s big air competitions for skiing and snowboarding.

• Dec. 11–13

• Event Website

Copper Mountain - Toyota U.S. Snowboard/Freeski Grand Prix

More World Cup ski and snowboard action.

• Dec 17–Dec 20

• Website

Aspen/Snowmass - Toyota U.S. Snowboard/Freeski Grand Prix

The tour moves to Aspen for 3 days of slopestyle and halfpipe.

• Jan. 7–10

• Website: Website

Aspen/Snowmass - X Games

Celebrating the 25th year of the X-Games in Aspen.

• Jan. 23–25

• Website

Aspen/Snowmass - Snow League

Shaun White’s new league.

• Feb. 27–28

• Website

This is a step below the professional level, but worthy of a mention here. Find the full schedule here.

DIA Mountain Shuttles - $75 off Denver airport shuttles w/ code “coloradotopia75” at Ridethepowder.com.

A Kodachrome slide from Rabbit Ears Pass in 1954 was cataloged into the archives this week.

Highway 40, including this pass, was almost entirely paved by 1940. However, most of the mountain highways in Colorado still used an oil + stone combination that was a far cry from the modern paved surfaces that we’re used to today. That is the surface that you see in the foreground here, near the photographer’s feet.

The image below shows the slide while being backlit on a light table.

See also: Rabbit Ears Pass Continental Divide Sign Collection

All dates are weather-dependent. Some resorts have not announced any target dates yet. Arapahoe Basin, Loveland, and Wolf Creek are usually among the first to open.

Arapahoe Basin - ASAP

Aspen Mountain & Snowmass - Nov. 27

Aspen Highlands - Dec. 13

Beaver Creek - Nov. 26

Breckenridge - Nov. 7

Buttermilk - Dec. 13

Copper Mountain - Nov. 7

Crested Butte - Nov. 26

Echo Mtn. - ASAP

Eldora - Nov. 15

Granby Ranch - Nov 26

Keystone - ASAP

Loveland - ASAP

Monarch - ASAP

Powderhorn - ASAP

Purgatory - Nov. 22

Silverton - Dec. 27

Ski Cooper - Dec. 10

Steamboat - Nov. 22

Sunlight - Dec. 12

Telluride - Nov. 27

Vail - Nov. 14

Winter Park - ASAP

Wolf Creek - ASAP

DIA Mountain Shuttles - $75 off Denver airport shuttles w/ code “coloradotopia75” at Ridethepowder.com.

Another Kodak Kodachrome slide has been cleared from the backlog and cataloged into the archives. This one shows the area near the Idarado mining complex along the Million Dollar Highway. Idarado was a WWII-driven effort to give a consolidated group of closed mines a second chance. It operated privately until 1978.

The first image above was scanned with a low-cost slide scanner, while the image below was photographed on a light table. Kodachrome slides hold their color extremely well; the scanner just doesn’t do a good job of capturing them. Even with small adjustments made to the scanned version, the photograph below still shows the slide’s colors much better.

The tailing piles haven’t changed much over the last 70 years. The photograph below was captured in 2018.

TGR Film Screening – Friday, Oct. 3 @ 7 PM

There will be a screening of Teton Gravity Research’s newest ski film at the Vilar Center in Beaver Creek tomorrow. There are still tickets available as of the time this newsletter is being sent.

Buy Tickets Here

More Weekend Mountain Events

Breckenridge Craft Spirits Festival

• October 3–5

• Website

Mt. Crested Butte Fall Festival

• October 4

• Website

The Handmade in Colorado Expo - Vail

• October 3–4

• Website

DIA Mountain Shuttles - $75 off Denver airport shuttles w/ code “coloradotopia75” at Ridethepowder.com.