Today is the Colorado Snowsports Museum’s birthday! To celebrate, we thought we’d share a bit of history with you about how the Museum and Hall of Fame came to be and remind our audience what we’re all about – in the now.

This photo shows the original Colorado Ski Museum building.

VAIL, Colo. – May 23, 2022 - The Colorado Snowsports Museum (CSM), originally named the Colorado Ski Museum then briefly changed to the Colorado Ski and Snowboard Museum, was founded on May 23, 1975, to honor and preserve Colorado skiing history. Have you ever wondered how the Museum came to be? The following will explain our institutional history and show you what the former building and exhibits looked like.

Inception

The institution was a result of a joint application to the Colorado Centennial Bi-Centennial Celebration Committee submitted in 1975 by Town of Vail Manager Terry Minger and Vail Centennial Ski Museum, Inc. aka Colorado Ski Museum.

Along with Minger, the first Board of Directors was made up of a cross section of Vail and Colorado ski industry stakeholders. It included Mayor John Dobson-Town of Vail, Peter Seibert-Vail Associates, Robert Parker-Vail Associates, Donald Simonton-High Country Parish, Dale McCall-Vail Businessman, J.D. Abbott-Vail Businessman, William Lucas-U.S. Forest Service, Louis Livingston-National Ski Patrol, Merrill Hastings-Colorado Magazine, Neil Allen–Public Service Company, Earl Clark-10th Mountain Association and Tod Martin–Colorado Ski Country, USA. As you may have noticed, many of these individuals have since been enshrined in our Hall of Fame, not only for their impact on the CSM, but on the snow sports industry.

Once approved by the state of Colorado, the Town of Vail purchased the Mountain Bell building, which was located at the main intersection of Vail Road and Meadow Drive, for the new Museum. The Museum gave up ownership of the Mountain Bell building and was moved to its present location as part of the redevelopment of the Vail Village Inn. The Town of Vail owned space under La Bottega and was originally planned for the re-location of the Museum but at the last minute the current space, designed for Vail Resort Association offices, was chosen because it had higher visibility and traffic.

Hall of Fame

As the name implies, the Colorado Snowsports Hall of Fame was created in 1977 to honor “Coloradoans”. Nominees must have contributed significantly to the sport and industry of skiing and snowboarding in the State of Colorado. Although an individual may have done much on the national or international levels of skiing, the mere fact that he or she chooses to live in the state is not a sufficient qualification. The accomplishments of the individual must have had a direct benefit to Colorado, whether through competition, by encouraging growth of the sport in the State or by exporting ideas, talent, techniques, or products developed within the state that went on to have national or international significance. The direct result will be that of enhancing the image of Colorado as a source of snow sports innovation.

Each spring, members of the Colorado Snowsports Hall of Fame voting panel elect five new Hall of Fame Inductees. The voting panel consists of Hall of Fame members, Museum/Hall of Fame board and advisory members, and managers from each of Colorado’s snow sports areas.

Just recently, the Colorado Snowsports Hall of Fame announced the Class of 2022. Read more HERE and save the date for the induction celebration on August 21, 2022.

Today, 47 years later, our mission at the Museum is to:

Celebrate Colorado snow sports by telling stories that educate and inspire others to seek adventure.

Located in the heart of Vail, one of Colorado's many legendary snow sports resorts, the Colorado Snowsports Museum is home to an extraordinary collection of historical artifacts tracing all aspects of Colorado’s ski and snowboard industry over the past 100+ years. The Museum welcomes more than 75,000 guests annually, ranging from Eagle County elementary school students to visitors from across the globe. The CSM has also welcomed the world’s leading snow sports athletes and ski industry leaders thanks to our shared location with multiple major international competitions and ski industry events. The Museum also houses the Colorado Snowsports Hall of Fame, honoring individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to snow sports throughout Colorado and provides a focal point for the amazing history of Colorado snow sports.

The priceless artifacts in our growing museum collection tell the story of the birth, rise and explosion of skiing and snowboarding in Colorado. The collection defines who we are, and why we are. Celebrating these stories is vital to preserving the legacy of our sport.

We invite you to join us on this mission to celebrate the stories and people of our great state and the sports that have given us all so much.

**Help keep the Museum free to the public by making a one-time donation or becoming a Museum Member. For more information, click *HERE***.

Media Contact:

Jen Mason | Dana Mathios

jen@snowsportsmuseum.org | dana@snowsportsmuseum.org

(970) 476-1876

Happy Birthday! The Colorado Snowsports Museum Turns 47 Today, May 23rd.

Today is the Colorado Snowsports Museum’s birthday! To celebrate, we thought we’d share a bit of history with you about how the Museum and Hall of Fame came to be and remind our audience what we’re all about – in the now.

Celebrate Colorado snow sports by telling stories that educate and inspire others to seek adventure.

Help keep the Museum free to the public by making a one-time donation or becoming a Museum Member. For more information, click HERE.

**Help keep the Museum free to the public by making a one-time donation or becoming a Museum Member. For more information, click *HERE***.