Steamboat Pilot & Today

1963

Storm Mountain, under local ownership, opens for business with one double chairlift, Bear Claw and Poma lift.

An A-frame warming house known as the Storm Hut constructed in November of 1962 is a shelter for up to 250 skiers, with a snack bar and a ski shop.

Cash receipts from opening day, $13.75 with temperature of minus-25 degrees.

1964

Octagon building built next to the A-frame to house nursery and ski patrol and maintenance shops.

1965

Thunderhead lift is installed

Bear Claw lift renamed Christie.

Storm Mountain renamed Mount Werner in honor of Buddy Werner, who died in an avalanche in Switzerland on April 12, 1964.

1968

Four Points Lift, the first in the country to feature bullwheel loading and unloading, added to take skiers up to the base of Storm Peak.

The Thunderhead Restaurant at mid-mountain opens.

1969

LTV Recreational Development Inc. buys properties and begins $10 million in development of the Steamboat Village Resort.

Headwall and Burgess Creek double chairlifts installed.

White Out, Blizzard and Norther runs cut.

1970

Summit Poma lift installed to open up the face of Storm Peak and Buddy's Run.

Stagecoach, six-passenger, Bell gondola installed to take skiers to mid-mountain in record time -- 13 minutes. The 3,330-foot span between Tower 1 and Tower 2 is the world's longest. Height above Heavenly Daze between Towers 2 and 3 is 252 feet.

Gondola buildings constructed to provide facilities at the base and top of the mountain.

1971

Mighty Mite Ski School lift installed.

1972

Headwall Poma lift is upgraded.

Three lifts, Priest Creek double (first lift to be planted by helicopter) and Elkhead double and Christie II double added.

Priest Creek area developed for tree and powder skiing: Closets, Shadows, Twilight, High Noon, One O'Clock, Two O'Clock and Three O'Clock.

15,000 square feet of retail space added to the Gondola Plaza area.

1973

A-frame and Octagon buildings torn down.

1974

Bashor double chairlift opens up beginner area in Bashor Bowl.

1977

Double chairlifts, Bar UE and WJW, installed.

Development of gladed areas off Buddy's Run.

Four trails: Big Meadow, Crow Track, Flying Z, and Triangle 3 added.

Avalanche conditions controlled on Chute One, which is brought into area boundary and opened for skiing.

1978

Development of two egress trails -- Eagle's Nest and Short Cut.

1979

Northwest Colorado Ski Corporation purchases the ski area from LTV, changes name to Steamboat Ski Corporation.

Three triple chairs added: Christie III (replaces original Christie lift), Arrowhead, and Southface (which replaces Headwall Poma-area's first lift).

Ted's Ridge added.

Development of gladed areas.

10,000 square feet added to Thunderhead Restaurant.

Sale of Village Inn Hotel, golf course, and grounds to Sheraton Corp.

1981

Snowmaking system installed on 160 acres serviced by nine lifts.

1982

Landscaping improvements are made in Gondola Square.

Upper shop is expanded.

Nursery is expanded.

Six new lift status signs are installed.

Kids Ski Free, the first of its kind, established.

1983

Two new triple chairs, Sundown and Storm Peak, installed. (Summit Poma removed)

Relocation of lower terminals on Four Points and Priest Creek lifts.

Five new runs cut.

Car parking structure for 185 cars built.

Trail signage system installed.

Preparation begins for new restaurant in Priest Creek.

Three more lift status signs installed.

1984

Sunshine Bowl opens for 400 acres of terrain.

South Peak triple chair installed.

Double chair, Preview, installed for Ski School use on Headwall.

Elkhead Lift converted from a double to a quad and realigned to the top of Tower Run.

Completion of Ragnar's, the first gourmet restaurant on the mountain.

Six runs cut in Sunshine Bowl and Priest Creek areas.

$140,000 snowmaking expansion.

1985

Triple chair, Sunshine Lift, is installed in Sunshine Bowl.

Mighty Mite lift upgraded for Ski School use on Preview.

Six intermediate trails added.

New signage, emergency phones, and equipment installed.

1986

Stagecoach gondola replaced by Dopplemayr gondola, the first, 8-passenger, high-speed gondola in the world.

Expansion of upper and lower gondola terminals.

Gourmet restaurant Hazie's opens.

Thunderhead sundeck expanded

$600,000 Gondola Square renovation.

Valley View developed

Non-stop jet service started on American Airlines via Chicago O'Hare and Dallas-Fort Worth. Also non-stops on Pacific Southwest via Los Angeles International and San Francisco.

1987

65 acres added to snowmaking system.

Modifications on Sundown and Storm Peak Lifts.

Trail maintenance.

1988

First employee housing facilities open with purchase of Pine Grove Condominiums.

80 acres added to snowmaking system.

Lower Valley View developed.

1989

Steamboat Central Reservations purchased from the Chamber Resort Association.

Kiddie Corral expanded to increase capacity by 50 percent.

Lift added to Rough Rider Basin and Rough Rider Trail.

New barbecue area added at Bashor.

Broadway trail added.

Snowmaking compressor installed for increased capacity.

Kamori Kanko Co. Ltd. purchases Steamboat Ski and Resort Corp.

1990

Rendezvous Saddle facility renovated and expanded.

Snowmaking added to Betwixt, Between, Lower Valley View and Eagles' Nest.

Snowboarding halfpipe added in Bashor Bowl.

Chutes Two, Three and Christmas Tree Bowl opened.

Shopping areas added to Central Park Plaza and Gondola Square.

New employee housing units, Walton Pond Apartments, built.

1991

Summer mountain bike and equestrian trails added.

Nine Bombardier snowcats leased.

Gondola Square improvements.

1992

Storm Peak Express and Sundown Express, the area's first covered high-speed quads, replace the Storm Peak and Sundown triple chairs. Four Points is realigned and upgraded to a triple; WJW lift removed; Old Sundown Triple sold to Killington, VT.

Gondola Square base area improvements.

1993

Auto attendant for Central Reservations as well as office equipment, 20 new employees.

Steamboat Ski Rentals doubles its size from 2,500 to 5,000 square feet.

Four Points Hut restaurant on Storm Peak opens.

Dude Ranch Snowboard terrain park developed.

1994

Kids Magic Carpet (Tenderfoot) conveyor belt lift installed.

Mighty Mite kids surface lift installed.

Snowmaking area increases five acres for a total of 390 acres.

Upgrades and restoration of all on-mountain restrooms.

1995

Storm Peak Express capacity upgrade.

Construction of Walton Pond employee housing units.

Addition of 10 airless snowmaking guns and two Bombardier snowcats.

State-of-the-art video imaging equipment in the lift ticket office

Debut of Steamboat Online home pages.

Satellite uplink and mountain cameras installed.

Direct nonstop jet service through Adventure Tours from Atlanta.

Teen Ticket started.

1996

Sunshine Reef Terrain Park

Morningside Park, 179 acres, opens with CTEC triple chairlift.

Kids Ski Free program eliminates blackout period at Christmas.

Multi-Day lift ticket (four, five and six days) price reduced and extra day added for flexibility.

Five HKD Tower and two SMI Polecat snowmaking guns purchased.

New Bombardier Winch Cat.

Second Magic Carpet and Bruckschlogl lifts added in Southface area.

United Airlines goes to daily service from Chicago and TWA starts service from Atlanta/St. Louis.

1997

260 acres in Pioneer Ridge developed for hike to access.

Thunderhead Express, high-speed, quad chairlift replaces both the Thunderhead double and Arrowhead triple chairlifts.

Area under Arrowhead lift gladed for additional terrain.

Snowmaking added to Concentration.

Telephone and electric utilities installed in Pioneer Ridge.

American Skiing Company purchases Steamboat from Kamori International.

1998

Twelve Trails in Pioneer Ridge

Pony Express, high-speed quad chairlift, installed in Pioneer Ridge

Snowmaking added to the top of Storm Peak covering Buddy's Run, Rainbow and Storm Peak Face.

Information Systems software improved and expanded.

Rental Ski Inventory expanded

Walton Pond Employee Housing

Customer Oriented Reservation Information System (CORIS) developed

1999

American Airlines flight from Chicago O'Hare added.

Web site redesigned to include increased functionality and e-commerce capabilities.

2000

Steamboat Grand Resort Hotel Opens

Midway Flight from Raleigh-Durham added

Kids Vacation Center remodeled into one-stop check in center

Lower Mountain camera replaced.

Snowmaking upgraded.

First Tracks Program started.

Comedy Club and Dinner Theatre debut.

Ambassador staff triples in size and provide staffing at airport.

Bear River Bar & Grill opens.

2001

Mavericks Superpipe installed.

Two Bombardier groomers added.

Snowmaking upgrades.

GrandKids Ski Free added to Kids Ski Free program

Bear River Deck remodeled

Continental flight from Newark and American flight from O'Hare installed.

2002

Thunderhead restaurant remodel and upgrades for BK Corral, Hazie's and Ragnar's.

Snowmaking efficiency upgrades.

Gondola Square improvements.

Digital Editing System.

IS soft and hardware enhancements.

Mavericks music system.

Magic carpet installed in beginner area.

Bombardier snowblower added.

Digital mapping project.

Knoll Parking Lot lighting added.

Mount Werner signage installed.