Open: 3, New (24 hr): N/A" | Base: 41" Equipment Operators $25-$37 per hour . Originally dubbed Indianhead Ski Area, Geneva Basin is easily Colorados most famous abandoned ski resort. Geneva Basin! The base area where the lodge and parking lots were located. 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. I used to drive over from Georgetown to ski at Geneva Basin when it was open in the early 80's. The pass was plowed on a . Space planning is key, and less really is often more. This was my first outing in them and I was psyched to give them a tryuntil I went to pull them on and realized they had no insoles. This role provides comprehensive technical, Flood warning issued for Elkhead Creek in Moffat, Routt counties, Elk River peak flow expected to be one of the highest in 53 years. A local contractor from Aurora, MichaelMarsh made a proposal to the Forest Service to operate the ski area. Miraculously, the USFS did not burn down the cabin when mitigating liability in the early 1990s. Photos (112) Directions. Once we got stuck on the lift near the top in a storm while the thing was restarted. Its a pretty known area Have fun! About Cuve, Now Hiring: $20-$30/hour depending on experience. Elevation gain: Roughly 1,200 feet from the gate to the base. Snow Reports are provided regularly throughout the ski season courtesy of our own . Will and I ripped our skins from the bottom of our skis, flipped our bindings and boots into downhill mode, and double-checked that the beacons were in send mode. It Users can sleep in it if they want, but it is kinda dirty. What does that mean for Will and me? Not easily deterred, we still awoke early, drove up to the south entrance, and found the locked gate. Found in the mountains above Georgetown, right off of I-70, Geneva Basin lasted for only 21 years before being shut down in 1984. Snow covered the road, we were steadily climbing towards the pass, and our spirits were high. With our sketchy snowpack {easily the most volatile in the country}, spring brings safer snow conditions in the high country. 2021 Just a Colorado Gal. The role The Customer Experience Specialist (CES) works in a high performing team environment, Join our team! However, foreclosure was the least of the unfortunate events that took place at Geneva Basin, ultimately leading to its abandonment. Open: 5, New (24 hr): N/A" | Base: 27" -745.92 m Descent, 0.1 mi 5.5mi Not for beginners. Roy Romer purchased it, along with the Burke family. 6.3mi According to hisproposal, the ski area would require about 2-3 million dollars in improvements and create20-30 jobs in Park County. Geneva Basin Ski Area could have been a solution to that problem. It was originally opened in 1963 by a family from Illinois who had also developed another ski area in Michigan called Indianhead Ski Area. The climb can be long but its usually relatively quiet for the Front Range. I lived at the bottom of the South (285) pass where the gate is now. I was thinking about visiting in this fall before the snow comes. 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. There wasa bronze plaque near the base lodge dedicated to him. It's official: Jamal Murray, Nuggets are in Phoenix's heads now. Beartown. At its opening, it had a double chair and a T-bar with two Poma lifts installed soon after.. 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. -44.88 m Descent, 1.1 mi Geneva Basin, Colorado In the 1960s, a man named Ed Guanella was decapitated while building a chairlift at Colorado's now-defunct Geneva Basin Ski Area. -799.77 m Descent. I joined the Ski Team when I was a freshman at Platte Canyon High school. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. Thanks so much for writing about this wonderful ski area. Alas, life got in the way and Will and I couldnt make it up on Saturday. 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. Originally coined Indianhead Ski Area, Geneva Basinopened in 1963 on the backside of Guanella Pass. It was a bluebird day so the heat was blasting down on us but the wind was wicked. Must pass a post-job offer. Learn how your comment data is processed. ), The new triple lift line / Knicker Knocker. The abandoned ski area is strictly off-limits to the public, but you can take a fascinating look at what it looks like today below: However, another abandoned ski resort in our great state has a far different story. Found in the mountains above Georgetown, right off of I-70, Geneva Basin lasted for only 21 years before being shut down in 1984. Duringthe process of many sales, the ski area's maintenance fell behind. The ninja on the mountains via YouTube Trail in the Trees Below are weather averages from 1971 to 2000 according to data gathered from the nearest official weather station. 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. Sure beats hiking! Laden down with packs full of backcountry skiing gear and calorie-dense snacks, we focused on our singular objective: find Geneva Basin. I bet they call it skinning because it sounds painful, I grumbled to my husband. Actually, my father and uncle, Walter and Bob Burke, were more instrumental in the ownership and daily operations of Geneva Basin. 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. Generally considered a moderately challenging route, it takes an average of 6 h 16 min to complete. Open: 4, New (24 hr): N/A" | Base: N/A" Your FREE account works with all Adventure Projects sites. 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. 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. 1.7 km The latest Grand Geneva snow report shown below was updated on 17 Apr 2023. The lack of maintenance became grossly evident in 1984 when a chair fell from the cable on the Duck Creek lift. Ski area employees reportedseeing Ed walking at night around the top of the Duck Creek Lift (the site of theaccident).History info from http://www.coloradoskihistory.com/lost/genevabasin.htmlNinja merch check out - https://teespring.com/stores/the-ninja-on-the-mountainsFilmed with: Insta360 ONE X and a 10ft selfie stick. Open: 0, New (24 hr): N/A" | Base: 36" 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. Unfortunately, the owners were unable to accomplish this. Eventually, we werent even on the road we were in the grassy ditch alongside it. 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. -1,812 ft Descent I will definitely share your article with him. Ski area employees reported, around the top of the Duck Creek Lift (the site of the, For more information on this story, click, Geneva Basin's mascot was a St. Bernard named Heidi, which appeared on their, Off Guanella Pass south of the summit. Print/PDF map. The first film from the Road West Traveled takes viewers on a trip to three long-closed ski areas: Geneva Basin, Cuchara, and Berthoud Pass. Roy Romer purchased it, along with the Burke family. I just wanted to let you know you made me smile with the amazing memories I have about the best ski area that existed! [1], Jack English, developer and owner of Indianhead Mountain Resort in Michigan,[2] invested two years of improvements to the site that opened as Indianhead Ski Area of Colorado in December 1961[3] with two rope tows from the defunct Magic Mountain ski area in Golden, a Heron double chair, and a Constam J-bar. There isnt anyone that takes care of it; its essentially an abandoned hut that visitors drop in on. In 1965, Geneva Basin succumbed to bankruptcy, and former Gov. In 1965, Geneva Basin succumbed to bankruptcy, and former Gov. But it doesnt like you could beat the weather or the company How did you get into back country skiing? Minor route-finding, cool destination! This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Quite the process. End of Season, Sims Market is looking for Full Time/Part Time Help. I am not ready to test it with the skis before then, as I am not that good on crosscountry skis. It was originally, 1. applink.title = 'Whiz'; However, the resorts memory lives on with backcountry skiers who are willing to earn their turns on the still-visible ski runs. ). Location: Colorado, Rocky Mountains, United States, North America. The climb tops out at the old ski patrol hut (maintained by volunteers). 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. Two more Poma lifts were added in the 1960s to provide additional access to bowl and beginner-friendly terrain. Geneva Basin Ski Area is another one of Colorado's lost ski areas. This is where you will begin touring. NOT OKAY! Longitude. I discovered that wedging my ski poles underneath my pack transferred the weight from my back to the poles. Clinical and, Now Hiring! WE ARE HIRING! The death is . Open: 27, New (24 hr): 1" | Base: 44" Open: 23, New (24 hr): N/A" | Base: 38" Geneva Basin is an abandoned ski resort outside of Georgetown, Colorado, and has an unfortunate history of fatal accidents and a devastating fire. applink.href = whizDeepLink; Great Pay. Office opening for Administrative Assistant. It was the old ski patrol hut! An Adventure Projects staff member will review this and take an appropriate action, but we generally don't reply. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Geneva Basin Ski Area Operation Dates: 1963 - 1984 Area Stats: (1980-81) * Elevations: Summit 11,750; Base 10,500; Vertical Drop 1,250ft * Season: December - Easter; Hours 9-4pm * Tickets (1983): $10-13 Adults * Services: Rentals, childcare, 40% snowmaking, restaurant, bar, ski shop Lifts: The skin up to the top wasnt easy. 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! My chest heaved with exertion as I slid one ski in front of the other. This article about a ski area or resort is a stub. Discover this 14.0-mile out-and-back trail near Grant, Colorado. I tried pulling insoles out of the shoes I was wearing but they unfortunately did not fit. Also, pack layers, food and water. During the summer, the Duck Creek lift was removed and installation of a new Borvig triple chair began, which was to be called the Phoenix lift. Smoke free workplace. When it closed someone bought it and we thought it would reopen but Geneva never did. 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. Entertainment Entertainment | Jan 9, 2020. This route takes the road the whole way for . Standby! Length 14.0 miElevation gain 2,171 ftRoute type Out & back. Taking other people's content (text, photos, etc) without permission is a copyright violation and Whoops! It first opened in 1963 with two chairlifts: a double known as the Duck Creek. As a result, the Colorado Tramway Board closed the resort until adequate maintenance could resolve the issues. Because the nearest station and this geographic . 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. Good for you for finding Geneva Basin! The ski area first started under the name Indianhead but was later . I lived there since I was three years old and my mother worked there in the cafeteria. And when I told my mom about it, she asked me if it was worth it, all that work for a single downhill run. applink.innerHTML = ' Open mobile app'; After the exhausting, multi-faceted morning of skinning, I was pretty damn tired. } Open: 20, New (24 hr): 1" | Base: 39" It is located in Clear Creek County about 9 miles south of Silver Plume, Colorado (1). if (/android/i.test(userAgent)){ We originally planned to skin in on Saturday with some friends and camp out at the base of the ski area on Saturday night, leaving us with two solid days of skiing. Human Resources Technician City of Craig Clerk/Personnel Department $19.68/hour-$28.29/hour. Very steep. Sure enough, he bought my love with food that day, and my energy returned. Lots of sugary, faceted snow. . A-Basin skier death deemed asphyxiation. The Colorado Tramway Board shut the skiarea down until the maintenance issues were worked out. Abandoned Ski Area Documentary. It is used by backcountry skiers that travel by foot from an access gate to ski the former trails. Two days after thefailed Park County ballot to save Geneva, F. S. officials decided to burn down the skiarea's lodge to avoid any associated liability. This route takes the road the whole way for extra mileage. My dad is now 86 and really enjoys all of the articles posted about GB. It first opened in 1963 with two chairlifts: a double known as the Duck Creek lift and . Garden Crew Supervisor & Crew Members, Landscape Construction Crew, Irrigation Technician. [14], Forest Service employees burned down the ski lodge on November 5, 1993 to avoid further vandalism and any associated liability. Precision Excavating, Inc. was founded in Must be at least 18 years of age. I remember watching in awe as the ski school director, Dan. Creek lift. Abandoned Colorado Ski Resorts: Mesa Creek -Just a Colorado Gal. Open: 34, New (24 hr): 1" | Base: 27" His plan was toreopen the existing facilities and complete the snowmaking system. This ski spot was open from 1963 to 1984. Then climb down and load skiers again. Geneva City, CO Ghost Town - by Montezuma. Summer season May 8 October 13 All roles start at $21.50, Housekeeper For Private Family in Vail. After all, we still had the four miles of road. else if(/iPad|iPhone|iPod/i.test(userAgent)){ The nearest weather station for both precipitation and temperature measurements is CABIN CR which is approximately 6 miles away and has an elevation of 10,020 feet (1,168 feet lower than Geneva Basin Ski Area). }, exploring both Geneva Basin{an abandoned resort} and SevenUtes{a resort that fizzled before it ever happened}. That hurts just thinking about it! As a result, the Colorado Tramway Board closed the resort until adequate maintenance could resolve the issues. Moments like this are what makes all the sweat and pain worth it. Some obstacles. The owners went into bankruptcy and a salvage sale stripped the ski area of its physical assets. function androidOrIOS() { Originally dubbed Indianhead Ski Area, Geneva Basin is easily Colorados most famous abandoned ski resort. Photo courtesy of Lio DelPiccolo/The Road West Traveled. The ski area initially had financial difficulty as the pass was unimproved. One day a construction crew was stringing the cable onto the bull wheel at thetop of the lift and an accident happened leaving Ed Guanella decapitated. Moderately steep terrain. Will had done this previously and said that it would be a lot of climbing for a single day trip. Instead, the old ski patrol building still stands, complete with an oversized trail map secured to the wall. Open: 5, New (24 hr): N/A" | Base: 33" The ski area is said to be haunted by Headless Ed's ghost. . Open: 1, New (24 hr): N/A" | Base: 32" Your financial contribution supports our efforts to deliver quality, locally relevant journalism. else { applink.href = 'https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.whiz.craigdaily&hl=en_US'; Open: 1, New (24 hr): N/A" | Base: 31" However I did not get enough investors plus the snow fall there is limited. Hands down, this hut is my favorite part of Geneva Basin! To complicate our situation further, I realized I was an idiot. It was eventually owned by former Governor Roy Romer and operated for some years until permanently closing in 1984. Full time with excellent benefits. Borvig never installed the lift's drive unit orchairs. The location, topography, and nearby roads & trails around Geneva Basin Ski Area (Locale) can be seen in the map layers above. Kiszla: Avs embarrass themselves with silence about Valeri Nichushkin's mysterious absence following reported 9-1-1 call. 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. He would also rename the ski area to Alpine Valley. Between 1972 and 1984, Geneva Basin changed hands numerous times, and the resort fell into disrepair due to minimal funding. As such, we opted to approach from the south and highway 285. Even better. Now 73, Im a little disinclined to brave the bumps and turn my ski-tips straight down. Originally dubbed Indianhead Ski Area, Geneva Basin is easily Colorado's most famous abandoned ski resort. Park County officials were sent a letter of apology a few weeks later by the Forest Service for not properly informing citizens of the method for demolition. The runs were engineered by Sel Hannah. 4.8 km The pass was plowed on a regular basis due to the ski area and a woman who lived near the top. Two more proposals were entertained by the ForestService in 1992, but nothing amounted from them either.By November of 1993, voters were asked to approve a recreation tax designed to financethe ski area's reopening. My chest heaved with exertion as I slid one ski in front of the other. No, you can't ski there anymore (it lacks the snow), but the views are still stunning and the history is novel. A long, gradual climb to an old abandoned ski area, Geneva Basin. only about 5" of snow on the road. They could not pay off the new ski lift. It is situated south of Guanella Pass at an elevation of 11,750 ft (3,580 m). Open: 23, New (24 hr): N/A" | Base: 39" I would never think to go exploring like that! Regret not buying one of their Geneva Basin hat pins or keeping the lift tickets. It was eventually owned by former Governor Roy Romer and operated for some years until permanently closing in 1984. . Open: 15, New (24 hr): N/A" | Base: 20" The latitude and longitude coordinates (GPS waypoint) of Geneva Basin Ski Area are 39.5680427 (North), -105.7302839 (West) and the approximate elevation is 11,188 feet (3,410 meters) above sea level. Open: 10, New (24 hr): N/A" | Base: 23" 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. } Linsmayer with Colorado Ski Country said the association's member resorts have a 10-year average of about 0.89 deaths for every million skier visits. \"The voters figured out that the tax wasn'tthe proper action for the county and it wasn't properly planned,\" said County CommissionerJim Coggin, an opponent.The Forest Service did not wait long to take action at Geneva Basin. [15], The ski patrol building at the top of the former Duck Creek lift remains standing. Directions: While you can approach Geneva Basin from Georgetown, Id recommend heading south and driving up via Highway 285. 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. Heather Balogh Rochfort is a freelance writer and author with a focus on outdoor adventure, travel, and fitness. WHAT. He plopped us down on a guard rail and dug through his pack to find some chocolate-covered anything snacks. its looked after by a lot of people. But eventually, it was time to create our own. I still have contact with most of the Ski Team members and their families. Geneva Basin initially opened as Indianhead in 1963 but went into foreclosure only two years later. At its height, Geneva Basin ran two double chairs and two Poma lifts. Every contribution, however large or small, will make a difference. -552.43 m Descent, 1.1 mi [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]. Unless someone gets lifts running again, it's now a zone for backcountry exploring. !https://www.insta360.com/sal/one_x?inInsta360 One X amazon link - https://amzn.to/2MLLzBp10 ft invisible selfie stick - https://amzn.to/2JosKiWSalomon Premier Splitboard - https://amzn.to/3cmWaxOBeacon - Back Country Access S - https://amzn.to/2RxPguuBlack diamond shovel - https://amzn.to/2yolphvBlack diamond probe - https://amzn.to/2WnshDIGarmin Inreach GPS - https://amzn.to/3fa5btb#genevabasin#abandonedskiresort#genevabasinskiarea