Keystone Colorado History
| The Dream Keystone Resort’s history began in 1941 when Max Dercum purchased the Black Ranch (now known as Ski Tip Lodge) along the Snake River and began to dream up the concept of a Keystone Ski Area. By 1949, Ski Tip Lodge opened to overnight ski guests. It would remain open and continue to host innumerable guests over the next 63 years. The Beginning During the 1960s, Max Dercum and Bill Bergman actively pursued the development of Keystone Mountain with the vision of establishing an international ski area. In 1967, their dreams were realized. Keystone acquired approximately 513 acres of land—470 from Wheaton College for $1.4 million and the remainder from private individuals. The ski area originally opened with two lifts at the Key base area (now known as the Mountain House Base Area), and two lodges, Keybase at the bottom and Keytop at the top. 75,858 skiers soon flocked to the new ski area for lift tickets costing a mere $5 per person. The Development Keystone became a leader in the industry with the addition of snowmaking in 1972. The price of $350,000 was high, but a worthwhile step considering the winter drought of 1976. Before long, the resort began hosting annual events. One of these, a six-mile cross-country ski event called the Keystone Caper, attracted 480 entrants. The Keystone Ranch Golf Course then opened, and Keystone began to gain a reputation as a service-oriented, family-style resort. From 1984 to 1994, the resort saw considerable expansion. North Peak totaled $15 million in installation and enhancements—12 new runs, two triple-chair lifts, and one gondola. Night skiing was made available, and the Keystone Conference Center opened with meeting capacity for up to 1,800 people—the largest in the Rocky Mountain region. In 1990, two new quad lifts were installed and The Outback opened with 300 acres for heli-skiing. The second gondola and two high-speed lifts were also opened. By 1996, Keystone Ski Patrol was selected as the "Outstanding Alpine Ski Patrol" in the Rocky Mountain Division, and snowboarding was introduced with the opening of a new a snowboard park—complete with half-pipe and big hits. In addition, $36 million were invested in improvements at the resort. Keystone Conference Center expansion was completed in 2000—with an additional 49,000 square feet—at a cost of $11.25 million. The River Course opened with 18 holes of spectacular championship golf, and the new Cross Country Center opened with 25 kilometers of snowshoeing trails and 16 kilometers of cross-country skiing trails. |