Tucked along a curvy street in southern Colorado is a lost ski hill that will soon offer the promise of family-friendly skiing with less traffic than I-70, barely any lift lines and a daily pass under $50. 🎿 Story:
HUERFANO COUNTY, Colo. — Tucked along a curvy street in southern Colorado is a lost ski hill that will soon offer the promise of family-friendly skiing with less traffic than I-70, barely any lift lines and a daily pass under $50.
Panadero Ski Area, later named Cuchara Mountain Resort and now known as Cuchara Mountain Park, first opened for the 1981-1982 season with snowmaking across the mountain and an average of 22,000 visitors every year. But nostalgia and happy memories run thick in Huerfano County — and beyond. The dedication of a passionate few kept the dream of Cuchara alive. Just in case.The rise and fall of skiing in CucharaToward the end of 1981, an eruption of fanfare broke out at the base of Baker Mountain: Panadero Ski Area was open.
"The hotels were full, the restaurants down in Cuchara were full and La Veta was hopping," Pirkey said."So, it really brought a lot of energy, that yearround energy, to the area." "You actually talk and enjoy the sun on the mountain and just enjoy what skiing is," Sekowski said."And just, kind of, I guess, the old Warren Miller days of skiing."
After nearly 20 years in operation, the resort officially closed on July 4, 2000, leaving behind about 50 acres of the base area and abandoned infrastructure, including Lift 4. In 2021, the USFS pulled its permit for public access to the land above the base area. "All the ownerships, it was just a continuation of just different owners that never knew what the mountain was or understood it," he said."They're always trying to find that fast dollar."7 lost Colorado ski areas that are worth remembering Robert Garrison 8:27 AM, Feb 13, 2023 Buildings were shuttered. One of the chairlifts was broken down and sold. The private owners partially tore a structure down, leaving the dilapidated remains standing.
That base parcel was purchased by a local family, Jerry and JoVonne Fitzgerald, who loved the area and settled in years prior, according to the Cuchara Foundation. It would be an uphill battle to reopen, but it wasn't impossible. Enthusiasts found inspiration watching other abandoned ski areas restart anew, like Ascutney Mountain in West Windsor, Vermont, and Antelope Butte in Sheridan, Wyoming.
It started with small, but notable improvements. AmeriCorps worked on a trail in the park, upgraded the ski rental building into a day lodge and tore down an unsafe structure in 2017. In the fall of 2020, Huerfano County secured a grant through Great Outdoors Colorado, which funded a vault toilet and a covered outdoor gathering space with a fireplace.
Yearround, Cuchara Mountain Park is open for multiple activities, from disc golf and mountain biking to uphill skiing and snowshoeing. But adding lift-powered skiing, which requires Lift 4 operations, would provide an opportunity for beginners to learn to ski in a place shielded from big price tags and crowded slopes.
That is why Panadero Ski Corporation plans to sell adult tickets for under $40 and kid tickets around $20, with discounts for county residents. Ahead of the 2022-2023 season, Cuchara Mountain Park reached a new milestone: Lift 4, after 20 years sitting idle, was up and running. "And when we had the inspectors out, they're like, 'Well, it's great that it works. But there's a few things that just — we weren't confident in why it was working,'" Pirkey said.
"There's just been hope that it's going to come back, and it's just another year where it didn't quite work out," Pirkey said. "We worked so hard over the summer and fall, and then hopefully start up again, make our plans now for our work to begin in the spring, and hopefully get the repairs finished and get it certified by the state in the summer or fall and know we're going to be able to be open next winter," Pirkey said.
"So, hopefully, the community and anybody who hears our story just steps up," Pirkey said."And I always use this whole thing, like — just $25 makes a difference. Twenty-five dollars is basically the cost for cheeseburger at Vail, so instead of buying an expensive cheeseburger, why don't you help out a nonprofit ski hill instead?"
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