Leadville, Colorado — In order to grow its ski area management program, Colorado Mountain College is looking to its backyard.
Jason Blevins of the Colorado Sun reports that Colorado Mountain College has announced plans to revive the Dutch Henry ski area in Leadville. Students won’t need to go far to reach the slopes, as Dutch Henry is situated right next to the Leadville campus.
History Of Dutch Henry
I wasn’t able to find much history about it online, but according to Colorado Ski History, Dutch Henry used to be operated by the Cloud City Ski Club. The rope tow was abandoned, and snowmobiles may have transported skiers up at some point. The rope tow structure remains standing on the site.
After its usage as a ski area, Dutch Henry became a popular tubing and sledding hill. However, it was not lift-serviced, meaning guests had to carry the tubes and sleds up the steep hill. It was also skied on, as Colorado Mountain College graduates from the ski area operations program glide down the slopes following their graduation ceremony.
The New Ski Area
The hill will be serviced by a platter lift, which was previously known as the Rough Rider at Steamboat Resort. It was replaced by the Greenhorn Ranch Express as part of Steamboat’s Full Steam Ahead development. Another addition will be a new $3 million building for students to fix up machines like snow groomers.
The students will reportedly install the lift, install a snowmaking network, create more terrain by cutting down trees, grooming the slopes, and sculpting features for terrain parks.
There are two reasons behind this revival. The first reason is to strengthen the school’s Ski Area Operations program, as the students will operate Dutch Henry. This over five-decade-old program has led to hundreds of individuals getting jobs in the ski industry. The second reason is to provide a venue for local kids to learn how to ski. While there is an affordable place to ski nearby (Ski Cooper), having a place to learn directly in Leadville will provide the opportunity for more people to learn. However, it won’t be a public ski area, at least initially.
The newest ski areas in the Intermountain West have been of the smaller variety in recent years. In Colorado, the two most recent additions have been Hoedown Hill near Fort Collins and Frisco Adventure Park in Summit County, which opened during the 2023-24 season. Over in Utah, a ski hill is being revived, which last operated to the public in the 1980s.
The lift installation is estimated to cost $500,000. A fundraising campaign will start at a future date. Click here to learn more regarding CMC’s Ski Area Operations program.
You can read Jason Blevins’s full piece here, which dives into the new ski hill, CMC’s Ski Area Operations program, and the rise of lift maintenance education programs.
Image Credits: Colorado Mountain College (Matt Lit, Hugh Carey)
