Loveland History by Harry Merenes - 1967
The following history was written by Harry Merenes for the 1967 Loveland Patrol Directory. It was prefaced with the following remark: "Being a hodge podge of history, facts, inaccuracies, legend, gossip and what have you by the perennial treasurer of the ski patrol at that area." With that I will present the "history" as originally written and spelled:

Of the major ski areas serving Denver, Loveland was the last to install a modem lift system yet it's ensuing popularity has proven the Board of Directors shrewd businessmen. The present complex of modern double chairs and other contrivances to whisk the pampered skier uphill are a far cry from the rope tow installations of '36-'37 and the wide, well groomed, trails bear slight resemblance to those of thirty years ago.

Loveland is unique among winter ski areas in that it is chiefly known for it's mile long gentle Turtle Creek run (ugh!), the Mecca for thousands of beginners who with wide swinging traverses make wedeling hazardous for the patrolman. Eventually however a small percent become good skiers proving some- thing or other. On the other hand the area has some of the steepest slopes around in Avalanche Bowl, Zoom and Cat's Meow, which can challenge the best. So at the same time Bunny White is struggling desperately to avoid going over 5 mph Eriksen may be making a 30-foot gelande on Zoom at many times that speed. In truth -there is something for every skier.

Because of these circumstances the ski patrol is weighted in favor of the older married patrolmen and husband and wife teams are common. Because too of the existence of four separate tows in the Basin serving three sides it is more difficult to patrol than any area of comparable size. This leads to the necessity for a large patrol and a complicated duty roster. In membership (patrolmen and auxiliary first-aiders) Loveland is the largest, having over 100 registrants per year. Because of its popularity with beginners it also has a large number of casualties every season.

Loveland was a touring area from 1920's when past patrol leader Bob Courtney's parents were residents of Dumont. However, due to road conditions and the state of the Tin Lizzie most skiing was done closer to Denver. (Ski Jumping was as popular, if not more so, as skiing Downhill). There was a popular jump at Homewood Park along with the still existing ice rink. In 1929, Trail and Timberline, publication of the Colorado Mountain Club reported: "-Rilliet Hill remains not only the closest, but also the very best place to ski after the early snows. -Turkey Creek although further away than Rilliet is never the less accessible even in the middle of winter. Round trip tickets to the Moffatt Tunnel on the Denver and Salt Lake R.R. will be available to Mountain Club members at $3.00 each." The same had another article on the contrasting merits of the Arlberg school vs. the Telemark. Telemark was on the way out happily. (Although a graceful turn to watch.)

During the 1930's the center of gravity shifted west and in another T. and T. article dated Jan. 1939 we find an article "One Day Skiing trips from Denver" by J .C. Blickensderfer who put in the first Loveland rope tow in 1936. "The Loveland Pass region is the most accessible of any high altitude region around Denver. The Forest Service has constructed a new lodge similar to the shelter cabin on Berthoud, where the road leaves the valley bottom. Behind Loveland Lodge is an excellent practice slope; the lower part is perfect for beginners. A small rope tow will be in use on this slope this winter. The Zipfelberger racing trail ends here."

In 1939 (never mind the discrepancy in the dates in this article, we’ll get them straightened out) the Forest Service issued a permit to Allen W. Bennett to install a rope tow, which was put in operation with a Model T engine and was financed with funds from a kitty. (Incidentally, not only would I like to get straightened out on dates but would welcome additional information and good pictures to copy having to do with early day skiing, either at Loveland or elsewhere in Colorado. (Write Harry Mereness).

Not too long after the Bennett regime got started so did Hitler and Hirohito and the war skiing stagnated in all except military areas. With the installation of the Tenth Mountain Division at Camp Hale, Cooper Hill had the only free tow in the state and the popular shade of ski attire was khaki. The popular? ski was about 7 ft. long, colored white, and of course with beartrap bindings.

At Loveland, with war a reality, Al decided to join the Seabees. When asked why not the Tenth Mountain he said: "Heck, I'd already seen the mountains." In the spring of' 42 Al went to the banana belt of Guadalcanal to chauffeur a bulldozer. The area struggled through the 42-43 season operated by Sally Bennett and Al's father but gas rationing forced it to suspend operations until Al returned in Oct. '45.

From a 1943 T. and T. article by Art Kidder I clipped an article of interest. "The Denver Ski Patrol was organized under the N.S.P.S. in the fall of 1938. During the first year 24 men took the American Red Cross standard and advanced first aid courses. A total of 118 skiers (1943) have passed these courses so as to make themselves eligible to patrol membership. 74 skiers have completed all requirements and have been voted into the patrol, 32 being active at the present time." From the same issue was a story about a former Loveland Patrol member: "- Lt. Whitney Borland received his commission with the Army Engineers and is now at Camp Hale."

The Forest Service was helpful in getting Al back in operation. Wilfirid Davis of the Service is paid the highest tributes by Bennett as: "The best patrolman I ever saw and the sparkplug of skiing activities around Denver." For a chronology of tows installed see a separate sheet. In the years after D Day Al expanded operations and built the famous Mambo Cafe, which was still standing for a while after #2 lift was built, approximately 100 yards SW of the terminal of #4. This was highly popular as skiers could refresh themselves without going back Down to the main shelter which stood by the creek at the left of the area entrance and across the way from a unique log cabin toilet built without a roof (if you can call that a "cabin"). The Mambo of course was also a good shelter from February's gentle breezes, which on occasion would blow the rope off the higher tows.

Tows going up the basin were "C" from a point above the tunnel road to the point where Firecut and #4 meet; "D" on up to the junction of South and North Turtle Creek runs to the right and W of the T-bar; "E" on up to the warming house still standing in Bennet's Bowl and "F" running miraculously up into the Bowl very nearly as high as the top of #2 chair. "C" tow however was the last to be built, as until 1949 you either climbed to "D" or took a ride on a sled pulled by a cleat tractor.

The Bennett tows gave the skier two tests today's stretch pant set never experience. There probably wasn't one skier out of one hundred could ride "B" tow up Silver Creek Gulch all day long without a gripper. Finally the rope would start sliding through weakened fingers, which simply refused to hang on longer. The second test was one of agility. At certain point where one tow ended and the other picked up, a good skier could coast from one to the other. Rope tows were and are, hazardous. AI found this out the first day on his Model T. His shirttail got caught and AI was dragged up the hill to the pulley. Rope tows had not been in existence too long when Loveland got its first for Woodstock, Vermont was the pioneer in 1934. Some of the memories AI has of early day operations include riding the tow with two five gallon gas cans hung around his neck and carrying a small keg of beer up "E" tow to say nothing of dragging a snow fence up hill on one occasion. One skill every early day operator had was that of rope splicing. AI swears that the following actually happened. One April day the rope broke and as the skiing public had paid their quarter AI went to work to splice it. So wrapped up in his job was he however that not until it was finished did anyone discover that braided into the rope was a skier's long blonde hair. Ski lessons were definitely informal most of the time. John Kluge gave free ones when no certified instructor was available. AI parted company with his one professional when the latter got him for $200.00 in advances and then refused to pay up.

One of the more legendary exploits of the earlier era was the 1948 Gray's Peak rescue when a half dozen stalwarts from Loveland went to help a skier stranded above timberline with a broken leg. They took with them a light toboggan with a wicker basket. Coming down at dusk the front man stopped and yelled back there was a bear on the trail. When AI and the others got down to investigate they found the bear was two harmless porcupines magnified by dusk and imagination.

Thus concludes the history of a sport dating from Model T days and ski touring and jumping in the foothills to $7.00 a day gondolas at Vail, from makeshift woolen ski clothing to today's $75.00 Bogners. Skiing may have been just as much a thrill to the leather-strap, wood ski set of that day as it is to today's beginner but two facts are indisputable. In terms of downhill runs today you pay more but you also get more.”

This is the end of Harry's History, which gives one a feel of the sport up to 1967. When he wrote this 1- 70 was just a narrow tunnel road and the first tunnel bore was just under way; Bethel and the Seven Sisters slides often closed highway 6; and Loveland opened, if it was a good snow year, on Thanksgiving (American not Canadian Thanksgiving). I will continue the story
of the next 29 years in much the same story style as Harry's.

Continuation of Historical Tale

In the late 60's, Colorado won the bid for the 1976 Winter Olympics, therefore I-70 needed to be built to replace the two lane US 6. It was decided that the best way to traverse Loveland Pass was to build a tunnel from Clear Creek to Straight Creek. This put the tunnel and a 4-lane highway in the middle of Loveland's base area. The highway was sited north of the lodge but cut the lodge off from Zip and A tow. The tunnel essentially went directly under lift #4 and under the saddle above Lift #4. To make it possible to return from Zip Basin the highway department put in a skier tunnel under the freeway for skiers. Since it was a hike to get from lift #4 to Zip Basin, not many skiers went there, and the tunnel was used infrequently. The first several years the tunnel was a sheet of ice with a small amount of snow on it. Most people skied through the tunnel. Area management tried to keep snow in it so it could be skied. Many people preferred to cross the highway since the highway wasn't very busy and less treacherous than the tunnel. The few evacuations from the Zip area requiring a toboggan were mostly taken from the highway by pick-up truck to the patrol room. In the early 80's it was decided to require everyone to walk rather than ski through the tunnel since it opened onto Thunder Mountain, a beginner rope tow and slope. At first this was an incredibly treacherous undertaking due to large amounts of ice built up in the tunnel. The best way through the tunnel was to slide on your seat, only a few success- fully navigated it on their feet. The best way for toboggans was on a rope with some one guiding them through. Then a rope was attached to the walls to assist in getting through the tunnel. Most of the tunnel was sanded but the lower end of the tunnel still filled with ice as water flowed down the tunnel and then froze. Finally, when Lift #8 was built and it was obvious that there would be a lot more traffic in the tunnel the west side was built-up on sand and gravel and the east side made into a water course, and the mouth of the tunnel was kept clear of snow. This made the tunnel a safer place to walk and take toboggans. Thunder Mountain was removed when Lift #2 was revamped and moved in 1984.

Loveland Ski Patrol has maintained about the same number of patrollers since the late 1960's. Currently there are just over 100 hill patrollers and just over 40 Auxiliaries. Through the 1970's the number of injured skiers seen by the patrol increased to a high of about 800 in 1978. Over the next 18 years the number of injured people seen by the patrol has decreased to its current level of about 500- 600 per year. At the same time the number of skier-days and the size of the area have increased, thus the patrol is covering more area but thankfully not having as many injured skiers.

The hill patrollers sign-in has evolved over the years, from a rigid document that had where your ski and sit duties were all lined out; to the current system where 3 hours of your day are structured and the rest is not. Originally when you signed on a duty, you were in a rotation on the lifts with the change occurring at 11:00AM and 1:30 PM and either early or late lunch. The sit duties were still 8:30, 10:00, 11:30, I :00 and 2:30. The rotations were: 1) #1, T -Bar or later #6, 2; 2) T -Bar or #6, #2, #4; 3) #2, #4, #1; and 4) #4, #1, #6. The Valley coverage was separate and was signed on as you arrived that day, usually the last people to sign-up. Then the Valley was added to the rotations: 1) #3, #1, #6; 2) #1, #6, #2; 3) #6, #2, #4; 4) #2, #4, #3; 5) #4, #3, #1. This only lasted two years before everyone was fed up with it. Corkey Corkadel then worked with management to get a radically different set of duties more like the way the Pros did their duties. Everyone would sign up for a sit duty, which would also dictate a skiing duty. This accounted for 3 hours of your time. The rest of the time was yours to enjoy, except if you were needed on your lift. The Pre-sweep was also instigated at this time. The system would only work if the ski duty patrolman skied all the runs and was on the lift at all times during his duty. The name yo-yo was adopted since the skiing patrolman would just go up and ski down and then go up and ski down like a yo-yo. It was the shortest and easiest term for the skiing patrolman so it stuck. In addition, we bought more radios so the Yo-yo, hill leader and top would be covered. The Valley became a pre-sign on, so you knew when you would be there and could plan appropriately. Initially it was one day per quarter but later that was changed to two days per half.

While other changes were taking place, the color and which coats would the patrol wear would become a perennial issue. In the 60's and 70's the hill patroller wore the rust parka sold by NSPS, and the Auxiliary wore any navy blue parka. In the late 70's the Auxiliary were required to wear the navy blue parka sold by NSPS. In the early 80's NSPS quit having a solid navy blue parka, so Corky Corkadill as patrol Leader convinced Area Management that the Auxiliary should be in the same color as the hill patroller but without a cross on the back. About three years after that NSPS quit having a solid rust parka, and only had a rust parka with Navy blue yoke. Area "management and the patrol decided that the best solution was to go to solid red parkas. Northface parkas were chosen because we were told that the solid red parka would be available for several years. In 1995, after it was impossible to get a solid red parka the patrol went to a red with black yoke shell and optional fleece. We will see if we can get these coats for several years or if we will need to find another supplier soon. Parkas are a major headache for whom ever gets to try to find them since we are too small a group to warrant a lot of attention and too big to get our coats from a store. Since '67, the Loveland has been involved in several out of area rescues or assisted with first-aid. I- 70 made it easier to get to Loveland but it also brought Car accidents into the area. Though there has not been a car actually land in the Ski area, several accidents have been witnessed by patrollers at the top of lifts and then the Loveland patrol has been the first on the scene. In addition, Loveland Pass has always had its share of rescues for the Loveland patrol. The patrol in the 70's and 80's looked for lost cross-country skiers and then in the 90's it was downhill skiers and snowboarders getting injured as they skied the Pass. In the 70's, I-70 also brought its share of small first aid incidents. The only clinics in Summit County were associated with the ski areas, so in late April or early May any minor injury in Summit County would end up at Loveland. One day we even stabilized a fish hook near a lady's eye so she could go to Denver to have it removed.

We found out how hard it was to determine where something landed in the mid 70's when a single engine plane crashed just west of Zig Zag. Several patrollers, skiers and motorists witnessed the plane descend to nearly the ground. There were numerous locations reported. Loveland took some patrollers to the top of lift #3 and started searching in the Ski Area. It was soon determined that the plane was outside of the area and in the valley west of Zig Zag. Unfortunately when the patrol got to the pilot he was dead.

In the late 70 's we also learned that the tunnel face was deadly. A group of skiers skied the face at least once. The last time they skied it, most of the face slid with them. One skier was caught and buried for about 25 minutes before the Hasty Search Team found him wrapped around a tree. The Patrol was able to resuscitate the victim but he died about 30 days later without regaining consciousness.

The Flight for Life Helicopter accident in the early 80's occurred on the west side of the divide above the west portal of the tunnel. We were asked to go find it since we had skiers and snow cats. The Helicopter was carrying a patient, flight nurse and a pilot. The pilot had realized that he was not going to be able to clear the ridge and could not continue to fly with out any visibility. When he saw the ground he powered the helicopter onto it. This probably saved everyone on board's life. The Area got the call at about 5:00 PM and had two snow cats and a crew of patrollers bound up the hill by 5:30 PM. The visibility was so poor that after they got on the ridge the skiers got out and started looking for the helicopter. Fortunately, during one of those rare moments when there was some visibility they spotted the helicopter and got every one out. On the way back to the area, the Patrollers had to ski in front of the snow cats and show them where the trail was.

We have also had our share of interesting incidents. Some have been very difficult to deal with and others have been humorous; though at the time they were trying. One lady came into the patrol room and said she needed to see a doctor. The male patroller who was assisting could not get much of anything out of her except she needed privacy and to see a doctor. So he put her in the only room with a door, Kidder's office, and got the doctor. It turned out that she had landed on her binding and lacerated vulva. Another time Chet Upham brought several doctors from Texas to visit him at the ski area. One of the doctors fell getting off lift #5 at the Basin end. The Auxiliary on duty escorted the patient into the Patrol room and put her on a bed. At that point the 4 friends around the bed each said " I'm a doctor, may I help?" and the patient said " I'm also a doctor". Well if this wasn't enough, they then said that they needed to contact Chet so he won't wonder why they aren't at the lodge for lunch. The auxiliary was now not only working on a Doctor with all these other Doctors watching, but she was sure that Chet would know exactly what happened and get a critique. Another time a football team from one of the Nebraska high schools came to Loveland to ski. They had traveled all night to get here and had not had a good breakfast. Most of the football Players ended up in the Patrol room just barely able to negotiate their way into bed at this altitude, filling almost all of the beds in the Patrol Room. But the worst part for these 250 lb, burly, and nearly invincible guys was to see their 100 lb, delicate, fragile girl friends bouncing around the Patrol room, skiing and not being affected by the altitude.

The Loveland Patrols have also gotten many awards over the years. Twice the patrol has won the National Outstanding Patrol Award, the Pros won the National Outstanding Pro Patrol award and The Juniors (now Young Adults) won the National Outstanding Junior Patrol. The Junior Patrol won the Outstanding Patrol by being the Best Junior Patrol in the toboggan and First Aid Competition held for all Junior Patrols.

Loveland Patrollers have made a large difference in NSPS over the years. Hans Roder on the Patrol in the 60's, 70's, and 80's wrote the first Mountaineering Manual for NSP. Several members have worked on the Avalanche Program and done Avalanche Videos fro NSP. Several National Advisors including National Auxiliary Advisor, National Avalanche Advisors and National Mountaineering Advisors have come from the Loveland Patrol.

There have been many physical changes in the area since the 1960's. First, the T -bar was replaced with Lift #6 in 1981. Then lift # 1 was replaced with a triple in 1983 and Lift #2 was replaced with a triple after that. The next major addition was a remake of lift #4 which moved the Mid way unload higher up the hill so that one could ski to lift #8 from there. In 1984, the big capital improvement was lift #7 to replace Thunder Mountain at the Basin, as the beginner area. Thunder Mountain's rope tow was re- moved and the Mighty Mite was acquired for the Valley. In 1986, the Valley Lodge had a complete rebuild. Only a small portion of the original foundation was used. The patrol room was moved from the southwest end of the building to the northeast end. We lost our windows and easy access but gained about twice as much room and a trauma room. In 1990, Lift #8, a quad, was added in Zip Basin, this required an additional 5 patrollers to sign on each day. This additional requirement has caused some problems in keeping the area covered with a compliment on approximately 105 hill patrollers. In 1994, a major addition to the lodge was completed which redid all the offices. In 1995, the remodel of the Lodge was continued to include all the eating area except the existing Kitchen and a very small amount of the eating area.