Colorado Has an Alarming Number of Abandoned Ski Resorts

Colorado is home to over 30 ski resorts that are currently operating, but it may come as a surprise to learn that there are vastly more ski resorts in the state that are sitting abandoned.

What Are Colorado's Abandoned Ski Resorts?

Out of roughly 150 ski resorts all across the state of Colorado, only 34 are currently open and running.

Some of the ski resorts that are sitting abandoned include Berthoud Pass Ski Area, Geneva Basin (formerly Indianhead Ski Area,) Cuchara Mountain Resort, Heritage Square, Davis Hill, Hidden Valley, Leydman Hill Jump, Old Man Mountain, Ski Broadmoor, Ski Idlewild, and Stagecoach, to name a few.

Upon gaining this knowledge one has to ask, why are there so many abandoned ski resorts in Colorado?

What Caused the Demise of Colorado's Now-Abandoned Ski Resorts?

Skiing has been a part of the state of Colorado's identity for many years, but there was a time when it was brand new.

Many of the ski resorts that are currently sitting abandoned were closed due to financial issues and the inability to compete with bigger, nicer ski resorts that have opened over the decades.

However, not all of these resorts closed due to money woes.

For example, Berthoud Pass Ski Area was an incredibly successful albeit small resort with only one chairlift. In fact, it was so successful that Winter Park was created nearby to accommodate more of the skiers that flocked to Berthoud Pass.

However, an accident prompted the U.S. Forest Service to close the chairlift and after a while, the resort simply closed for good.

Similarly, Indianhead Ski Area, later named Geneva Basin, was forced to close after a faulty chairlift fell from its cable, killing its passenger.

Keep scrolling to check out some of these abandoned ski resorts for yourself, beginning with Geneva Basin: