Time Machine: 30 years ago, Vail Mountain ends ski season on a powder day

Jan 23, 2024

News News | Apr 23, 2023

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April 26, 2013

Friends and family gathered in Vail to celebrate the life of Joe Timlin, 32, a Gypsum resident who was killed in a backcountry avalanche on Loveland Pass on April 20, 2013.

Greg Ladow, a best friend since the two were boys, spoke at the event, recalling how he and Timlin would ditch school and cram into a friend's two-seat car to go riding on powder days.

"And his passion for the sport — which Ladow introduced to his friend — led Timlin to working as a sales representative for YES snowboards, a company partly owned by brother-in-law David Porchern," the Vail Daily reported.

April 24, 2003

More than a foot of snow blanketed Eagle County in a storm that, while predicted by forecasters, was more powerful than expected.

The Vail Golf Course saw 20 inches of snow, and in Minturn, 30 inches of snow was recorded, the Vail Daily reported.

Traffic problems beset Interstate 70, including one crash that killed the driver of an SUV when his vehicle rolled over. A tractor-trailer carrying gasoline also crashed near Copper Mountain, closing I-70 on Vail Pass for several hours.

"The biggest problem — aside from driving Thursday morning — was that the slopes of Vail Mountain closed Sunday," the Vail Daily reported.

April 25, 1993

Vail Mountain ended the ski season on a powder day.

"Vail Mountain skiers enjoyed final face shots last Sunday after the snow gods blessed us with a foot of fresh for closing day," the Vail Trail reported on April 30.

In March of 1993, Vail Associates made the decision to extend the season by one week to April 24 after originally planning to close on April 18. The season also started earlier than originally scheduled that season, opening Nov. 6, 1992.

It was "the only ski season in Vail's 30-year history in which the resort opened early and stayed open late," the Vail Trail reported.

April 29, 1983

The town of Vail received a model of a sculpture designed by Claes Oldenburg, an internationally known abstract sculptor, the Vail Trail reported.

The model was a small-scale version of a sculpture Oldenburg envisioned for the town of Vail.

"What Oldenburg has designed is big: the actual sculpture, if it is built, will be a 60-foot tall metal fishing pole attached by a cable (the fishing line) to a tin can (probably bigger than a 50-gallon drum) in Gore Creek," the Vail Trail reported. "And the size of the sculpture is matched by the size of the price tag: if the town decides it wants a 60-foot fishing pole for Lionshead, it's going to cost $190,000."

A location for the sculpture had already been scouted on the south side of Gore Creek, with the pole imagined to be pointing toward the northeast and the fishing line cable extending down to the oversized tin can, which would be located "in the middle of the creek, near the pedestrian bridge east of Chair 8," the Vail Trial reported.

"Oldenburg's agreement with the town has already earned him $10,000 for the idea, the drawing, and the model. Half of that $10,000 is being paid from the town's Lionshead sculpture budget and the other half from (a National Endowment for the Arts) grant," the Vail Trail reported. "If the town buys the Oldenburg fishing pole, it will pay $110,000 for its fabrication, $20,000 to deliver and install it, and $50,000 to Oldenburg as his artist's fee."

April 27, 1973

The organizing committee for the third annual spring cleanup met in Vail to continue plans for the May event.

"It was decided to limit the scope of this year's clean-up to include lands from Battle Mountain Pass to the foot of Vail Pass," the Vail Trail reported. "Although in previous years the clean-up has included Vail Pass itself, it was concluded after some discussion that Vail Pass is (a) too dangerous and (b) too exhausting for participants in the clean-up campaign. Rather, the clean-up committee will leave the responsibility for Vail Pass with the highway department, and expand their clean-up efforts to the Avon area east to Dowd Junction."

Local Chuck McLaughlin took charge of the stream cleanup portion of the event, and the Rotary Club, along with Trout Unlimited, signed on to participate, as well.

April 25, 1963

Snowpack in the Eagle County area was well below average, the Eagle Valley Enterprise reported.

"According to April 1 water and snow survey released by the various cooperating government agencies the snow pack was not increased much during March in the Colorado River watershed of the state," the Eagle Valley Enterprise reported. "Current figures indicate only about 72 percent normal snow pack, and much of the entire Colorado basin is in similar condition."

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