Park & Grab. Bison tube. Hanging.
Watson's Ski Hill was started by Horace Watson, an ex-prizefighter, who constructed a toboggan run and a warming hut on his property in 1938. A local man, Covert Hopkins, built a sled-style rope tow that carried 12 to 15 people and their skis. It was only the second mechanized ski lift in the state of Colorado.
The name was later changed to Fun Valley to appeal to the 1960s ski customer. It had a Poma lift, chairlift and rope tow, and the area featured night skiing under lights in the 1960s. It was a beginner to intermediate area with 8 runs and snowmaking. Snowmaking was essential, because the heaviest snows tended to occur during the month of April, too late to help with the ski season which typically ended March 31. The 1965-1966 Colorado Ski Guide listed a full-day rate of $4 and a half-day or evening rate of $2.50.
Fun Valley struggled to stay afloat through its final two decades, in the 1960’s and 1970’s. By all accounts it was a low-key area, with the owner-operator making coffee for guests, who brought sack lunches to eat in the lodge. It closed in 1977, although the chair lift was left standing until 1995, when the last owner (Joe Dorris) disassembled the lift and sold the chairs. He left the Poma standing, which can still be viewed from a distance from a turnabout at the cache location. The cache is hanging in a bison tube a few steps from the turnabout. Please do not leave the turnabout and wander about, as everything but the road is private property.
Fun Valley LSA#3
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