Larissa O’Neil / Breckenridge Heritage Alliance
Breckenridge Ski Resort turns 60 this week. To mark the occasion, the Breckenridge Heritage Alliance opened a new exhibit on Thursday, December 16, the very day the resort opened in 1961. Called “60 Years of Breckenridge Ski Resort History in 60 Objects†, the unique collection does not follow a chronological history of the resort as museum enthusiasts might expect.
Instead, it draws on the artifacts on display to tell the story of how the resort has been shaped over the years.
“It was important that each object had its own story,†said Larissa O’Neil, executive director of Breckenridge Heritage Alliance. “The resort has had a kind of unique history. It was not founded by the veterans of the 10th Mountain Division. … We just felt like we could do a neat job in making a display that wasn’t chronological, that wasn’t along a timeline, it was just an awesome collection of things that together, tell this full story in a unique way.
In preparation for over a year, the exhibit is the result of balancing cost-cutting measures during the pandemic while recognizing that an important community milestone is ahead.
About half of the 60 items are from the alliance’s own collection, while the other half was donated by members of the community after a summer appeal. The colorful and eclectic mix of items includes skis from ski racer Jean-Claude Killy, snowboards that highlight the fact that Breckenridge was the first major resort to allow snowboards, clothing, advertisements, marketing materials premonitories embracing the future of the resort and the maps of the slopes.
“It’s a unique exhibition for us,†said O’Neil. “We’ve had a ski museum for many years, so you’ll see some of the exhibits here that were in that museum, but we’ve never had such a heavy display in number. We definitely had a new challenge ahead of us: finding a way to display all 60 of them. “
O’Neil called it a labor of love because most of the installation work was done in-house and each object required its own interpretive panel and its own means of display. She said they could use a lot of recycled materials from past exhibitions for the pedestals.
There are also a few items that are sure to surprise visitors, such as a tooth fairy costume frequently seen at Bump Buffet telemark competitions which was donated by former mayor and dentist John Warner.
Despite the generally cheerful environment, O’Neil also wanted to make sure that the exhibit encompassed as much of the resort’s history as possible.
“The feeling that people get when they walk in is quite bright, fun and light, but there are also some pretty serious topics in the history of the ski area that we are trying to cover,†said O’Neil, adding that ‘There are exhibits of a deadly explosion at the base in the 1960s and a fatal avalanche on the top of Peak 7 in the 1980s.
Larissa O’Neil / Breckenridge Heritage Alliance
The 60 articles span the resort’s six decades of history and vary in size from a coin to a chairlift. The chair, from the old 1-Chair that was at the base of Peak 8, was donated by Greg and Carroll Birk. The Birks donated the chair and a photo of the construction of the Alpine Slide.
Fresh out of college, the Birks moved to Breckenridge from their twenties in 1978 and lived there until 1982.
They held various jobs in the city, such as at the resort’s ski school or as a ski mechanic in a ski shop. Greg Birk has primarily worked in property management at places like the Tamarisk Condominiums in the Four Seasons Village near Peak 9.
Passionate about the past, Greg Birk enrolled in Maureen Nichols’ local history class at the former Colorado Mountain College. One day he heard that the resort was selling chairs from the 1 chair for $ 50 each.
“So I had a friend with a truck and I went over there and I said, ‘Yeah, I want one,’ said Greg Birk. “I was in the history of the region and everything.â€
However, the blue two-person chair made of wood slats has remained in storage – until now. Other artifacts nearby are a snow cannon, which signifies why the resort snowed after a major drought in the 1980s that shut down the resort, and a speed ski helmet from CJ Mueller .
There is also an interactive opportunity for visitors to write about the objects that have shaped their skiing or snowboarding experience in Breckenridge over the years. And while the completed exhibit no longer needs donated artifacts, O’Neil said people are always welcome to contact the association if they think they have anything of interest to donate to the archives of the ‘alliance.
“60 Years of Breckenridge Ski Resort History in 60 Objects†is open to the public 9 am to 5 pm Tuesday through Sunday on the second floor of the Breckenridge Visitor Center, 203 S. Main St. The exhibition will be open for at least six months for the duration of the ski season. The museum is free, but there is a suggested donation of $ 5.
Larissa O’Neil / Breckenridge Heritage Alliance
