Colorado Ski & Snowboard Museum and Hall of Fame News

The Colorado Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame is pleased to announce that Bill Bergman has been selected for this year’s Pioneer category in the Hall of Fame, and will be inducted at the 2012 Hall of Fame induction ceremony in October. He will be honored as a Pioneer for his early role with Keystone ski area and creating a business template for ski resorts everywhere. The Hall of Fame election for the other four 2012 inductees will take place from March 15 to April 15

 Completed nominations for the 2012 Athlete, Sport Builder and Inspiration categories are due at the museum by February 15. All five members of the 2012 Colorado Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame, including Bill Bergman, will be honored at the 2012 induction ceremony in October. For more information or questions regarding the nomination process, please contact the Colorado Ski & Snowboard Museum at (970) 476-1876 or skimuseum@gmail.com.

 

Keystone Resort’s history began in a cabin called the Alhambra, named after a nearby mine. In this cabin, 10^th Mountain Division veteran Larry Jump and Max Dercum discussed plans for neighboring Arapahoe Basin. More than two decades later in the same cabin, Max Dercum revealed “Dercum’s Dream,” his vision of creating and developing Keystone, to Iowa attorney  Bill Bergman. Bergman, who had just purchased the Alhambra, was excited at for the prospect of “Dercum’s Dream” and wanted to assist Larry in the pursuit.

 

“I went up to the top of the mountains with Max and almost killed myself coming down on a narrow snowmobile track,” Bergman said as he recalled the time when he knew this place would be special.

 

Dercum had the vision but Bergman possessed the business savvy skills to turn it into reality. He is credited as the individual who transformed skiing into a corporate enterprise, something that originally began with small investors. By partnering with a well-known dog food producer, Ralston Purina, Bergman took Max Dercum’s dream of Keystone and made the resort a leader in the ski industry. These efforts resulted in incredible developments throughout the entire skiing industry. Ralston assumed major ownership of the resort and therefore Bergman was able to expand the resort by designing environmentally friendly trails and installing snowmaking capabilities in 1972. Bergman laid the groundwork for standard practices in leading resorts that are still used today. 

 

Bill Bergman will be inducted to the Colorado Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame as a Pioneer in the snow sports industry. His template for practices and methods of ski resorts became the investment gold standard, driving ski area expansion. The gala will take place October 26, 2012 at the Omni Resort in Broomfield, Colo. For more information, please visit the Colorado Ski & Snowboard Museum & Hall of Fame website at  www.skimuseum.net.

On November 4, 2011 the Colorado Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame inducted five wonderful men into a prestigious group of individuals who have contributed to Colorado snow sports industry. Over 500 people joined us in welcoming Ron Allred, Jack Benedick, Charles Elliott, John Garnsey and Chris Klug to the Colorado Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame.

This wonderful fundraiser, which benefits the Colorado Ski & Snowboard Museum and Hall of Fame, took place at the Omni Interlocken Resort in Broomfield. The evening began with a fantastic silent auction with items from generous donators all over the state. When Helmut Fricker blew his alpine horn, the celebration began in the large beautifully decorated ball room. From there a moving film, produced by eef Productions, was shown as a tribute to Ron, Jack, Charles, John and Chris. The video displayed coaches, trainers, loved ones, family and other people who have been influenced by or influential to the inductees.After a delicious dinner and wonderful entertainment, each inductee made a short speech, graciously thanking and acknowledging many individuals.

The event was filled with pioneers, legends and up-and-comers of the skiing and snowboard industry.We look forward to next year’s 2012 induction class and the Colorado Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame’s annual gala.