Riding the Poma lift at Howelsen Hill is practically a right of passage for Steamboat Springs’ kids, the swift, steep takeoff causing heart rates to rise in children and their parents alike. Like most things at Howelsen Hill—the oldest ski area in North America and home to the Olympian-producing Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club—change is rare, history is long, and tradition is deeply entrenched.
That’s why the replacement of the decades-old double chair with a brand-new triple chairlift is big news for Howelsen Hill and the Steamboat community. The improvement was made possible with a generous $1.5-million donation from Smartwool, the SSWSC Gold Annual Support Partner, that was founded in Steamboat Springs but recently acquired by VF Corp and relocated to Denver. The grant was made possible by the VF Corp’s private grantmaking organization, the VF Foundation.
“A few years ago, the SSWSC and the city formed a partnership to replace the chair. It would be a joint 50/50 effort, each putting in half the funds,” says Sarah Floyd, Executive Director of SSWSC. “We approached our long-standing partner Smartwool, and they have very generously donated the Winter Sports Club’s portion of 1.5-million dollars.”
Floyd says the project has been in the works for almost two years, but the donation that made the new chair a reality was just announced in late October. “A new fixed-grip triple chairlift has been purchased from the Utah-based company Skytrac and will be moved closer to the base lodge to make it more accessible,” Parks & Recreation Director Angela Cosby says. The new lift will whisk skiers/riders to the top of hill faster, improve capacity by more than 30% and provide a comfortable ride so that you are ready to tackle the fabled slopes of the historic ski area day or night.
The original Barrows chair was instrumental in running the Steamboat Howler Alpine Slide in the summertime, “a for-profit operation that funds our non-profit,” Floyd says, noting that the SSWSC has relied on that income since the slide was built in 1999 to run its programs every year. “For the last 20 years, the chairlift has supported the efforts of the Winter Sports Club by operating the alpine slide every summer,” Floyd says.
The new $3-million chairlift is expected to arrive in the spring, and installation is planned for summer 2021. While SSWSC will have to sacrifice its alpine slide operation this summer, Floyd says it’s worth it in the long run. “Now we have a chair that can keep going at Howelsen for many years to come,” Floyd says. “This is a tremendous gift for our community.”
“The future of Howelsen Hill is made so much stronger by our partnership with the SSWSC and Smartwool and these organizations’ shared commitment to the community,” continued Cosby. “The legacy of the ski area will continue, and the new lift will deepen the community’s passion for outdoor recreation for generations to come.”
Even with the SSWSC and city contributing $1.5 million apiece for the new lift, anyone wishing to help preserve the 105-year-old ski area’s rich legacy as well as provide for the future can donate to the Howelsen Hill Endowment Fund by reaching out to Ellen Campbell, SSWSC Director of Development. The dollars collected through this fund help operate, maintain and improve this community jewel for generations to come.
While the new lift will bring a new element to the ski area, Floyd notes the infamous Poma will remain, and its near-legendary status for young locals will live on. “I’ve probably carried 1,000 kids up that Poma,” she says. Like so many other wonderfully preserved old-school skiing traditions at Howelsen Hill, “that will never change.”