As you travel through Colorado ski country, you might find yourself wondering, "How in the world did someone come up with Whistlepig or Pussy Foot as a trail name?" You might also find yourself debating whether taking Dante’s Inferno or Hook ’em Horns will be exciting...or insane.
The stories of how ski mountain trails were named can take as many twists and turns as the runs themselves. Here are some of our favorites, listed by resort:
Davis Trail: Wilfred “Slim” Davis is credited as the first person to spot the ski-area potential of A-Basin’s location when he was training forest rangers how to ski there. Using a black-and-white, 8x10-inch photograph of the mountain, in 1941 Davis hand-drew the original layout and design of the ski area, including the existing Snow Plume Refuge and proposed rope tows. Five years later, A-Basin’s founders used that map to help secure the required special-use permit from the U.S. Forest Service.