As Downhill or Alpine skiing developed to recreational skiing was born. Skiing down snow-covered hills and mountains added the dimension of speed and skill.

Denver as a city had its beginnings like no other. In 1858, gold was discovered at the base of the Rocky Mountains creating a stampede into the region. "Pikes Peak or Bust!" became a rallying cry for those flooding to the area. Famed American author Horace Greeley described the rapidly growing metropolis as a "log city of 150 dwellings, not three-fourths completed nor two-thirds inhabited, nor one-third fit to be." With some effort, and over a barrel of whisky, it gradually sorted itself and became the city of Denver. Fittingly enough, the first permanent structure in Denver was a saloon!