If you wander just a few blocks from downtown Steamboat Springs, you’ll stumble upon a little mountain with a very big soul as well as the oldest ski area in Colorado. Howelsen Hill doesn’t look like the kind of place that would change the course of American skiing—but that’s exactly what it did. Since 1915, this modest slope has been the beating heart of Steamboat’s winter spirit, a place where Olympians are made and locals fall in love with snow year after year. This historic ski area is about a 2 hour 20 minute drive from Breckenridge depending on road conditions.
A Norwegian Dreamer Arrives
The story begins with a man who traveled the world as a circus performer—Carl Howelsen, better known to roaring crowds as the “Flying Norseman.” Imagine him hurtling through the air on skis, sometimes soaring over elephants, earning a circus-sized wage and a reputation for fearless flight.
But in 1913, fate nudged him toward the quiet Yampa Valley. The snow reminded him of home. The people reminded him of possibility. And Steamboat Springs? Well, that little town didn’t know it was about to become Ski Town, USA.
By 1914, Carl had organized the town’s first Winter Carnival, bringing ski jumping and cross‑country races to locals who had only ever used skis as a way to get from here to there. The next year, he and the newly formed Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club carved a ski area into a hillside overlooking town. That first official ski jump opened in February of 1915—and Steamboat Springs would never be the same.
Where Olympians Grow Up
Stand at the base of Howelsen Hill on a crisp winter morning, and you can almost feel the history humming beneath your boots. This is the oldest continuously operating ski area in the United States, a small but mighty place that has trained nearly 100 Olympians—more than any other ski area in North America.
Kids still gather here through the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club, just as they did in 1915. They click into their skis, tighten their goggles, and chase the dreams of the athletes who came before them. Some will jump from the largest and most complete natural ski‑jumping complex on the continent. Some will carve turns on alpine race terrain. And some—if history is any guide—will go on to compete on the world stage.
A Mountain That Shaped a Community
Colorado is full of famous ski resorts with high‑speed lifts and glossy brochures, but Howelsen Hill offers something those mountains can’t replicate: heart. When it opened in 1915, it helped spark a statewide love of winter sports. By 2026, as Colorado marked its 150th birthday, historians were still celebrating the little hill that made an oversized cultural impact—helping generations discover skiing, celebrate winter, and build community.
Volunteers shaped the hill in those early decades, clearing brush, building jumps, and maintaining the slopes long before chairlifts became common. Their work created a place where locals could gather, compete, learn, and play. That spirit hasn’t changed.
Still Steamboat’s Hometown Hill
Today, the City of Steamboat Springs proudly owns and operates Howelsen Hill, keeping its traditions alive and its lifts spinning—because for Steamboat, skiing here isn’t just recreation; it’s heritage. Visitors and locals alike flock here for alpine skiing, Nordic trails, ski jumping, and even Ski Free Sundays, a favorite tradition that invites everyone to share in the joy Carl Howelsen brought to town over a century ago.
A Small Hill with a Giant Legacy
Howelsen Hill isn’t fancy. It doesn’t need to be. This is where beginners take their first wobbly turns, where champions learn to fly, and where Steamboat’s community gathers to honor a legacy that spans generations.
If you want to experience skiing the way it was meant to be—authentic, spirited, and deeply rooted in place—there’s no better spot than the little hill that changed everything.
