Today Aug. 1 is Colorado Day, celebrating our 149th year of statehood. Whether you were born here or just arrived, Krystal 93 is testing your knowledge of all things Colorado. And you know we have to start with our personal favorite claim the fame – that Colorado cold smoke!
Ski Country USA
Q: Where was the first rope-tow ski lift in Colorado?
A: Pikes Peak. The Pikes Peak Ski Club installed a rope at Glen Cove in 1936, according to Colorado Ski History.
Q: Where was the first lift-served ski area in Colorado?
A: The long-gone Pioneer Ski Area near Gunnison. In 1939 the Gunnison Ski Club built a chairlift from scratch with old mining tram parts.
Q: What is the longest-running ski area in Colorado?
A: Howelson Hill in Steamboat Springs. It opened in 1914 and is widely considered the oldest continuously operating ski area in the nation. For its first 20 years it was hike-to only with a ski jump, slalom course and crude “boat tow,” which was a sled attached to a cable.
Q: What was the first Colorado ski area to allow snowboarding?
A: Ski Cooper near Leadville. Although the history is arguable – it wouldn’t be snowboarding if it were easy! – Ski Cooper hosted a snowboard contest in 1981, allegedly the first organized snowboarding event in Colorado. Breckenridge became the first major ski area with snowboarding in 1984.
Q: Denver was supposed to host the Winter Olympics in what year?
A: 1976. We say “supposed” because Denver is the only city to accept and then reject and Olympic bid. Then-Governor Dick Lamm didn’t like the cost. Neither did 60% of voters.
Q: What is the largest ski area in Colorado?
A: Vail Mountain at 5,317 acres.
Q: What is the smallest ski area in Colorado?
A: Debatable. The Frisco Adventure Park has one carpet for one beginner run. Lee’s Ski Hill in Ouray has one tow rope for two beginner runs. Several ski areas have just one chairlift, including Howelson Hill in Steamboat and Silverton Mountain.
Mile-High Living
Q: What is the highest incorporated town in Colorado?
A: Alma. At 10,361 feet above sea level, this town south of Breckenridge is the highest incorporated municipality in the U.S. Nearby Leadville, south of Copper Mountain, is the highest city in the U.S. at 10,154 feet.
Q: What is the highest point in Colorado?
A: Mount Elbert at 14,433 feet. It is the second-highest peak in the contiguous U.S. behind Mount Whitney in California at 14,505 feet.
Q: Why is Denver nicknamed “the Mile High City?”
A: The elevation. Denver sits at 5,280 feet above sea level – one mile high.
Q: What is the state nickname?
A: The Centennial State. Colorado became a state in 1876, exactly 100 years after the U.S. was founded.
Q: What is the state bird?
A: Lark bunting. This medium-sized sparrow, known for its black body and stark-white wings, is most common on the eastern plains and mid-elevation sagebrush.
Q: What is the state flower?
A: Colorado blue Columbine. Also known as Aquilegia coerulea, this member of the buttercup family is native to Colorado and flourishes in alpine groves, open forests, meadows and talus slopes.
Q: What is the state mammal?
A: Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep. There are an estimated BLHA bighorn sheep in Colorado, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife. This critter is also the mascot for Colorado State University.
Rivalries and Records
Q: Speaking of CSU… Who owns the better record in the Rocky Mountain Showdown football series: CSU vs CU-Boulder?
A: CU-Boulder. All-time record is 68 wins for CU, 22 wins for CSU, 2 ties. CU has won the past seven showdowns. The two are not playing in 2025.
Q: Who is the most-decorated Colorado-born professional athlete?
A: Mikaela Shiffrin. The alpine ski racer, born near Vail, is the winningest World Cup skier in history with 101 World Cup wins – easily the most titles for any one person in a major sport. Other notable natives include rock climber Tommy Caldwell (first to free-climb El Capitan’s Dawn Wall), NFL star Christian McCaffrey (John Elway was born in Washington!), and NBA Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups (including two state high school titles).
Q: What is Colorado’s only professional sports team WITHOUT a championship title?
A: Colorado Rockies. The MLB expansion team, founded in 1993, has one World Series appearance in 2007, when the Rockies lost to the Red Sox. The Denver Nuggets won its first NBA title in 2023 after 56 years (founded 1967 as the Denver Larks). The Broncos won its first NFL title in 1998 after 38 years as a team (founded in 1960). Avalanche hockey, Rapids soccer and Mammoth lacrosse all have at least one championship title.