Durango Herald
--°F
Durango Herald
LOG IN SUBSCRIBE
  • NEWS
    • LOCAL NEWS
    • REGIONAL
    • NATIONAL & WORLD
    • BUSINESS
    • REAL ESTATE
    • BAYFIELD
    • IGNACIO
    • SOUTHERN UTE INDIAN TRIBE
    • ENVIRONMENT
    • PHOTO GALLERIES
    • VIDEOS
  • COMMUNITY
    • EVENTS CALENDAR
    • OBITUARIES
    • LOCAL BRIEFS
    • NONPROFITS
    • FAITH
    • EDITORIALS
    • LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
    • COLUMNS
  • SPORTS
    • HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS
    • COLLEGE SPORTS
    • PROFESSIONAL SPORTS
    • DENVER BRONCOS
    • AP SPORTS
  • LIFESTYLES
    • ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
    • HEALTH & WELLNESS
    • SOUTHWEST LIFE
    • AGRICULTURE
    • COLUMNISTS
    • DEAR ABBY
  • MARKETPLACE
    • CLASSIFIEDS
    • JOBS
    • PUBLIC NOTICES
  • LISTEN
  • News
    • Local News
    • Regional
    • National & World
    • Business
    • Real Estate
    • Bayfield
    • Ignacio
    • Southern Ute Indian Tribe
    • Environment
    • Photo Galleries
    • Videos
  • Community
    • Events Calendar
    • Obituaries
    • Local Briefs
    • Nonprofits
    • Faith
    • Editorials
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Columns
  • Sports
    • High School Sports
    • College Sports
    • Professional Sports
    • Denver Broncos
    • AP Sports
  • Lifestyles
    • Arts & Entertainment
    • Health & Wellness
    • Southwest Life
    • Agriculture
    • Columnists
    • Dear Abby
  • Marketplace
    • Classifieds
    • Jobs
    • Public Notices
  • Listen
  • --°F — Durango Weather
  • LOG IN
  • SUBSCRIBE
Southwest Life

Photo: Downhill racers – 1966-67

Herald Staff Writer

Monday, Oct 19, 2020 12:03 PM MT

SHARE
SHARE Facebook X Email

According to Durango ski historian Robert McDaniel, the Durango Ski Club started sponsoring local ski competitions in the late 1930s. When Dolph Kuss arrived in the early 1950s, he established a junior ski racing program that emphasized Nordic (cross country) competition. In 1963, Chet Anderson, who later was instrumental in founding Purgatory Ski Area, started coaching the junior alpine (downhill) ski team. On the ride back from a competition in Crested Butte in winter 1963-64, Ray Duncan, a supporter of the local team, made a comment to Anderson that it was a shame the local skiers didn’t have a bigger hill than Hesperus to train on. Anderson remarked that he knew of a bigger hill. Both Anderson and Duncan had for some time separately contemplated developing a major ski resort near Durango, and from that conversation a partnership grew that eventually led to the development of Purgatory Ski Area. This photo shows members of the Purgatory ski team, which competed in U.S. Ski Association-sanctioned meets in its second season. It was taken in winter 1966-67 at a race in Aspen. The coach, former Olympian Linda Meyers Tikalsky, is on the far left. Ski team members pictured from the back row, left to right, are: Bobbie Duthie, Dow Dunagan, J. D. Browning, Dick Andrews and Randy Dunagan. Front row, left to right, are Eric Jacobsen, Donna Denier and Joe Holgate. <br><br>Ed Horvat for Animas Museum, edhorvat@animasmuseum.org
According to Durango ski historian Robert McDaniel, the Durango Ski Club started sponsoring local ski competitions in the late 1930s. When Dolph Kuss arrived in the early 1950s, he established a junior ski racing program that emphasized Nordic (cross country) competition. In 1963, Chet Anderson, who later was instrumental in founding Purgatory Ski Area, started coaching the junior alpine (downhill) ski team. On the ride back from a competition in Crested Butte in winter 1963-64, Ray Duncan, a supporter of the local team, made a comment to Anderson that it was a shame the local skiers didn’t have a bigger hill than Hesperus to train on. Anderson remarked that he knew of a bigger hill. Both Anderson and Duncan had for some time separately contemplated developing a major ski resort near Durango, and from that conversation a partnership grew that eventually led to the development of Purgatory Ski Area. This photo shows members of the Purgatory ski team, which competed in U.S. Ski Association-sanctioned meets in its second season. It was taken in winter 1966-67 at a race in Aspen. The coach, former Olympian Linda Meyers Tikalsky, is on the far left. Ski team members pictured from the back row, left to right, are: Bobbie Duthie, Dow Dunagan, J. D. Browning, Dick Andrews and Randy Dunagan. Front row, left to right, are Eric Jacobsen, Donna Denier and Joe Holgate. <br><br>Ed Horvat for Animas Museum, [email protected]Courtesy of La Plata County Historical Society

More And the West is History

And the West is History: Main Avenue Bridge postcard – ca. 1909
And the West is History

And the West is History: Main Avenue Bridge postcard – ca. 1909

This is how the “new” bridge over the Animas River appeared after 1906. The houses…

And the West is History: Track & Field meet at Fairgrounds – 1917
And the West is History

And the West is History: Track & Field meet at Fairgrounds – 1917

In 1917, at the San Juan Basin Inter-school track meet at the La Plata County…

And the West is History: Durango High School – ca. 1916
And the West is History

And the West is History: Durango High School – ca. 1916

This is how Durango High School appeared shortly after its construction in 1916. Located at…

Most Popular

  1. 1 Upper Pine fire district breaks ground on station, urgent care clinic
  2. 2 Rockfall mitigation work begins on Colorado Highway 3 in Durango
  3. 3 With Tax Day upon us, residents weigh in on spending priorities
  4. 4 Durango Farmers Market to host six events on Main Avenue
  5. 5 LPEA exit fee locked in after appeals court rules against Tri-State

Daily newsletters & breaking news alerts

Get the latest local news delivered to your inbox every morning.

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.
Loading

Latest Stories

Fort Lewis College formally invests first Native American president
Local News

Fort Lewis College formally invests first Native American president

Bayfield hires new police chief
Local News

Bayfield hires new police chief

Public meetings for the week of April 20-24
Local News

Public meetings for the week of April 20-24

Photos: Watch your speed
Local News

Photos: Watch your speed

Meet Ready Freddy, La Plata County’s new emergency management mascot
Local News

Meet Ready Freddy, La Plata County’s new emergency management mascot

Durango Herald

Company

  • Ballantine Communications, Inc.
  • The Durango Herald
  • The Durango Herald Store
  • The Journal
  • The Tri-City Record
  • Flavor
  • Real Estate
  • Directory Plus
  • Local Jobs
  • Careers

Reach Out

  • Update our Circulation Team
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Submit Local Brief
  • Submit a Letter to the Editor
  • News Tip
  • History of the Durango Herald

Social

  • Facebook
  • X / Twitter
  • Instagram

Subscribe

Choose from several print and digital subscription packages.

GET THE HERALD

Newsletter Signup

Sign up for our daily email newsletter or to receive breaking news delivered to your inbox.

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.
Loading

© 2026 Durango Herald | All Rights Reserved | Privacy Policy | Terms of Service