Steamboat Springs, Colorado is an area that was first sought after for hunting and trapping. At the beginning of the 19th century, people started to settle here to ranch, trade and mine in this beautiful landscape. Steamboat got its name due to a spring flowing into the Yampa River that chugged like a Steamboat. Unfortunately, when the rail line that runs through town was built, it changed the flow of the spring and it lost its steamboat characteristics.

In 1913 Carl Howelsen made his way from Norway to Steamboat Springs. As a ski jumper, he wanted to get the community into his sport, so he help build the first ski jump on what is now known as Howelsen Hill. As the sport of skiing was growing, two local men had a vision for a ski resort in town. Jim Temple and John Fetcher decided to develop a ski area on Mount Werner, so in 1963 Storm Mountain opened its slopes for skiing enthusiasts.