Keystone names its front side for the Dercums

From The Summit Daily
By Jim Porklrandt and Christine McManus

It's official. Keystone's front side mountain is now Dercum Mountain, named for the Max and Edna Dercum family that pioneered the resort's founding.

Vail Resorts, owner of Keystone, made the change to celebrate the Dercums and to honor the resort's history in this, its 33rd year. Ceremonies emceed by Keystone chief operating officer Roger McCarthy took place Friday at River run as skiers and snowboarders streamed by to hit the slopes.

"We owe a debt of gratitude to you. Keystone is a beautiful place," McCarthy told the Dercums.

"All I can say, I am overwhelmed," Max Dercum said, giving credit to the "Keystone family," past and present in the audience. "I want to thank Bill Bergman and the other members of the original stockholders from Iowa who helped put this dream in operation," Dercum said. "It's an honor to have a mountain named for the family name."

The couple has been married for more than 66 years, and 60 of the years have been spent in Summit County. "As far as Max is concerned, I did not do much, but every once in a while I cracked the whip," Edna Dercum said to laughter.

Watching from the audience were co-founders Bill Bergman, Koert Voorhees and Craig Nelson of the original stockholders group that numbered 33 individuals, later joined by a 34th, the Ralston Purina company. Bergman called the individuals the "Iowa gang." Each had to put in $25,000 for which they got five lifetime passes and a hope the investment would pay off. The 33 owned 50 percent of the company and Ralston Purina owned 50 percent. Bergman said the plan was to take the resort public around 1973-74, but the nation's first big gasoline shortage crisis soured the economic environment. Instead, the 33 sold out to Ralston Purina in 1974. Vail Resorts bought the resort in 1997.

Every nook and cranny

Redesigned trail maps now reflect the change to Dercum Mountain. However, the larger mountain that rises 12,408 feet above sea level to he east, including The North Peak and the Outback, will remain unchanged as Keystone Mountain on U.S. Geological Survey maps.

"In a recent drive up Keystone with Max, he amazed me with his knowledge of the terrain. Trail layout in his day was done the hard way, all of it on foot. I am positive he still knows every nook and cranny on these three mountains," McCarthy said. "It is important for Keystone Resort to always stay connected to our heritage, and this is one way of ensuring that we never forget where we came from. Max fought for years to make Keystone a reality."

Dercum moves young family in 1942

Now 91 years old, Max Dercum came to Summit County in 1942 with his wife Edna and their infant son, Rolf. They moved from Pennsylvania when Max Dercum got a job as a U.S. Forest Service ranger. He had been teaching forestry at Pennsylvania State University. The family purchased the Black Ranch, which was a stagecoach stop for miners in the late 1800s. A narrow gauge railroad in the area helped miners and loggers transport resources. Electricity came in the mid-1940s. The Dercums transformed the dilapidated old ranch structures into the Ski Tip Ranch, one of the first ski lodges in Colorado.

Investing in ski mountains after the war

After waiting for World War II to end, Max Dercum joined a group of investors in 1946 to create Arapahoe Basin. Founding investors included Larry Jump, Sandy Schauffler, Richard Durrance and Thor Groswold. At first, a rope tow took skiers up the mountain. The group financed a single-chair lift, which was built using a reclaimed mining cable that was hauled over from Monarch Pass.

Even in the first few winters, skiers flocked from Denver, Chicago and all over the three original ski trails, said Edna Dercum. As the Ski Tip Ranch and Arapahoe Basin became a success in the early 1950s, Max turned his attention to Keystone Mountain, directly south of the Ski Tip.

Scouting the first trails

Max Dercum spent years hiking the slopes of the front face of the mountain, planning out runs. In 1967 he formed the Ski Valley USA corporation to develop the ski area, and succeeded in securing permits from the Forest Service. After getting permits, he struggled to find adequate funding for the resort. As county clerk, Edna Dercum said she learned from bankers how to borrow money to fund the couple's dreams.

In 1969, Ski Tip Ranch guest Bill Bergman, an Iowa attorney, became interested in the Keystone project. With the help of a group of investors from Ralston Purina, he and Max Dercum formed Keystone International Inc. Under the new company, work progressed quickly and Keystone Resort opened to the public November 21, 1970.

Vail Resorts bought Keystone in 1997. This year, Keystone Resort is making significant changes, including upgrading snowmaking, expanding and relocating he terrain parks, adding new restaurants at the base of the mountain and cooperating with private interests to bring in a freestyle training center.