We Are Proud to Honor…
Colorado Snowsports Museum & Hall of Fame has inducted in to it’s Hall of Fame our 
very own Ski Sports Icon, Mr. Charles Smith. This museum honors the legacy and celebrates the stories and people of our great state and the sports that have given us all so much.
Charles, one of the pioneering members of Denver’s Slippers-N-Sliders Ski Club and the Ski for Kids Program, which has introduced more than 2,000 urban youth to the sport, has been an advocate for bringing more African-Americans to Colorado’s slopes. On Oct. 1, 2016, at the age of 72, he was recognized by the Colorado Ski and Snowboard Ski Museum, and became the first African-American inducted in their Hall of Fame as a Sport Builder.
Smith first got on skis more than 50 years ago. “The first time I was on skis was 1964-65,” he says. It was kind of a goof off day. I went with some friends that I worked with. We went to Loveland Basin. There must have been two carloads of us. We all put on a pair of blue jeans. Everybody told us we should stay dry and be warm. We sprayed waterproofing spray on our clothes. We didn’t have regular ski clothing. And headed out like we knew what we were doing. We jumped on the rope tow I think. We had our own equipment we had rented from Gart Bros.”
Skiing was very different back then. There was no I-70 or Eisenhower-Johnson tunnels. There were a handful of ski areas. Vail was in its infancy. Loveland Basin was the most accessible, and Smith recalls that the lift ticket was about $4. “We didn’t take lessons,” he says. “Two or three of the guys had been on skis before. They were the ones that kind of led us around. And they did a pretty good job of telling us what to expect. We ended up at the top of the mountain at the end of the day, and that is when the real fun started, getting down.”
Yet the Lubbock, Texas native was hooked. The modern technology of quick release bindings didn’t exist, and on this first outing Smith twisted his knee. He visited Dr. Ted Hunt, a Denver orthopedic surgeon who told him he had a sprain and to stay off of it and he would be fine. Two week later he was back on the hill, a place where he found a home for the rest of his life.
On that day, Smith didn’t see any other African-Americans skiing. His late brother Odell Smith became his #1 skiing partner. He skied for six years before he was introduced to the Slippers-N-Sliders Ski Club when he and his brother were in a restaurant on Colfax and Colorado Boulevard. Dr. William Bowers, a Denver podiatrist, approached them about the club. Smith was surprised to find that there were a good number of African- American skiers, among them Val Tanaka, Floyd Cole, and Bryce Parks, who also had significant roles in growing the club and its reach.
In his new home of Colorado, Smith married Miss Bonnie and started a family of skiers. He and his wife were long time members in Slippers-N-Sliders, where he has served as the President for eight non-consecutive years, and as served on the board of the National Brotherhood of Skiers (NBS) for five years as a Regional Vice President. Thousands of Black skiers from all over the country have made their way west to the mountains for the NBS Ski Summits. More than thirt summit events have been in Colorado in the 50plus-year history of the NBS. It is because of his impact in bringing minorities to the sport of Skining on all different levels that Smith was inducted into the Colorado Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame.
Without Charles’ efforts and passion for the sport, without his work along with the Slippers-N-Sliders Club and the National Brotherhood of Skiers, it’s hard to say how large a percentage of the annual skiers and snowboarders in Colorado would come from the minority community,” said John Dakin, vice president communications for the museum. “It was in recognition of a lifelong dedication to the sport, dedication to African-American athletes, or to the ski and snowboard industry throughout the state of Colorado, bringing National Brotherhood Summits and many summits here – all of it really dovetails into a very deserving candidate for induction into the Hall of Fame.”
Grady Towns, who nominated Smith, noted his accomplishments in his letter. In 2013 he attended an award ceremony at the Ski Museum in Vail where Smith accepted a ‘Top of the Hill Award’ on behalf of the Slippers-N-Sliders. “So it was there that I said, ‘Oh well, here is an avenue that maybe is a way I can get Charles selected to the Hall of Fame.’ And I proceeded from there.” Towns first nominated Smith in 2014, after which he was one of 14 finalists and could be put forward in 2015 and 2016.
Charles level of commitment to introducing African-Americans to the sport is longstanding and brought new experiences and challenges to the community. “I wiped noses, helped kids get dressed, made sure the kids had shoes on the right foot and a little bit of everything,” Smith said. “We got snowed in one time and I remember spent the night in the parking lot in Dillon, and you won’t believe the reception we got. It was unbelievable the people that took care of us,” said Smith who has also been an advocate for Black ski racers at established programs like Burke Mountain Academy and Crested Butte Academy.
Charles directed the Ski for Kids Program for 25 years and because of all he taught us and his unwavering dedication the Ski For Kids progam remains our passion and and our focus! Preparation informs our success which elevates our joy and enjoyment. We Salute our beloved Mr. Charles Smith for all he gave and thru his legacy, he continues to give to us!
Charles passed away and skied into heaven on March 21, 2021 at the age of 79 years old.