Peter Seibert, Sr.
With a bum knee and stubborn dedication to his dream, Peter Seibert Sr. made a mountain into Vail Resort—Colorado’s premier ski hill.
Born on August 7, 1924 in Sharon, Massachusetts, Seibert strapped on his first pair of skis at the age of seven. In 1943, Seibert joined the U.S. Army and volunteered for the 10th Mountain Division, where he trained for high-altitude winter combat. He was one of 14,000 men assembled at Camp Hale under the leadership of Medal of Honor Hero General Ted Hayes. The division was trained in mountain warfare and went to Italy from 1944-1945, winning the Battle of Riva Ridge. During that time Seibert was seriously wounded by mortar fire.
With his right kneecap destroyed and his left arm nearly severed at the elbow, doctors assumed that Seibert would never walk again, let alone ski. But, Seibert’s determination prevailed, and despite permanent damage to his knee and hand, he landed a job with the Aspen Ski Patrol. The next year he won the Roch Cup, one of the most cherished U.S. skiing honors, and qualified for the U.S. Ski Team.
In 1950, Seibert managed to wrench himself away from Aspen to attend L’Ecole Hoteliere de Lausanne, an international school of hotel management in Switzerland. Three years later he returned to the U.S., taking jobs in Silverton and Aspen and ultimately managing the Loveland Ski Resort. During the winter of 1954, Seibert met Betty Pardee, who was working at a ski shop in Aspen. The two married and had three sons: Peter Jr., Calvin and Brant.
While working at Loveland Ski Resort in 1957, Seibert and fellow dreamer Earl Eaton took a seven-hour climb to the top of what is now called Vail Mountain. Seibert and Eaton became determined to build “the most beautiful ski resort in the world.” On January 9, 1960, Seibert pulled together a group of nine men for the first board of directors meeting for what would become America’s largest ski company, Vail Resorts Inc. Seibert remained chief executive officer of Vail until 1977. In its 50th Anniversary issue, SKIING Magazine rated Seibert one of the 25 most influential people in the history of American skiing.
Born on August 7, 1924 in Sharon, Massachusetts, Seibert strapped on his first pair of skis at the age of seven. In 1943, Seibert joined the U.S. Army and volunteered for the 10th Mountain Division, where he trained for high-altitude winter combat. He was one of 14,000 men assembled at Camp Hale under the leadership of Medal of Honor Hero General Ted Hayes. The division was trained in mountain warfare and went to Italy from 1944-1945, winning the Battle of Riva Ridge. During that time Seibert was seriously wounded by mortar fire.
With his right kneecap destroyed and his left arm nearly severed at the elbow, doctors assumed that Seibert would never walk again, let alone ski. But, Seibert’s determination prevailed, and despite permanent damage to his knee and hand, he landed a job with the Aspen Ski Patrol. The next year he won the Roch Cup, one of the most cherished U.S. skiing honors, and qualified for the U.S. Ski Team.
In 1950, Seibert managed to wrench himself away from Aspen to attend L’Ecole Hoteliere de Lausanne, an international school of hotel management in Switzerland. Three years later he returned to the U.S., taking jobs in Silverton and Aspen and ultimately managing the Loveland Ski Resort. During the winter of 1954, Seibert met Betty Pardee, who was working at a ski shop in Aspen. The two married and had three sons: Peter Jr., Calvin and Brant.
While working at Loveland Ski Resort in 1957, Seibert and fellow dreamer Earl Eaton took a seven-hour climb to the top of what is now called Vail Mountain. Seibert and Eaton became determined to build “the most beautiful ski resort in the world.” On January 9, 1960, Seibert pulled together a group of nine men for the first board of directors meeting for what would become America’s largest ski company, Vail Resorts Inc. Seibert remained chief executive officer of Vail until 1977. In its 50th Anniversary issue, SKIING Magazine rated Seibert one of the 25 most influential people in the history of American skiing.
