Vail's Time Capsule From '89 Contains Treasure Of Ski Memorabilia
VAIL, Colo. (CBS4) - Before Vail looks forward to the future, it sneaked a peek at its past on Tuesday.
Town officials opened a time capsule sealed shut in 1989 when Vail hosted the World Alpine Skiing Championships the first time. It'd been sitting in a library in Vail for the past two decades.
"We can't wait to look back to see what was so important in 1989 that we decided to hold on to it for 25 years," Ceil Folz, the president of the Vail Valley Foundation, said shortly before she and others popped open the capsule.
Vail will hold the ski championships again in February. It last held them in 1999.
John Garnsey was a top official for the two previous world championships.
"I thought we had put a jacket in there, but now I remember that it was too big and too small a space," Garnsey said.
What was inside is possibly every artifact related to the original world championships held in Vail and Beaver Creek.
"It's a pouch for a hand-warmer," Garnsey said while digging through the contents. "I think these were very last-minute because we knew it was going to be so cold. I knew we had pieces of the uniform and pins and different things."
Bob Warner is one of the few dozen Vail residents who turned up.
"I just wanted to see what was in the time capsule. I was here in '89," he said.
He had the clothes to prove it: He was wearing some things that were also in the time capsule.
"They've just sat in the closet and (I) wear them occasionally," Warner said.
But it was a foam seat cushion that drew the biggest reaction from the crowd.
"If you remember in '89 it was very, very cold, freezing cold. We had about four or five days (that) it was subzero and so these came in handy," Garnsey said.
"For the opening ceremonies everybody had them to sit on," Warner recalled. "It was a cold night. I think I still have two or three in my garage. My wife uses them for gardening."
Many of these artifacts will likely head to an exhibit at the Colorado Ski Museum.
"They have an exhibit from '89," Garnsey said. "I think that would embellish it somewhat."
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