Randy Wyrick vail daily  Back to: News December 24, 2012 Follow
News  Vail 50th anniversary: How Aspen begat Vail  VAIL - George
Caulkins raised most of the money to launch Vail, and he might
not have bothered if not for the president of the Aspen Skiing
Co.  The tales goes like this.  In the 1950s, Caulkins owned a
house in Aspen right up the street from Pete and Betty Seibert,
and flew in several times a year to ski. Pete and George became
good friends  When Seibert was looking for money to build his
ski area, he wandered up the block to pitch Caulkins.  In 1958,
Seibert invited George to join their Trans Montane Rod and Gun
Club, the name he and Earl Eaton gave their enterprise because
they were afraid someone would steal their ski area idea.
Seibert told Caulkins what the real deal was, of course, and not
long after that, Earl Eaton and Seibert took Caulkins to the top
of their mountain for a quick camping trip with Pete's huge St.
Bernard.  "In the middle of the night I heard a noise and
realized I shou