SAM Magazine-Evergreen, Colo., Oct. 4, 2011-Max Dercum, co-founder of both Arapahoe Basin and Keystone, died last Friday at a retirement home here, just a few days before his 99th birthday.

A champion skier and forestry professor, Dercum was part of a group of seven, including his wife, Edna, who founded A-Basin in 1946. He helped found Keystone Resort in the early 1970s, overseeing trail design and lift installation. The Dercums' Ski Tip Ranch has been a fixture at Keystone since before the area itself was born.

"Max is leaving a legacy that will be remembered by all who enjoy skiing and riding Keystone Mountain today as well as for generations to come," Keystone general manager John Buhler said.

In 1980, the Dercums were inducted into the Colorado Ski Hall of Fame, and in 2003 Keystone Mountain was renamed Dercum Mountain in their honor.

Dercum is survived by his two children, Rolf and Sunni, five grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren and extended family. Edna, to whom he was married for 71 years, died in 2008 at the age of 94. \

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