GRIFFIN September 2026

6 • CWEA GRIFFIN • September 2026 Pete Siebert was an American war hero. During World War II, he served in the 10th Mountain Di- vision of the U.S. Army stationed in Italy. He fought in the famous battle of Riva Ridge, which saw the 10th scale, a nearly vertical 2000- foot rock face in the Apennines, allowing the troops to surprise the Nazis from behind, leading to the Allied victory in Italy. After the war, Siebert pursued his dream of creating a ski resort at Vail Mountain in the Rockies, not far from the training site of the 10th Mountain Division. He envisioned Alpine village architec- ture resembling the European ski resorts he had encountered during the war. When it came time to raise finan- cial backing for Vail, Siebert asked his longtime friend and fellow 10th Mountain veteran, Robert Park- er, where he should go to find the money. As it happened, Parker had grown up in St. Louis in the Cen- tral West End. He knew that other 10th Mountain veterans lived in the Central West End and that the Vail vision might appeal to them. As a result, Parker recommended St. Louis as a potentially fertile area for fundraising. Vail came to the Central West End By Joe Schlafly Naturally, I knew nothing about this history when, in early 1961, my mother asked me if I would like to sit in on a presentation from Bob Siebert about a place called Vail. Siebert arrived at our home on Pershing Place in the early afternoon. Along with a num- ber of invited guests, we listened to Siebert outline his vision for Vail. He distributed a Prospectus, which set forth the terms of the investment: $10,000 for each unit consisting of a pro rata share of the Vail Corporation, four lifetime ski passes and an option to buy a home-sale lot for $500. Siebert was captivating and my mother, who loved to ski, indicated she would like to invest. It was all very excit- ing, upbeat and exhilarating to this 10-year-old attendee. Later that evening, when my father reached home from work, my mother enthusiastically briefed him on the Vail investment opportunity while showing him the Prospectus. As I watched my father absorb the Vail story, it quickly became apparent that a sizable, lifestyle-oriented, illiquid investment in a to-be- built Colorado ski resort, had not captured my father’s imagination. Reluctantly, my mother notified Siebert the next day, that the “Investment Committee,” which required unanimous approval, had met and declined to participate. Today, I understand more fully the prudent approach taken by my father. We were a family of seven at the time, with tuitions looming. Nonetheless, I must confess to a tinge of wistfulness when I consid- er what could have been. A Series A Unit, originally issued in 1961 in the face amount of $10,000, has an approximate value today of $30 million. This includes a center of Vail building lot, four lifetime ski passes, and a share of Vail Corp. As it turns out, over 40% of the mon- ey raised in the Series A offering came from St. Louis investors. It would appear that my mother’s enthusiasm was shared by others. In fact, during the early years of Vail, people would refer to a sec- tion of Vail Village as the “St. Louis neighborhood.” So, even though we missed the boat, I am happy that St. Louis played a significant role in helping to launch one of the most sought-after ski destinations in the world.