Established in 1977, Vista Bahn Ski Rentals has a long history as a family-owned and operated business in Vail. It is now one of the last owner-operated Vail ski shops. The Gros family — Joël, Jane, Sacha, and Dominique — have lived the ski life for over 40 years and are proud of their ski heritage in Vail, Colorado. We invite you to our shop, a vibrant social center and a hub for family and friends. Here, you’ll discover what it means when we say, WELCOME HOME TO VAIL.
1970s
In the 1970s, the first dedicated skier occupied the White House: Gerald R. Ford, who regularly made trips to ski at Vail when the budding resort was just turning a decade old. During the 1970s, the story of modern-day Vista Bahn Ski Rentals begins, but not in Vail—and not even in the United States. It begins in 1971 when Jane and Joel met while skiing in Australia. By the end of the decade, the couple would be married and settled in Vail, with a ski shop named Colorado Ski Shop and a son named Sacha.
1980s
The 1980s were a time when pop culture rocked nation and when anything from fluorescent onesies to fanny packs were fashionable on the slopes. The Gros family continued to grow in the ‘80s, with the birth of Dominique in 1984, and Sacha’s ski racing career began to take off. The family ski shop business was taking off, too, and it expanded to include ski rentals. To reflect the change, the shop changed its name from Colorado Ski Shop to the current Vista Bahn Ski Rentals.
1990s
The technology explosion of the 1990s brought the modern world many wonders including the Walkman, the Internet, and Google. This decade saw the rise of the laptop computer, snowboarding, extreme skiing, and the all-mountain ski. Back in Vail, the Gros family built a new Vista Bahn Ski Rentals shop with expanded space for gear storage and ski tuning, and Sacha competed in ski racing at the 1998 Olympics in Nagano, Japan.
2000s
Since the turn of the twenty-first century, the International Space Station has been continuously occupied, and skiers set off to explore new terrain in 2000 with the opening of Blue Sky Basin, which remains one of Vail’s most popular areas. Vail’s Lionshead Village underwent a multi-year development project including new condos, an ice rink, and many new stores and restaurants while brother and sister Sacha and Dominique Gros took over the management of Vista Bahn Ski Rentals in Vail Village. During this decade, they also both met their future spouses.
2010s
Since the turn of the twenty-first century, the International Space Station has been continuously occupied, and skiers set off to explore new terrain in 2000 with the opening of Blue Sky Basin, which remains one of Vail’s most popular areas. Vail’s Lionshead Village underwent a multi-year development project including new condos, an ice rink, and many new stores and restaurants while brother and sister Sacha and Dominique Gros took over the management of Vista Bahn Ski Rentals in Vail Village. During this decade, they also both met their future spouses.
