Remember When the Denver Broncos Made Draft Picks From a Colorado Ski Resort?

In honor of the 2026 NFL Draft, which took place this past weekend, we’re recalling years ago, in a wintry twist on NFL draft pick proceedings, when the Denver Broncos hit the slopes of Winter Park, Colorado. 

On hand were the former Broncos quarterback Jake Plummer and the former University of Colorado player Jeremy Bloom (he also played for the Eagles and Steelers, went to the Olympics as a mogul skier, and is now the CEO of X Games—it’s quite the resume, we know). 

Their task? Announce who was about to join the Broncos.

In a video from the 2016 event, Plummer makes his way down the mountain wearing the Broncos’ trademark orange, trailed by Miles the Mascot.

“Hey, everybody,” Plummer said after reaching the bottom. “We’re here at the ski capital of the world, Winter Park, Colorado, with some awesome Broncos fans.”

Then, he broke the news to the cheering crowd: Devontae Booker, a running back, was on the team.

Check out the interesting moment from skiing and football’s history below. Tap or click to play the video.

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To help get local fans in the mood, Winter Park offered $50 discount lift tickets to skiers and snowboarders who showed up wearing the Broncos’ colors. One fan, Randy Peterson, also had the chance to announce another of the picks, Will Parks.

Oddly enough, the festivities happened in late April, marking a sharp contrast between the 2015-16 season and the current one. Back then, the Mary Jane side of Winter Park was staying open late. This year, the resort, like many others in Colorado, is already closed after a historically warm winter.

It wasn’t the only time Winter Park hosted the Broncos’ draft picks. The resort also held a similar event in 2019.

“You could watch the third day of the NFL draft on Saturday while sprawled on your sofa, but wouldn’t you rather be part of the draft at a ski area party?” the Denver Post wrote at the time, making what is, really, a good point. 

In another, more recent crossover between snowsports and football at Winter Park, professional snowboarder Zeb Powell taught Marshawn Lynch how to snowboard for an episode of ‘N Yo’ City. Lynch, in turn, put his photography skills to use, grabbing some shots of Powell.

Related: Colorado Just Had a Tough Winter—How Bad Was It Really?