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Banks brothers share Lighted Man lore, Winter Carnival legacy at History Happy Hour

Kent Banks, Jon Banks and Ron Banks, from left, respond to a questions during the Tread of Pioneers Museum’s History Happy Hour on Tuesday, Feb.4, 2025. The three boys of Claudius Banks, who first skied down Howelsen Hill as the Lighted Man in 1936, have kept the family tradition alive for 89 years.
John F. Russell/Steamboat Pilot & Today

Stories from Jon, Ron and Kent Banks brought the Steamboat Springs Winter Carnival to life Tuesday evening as they relived their family’s legacy as the Lighted Man during this month’s History Happy Hour at Olympian Hall.

“Three Sons of Winter Carnival’s Lighted Man” explored the Banks family’s involvement with the Steamboat Springs Winter Carnival dating back to the original Lighted Man.

Claudius Banks, the original Lighted Man, first appeared in the Winter Carnival night show skiing down Howelsen Hill in 1936, according to “The History of Skiing at Steamboat Springs” by Sureva Towler.



In the years that followed, Banks’ three sons have carried on the tradition, which for many is the highlight of the Steamboat Springs Winter Carnival’s Saturday night celebration — now called the “Night Extravaganza.” Jon skied until 2019, and Kent recently took over. Ron handled a lot of the engineering that went into the specialized suit.

Tuesday’s presentation was part of the Tread of Pioneers Museum’s History Happy Hour series that takes place at 5:30 p.m. on the first Tuesday of every month October through April, in Olympian Hall at the Howelsen Hill Lodge, 845 Howelsen Parkway.



“Typically, it’s about the rowdy and raucous sort of crimes, criminal conflicts, murders, contraband, alcohol sort of side of the West, the wilder topics of the West,” said Candice Bannister, executive director of the Tread of Pioneers Museum. “But for this one, we are partnering with the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club to feature the three lighted men.”

The evening offered an in-depth conversation with three sons of Claudius Banks, who have carried on the tradition started by their father. Simply put, this tradition involves donning a costume of lights and a backpack full of fireworks — and proceeding to ski down the steep-pitched face of Howelsen Hill while launching explosives into the night sky.

The 45-minute presentation was about the people, history and background on the pyrotechnics used. It was also about the legacy that the long-running Lighted Man tradition has given to Steamboat Springs.

Like all the History Happy Hours, the event was recorded, so that the museum can create an oral history from the men and women who experienced the events firsthand. Bannister said over the past several years, the History Happy Hour program has worked with the SSWSC to link with subjects that reflect the historic nature of Winter Carnival.

The past couple of years, History Happy Hours have asked longtime locals to share their memories of the Winter Carnival and document their experiences.

“Winter Carnival is a long-standing tradition with a rich history that we always support through special exhibits, historical film clips, photos and fun facts online and on our social media channels and during the parade and street events announcements,” Bannister said.

“In recent years, we have teamed up with the Winter Sports Club and our existing History Happy Hour series, to host special talks around Winter Carnival history, highlighting Carnival memories from longtime locals, and now special aspects of the Carnival, like the beloved Lighted Man.”

“We wanted to be intentional on how we support the Club and the Carnival, and not create another event that might pull from the very full calendar of events this week for the Carnival,” Bannister added.

Editor’s note: “The Three Sons of Winter Carnival’s Lighted Man” and the “Lighted Man” are copyrighted terms.


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