Obituary: Charlie Penwill
Provided Photo
February 26, 1945 – November 9, 2025
Charlie Penwill, long-time Vail local, died Sunday, November 9th at age 80.
Born to British parents and raised in Bath, England, Charlie came to Vail in 1971. His early winters included ski school, construction, waiting tables, and ski patrol.
To make ends meet during his ‘broke local’ years, Charlie created opportunities for himself. Back then, stiff, unhinged ski boots were notorious for causing tib-fib fractures. Having sustained a ‘boot break’ himself, Charlie sat at Donovan’s bar with his leg in a cast and started selling $50 injury insurance policies to friends and fellow ski bums.
In 1972, Charlie petitioned the Town of Vail to create the Vail Recreation Department, and they hired him as its first director. During that time, Charlie and others started the Vail Rugby Club, Red Lion Soccer, and King of the Mountain volleyball tournament, among others.
In 1977, Charlie took a job coaching and teaching at Columbia College in Sonora, California. Three years later, he returned to Vail as a planner for Beaver Creek Resort and when the resort opened in 1980, Charlie stepped in as its first guest services director.
It was around this time that he and others, fed up with sleeping cold in snow caves on backcountry ski tours, founded the 10th Mountain Division hut system.
Subsequent years brought another set of career changes: first, Charlie took a job in sales and marketing at Cordillera; later, he was involved with the redevelopment of Lionshead Village, the base area in Vail Village, Peak 7 at Breckenridge, and the Golf and Tennis Club at Jackson Hole as a VP with Vail Resorts.
Charlie was an avid rugby player, skier, sailor, and coach of kids’ skiing, soccer, and volleyball. He instilled in his family a love for adventure, travel, and the outdoors. His wife and kids treasure their memories of exploring the mountains, the desert, and the islands with him; of powder days, camping trips, and sailing excursions; and of the international adventures they shared. He’ll live on in their hearts and minds as a dedicated dad, passionate athlete-coach, and Vail Valley local legend.
He leaves behind his wife, Patti; son Alex (Lindsay) in Crested Butte; daughter Nicole (Matt) in Denver; granddaughters Devon (age 3) and Chloe (7 months); and his sister, Carolyn, and her family in Southern Cornwall, UK.
