Officials reflect on loss of ‘Frozen Dead Guy’
For decades, Bredo Morstoel was Nederland’s iconic “Frozen Dead Guy.” Starting in 1993, Morstoel’s cryogenically preserved body was housed in a shed just outside the town, and the odd story even inspired Nederland’s annual Frozen Dead Guy Days festival.
That all changed last year, when Morstoel was moved to a new home. His body is now part of the International Cryonics Museum at the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, the town that recently took over hosting Frozen Dead Guy Days.
For the Nederland community, the reactions to the loss of its Frozen Dead Guy varied. Town Administrator Miranda Fisher said those who didn’t mind learning of Morstoel’s move were mostly of the belief that the festival had outgrown the town, anyway.
“There are some people who really do kind of subscribe to the idea that (the festival) was too large and too big for Nederland,” Fisher said. “So this was just kind of the… finishing piece of this whole process and transition.”
On the other hand, Fisher said, some Nederland residents were devastated.
“The loss of the festival was really heartbreaking and concerning and people are upset about it,” Fisher said. “And so having this happen too was kind of like, ‘Now Nederland has lost it all together.’”
Fisher said that when the festival was purchased by Stanley Hotel owner John Cullen in December 2022, there was a disconnect between the event in Estes Park and its namesake in Nederland.
“To me, this does feel final, and it makes sense that this would happen,” she said of Morstoel’s move. “It means that officially all aspects of Frozen Dead Guy Days, including the man, are now in a different jurisdiction.”
Nederland Mayor Billy Giblin spoke to a different response from the community: apathy.
“There wasn’t a huge outcry to keep him, or to let him stay,” Giblin said. “I think a lot of people don’t care, or don’t know. It’s kind of sad to me that he went away, and that was that. There doesn’t seem to be much of an impact, or a sense of loss, or even recognition.”
Giblin said there were still people in town who did want to see Morstoel either leave or be buried, believing him to be “a bit of bad luck” for the town. “I might be in the minority of people who really wanted him to stay,” Giblin said. “I felt like the festival had left us, but the real myth, the real deal, was Bredo.”
On Aug. 25, Morstoel’s body was removed from its shed with little fanfare; Giblin recalled learning of its departure that morning, then seeing the empty shed later that day. “I was sad to see him go,” Giblin said. “I just felt like it was kind of the end of a chapter.”
Giblin explained that without the money or political will to add a cryogenics lab to the town, the move to Estes Park was a logical choice for Trygve Bauge, Morstoel’s grandson, to make. “It’s a family matter, and it’s up to the family to decide what they want to do with their grandfather,” he said. “So we support their decision.”
Last year, an event surfaced in Nederland to fill the gap left by Frozen Dead Guy Days’ departure. The new winter festival, Nederdays, is a smaller and more intimate celebration of Nederland that emphasizes local businesses and family-friendly activities. Dates haven’t been nailed down for Nederdays yet, but Fisher said the town is considering some time in April.
“I think, in time, we’ll start to see new activities… and some of these other festivals really gaining momentum,” Fisher said, referencing both Nederdays and similar annual events the town holds. “We’ve got so many other things happening, and we really want to showcase that this year.”
Giblin also expressed excitement for the upcoming Nederdays event, especially how the festival will grow and change going forward. As far as Morstoel’s future in Estes Park, he hopes that Nederland will be properly featured as the place where the Frozen Dead Guy stayed for so long. “The whole story is a Nederland story,” he said. “It’s a family story, but it’s a family story that occurred in Nederland.”