Jenny Wiegand

Mar 26, 2019

I was a 31-year-old Aspen-virgin. Despite having lived in Crested Butte, Colo.—just 24 miles south of Aspen as the crow flies—for a number of years, I’d never made it to the ski mecca located just on the other side of the Maroon Bells.

At first, it didn’t bother me. In my mind Aspen was the go-to destination for the glitterati, not the serious skier. But then I started running into more and more skiers on my wavelength (caring mostly about expansive expert terrain, annual snow totals, and minimal lift lines) who all flocked to Aspen.

I began to wonder—was I missing out?

FOMO (and copious amounts of peer pressure), led me to finally take the plunge this season. I was resolute, yet anxious. What if it didn’t live up to the hype? What if it became clear through my awkward bumbling around the mountain that I was a total noob?

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The post My First Time: Aspen, Colo. appeared first on Ski Federation.

Aspen and Aspen Skiing Company both have long rich histories. There was a thriving population in this valley years before anyone dreamt of a world-class mountain resort. Here is one version of Aspen’s lively past.

 
Over a century ago, silver prospectors braved the wilderness of the upper Roaring Fork Valley, one of the favorite summer hunting grounds of the Ute Indians, to discover one of the richest silver lodes in the world. The prospectors came from Leadville, and crossed the Continental Divide at nearly 12,100 feet. Thirteen hardy prospectors endured the winter of 1879 to protect their claims. They named the camp, Ute City, but by that spring had changed the name to Aspen.

 
By 1890, thousands of fortune seekers had arrived in Aspen to stake their claims. Just three years later there were more than 12,000 residents in Aspen. Even following the silver crash of 1893, one of the largest nuggets of silver was mined in 1894, weighing more than 1,800pounds. Many mining camps were temporary settlements, but Aspen residents strove for permanence. Among the many beautiful examples of Aspen’s Victorian elegance that remain in use today are the Wheeler Opera House and the Hotel Jerome.

 
Aspen’s fortunes fell in 1893 when Congress repealed the Sherman Act, effectively ending the silver standard. Many of the larger mines shut down and as mining declined, the local economy became more dependent upon ranching and farming. By the 1930s, Aspen’s population had shrunk to approximately 700 people and Aspen experienced the period referred to as the “Quiet Years.”

 
During the mid-30s, a new group of pioneers began to discover the Roaring Fork Valley, as they searched for the ideal location for a ski resort. They hired famous Swiss avalanche expert Andre Roch to survey the area and its snow. Enterprising locals constructed the original “boat tow” ski lift on Aspen Mountain. One run was cut on the face of Aspen Mountain, called Roch Run. The National Downhill and Slalom races were held on this run in 1941.

 
Skiing in Aspen was then spurred on by the presence of the Army’s 10th Mountain Division, who was doing their World War II training in nearby Camp Hale. Many of the early 10th Mountain Division’s soldiers, including Friedl Pfeifer, returned to Aspen following the war and began buying mining claims and surface rights with the idea of building a world-class ski area.

 
Financial backing was provided by Chicago industrialist Walter Paepcke. Paepcke and his wife, Elizabeth, were also interested in the community’s prospects as a summer cultural center. Aspen Skiing Corporation was formed in 1946 and Lift 1 officially opened on January 11, 1947.

In 1958, Pfeifer sold his interest in the Aspen Skiing Corporation and began to develop Buttermilk Mountain. At the same time, Whipple Van Ness Jones began building Aspen Highlands Ski Area. The Aspen Skiing Corporation bought Buttermilk in 1963 and a year later joined forces with real estate developer Bill Janss to build a fourth ski area 12 miles from Aspen. Snowmass at Aspen opened in 1967.

 
Aspen Skiing Corporation enjoyed growth and prosperity under the leadership of D.R.C. Brown, known as Darcy, whose father first came to Aspen in the late 1800s. 20th Century Fox bought the company in 1978. Aspen Skiing Corporation became Aspen Skiing Company in 1981, when Marvin Davis bought 20th Century Fox and it became privately held. Fox began to sell off its interest in ASC and by July 1985, the company was owned by the Crown family and a partnership called MKDG. The Crowns bought out MKDG and became sole owners in 1993.

Aspen Skiing Company began to diversify its interests in the late 80s, in response to the many changes taking place in the ski industry. ASC began construction on The Little Nell hotel in 1988 and the luxury hotel opened its doorsfor business in 1989. It is now recognized as one of the finest hotels in the world, gaining recognition as both a Forbes Five-Star and AAA Five-Diamond property. Only 53 properties in North America have achieved this level of recognition for its service facilities.

 
The Crowns and ASC purchased Aspen Highlands in 1993, in a joint partnership with developer Gerald Hines. The Aspen Skiing Company purchased The Limelight Lodge in April of 2010, and even though the property was completely renovated in 2008, the company made further improvements such as the addition of a restaurant, expanded amenities as well as complimentary ski programs. The company rebranded the property in 2012 as The Limelight Hotel, repositioning this Aspen institution as Aspen’s most inviting hotel.

 
ASC also operates 17 restaurants and 19 retail stores. Restaurants including element 47, Ajax Tavern, the Sundeck and Aspen Mountain Club on Aspen Mountain, Bumps and the Cliffhouse on Buttermilk, Cloud Nine and Merry-Go­ Round at Highlands and Elk Camp, Sam’s Smokehouse, Lynn Britt Cabin, Ullrhof, Up-for-Pizza, and Two Creeks on Snowmass. ASC’s retail stores are also located throughout all four mountains. Summer operations continue to be a more important part of the business, as the area has become a year-round destination resort.

Aspen Fast Facts:

Year Opened: 1947
Season bates: November 26, 2015-April 17, 2016
Base Elevation: 7,945 ft/2,422 m
Summit Elevation: 11,212 ft/3,418 m
Vertical Rise: 3,267 ft/996 m
Terrain: 675 acres/273 hectares
Number of Trails: 76
Miles/km of Trails: 64 miles/103 km
Longest Run: 3 miles/4.8 km
Steepest Run: Elevator Shaft section of the Silver Queen run-slope angle of 42
Types of Trails: Easiest- 0%, More difficult – 48%
Most difficult – 26%, Expert – 26%
Lifts: 8 Total – 6 primary – 1 six-passenger gondola: Silver Queen Gondola*; 1 high-speed quad: Ajax Express; 1 high­speed double: Ruthie’s; 1 quad: Gent’s Ridge; 2 doubles: Shadow Mountain, FIS;
2 secondary – 1 quad: Little Nell; 1 double: Bell Mountain * foot passengers permitted  

Lift capacity 10,755 riders/hour

BEST KNOWN FOR: Steep bump runs that drop right into the town of Aspen. 

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October 7, 2015

By Jill Beathard, jbeathard@snowmassun.com

Challenge Aspen is working on a longtime dream of its founder — to spread the adaptive snow sport teaching methods it employs around the globe.

Co-founder Houston Cowan and a group of instructors just returned from Interski 2015, a worldwide snowsports conference, that this year was held for the first time in South America. Cowan gave a presentation about the adaptive sports industry at the conference, and afterward, he and some Challenge Aspen instructors shared their methods with Argentine instructors.

“When I helped co-found Challenge Aspen in 1995 … it was kind of a dream to teach others how to teach,” Cowan said.

Challenge Aspen already has a presence in Bariloche, which started with “Decifio Bariloche” (Challenge Bariloche), a local program modeled after it. Now an organization called Challenge Argentina aims to train instructors at ski resorts throughout the country in adaptive teaching methods.

The alternating winters have helped the program grow as Aspen instructors have been able to go to Argentina in the summer, while their trainees have been able to come here in the winter, Cowan said.

Challenge Argentina invited the Snowmass Village-based nonprofit as a delegation to Interski, and Cowan was asked to give a keynote address. Cowan chose to speak on how ski areas can benefit from developing adaptive snow sports programs, using the partnership Aspen Skiing Co. and Challenge have as an example.

One in six families have a member with a disability, Cowan said. Challenge Aspen integrates family members into the activities it does with its participants, and Cowan stressed that as part of the nonprofit’s — and the ski area’s — success.

“I’ve never met someone who didn’t want to help people with disabilities,” Cowan said. “We happen to be in an industry that’s very expensive for anyone. You can’t look at it as a charity all the time. People with disabilities … can bring a lot to the financial aspect of ski areas.”

Challenge Aspen also took adaptive equipment to Argentina and offered on-snow clinics to interested Interski attendees. Following the conference, the group returned to Bariloche, where former Challenge Aspen instructors Charley Phelan and Bobby Palm led eight instructors from four different ski areas in a four-day intensive workshop in adaptive instruction. Their goal was to leave AADIDES, the Argentine equivalent of the Professional Ski Instructors of America, with a framework for certifying and training instructors in adaptive methods.

“It is my goal, a lifetime goal, to create a passion and accessibility for people with disabilities,” said Phelan, who with Palm now owns and operates a business training instructors in adaptive teaching methods throughout the world. “It was the trip of my lifetime so far, because I hope that it’s still building and that there’ll be another trip and that it’ll be better and it’ll be more successful.”

This winter, three Argentine ski areas plan to send instructors to Snowmass to train with Challenge Aspen. Representatives from other countries who were at Interski were also invited to participate. All part of a shared goal of helping people in other countries to have the same life-changing experiences that Challenge Aspen is able to provide here.

“We have no hidden agenda,” Cowan said. “We’re not trying to make any money. We’re just trying to teach others (so that) they don’t have to come to Aspen, hopefully they can do it in their own backyard.”

Aspen Times, October 8, 2015

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