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| Have Fun with Skiing History: Early Skiing in Aspen |
| Early Skiing in Aspen | ||||
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Settlers and miners started coming to Colorado after 1859 to look for silver. They soon learned that skiing was a great way to get around in the snowy winters. They used homemade skis with simple straps and a long pole for steering. It wasn’t long before they discovered that skiing was great fun! The miners often raced each other down from the mountains at night. Gradually, ski clubs and organized races developed. |
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Aspen kids ski off roofs! Many of the town’s children began skiing for fun by sliding off piles of snow from roofs. They made skies with hardwood taken from the floors of abandoned buildings. They would use steam from boiling water to curl the ends up, plane a groove down the middle, make bindings with leather straps and rubber from car inner tubes, and tromp up the nearby mountains to bomb down them as fast as they could. |
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Aspen skiing comes to life Aspen’s first ski lodge, the Highland Bavarian Lodge, opened in 1936. It was located up Castle Creek Valley, near Ashcroft. The lodge had a dining room, living room, and two double-decker bunkrooms with sixteen beds. |
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Aspen’s first ski run! In 1936, Andre Roch and the Aspen Ski Club made Aspen’s most famous ski run. It was on Aspen Mountain, and they called it Roch Run. |
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Aspen’s first lift: a boat tow! They also built a tow to carry skiers up the lower part of Aspen Mountain. It had an old Ford Model T motor, two old mine hoists, and two sleds that carried 8 people each. One boat would go up with skiers as the other one would come down empty. The only problem was that every once in a while, a loaded boat would go off course and dump its passengers. It cost 10 cents to ride up the boat tow. |
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Aspen hosts a national race! In 1941, Aspen was famous enough to host the National Downhill and Slalom Championships. |
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World War II and the 10th Mountain Division Because of World War 2, ski areas in America were put on hold. Aspen’s local skiers kept skiing on Aspen Mountain though. It was cheap and close, and there was nothing better to do during the winter. In 1941, the Tenth Mountain Division was created to climb, ski, and fight in winter mountain areas where parts of World War 2 were happening. Camp Hale, where the men trained, was a muddy, polluted, cold, and high place. Many soldiers suffered from coughs, frostbite, and exhaustion during their difficult training. Camp Hale was an unpleasant place for the soldiers, but the scenery was beautiful. Many of the soldiers came to Aspen on their days off. Sometimes, they came for training, but they came mostly for fun. They also skied and visited their wives if they were living here. Many of them fell in love with the area. After the war ended in 1945, some of the members of the 10th Mountain Division returned to Aspen. It was these men who got the skiing idea going again in Aspen and Colorado. Camp Hale turned out to be a great thing for Aspen! |
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The Aspen Skiing Co. is born! After World War II was over, skiing boomed in America. In 1946, some Tenth Mountain veterans decided to start a ski area in Aspen. They opened Lifts One and Two. Lift One was the longest chair lift in the world at the time. They also opened the Sundeck and a ski school. Lift tickets were $2.00 for one ride, $3.75 for a day, and $140 for a season ticket. |
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Dick Durrance brings Aspen up to speed! In 1947, Dick Durrance was hired to run the Aspen Skiing Corporation. His first job was to make Aspen Mountain skiable for beginners and intermediates. So, he cut Ruthie’s Run. He also got the 1950 FIS Championships Race to come to Aspen. This was very exciting and important for Aspen because it was the first time a European ski championship was held in the United States. Durrance also made ski films and sent them to ski clubs to advertise Aspen. Now test yourself on the history of early skiing in Aspen. |
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Source: Re-creation Through Recreation; Aspen Skiing from 1870 to 1970. Anne Gilbert
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