Aspen's Victorian Miners Skied to Get Places.

Scandinavian hard rock miners brought skiing to the Rocky Mountain West in the mid 19th century. Colorado’s skiing mailmen were already a legend when prospectors from Leadville discovered silver in Aspen in 1879. Aspen’s Swedish settlers taught their neighbors to make skis, called "Norwegian snowshoes." With 52 feet of snow in the gullies, Warner Root reported, "It was not long ’till each member of the party had at least two pair." The next winter, two ambitious prospectors skied back over Independence Pass to Leadville to buy oysters for a Christmas party the men were preparing for the women.

During the winter of 1899, probably the worst storm in Colorado’s history hit the little mining town now known as the ghost town of Independence. As the miners began to run out of food, they proceeded to dismantle their homes, make 75 pairs of skis, and escape, en masse, to the safety of Aspen. They later made light of their adventure as a race of the Hunter’s Pass Tenderfoot Snowshoe Club, for which the entry fee was one ham sandwich.