Aspen Mountain (ski area)
| Aspen Mountain | |
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"Ajax" in April 2005
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 Aspen Mountain
Location in the western United States
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| Location |
White River National Forest Aspen, Pitkin County, Colorado, U.S. |
| Nearest city | Aspen |
| Coordinates | 39°11′11″N 106°49′7″W / 39.18639°N 106.81861°WCoordinates: 39°11′11″N 106°49′7″W / 39.18639°N 106.81861°W |
| Vertical | 3,267 ft (996 m) |
| Top elevation | 11,212 ft (3,417 m) |
| Base elevation | 7,945 ft (2,422 m) |
| Skiable area | 673 acres (2.7 km2) |
| Runs | 76 total - 0% beginner - 48% intermediate - 26% advanced - 26% expert |
| Longest run | 3 miles (5 km) |
| Lift system | 8 total - 1 gondola - 1 high-speed quad chair - 1 high-speed double - 1 quad chair - 2 double chairs - 2 secondary lifts |
| Lift capacity | 10,755 / hr |
| Snowfall | 300 in (760 cm) |
| Snowmaking | 31% of area |
| Night skiing | none |
| Website | aspensnowmass.com |
Aspen Mountain (often called by its former name of Ajax among locals) is a ski area in the western United States, located in Pitkin County, Colorado, just outside and above the city of Aspen. It is situated on the north flank of Aspen Mountain (for which it is named) and the higher Bell Mountain at an elevation of 11,212 ft (3,417 m), just to the south of Aspen Mountain.
Founded 71 years ago in 1946 by Walter Paepcke, Aspen was the first ski area venture of the Aspen Skiing Company. It is one of four adjacent ski areas operated by the company as part of the Aspen Snowmass complex. At only 673 acres (2.7 km2), it is somewhat small compared to other ski areas, especially compared to the much larger nearby Snowmass ski area, and retains a unique cultural flavor that harkens to the earlier days of recreational skiing in the state. The ski area is located within the White River National Forest and is operated under permit from the U.S. Forest Service. It has three restaurants on the mountain; two are on top (one of which is a club that only allows members) and one mid-mountain.
Prior to 1946, the mountain had been the site of skiing using a crude boat lift, and by the use of the jeep trails up the back side of the mountain on Midnight Mine Road. In 1941, Aspen’s first national downhill and slalom championships are held March 8–9. Fritz Benedict visits Aspen for the first time, the father of the 10th Mountain Hut and Trail System. The foundation of the ski area in 1946 was accomplished with the installation of the single-seat chairlift, Lift-1. When it began operations on December 14, 1946, it was the longest chairlift in the world. Many of the first employees were veterans of the famed 10th Mountain Division, which had trained at Camp Hale, including Friedl Pfeifer of Austria and Pete Seibert. Before the war, Pfeifer had headed the ski school at Sun Valley and did the same at Aspen; Seibert was a member of the Aspen ski patrol would later found Vail Mountain (in 1962). In its fourth season, Aspen hosted the 1950 World Championships, the first world championships held outside of Europe, and the first since 1939.
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Wikipedia