Aspen Skiing Company facts for kids
The Aspen Skiing Company, often called Ski Co, is a business in Aspen, Colorado. It runs the Aspen/Snowmass resort. This resort has four fun ski areas: Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands, Buttermilk, and Snowmass.
History of Aspen Skiing
The company started in 1946. It was founded by Friedl Pfeifer, a ski instructor, and Walter Paepcke, a businessman from Chicago. Other founders included Judge William E. Doyle, James J. Johnston, and H. F. Klock. Paepcke also helped start cultural places in Aspen, like the Aspen Institute and the Aspen Music Festival.
The Aspen Skiing Company opened the Aspen Mountain Ski Resort. The first chairlift, called Lift-1, opened on December 14, 1946. It was the longest chairlift in the world at that time!
In 1950, the company hosted the FIS World Alpine Championships. This was the first big international skiing competition in the United States. Later, the company opened more ski areas. They opened Buttermilk in 1958 and Snowmass in 1967. In 1993, they also took over Aspen Highlands, which started in 1958.
The company didn't pay out profits until 1977. That's when Twentieth Century Fox bought it. After that, ticket prices started to go up. In the 1970s, a day ticket was about $10. Now, prices are more like other ski resorts.
In 2012, the Aspen Skiing Company built a special power plant. It uses methane gas from a mine to create electricity. This plant is in Somerset, Colorado.
Besides running four ski areas, the company also owns hotels. These include The Little Nell and The Limelight in Aspen. They also have Limelight hotels in Ketchum, Idaho, and Snowmass, Colorado. The company runs restaurants on and off the mountains. They also have a ski and snowboard school. This school teaches all levels, from beginners to experts. The ski season usually runs from Thanksgiving Day until mid-April. This depends on the weather and how much snow there is.
The Crown family from Chicago currently owns the Aspen Skiing Company. Mike Kaplan is the President and CEO of the company.
In March 2022, Aspen Skiing Co. announced big plans for Buttermilk. They plan to spend $23 million to update it. This project should be ready for the 2022-2023 ski season.
Protecting Water Rights
The Aspen Skiing Company supported a law called the Water Rights Protection Act. This law would stop federal agencies from making companies give up their water rights. This is important for companies that use public lands.
In 2012, a court said that ski companies should keep their private water rights. But the United States Forest Service wanted a new rule. They wanted ski resorts to give their water rights to the government. This would be a condition for getting permits to operate on federal lands. The ski industry in Colorado disagreed with this. They felt this law was needed to stop the Forest Service from demanding their valuable water rights. David Corbin, a Vice President at Aspen Skiing Company, said that without water, the company could not operate.
See also
- Aspen Community Foundation
