ML - Aspen Peak

2012 - Issue 2 - Winter

Aspen Peak - Niche Media - Aspen living at its peak

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PHOTOGRAPHY BY ASPEN HISTORICAL SOCIETY F ront Runners Kim Atkins, Mark Chorzempa, and Mac Smith fly high during an Aspen Highlands Ski Patrol exhibition on March 22, 1979. the real aspen extreme LAPS ON HIGHLAND BOWL MAY CLINCH BRAGGING RIGHTS TODAY, YET HOT-DOGGING AT ASPEN HIGHLANDS HAS ALWAYS BEEN ON THE MENU. S ometimes boredom harbors genius ideas. Such was the case back in the '70s, when ski patrollers at Aspen Highlands built a jump to pass the time while awaiting patrol calls. The deck of what is now Cloud Nine Alpine Bistro became the stage for one of town's first "extreme" scenes; what started as horsing around morphed into a famous ski exhibition in 1974. The show featured mostly patrollers, but often the likes of such famed skiers as Jean- Claude Killy also showcased their enviable skills. "In the very beginning there were actually people eating lunch on the deck and we'd jump over them," says long- time Aspen Highlands Ski Patrol Director Mac Smith. "Then Whip Jones realized that wasn't a good idea." What Whipple Vann Ness Jones (the original owner and operator of 35 years at Aspen Highlands) did realize was that these stunts made for impressive marketing. Working with pioneering ski film producer Dick Barrymore, Jones would screen films of the exhibitions across the Midwest and at ski club gatherings to lure new skiers to Highlands. "We'd jump almost every day when it was sunny and we could do it," adds Smith. "Some years we were jumping close to 100 days a year." This daily dose of Aspen extreme lasted through 1993, when Aspen Skiing Company took over. Then, the legend- ary Freestyle Fridays were started above Highlands' Merry-Go-Round restaurant. This season the best action can be found at Snowmass, where the Big Air contests showcase the latest in tricks, spins, and flips. aspensnowmass.com AP 20 ASPENPEAK-MAGAZINE.COM

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