Photography by: Michele Cardamone

ON THE WAY UP

The 73-year-old Aspen Valley Ski Club continues to produce some of the best winter athletes in the country, and they’ve shown no sign of slowing down

In the winter of 1937, before Aspen Mountain had a single ski run, local mining engineer Frank Willoughby and Swiss mountaineering expert André Roch formed the Roaring Fork Winter Sports Club. The club was led by skiers intent on building a ski resort in the Aspen area. They could scarcely appreciate that their little group would evolve into the Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club—now over 2,000 skiers and boarders strong—an outlet for children and teens to experience the mountains in winter, build character, challenge themselves, and make
new friends. 

AVSC produces some of the best winter athletes in the world; five club graduates competed in the 2010 Winter Olympics, including Gretchen Bleiler. This year AVSC has even attracted new international talent in the form of snowboarder Jamie Sanderson, a New Zealander expected to be a major competitor for years to come.

Its evolution has been slow and steady. In 1938, the club changed its name to the Aspen Ski Club and counted Hall of Fame skier Dick Durrance, who competed in the 1936 and 1940 Olympics, as a member. That year, Willoughby and Roch carved the famous first run on Aspen Mountain, Roch Run, where many national and international races are still held today. 

After World War II, the club began to grow. Early racers included Steve Knowlton, Pete Seibert, and Gale Spence, competitors and hosts of the 1950 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in Aspen. By the 1970s, the club had grown to over 150 racers, and volunteer coaches became paid professionals. In the 1990s, the Aspen Nordic ski team, the Bill Koch Ski League, and snowboarders from Team Tiehack all merged with the Aspen
Ski Club to form a winter
sports powerhouse.

Clearly a lot has changed since those first days in 1937—there are now reverse-camber fat skis, Gore-Tex jackets, and surround sound in gondolas—but a lot has stayed the same. Kids are still eager to learn from local pros, people still pray for snow, and a powder turn is still the best feeling in the world.