Snowmass

When Snowmass director of skiing Stein Eriksen loaded the first chairlift on December 16, 1967, all eyes were on Snowmass-at-Aspen, then the countrys largest and most complete winter resort. Former Olympic ski racer Bill Janss had spent the previous nine years buying up ranches in the pastoral Brush Creek Valley for the project, spurred by a tip from his friend, a local ski instructor who had searched the state and realized that the slopes of Baldy Mountain were ideal for skiing. Public and private snowcat ski tours confirmed this, generating nationwide buzz for the deep powder and endless vertical. Inspired by his years spent skiing in Europe, Janss planned Snowmass to emulate ski villages in the Alps, nestled against the slopes and with nature as their defining principle. After just nine months of construction, Snowmass opened in December 1967 with five chairlifts and 50 miles of trails during a festive and frenzied weekend of last-minute preparations and celebrations, with journ...