Aspen is just as much an idea as it is a physical town.
It started with the silver rush in the 1870s — the idea that fortunes could be made in difficult places — and was reborn in the wake of World War II as a ski destination. Leading the way was a former member of the 10th Mountain Division, Friedl Pfeifer, who banded together with industrialist Walter Paepcke and his wife Elizabeth to make the town and its mountain a destination for those seeking renewal of their mind, body and spirit. As Walter once said, "Aspen had fishing, climbing, skiing. Aspen had so much to add to leisure, to the renewal of the inner spirit. It was the perfect setting for music, art, education…all the things that make life worth living.” This was the original vision behind the creation of the world renowned Aspen Institute, Aspen Music Festival and School, and overall ethos of renewal cultural immersion in an inspiring and energizing community situated in the heart of the glorious Elk Mountain Range.
In 1950, Aspen hosted the United States’ first world skiing competition, which attracted more than 1,500 people and gave Aspen Mountain worldwide visibility. From that day forward, skiing in the valley would take on a whole new meaning. The concept of the Aspen Idea made its international debut in 1949 with the hosting of the Goethe Festival, attracting Albert Schweitzer, the world renowned musician, philosopher, physician and lecturer, for his first North American visit. It is these roots that have made Aspen, a sleepy little town far from the urban cultural centers, what it is today: a vibrant, beautiful, forward-looking community that attracts the world’s most passionate athletes, artists, thought-leaders and life enthusiasts. The energy created from our founding continues to inspire and inform us today as we evolve with new endeavors such as the Aspen Ideas Festival, X Games, the 2017 Alpine Skiing World Cup Finals, the Aspen Music Festival and School’s new campus and innovative programming, as well as the Shigeru Ban designed Aspen Art Museum.
Aspen Mountain — as well as Snowmass, Aspen Highlands and Buttermilk — have always been about more than just skiing.
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