Aspen/Snowmass has a history that few North American resorts can rival. Aspen was one of the first towns in North America to run on electricity, and the Hotel Jerome had one of the first elevators west of the Mississippi. At the J Bar, you can still order a beer from the same barstool where miners, ranchers and world champion ski racers have sat over the last hundred years. When the first chairlifts were built on Aspen Mountain in 1946, they were the longest and covered the most vertical of any lift system in the world. North America's first FIS World Ski Championships were held in Aspen in 1950.

From the silver boom days of the 1890s, when Aspen's population swelled to 12,000 people, through the quiet years of the early 1900s when only 700 people lived here, to its rebirth as a ski town in the 1940s, Aspen has built upon its history and maintained a sense of community and character that enriches the Aspen/Snowmass experience. The tumultuous 50s, 60s and 70s saw a parade of characters roll into town to ski for a season, and then stay to lead the town into the future.

Building on this rich history and embracing its past, Aspen/Snowmass continues to rewrite its story every day. From the classic tradition of World Cup ski racing, which continues on Aspen Mountain's slopes today, comes the ESPN Winter X Games. In April 2001, Aspen Mountain opened permanently to snowboarders, and 2002 saw a historic partnership between Aspen Skiing Company and Intrawest Corporation for a new base village at Snowmass.

2007 In March, Aspen Skiing Company announced the opening of the Treehouse Kids' Adventure Center in Snowmass for December 2007.  The Treehouse is a $17 million project, the company's largest capital improvement to date, that will bring Snowmass' Ski & Snowboard Schools, rental and retail and children's entertainment all under one roof at the base of Snowmass.   The Treehouse stands as a first of its kind in the snowsports industry, boasting a family-friendly climbing wall, teen activities and a host of themed rooms for kids ages eight weeks and up.

Aspen Skiing Company also announced several other enhancements to Snowmass.  In 2007-2008, the new Elk Camp Meadows learning area will open at the top of the Elk Camp Gondola, with a mid-mountain lift and new terrain devoted to beginner skiers and snowboarders.  The Snowmass Park will be reconstructed under the Coney Glade lift for uninterrupted laps in the park.  Look for a bigger and better halfpipe, with walls higher than the Buttermilk pipe used in the X Games.

In addition to capital improvements, Aspen/Snowmass was widely recognized for the company's environmental efforts.  Aspen/Snowmass received the Tourism for Tomorrow Conservation Award from the World Travel and Tourism Council.  The company also received the Climate Leader Award from the Environmental Protection Agency and the Eco-Marketing Award from Ad Age.

On top of their awards, Aspen/Snowmass recently supported a Supreme Court lawsuit asking the EPA to regulate carbon dioxide as a pollutant. The court ruled in the company's favor, a decision that will force big auto and other industries to address global warming pollution.

In doing their part to preserve the environment, Aspen/Snowmass announced the installation of the largest solar panel in the ski industry, a 10.64 kilowatt system on the company's Thunder River Lodge affordable housing complex in Carbondale, Colorado.  The system is more than four times larger than the next largest system in the ski industry, ASC's 2.3 kW system at Aspen Highlands.

2006 In January, Aspen Skiing Company and ESPN reach an agreement that keeps the Winter X Games, the world's signature action sports event, in Aspen/Snowmass through Winter X Games 14 in 2010, for a total of nine consecutive years (2002-2010). The announcement is the second long-term announcement made with the two entities; in January 2004, Winter X Games and ASC announced a three-year deal to keep the event in Aspen through 2007.

Aspen/Snowmass announces that the resort will meet 100 percent of its electricity needs with the purchase of green, renewable energy certificates. This is the largest purchase in the industry and essentially makes the resort 100 percent wind powered.

The opening of the Elk Camp Gondola in December makes it a triple header – Aspen/Snowmass opened three new gondolas in one calendar year. The Sky Cab opened in December 2005, and the new Silver Queen Gondola on Aspen Mountain opened on July 1, 2006.

2005  After almost four years of planning and study, Snowmass Base Village was approved by voters in Snowmass Village.  The development of the new Snowmass Base Village kicked off in July with an official groundbreaking ceremony signaling the start of the initial construction phase.

Visitors at Snowmass are treated to the new Village Express Lift - a six-passenger lift that whisks skiers and riders from the base of Fanny Hill to the top of Sam's Knob in a speedy 9.5 minutes, with mid-way unloading station.  Also new is the Mall Connector or Sky Cab.  The two minute Sky Cab gondola ride connects the existing Snowmass Mall and the new Base Village, offering lower Fanny Hill access for children"s learn to ski/snowboard programs.

Deep Temerity opens at Aspen Highlands with 180 acres of new advanced and expert terrain along with the Deep Temerity triple chair, which rises 1,700 vertical feet in 7.3 minutes. The new lift will eliminate the need to ski/ride the long traverse out of Highland Bowl and allow for more direct fall line skiing and riding while doing laps in the Bowl.

2004  In January, Aspen Skiing Company and ESPN reached a landmark agreement keeping the Winter X Games, the world's signature action sports event, in Aspen/Snowmass through Winter X Games XI in 2007.

The Aspen Skiing Company receives several awards including the Colorado Ethics in Business Award for overall business ethics in areas such as corporate guiding principals, environmental responsibility, and employee programs. Mountain Sports Media once again honors the company for environmental excellence in the ski industry with the prestigious Golden Eagle Award. And the Snowmass Club receives the American Hotel and Lodging Association Enviro-Management Award.

2003 Aspen Skiing Company and ESPN announce the Winter X Games will return in 2004 for the third consecutive year marking the first time a city has hosted an X Games event (summer or winter) for three consecutive years. Typically, X Games events change sites every two years.

2002 Aspen Skiing Company ownership announce a partnership with Intrawest to develop a new base village at Snowmass. New lifts and a gondola are to be included in the development.

The ESPN Winter X Games roll into town, drawing the largest event crowds in the history of Aspen/Snowmass.

Local snowboarder Chris Klug captures Olympic Bronze in the parallel giant slalom.

The Aspen Ski Plane is a huge success in its first year, bringing more than 1,500 Denver-area residents to Aspen/Snowmass for a day of skiing - the ski plane includes round-trip airfare, airport transfer and a lift ticket for just $99.

In March, Aspen Skiing Company becomes the first in the industry to require children 6 and under to wear helmets while in Ski School programs. The program was expanded to include children 12 and under for the 2002/2003 season.

The ESPN Winter X Games rolls into town, drawing the largest event crowds in the history of Aspen/Snowmass.

2001 Peak Experience! Highland Bowl at Aspen Highlands opens all the way to the 12,300' summit. 18,312 people made the hike in the inaugural season.

Aspen Skiing Company announces that snowboarding will be allowed on Aspen Mountain starting April 1. The skiers only mountain tradition comes to a close as Aspen Mountain welcomes snowboarders on this day kicking off a two week celebration with parties, contests, and music everyday called "Spring Jam".

The Ritz-Carlton Club debuts as a "distinguished private residence club" at Aspen Highlands. The Ritz-Carlton Club is membership only private residences, and Willow Creek, The Ritz-Carlton Club restaurant at the base of Aspen Highlands is a casual, yet elegant setting that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner is open to the public.

Aspen Skiing Company is awarded the 2001 Golden Eagle Award for Overall Environmental Excellence in the Ski Industry. Aspen Skiing Company also received this award in 1998 and 1999 and is the award's first three-time recipient.

2000 The Aspen Institute celebrates its 50th Anniversary.

1999/2000 Aspen Skiing Company celebrates the millennium by announcing lift ticket prices as low as $39 per day for the 1999/2000 season. Price is based on a six-day ticket and represents a 40 percent saving off of the 1998/1999 single day window price. The discounted pricing is such a resounding success that ASC renews offer for the 2000/2001 season. Tickets must be purchased by Dec. 1 and there are no blackout dates.

1999 The new Sundeck restaurant at the summit of Ajax debuts in December with an expansive 22,000-square-foot facility. A few months later it receives the U.S. Green Building Council's prestigious Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification for the rigorous greening of the building. Aspen Skiing Company is also awarded the 1999 British Airways Tourism for Tomorrow Environmental Award. The new Cloud Nine high-speed quad delivers riders to the top of Cloud Nine, accessing fabulous intermediate terrain.

1998 The nation's highest lift-served ski run is renamed Rocky Mountain High, in tribute to the late John Denver. Located at Snowmass, the Cirque lift serves the run and is the first in the country to be operated solely by clean, renewable wind power.

Closing day at Highlands marks the end of the ski season and the close of Highlands Café, a favorite local's hangout since the 1960s. Days later, construction begins on the new Highlands Village. The Cloud Nine Café, also a working patrol headquarters, debuts in Dec. offering spectacular views, a sun-splashed deck and excellent European bistro-style cuisine.

1997/98 Snowmass celebrates 30 years of skiing and is considered one of the most convenient destination resorts in the world, with 95 percent ski-in/ski-out accommodations, 3,010 acres of terrain, 20 lifts and 11 on-mountain restaurants. The Cirque lift opens, with an 800-foot vertical rise to an elevation of 12,510 feet above sea level, giving Snowmass the nation's longest lift-served vertical rise (4,406 feet). The Cirque area is home to elk, bighorn sheep and mountain goats. The lift is built in an ecologically sound fashion to protect the animals and their habitat.

1996/97 Aspen Skiing Company marks its 50th anniversary and enjoys a season-long birthday celebration. With more than 3,000 employees and 4,700 acres of ridable terrain across four mountains, Aspen Skiing Company secures its status as a world-class winter destination.

1995 Two Creeks base area at Snowmass opens, providing guests with a second gateway to the mountain. Located 10 minutes closer to Aspen than Snowmass Village Mall, Two Creeks base area features a ticket office and ski/snowboard school desk, rental and retail shop, food service, 200-car parking and free bus service to Aspen and the Snowmass Village Mall. A high-speed quad whisks riders from Two Creeks to the popular Elk Camp area in 10 minutes.

1993 Harris Concert Hall opens at Aspen Meadows next to the Bayer-Benedict Music Tent.

1993 Whip Jones donates Highlands to Harvard University, which sells the area to Houston-based developer Gerald Hines. Hines becomes a partner in Aspen Skiing Company, which assumes operations of Highlands. Highlands becomes the fourth ski mountain to come under the management of Aspen Skiing Company.

1989 Ingemar Stenmark wins his 86th and final World Cup race on Aspen Mountain.

1978 Alpine Springs and High Alpine areas open at Snowmass. 1987 Aspen Mountain's Silver Queen Gondola, the longest single-stage gondola in the world, opens on the 40th anniversary of Aspen Skiing Company.

1968 The first official Aspen Alpine World Cup races are held on Aspen Mountain, one year after the series is created. Billy Kidd wins the slalom.

1968 Elizabeth Paepcke establishes a wildlife sanctuary, which later becomes Aspen Center for Environmental Studies. 1971 Elk Camp, the next area of Snowmass, opens.

1967 Snowmass-at-Aspen, just 12 miles from Aspen, officially opens Dec. 17 as a joint venture of Aspen Skiing Corporation and the Janss Corporation. There are five chairlifts and 50 miles of trails, including Big Burn, Sam's Knob, Coney Glade and Campground. Lift tickets are $6.50.

1963 Aspen Skiing Corporation purchases Buttermilk Mountain from Pfeifer.

1958 Friedl Pfeifer opens Buttermilk Mountain. Whip Jones opens Highlands. William Janss, a former ski racer and land developer, becomes interested in Snowmass and purchases the majority of the land at its base - 17 years after having first visited Aspen to compete in the National Alpine Championships. The first organized skiing on Snowmass begins that year, with Aspen Skiing Corporation offering snowcat powder tours on the Big Burn and Sam's Knob.

1950 Aspen hosts the first FIS World Alpine Championships in North America, giving Aspen international recognition as a world-class ski area.

1949 Interested in the community's prospects as a summertime cultural center, Paepcke helps organize the Goethe Bicentennial Convocation, a celebration of German culture, which would evolve into the Aspen Institute for Humanistic Studies and the Aspen Music Festival & School. Dr. Albert Schweitzer gives the dedication address in what would be his only visit to the United States. Today, the Paepckes are honored as major contributors to Aspen's cultural significance.

1947 Lift 1 officially opens on Jan. 11 and is dedicated as the world's longest chairlift, with Pfeifer and Paepcke in attendance.

1946 Aspen Skiing Corporation is formed. Lift 1 unofficially opens for skiing on Dec. 14.

1946 Aspen Ski Club hosts the first André Roch Cup, before the first chairlift on Aspen Mountain is operational. A snowstorm moves in on race day, and competitors hike up Roch Run in a foot of unpacked powder.

1945 Walter Paepcke, president of Container Corporation of America, and his wife Elizabeth visit Aspen, are taken with its charm and begin dreaming of it as a cultural center. Paepcke meets with Pfeifer and they collaborate on Aspen's first chairlift; Pfeifer opens the Aspen Ski School.

1941 Aspen's first national downhill and slalom skiing championships are held in March. The U.S. Army's 10th Mountain Division begins training near Leadville at Camp Hale. Austrian native Friedl Pfeifer, who had been teaching at Sun Valley, is a member of the 10 th Mountain Division and skis Aspen Mountain while on furlough. He vows to return after the war and develop Aspen into a world-class ski resort. After the war, Pfeifer relocates to Aspen and begins buying up mining claims and surface rights.

1936 Another "ore" is discovered - snow. With the idea of starting a ski area on nearby Mt. Hayden, Swiss ski racer André Roch, who mapped out the first run on Aspen Mountain, conducts a land survey of the Ashcroft area for three investors (who then build the Highland Bavarian Lodge on Castle Creek Road). They plan to build a complete resort, but are thwarted by the outbreak of World War II. In town, Aspenites build a ten-passenger "boat" tow, powered by an old mine hoist and truck engine, and cut the first ski run, Roch Run, on the face of Aspen Mountain.

1930s Now known at the "Quiet Years", Aspen's population hits a low of approximately 700 residents who enjoy a fulfilling, though tough, lifestyle. The community is close-knit, quiet and full of characters.

1917 Some mines remain open, but Aspen's population falls, and farming and ranching become the mainstays of the local economy. Cattle and potatoes replace silver as the dominant commodities.

1894 Mining activity slows dramatically, but some mines remain active. The world's largest silver nugget - 2,200 lbs. - is uncovered in the Smuggler Mine in 1894.

1892 Aspen becomes the largest silver-producing district in the nation, supplying 1/6 of the United States' and 1/16 of the world's total silver. Aspen boasts 12,000 residents, six newspapers, four schools, three banks, a volunteer fire department, 10 churches, a modern hospital, an opera house and a small, but flourishing, brothel district on Durant Street. 1893 Congress repeals the Sherman Silver Act, demonetizing silver. Following the Silver Panic, Aspen's economy begins a long, downward slide.

1890 The Sherman Silver Act is passed, assuring a continuing market for silver. Aspen's population reaches 8,000. A precursor to ski lifts, a cable tramway to haul ore and men up Aspen Mountain is completed. Local resident, D.R.C. Brown, becomes one of town's most influential men. His son, Darcy Brown, would grow up to be president of Aspen Skiing Corporation.

1889 Hotel Jerome and Wheeler Opera House open. Built by Jerome B. Wheeler, they are monuments to the prosperity and cultural interests of the community.

1888 The Midland railroad arrives in Aspen and builds its train station above Durant Street at the base of Aspen Mountain. Durant Street develops as the rougher part of town.

1887 The Denver and Rio Grande Railroad reaches Aspen. The train station is located where Rio Grande Field is today, below the Pitkin County Library. Because of the railroad, the silver mines can now economically ship ore to market, and mining activity increases.

1885 Hydroelectric power, generated from Hunter Creek, is used in the mines. Soon, Aspen has public electricity throughout the community. One former power plant currently houses the Aspen Art Museum.

1880 B. Clark Wheeler and others snowshoe over Independence Pass to view their claims. They plan a new town site and name it "Aspen. " 1883 Jerome B. Wheeler (no relationship to B. Clark Wheeler), a partner in Macy's stores in New York, begins investing in the mining camp. Other investors follow Wheeler's example and the town begins to prosper.

1879 The first prospectors leave Leadville, the second largest city in Colorado at the time, to explore for silver. They arrive in the Roaring Fork Valley via treacherous Independence Pass, which crosses the Continental Divide at nearly 12,100 feet. There, 13 of them stay the winter to protect their claims and name the area Ute City. The first investors in the new mining camp include B. Clark Wheeler, Charles Hallam and David Hyman. They buy several claims, sight unseen, for $160,000.

Pre-1879 The Roaring Fork Valley is frequented in the summer by Ute Indians. The valley remains excluded from Anglo exploration because of Indians and difficult terrain.