History

Mission Statement

To recognize and honor those individuals who have had a significant and lasting impact on the Aspen/Snowmass communities by demonstrating excellence and leadership in sports, civic activities, culture or philanthropy, and to inspire the next generation to follow in their footsteps.

The idea for the Aspen Hall of Fame began in 1985 as the Aspen Skiing Company planned a celebration of Aspen’s 40th anniversary of skiing the following year. The concept of the Aspen Hall of Fame was to honor the “pioneers” who dedicated their lives to the development of skiing and to the betterment of our community, as well as to establish a meaningful annual event during the celebration that would live beyond the season of celebration.

The first Hall of Fame committee represented a cross-section of the community, including representatives from the arts council and the historical society, from the ski club and the ski company, as well as 10th Mountain Division soldiers. The first banquet was held during the Aspen Skiing Company’s 40th Anniversary Celebration week in January 1987.

We rely on our partnership with the Aspen Historical Society for access to the Historical Society’s photo archives and to archive our biographical videos of each year’s inductees. Each year’s banquet features an awards presentation, introduced by a video profiling the life of each inductee

2024 Aspen Hall of Fame Inductees Mike Kaplan, Mary Ryerson and Charlie Hopton