Long before there was an established Snowmass resort, Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club (AVSC) had already staked its claim on the slopes. Today, it remains the largest ski club in the United States. Located in one of the most expensive ski locations in the country, AVSC is a nonprofit focused on accessibility and affordability. “Whether it is providing a scholarship for a first-time skier or making sure our competitive athletes have the same access to great coaches, training facilities, and opportunities as anyone else, we believe every child should have the chance to experience our mountains,” says executive director August Teague. Last season, athletes received over $800,000 in financial aid, in addition to donated equipment.
Exciting additions help ramp up this year’s programming. In Snowmass, an old deck gets a new life as a training airbag, giving younger generations the chance to test their tricks on a little piece of history before going full-send slopeside. And thanks to a partnership with snowboarding icon Shaun White and his new Snow League, where the world’s top winter sports athletes go head-to-head in halfpipe competitions, students are brushing shoulders with their heroes. With these exclusive meet-ups and connections to AVSC alumni headed to the winter Olympics, they’ll have plenty of familiar faces to cheer for in Italy this year. “It is exciting for our athletes to see what is possible and to watch people who started just like them pushing the limits of their sport on the world stage,” says August.
The program will hold its biggest fundraiser of the season, the Audi Ajax Cup, on December 30. Watch students and pros race down Aspen Mountain to claim the famed Gorsuch Cup and bragging rights to last a lifetime. Cool off from the excitement and warm up by the fire with an après celebration at The St. Regis Resort. The event raises over $1 million annually—last year setting a record at $1.3 million. Can’t be there in person? Donate directly to AVSC and your support launches a kid’s first run… and maybe their first Olympic victory lap.
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