A Storied Snowsports Legacy
The Aspen Snowsports History Museum at Skiers Chalet
will showcase the area’s ski and snowboard history, and Aspen’s unique role in the origins and innovations of snowsports, at the place where lift-served skiing began on Aspen Mountain nearly 80 years ago. Take turns back time with treasured artifacts, interactive exhibits, and year-round programming. History will come to life in Aspen’s much anticipated new museum!
AHS will raise funds to create and operate a multi-level community hub in the relocated and renovated historical Skiers Chalet lodge building. Our funding goal is $20 million for the museum build-out, exhibitions, and administrative costs.
The unique slopeside museum
will showcase both the historical building and site, as well as house exhibitions and artifacts that illustrate the area’s storied past. Skiers Chalet will become the permanent home to many treasures–the original Aspen Mountain “boat tow;” chairs and the iconic orange canvas covers from the first Lift 1; even a retro snow mobile from Snowmass–all of which have been preserved by Aspen Historical Society.
With more than 11,000 artifacts related to skiing and snowboarding history in the AHS Archives, we’re more than just dusty old skis. The museum will bring the past to life with interactives– send it on a virtual run down the halfpipe or race the icons along Aspen Mountain’s iconic race course–plus historical photographs, video footage and countless artifacts. The museum will showcase the depths of the AHS Archives, including 10th Mountain Division uniforms, vintage ski fashion (think retro ski suits!) a comprehensive collection of ski models, and much more.
The Skiers Chalet facility,
a storied structure with deep community roots, will be revitalized as a community hub at Aspen’s famed western base area. With Aspen Snowmass ticketing, a public café, a third-floor community venue and its south-facing patio, Skiers Chalet will once again shine as the place to be!
The Vision:
Preserve & celebrate stories from the slopes
The Aspen Snowsports History Museum at Skiers Chalet
is dedicated to the community. Everyone who have made memories here shaped the town’s culture and legacy, making Aspen a world-class destination with an authentic and passionate local community. This museum will showcase those stories.
Aspen Historical Society’s mission to preserve and share the area’s storied history will be reflected throughout Skiers Chalet. Museum exhibitions will highlight stories of luck, ambition, and ingenuity that sparked the ski and snowsports industry and contributed to the evolution of the upper Roaring Fork Valley. The stories will continue throughout the building’s vibrant and welcoming community spaces, making history accessible, fun, and relevant in a dynamic slopeside experience.
The museum is located at the heart of the Lift One Corridor redevelopment –showcasing a throwback to “old” Aspen within Skiers Chalet–and putting history front and center while serving the community as part of Aspen Mountain’s reinvigorated original base area. Together with the City of Aspen’s Dolinsek Gardens park, the historical Steak House building, and the original Lift 1 gantry, the new museum will anchor the redeveloped Lift One corridor by celebrating the community’s past as part of a lively and inclusive hub at the base of Aspen Mountain.
Project Timeline
2019
Approval from City of Aspen voters
2020-2026
Planning
2026-2028
Capital Campaign
2028
Museum Build-Out Begins
2030
Projected Grand Opening
Who is involved in the museum project?
Find the answer to this and many other questions about the overall project:
Legendary Snowsports
Culture Continues.
To learn more about the museum and capital campaign, contact Kelly Murphy.