Snow Screw

In 1991, Steve Knowlton donated a Snow Screw to the Aspen Historical Society Archives. The early snow machine was designed and built in the late 1930s by Denver-area mechanic Marty Keller as a commission for DRC Brown Jr. (President of Aspen Ski Corporation from 1957 – 1978). With the onset of WWII, Darcy brought the machine to Aspen. It is unclear how the Snow Screw was used during that period, but Darcy ultimately gave it to Steve in the 1950s to display at his restaurant on the front range, Cafe Kandahar. When the restaurant closed, the Snow Screw ended up at Buttermilk circa 1990. Over the years, it has been stored in various locations in the Roaring Fork Valley.

snow screw

Marty & Florence Keller sit on the Snow Screw in 1983.

In 2017, Aspen Historical Society raised funds to purchase a trailer to transport the Snow Screw. After it was displayed in Wagner Park during the World Cup events in Aspen, the Snow Screw returned to Buttermilk where the mechanic team restored it to working conditions in a collaboration between Aspen Skiing Company and AHS.

The Snow Screw measures 6 feet by 9 feet. It features a Ford flathead V8 engine and a gas tank from a Model T that dates back to 1918. The design allows the machine to move across snow using two large pontoons moving in spiral motion to propel the machine forward, like a screw. The vehicle is thought to be a first generation snow machine, likely one of very few that were produced.

A letter from DRC Brown to Keller’s daughter Annette: he explained that the Snow Screw worked well on flat terrain but wasn’t as successful as hoped on steep terrain. Also in the letter, Darcy explains he had applied for applied for a patent for the technology and learned that Henry Ford had already patented the idea.

Watch a similar Snow Screw in motion in this YouTube video.

Aspen Historical Society is grateful to the donors who have supported the Snow Screw: the Iselin Foundation, the Ruth H. Brown Foundation, an anonymous donor, and the Cerise and Beck families. Thanks also goes to Aspen Skiing Company, especially Donny Mushet, Jeff Jensen, and their team at Buttermilk for restoring the Snow Screw.

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We gratefully acknowledge we gather on the land of the Uncompahgre band of the Ute Nation, or Nuche, past and present. We honor this land and the people who lived in harmony with the natural world for generations before their forced removal. We are committed to sharing the complete history of the land, recognizing and partnering with Native Peoples, and supporting the advancement of Native places and heritage. This calls us all to be better stewards of the land we inhabit and the natural resources we benefit from today.