1954

The season was off to a full swing and the town was filled to capacity with visitors.  The guests were eager to get up on the hill and make first tracks in the fresh snow, spend the day skiing and of course cap it off with the best Apris ski dinner and drinks anywhere on the plant.  Aspen was smaller back then, and to say the town was at capacity would mean 200 to 300 people were in town on vacation.  With the “quiet years” fading in her memory, Aspen wanted to put its best foot forward as any resort knew it must.  Word of mouth was the best advertising or the worst.

Lift 1

In 1953 Lift 1 was a state of the art, single chairlift that could carry its passengers swiftly to the midway point on Aspen Mountain.  A short distance from the top of Lift 1 was the loading area for Lift 2 which was the final leg to reach the top of the mountain.  The entire trip on a good day could get you to the top of the mountain in just under 30 minutes.  From there you could spend the day skiing on the top half of the mountain, only needing to ski down at the end of the day.  By this time Lift 3 was now in operation which provided a quick trip back to the top from Tourtolette Park.  Others liked the thrill of being able to ski from the top to the bottom in record time and get their breath back during the extended ride back up.

On very cold days, the chairs had wool-lined canvas covers that the occupants could snuggle into for the trip up the mountain.  The newest covers even had plastic windows to look out while being completely covered from the elements.   Often the skiers would fall asleep and the operators at the top would be forced to stop the lift in order to wake up their guests and get them safely off the lift.

The Sundeck

At the top of Aspen Mountain at 12,212 feet sat the original Sundeck lodge.  Herbert Bayer designed the Sundeck with some very innovative ideas of the time.  It was a round building with a giant rock fireplace in the middle.  The roof was made of copper and was reversed so that the middle sat lower than the outer edges.  The chimney from the fire place pointed out the middle of the roof.   This design allowed the snow to collect on the roof and the heat of the fires would heat the copper roof causing the snow to melt.  The water was collected and ran down a pipe to the bathrooms on the lower level which provided some of the water necessary to flush the toilets.  All other water requirements were met with water brought up to the sundeck on snow cats or by other means.

The Sundeck also boasted large windows with 360 degree views of the surrounding mountains and valleys.  In the warmer months skiers could eat outside on small decks that overlooked the Capital and Maroon Valleys and beyond.

Over the years many additions were made to the original building, expanding the kitchen, living quarters were added so that the restaurant offered extended dining hours as well as coverage for the lift crews and ski patrol.  Finally, in 1999 the old building was demolished making room for the “new” Sundeck.

Disaster Strikes

I do not know the specific date of the disaster but, suffice to say it was a bad day no matter when it happened.  During morning operations one of the “cogs” (teeth) on Lift 1’s six-foot bull wheel broke off bringing the lift to a halt.   There were no riders on at the time; however, the lift was down until a repair could be made.  At first the mechanic brought in thought he could pin and weld the broken piece back on, but soon learned that the bull wheel would need to be replaced.  While the lift crew set out to get a replacement for the bull wheel the town was faced with a public relations disaster of its own.

It would not take long for word to get out that Aspen was not the place to go skiing.  With that in mind the president of the Chamber of Commerce, Natalie Gignoux, put out a call for help.  They had to get the skiers back up on the mountain as quickly as possible.

At the time, the Midnight Mine was still in operation on the back of Aspen Mountain, and the road was in pretty good shape up to the mine.  The last few miles would need to be cleared in order to provide rides to the Sundeck.  John Hyrup spent all night plowing the final stretch of the road to the top, and by morning a single lane road was opened.

First thing in the morning, an armada of Jeeps, Jeep station wagons and any other usable four-wheel drive vehicles were assembled in town and ready to make the trips necessary to shuttle the skiers up.  Natalie, the owner of “The Little Percent Taxi,” offered up a couple of her jeeps.  Elizabeth Worden offered her jeep for the fleet as did many other local Jeep owners.  David Stapleton, John Thorpe, Euclid Worden, my father (Neil Beck) and a host of other volunteers provided the necessary drivers.

Each vehicle could carry up to three or four skiers and their equipment.  Since the road past the mine was only wide enough for one vehicle at a time, the fleet moved up and down in a giant caravan.  The skiers were asked to stay up on the top half of the mountain for the day in order to ensure there were enough rides for everyone.  The skiers stayed up until the last run down, with a few guests and locals alike ignoring the request and gaining the ire of the volunteers.  Meanwhile, Mr. Bowles (Art’s dad) offered his snow cat to bring the new bull wheel up the mountain the next day.  It was also used to pull the empty toboggans back up the hill throughout the day.

The “Jeep Lift” ran from about 8:00am until after 2:00pm that day.  With the hard work and indomitable spirit of the community, the “Jeep Lift” was a success and the vacations of the town’s guests were saved.