Snowmass History: A new lift in Snowmass

As reported in The Aspen Times, April 27, 1967, “Aspen Skiing Corp. president D.R.C. Brown, Jr. dedicated lift number five at Snowmass-at-Aspen Monday, April 24, which when completed will bring the number of lifts servicing the Aspen area to 27.” It went on to describe “Lift five starts at the Snowmass Camp Ground [sic] and rises to the top of 10,645 foot Sam’s Knob. Marketing manager for Snowmass-at-Aspen John Cooley said, ‘This lift opens up the most challenging ski terrain in the Snowmass area.’ The runs serviced by this lift are also the proposed site of the filming of the $2 million Paramount Studio movie ‘Downhill Racers’. Cooley said he called Steve Alexander, production manager of the film, two weeks ago and was informed that Paramount hopes to start shooting scenes for the movie when the ski season opens the end of this year.” Ultimately, the 1969 movie was not filmed in Snowmass. The new bull wheel is pictured getting built at the lower terminal of the lift in the Snowmass Creek Valley with Mtn Daly in the background, July 1967.