Aspen’s trail sign auction raises almost $50,000 toward mobile homes park purchase

Aspen’s trail sign auction ended on Sunday, Oct. 5, after raising $45,426 toward the Aspen Basalt and Mountain Valley mobile homes parks purchase that has been ongoing throughout the summer. 

The sale on the two parks is expected to close next week after various stakeholders in the Roaring Fork Valley raised more than $16 million to support the two communities. 

“It’s great to see people spending some serious money — not just to get a piece of Aspen memorabilia, but also support these families to stay in their home,” said Hannah Berman, sustainability and philanthropy senior manager at Aspen One.

Aspen One’s trail sign auction was part of its $100,000 increased contribution after their initial $500,000 commitment toward the parks’ purchase. Aspen One will fill the remaining $54,574 leftover on their $100,000 commitment following the trail sign auction. 

Aspen One occasionally does trail sign auctions for philanthropic purposes as signs are retired and replaced on the resorts. Signs in this particular auction went for between $125 and $4,000. 

The sign that captured the highest bid was a Little Nell sign, which was bid up to $4,000. Other notable signs were a Two Creeks Lift sign, which was bid to $3,000; an Ajax Express lift sign, which was bid to $2,300; a Summer Road sign, which was bid to $2,200; and a sign for Corkscrew Gully, which was bid to $2,100. 

Despite the high final price of the Little Nell sign, it was the Summer Road sign that brought the most competition in, getting a total of 29 bids. The entire auction got a total of 555 bids. 

According to a spokesperson for Aspen Snowmass, a sign for Uncle Chuck’s trail was bid on almost exclusively by individuals who appeared to be named Chuck or Charlie. The sign ultimately was bid to $650.