This week in Aspen History

“Top ski racers coming for World Cup,” announced the Aspen Times on March 4, 1976. “The world’s top amateur ski racers, including the Olympic medal winners and the leaders in the World Cup competition, will be in Aspen next week to compete in the Roch Cup World Cup races at Aspen Mountain and Aspen Highlands. Racers on hand for the event will include Franz Klammer, Gustavo Thoeni, Ingemar Stenmark, Piero Gros, Rosi Mittermaier, Kathy Kreiner, and the entire US Team, including Andy Mill, Greg Jones, Cary Adgate, Cindy Nelson and Susie Patterson. In all, competitors from 15 different countries will be arriving in Aspen, starting Sunday, March 7 for three days of practice and three days of racing. The races, sponsored by the Aspen Ski Club and the Aspen and Aspen Highlands skiing corporations, will be the thirtieth Annual Roch Cup races, as well as World Cup events. Many past Roch Cup winners will be on hand for a special Roch Cup Reunion. The racers will be coming here from a World Cup event at Copper Mountain, transferred there due to poor snow conditions in California, and will continue on after the race to the final World Cup competition in Canada. The racers will be housed in private homes while they are in Aspen.” The image above shows the crowd gathered to watch the World Cup Races on Aspen Mountain near lift 1A, 1976.