Top 5 most-read stories: Maroon Bowl skiers in avalanche were experienced; Ajax Fitness is Aspen’s newest gym
We’ve rounded up the top five most-read stories on Aspentimes.com from last week.
1.) Maroon Bowl skiers in avalanche were experienced, and did a snowpack analysis the previous day
The trio of skiers involved in an avalanche in Maroon Bowl on March 19 that resulted in one death were experienced backcountry skiers who had skied in Maroon Bowl the previous day, according to the accident report from the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.
The three, who were vacationing in Aspen, had skied in the backcountry regularly for the past 15 years. They had taken avalanche courses in Europe and followed avalanche conditions in Colorado by reading CAIC forecasts in the weeks before their trip, the report says. Each of them carried avalanche rescue equipment and practiced regularly with the gear.
Gábor Házas, 54, of Budapest, Hungary, was killed in the slide.
— Audrey Ryan
2.) School threatener arrested in Old Snowmass showed AR-15, ordered armor-piercing bullets, according to police testimony
A photo shows a Glenwood Springs man holding an AR-15-style rifle in his apartment a month before he allegedly made online threats against Summit School District teachers and administrators, according to police testimony.
Then, two days before threats were publicly posted, police say Charles Draughn ordered “armor-piercing” bullets for an AR-15 online.
Law enforcement officers, however, never located any guns in his apartment or vehicle, according to the testimony of two detectives.
— Ryan Spencer, Summit Daily News
3.) Aspen’s newest gym owner wants to help the community strengthen their body and mind
Ajax Fitness, a new gym owned and operated by Aspen resident David Mills, will opened Friday with a grand opening complete with ribbon-cutting, appetizers and beverages, a live DJ, and fitness competitions.
He saw the gym as an opportunity to cultivate a healthy community space, a place where people can come together around physical fitness while strengthening their mental health, as well.
“I saw Ajax Fitness as an amazing opportunity to give the community something that I think we were in need of,” said David Mills. “We have other gyms in town – and they’re great, as well – but I just wanted to bring something that was state-of-the-art, that was really nice, and that could bring the community together through fitness.”
— Kristen Mohammadi
4.) Women in charge of two of four mountain ski patrols, as their numbers grow in male-dominated job
For the first time ever, Aspen Snowmass has two female heads of ski patrol – one at Aspen Mountain and the other at Aspen Highlands.
Also, the assistant ski patrol director at Aspen Mountain is a woman.
Sheer grit and determination by these women has led to their career trajectories in the male-dominated field of alpine safety and rescue.
— Julie Bielenberg
5.) Aspen co-creators of Snow Tequila determined to make brand a success
How do you enter a market saturated with half-billion-dollar, celebrity-driven brands and over 2,000 other options?
If you are Snow Tequila, the answer is simple: You listen to your kids.
The sons of co-creators Katrina Ilonka Johnson and Barbara Sanders were talking one day about two years ago at Johnson’s home in Los Cabos.
— Julie Bielenberg
