When Ivana Trump skied Aspen

As a resident of Aspen since 1970, I have many memorable experiences on the chair lifts over the year. One seems especially timely and I would like to share it with you now.

At the time I was living in a condo that backed up to the old 1A chair lift. Sliding down to that lift one day the lift operator put me in a chair with another lady. Ivana Trump. I immediately recognized her, but in the best Aspen tradition of not bothering celebrities I said nothing. However, I could not resist commenting on her spectacular ski outfit. She was wearing an amazing gold lame one-piece suit with matching headgear (before we all wore helmets). And so I said to her, “That is just an amazing outfit you have on.” She looked at me down her nose and said, “And yes, I had one like yours years ago.”

So I decided to torture her by making small talk all the way up that long lift. Since she had an accent, I asked her where she was from. She turned to me and said she was Austrian. We all know she is from the Czech Republic. So things went along like this for the 30-minute ride to the top at which she shot off the chair and bolted down one of the many double diamond runs that are accessed from the top! The woman could ski!

Cheryl Towning

Aspen