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Snowboarders embrace Aspen, which shunned them for years |
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Wednesday, January 25, 2012 21:09 |
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Olympic bronze medalist snowboarder Chris Klug of Aspen
The Aspen Times
ASPEN — For a resort town whose flagship mountain was one of the last to allow snowboarders, Aspen figures with surprising prominence in snowboarding history.
So it was somewhat appropriate that locals described by the Aspen Historical Society as the “Members of the Board: Pioneers of Shred” hit Aspen Mountain for a powder day Tuesday before gathering at the Wheeler Opera House to speak during the “Time Travel Tuesdays” program.
“I think that collectively there was 240 years of snowboard experience out there riding,” said panelist Chris Klug of Aspen, who won Olympic bronze in parallel giant slalom in 2002.
Klug joined fellow locals Larry Madden, founder of Alternative Edge and owner of Pride Snowboard n Ski Repair; Travis McLain, the Winter X Games gold medalist and Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club coach who owns Radio Boardshop; and Susan Saghatoleslami, a 17-year competitor who works as a snowboard pro for the Aspen Skiing Co., on the panel, along with Kevin Delaney, Jeff Grell, Chris Karol and Chris Tribble, whose histories intertwine with that of snowboarding in Aspen.
Aspen Mountain finally opened to snowboarders on April 1, 2001.
Read more about the history of snowboarding in Aspen.
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