Our company was founded in 1946 in part by 10th Mountain Division veterans who had returned from fighting fascism in World War II. They came here to heal themselves, with skiing as a principal salve. With his Aspen Institute, Walter Paepcke had a multi-step vision: make Aspen a place to take you out of your usual life, expose you to new ways of thinking through art, culture, science, music, conversation, and the outdoors, and send you off to repair the world. This idea is the core of our company vision: “To renew the mind, body, and spirit to inspire a better world.”
In that spirit, we see our business not just as part of the economy, but as an agent for positive change in the world. We have long used the power and leverage of Aspen to drive progress on equity, justice, the environment, and climate change. We believe that racial justice and LGBTQ rights matter, that climate change is the defining challenge of our time and requires large-scale commitment and government remedies, and that many seemingly political issues are inextricably intertwined with business.
We are a values-driven company, owned and operated by people who share a common passion for Aspen’s heritage and legacy and an appreciation and respect for the pristine environment in which it was built. We recognize that we have a collective responsibility to ensure that our company is a rewarding place to work and that our community is a desirable place to live. We respect and nurture the delicate balance between “resort” and “community” that makes us unique. We are successful because we live the values expressed here. We welcome you to discover your own path and impact through your experience here with us.
Looking Ahead
After passing a milestone most companies never see — our 75th anniversary — our company is growing and now includes three divisions: Aspen Skiing Company, Aspen Hospitality, and ASPENX.
- Aspen Skiing Company includes four mountains (Aspen, Snowmass, Aspen Highlands and Buttermilk), rental retail (Four Mountain Sports), and on-mountain restaurants ranging from fine dining to pizza in the resort destination known as Aspen Snowmass.
- Aspen Hospitality includes The Little Nell and Limelight hotel brands with the following hotels open: The Little Nell, The Residences at The Little Nell, Limelight Aspen, Limelight Snowmass, Limelight Ketchum, Limelight Denver. Limelights in Mammoth, California, and Boulder, Colorado and a Little Nell in New York City’s Rockefeller Center are on the way.
- ASPENX is our newest division. It’s a luxury retail and experience brand. The flagship store is in Aspen, Colorado, at the base of the Gondola with another opening in Snowmass in the 2023-24 winter season.
A New Structure. In July of 2023, we announced another bold step with the formation of Aspen One. Aspen One is essentially our company’s new parent company. It is led by David Tanner as Chief Executive Officer and provides strategic leadership for this rapidly growing portfolio of businesses. This innovative new structure will give each vertical division the bandwidth to focus more directly on their unique business operations and fully empower the leaders and their teams in each division while providing the guidance, resources, processes, and technology to grow our business and brands.
A Refreshed Outlook. In October of 2023, we launched a refreshed corporate ethos with a vision statement, simplified core values, and strategic pillars that we encourage you to learn more about here. Together these provide a nod back to Aspen’s mind, body, spirit ethos and heritage, a set of core values to live by and to advocate for in the broader world, and strategic pillars to serve as our foundation and guidance. With this refreshed road map, we are excited to move into a new era while continuing to deliver unparalleled customer service, a long-term mindset, and future growth.
Click the links below for more information on our divisions.
