Aspen has a very long history of hosting premiere international ski races. The racing legacy began with the Roch Cup in 1946. The Cup went on to become the longest running, perpetually awarded in the history of North American ski racing. In 1946 the competitors had to hike up 3,000 feet just to ski the race, as lift 1 had yet to be built. The Roch Cup was held in many formats over the years - as a stand along race, or a combined race of two or three disciplines, as a National Championship, or as a World Cup stop. The discipline of Giant Slalom was first introduced at Aspen’s F.I.S. World Championship in 1950. Aspen was chosen as a World Cup venue in just the second year of the new tour in 1968. After being renamed to America’s Downhill in 1981, the Aspen course was an annual stop on the World Cup tour in March for 20 years. There will always be ski racing in Aspen.

Ski racing immortals like Franz Klammer, Stein Eriksen, Billy Kid, Phil Mahre, Alberto Tomba, Lindsey Vonn, Bode Miller, and Mikaela Shiffrin have all hurtled down the historic Aspen course. The 2023 races were an exciting opportunity to watch the next generation of ski racing greats make their mark in Aspen.