– The Backcountry Ski Touring Blog
  • Avalanches
  • Gear Reviews
    • Ski Reviews
    • Boot Reviews
    • Binding Reviews
    • Snowboard Splitboard
    • Book Reviews
    • Avalanche Beacon Reviews
    • Airbag Backpacks
    • Backcountry Electronics
    • Misc Gear Reviews
  • Podcast
  • Tips & Tricks
    • Ski Touring Basics
    • Boot Fitting
    • Fitness & Health
    • Gear Mods
  • Trip Reports
    • Fourteeners
    • Huts – Cabins – Lodges
    • Denali McKinley
    • 8,000 Meter Skiing
  • Stories
    • History
    • Humor
    • Land Use Issues
    • Evergreen Ski Touring
    • Poetry
  • Resources
    • All Posts Listed
    • 100 Recent Comments
    • Backcountry Skiing & Ski Touring Webcams
    • Ski Weights Comparison
    • Archives of WildSnow.com
    • Authors Page
    • Ski Touring Bindings
      • Trab TR2 Index and FAQ
      • Salomon Guardian & Tracker
      • Naxo Backcountry Skiing Bindings – Info Index
      • Silvretta Pure Backcountry Skiing Bindings – Info Index
      • Marker F10-12 Duke Baron
      • G3 Onyx Ski Binding FAQ
      • G3 ION Ski Touring Binding
      • Fritschi Backcountry Skiing Bindings – Info Index
      • Fritschi Diamir Frame Bindings Mount DIY
      • Fritschi Diamir Bindings FAQ
      • Fritschi Tecton FAQ
      • Atomic Salomon Backland MTN
      • Dynafit Tri-Step Binding 2001-2003
      • Naxo randonnee alpine touring AT ski binding FAQ
      • Dynafit Skiing Bindings – Info Index
      • Dynafit Binding Frequently Asked Questions FAQ
      • Dynafit Beast 16 FAQ Review 1
      • Dynafit Beast 16 FAQ Page Two
    • History
      • Ski Touring Binding Museum
      • Trooper Traverse Intro & Index
      • Randonnee Ski Touring “AT” ski gear — What is Hip?
      • Chronology
    • Backcountry Skiing Core Glossary
    • Gear Review Policy & Disclosures

– The Backcountry Ski Touring Blog

  • Avalanches
  • Gear Reviews
    • Ski Reviews
    • Boot Reviews
    • Binding Reviews
    • Snowboard Splitboard
    • Book Reviews
    • Avalanche Beacon Reviews
    • Airbag Backpacks
    • Backcountry Electronics
    • Misc Gear Reviews
  • Podcast
  • Tips & Tricks
    • Ski Touring Basics
    • Boot Fitting
    • Fitness & Health
    • Gear Mods
  • Trip Reports
    • Fourteeners
    • Huts – Cabins – Lodges
    • Denali McKinley
    • 8,000 Meter Skiing
  • Stories
    • History
    • Humor
    • Land Use Issues
    • Evergreen Ski Touring
    • Poetry
  • Resources
    • All Posts Listed
    • 100 Recent Comments
    • Backcountry Skiing & Ski Touring Webcams
    • Ski Weights Comparison
    • Archives of WildSnow.com
    • Authors Page
    • Ski Touring Bindings
      • Trab TR2 Index and FAQ
      • Salomon Guardian & Tracker
      • Naxo Backcountry Skiing Bindings – Info Index
      • Silvretta Pure Backcountry Skiing Bindings – Info Index
      • Marker F10-12 Duke Baron
      • G3 Onyx Ski Binding FAQ
      • G3 ION Ski Touring Binding
      • Fritschi Backcountry Skiing Bindings – Info Index
      • Fritschi Diamir Frame Bindings Mount DIY
      • Fritschi Diamir Bindings FAQ
      • Fritschi Tecton FAQ
      • Atomic Salomon Backland MTN
      • Dynafit Tri-Step Binding 2001-2003
      • Naxo randonnee alpine touring AT ski binding FAQ
      • Dynafit Skiing Bindings – Info Index
      • Dynafit Binding Frequently Asked Questions FAQ
      • Dynafit Beast 16 FAQ Review 1
      • Dynafit Beast 16 FAQ Page Two
    • History
      • Ski Touring Binding Museum
      • Trooper Traverse Intro & Index
      • Randonnee Ski Touring “AT” ski gear — What is Hip?
      • Chronology
    • Backcountry Skiing Core Glossary
    • Gear Review Policy & Disclosures
   

Aspen Characters – John Denver and Fritz Stammberger

by Lou Dawson August 4, 2005
written by Lou Dawson August 4, 2005

I just got an email from the Aspen Historical Society. They want ideas for the top three living and top three deceased "characters" of Aspen. Having not lived there for years I don’t know about the "living" part (the top living character is probably some whiner who spends all day writing letters to the paper about swimming pools), but I can talk about the old guard who’s gone now.

I’d give my first two votes to mountaineer Fritz Stammberger and early day’s wild man Freddie Fischer. Though I’m loath to admit it, my third choice would be John Denver. I can’t stand most of his music (though I admit I did learn "Leaving on a Jet Plane" on my guitar back when I was a flower child), but Denver really was quite the character.

From his fur coat and feather festooned cowboy hat, to how he spread his money around, John Denver was a huge presence when he lived in Aspen. Favorite Denver story: His house in Starwood/Aspen was an extravaganza of woodworking that kept some local precision carpenters employed for years. Even pioneer extreme skier Chris Landry worked for him,and no doubt some of Denver’s money ended up being spent by Chris during his many travels to ski descents around North America. The story is that when Denver got divorced, he was so angry about how things were being split that he fired up a chainsaw and cut all his kitchen cabinets in half. This after the finest woodworkers in Aspen had spent several YEARS building the things. Ah yes grasshopper, all things material are transient…


More John Denver trivia, and this is backcountry skiing related: Did you know that several of his most famous songs were written while he stayed at a mountain hut (Mace Chalet) on Castle Creek above Aspen, near the Braun backcountry skiing huts? Ah yes, always a backcountry skiing connection…

And here we go — sing along with
me:
" Oh, kiss me and smile for me,
Tell be that you’ll wait for me.
And hold me like you’ll never let me go.
‘Cos I’m leavin’ on a jet plane,
Don’t know when I’ll be back again.
Oh, babe, I hate to go."

La Plata peak from Mount Elbert.
Colorado’s La Plata Peak as viewed from Mount Elbert last week. The narrow snow couloirs are the ski routes on the excellent north face, they fill in quite a bit more during winter and spring.
Lou Dawson

WildSnow.com publisher emeritus and founder Lou (Louis Dawson) has a 50+ years career in climbing, backcountry skiing and ski mountaineering. He was the first person in history to ski down all 54 Colorado 14,000-foot peaks, has authored numerous books about about backcountry skiing, and has skied from the summit of Denali in Alaska, North America’s highest mountain.

www.loudawson.com
0
Email
previous post
Tweakitup – Is it a Guy Thing? Space Shuttle Repairs Get Me Thinking
next post
Backcountry Skiing Montezuma Basin Colorado

Trip Reports

  • Revisiting a 2011 Trip Report: Adventure in the Pickets — Thread of Ice Ski Descent

    December 9, 2022
  • Feeding the Backcountry Soul on Crete

    August 25, 2022

Totally Deep Podcast

  • Totally Deep Podcast 107: Dialing it Back with Blase Reardon

    January 30, 2023

Tips & Tricks

  • Transition Efficiencies 101 with Tech Binding Heel Units

    January 6, 2023
  • Visualizing the Backcountry as a Splitboarder: Minimizing the Challenges of Movement by Anticipating Terrain

    December 5, 2022
  • TURBOCHARGE YOUR TRAILHEAD BEACON CHECK

    November 15, 2022

Recent Comments

  • Matus on Julbo’s Montebianco 2 with the Reactiv 1-3 High Contrast lens: A Review
  • Mac on Julbo’s Montebianco 2 with the Reactiv 1-3 High Contrast lens: A Review
  • Joe on DIY Binding Mount with an ATK Template
  • Kermit on DIY Binding Mount with an ATK Template


Newsletter Sign-Up

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • About Lou Dawson
  • Authors Page
  • About
  • Contact
  • Copyright & Legal
  • Website Security

@2020 - All Rights Reserved. Designed and Developed by WildSnow


Back To Top

Read alsox

Julbo’s Montebianco 2 with the Reactiv...

February 20, 2023

Questing with the Hyperlite Mountain Gear...

February 20, 2023

Two Rules to Break: No Strangers...

February 20, 2023