YOUR AD HERE »

Ajax Cup fundraiser, ski races return on Monday to benefit AVSC athletes

News |

Austin Colbert

Aspen's Casey Puckett, a five-time Olympian and former World Cup ski racer, laughs while leading the player auction for the 15th annual Audi Ajax Cup on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, at a private residence in Aspen. The Ajax Cup, which will be held Monday on Aspen Mountain, is a head-to-head ski race and fundraiser for the Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club. Puckett was the pro racer for the winning team in 2023.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times

With a record $1.3 million raised last year for the young skiers and riders of the Roaring Fork Valley, new Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club Executive Director Dave Baugh isn’t about to fix something that clearly isn’t broken.

But that doesn’t mean the Audi Ajax Cup — the club’s most important fundraiser — can’t still get bigger and better.

“Much of the crew is brand new. We are definitely on rinse, wash, and repeat. We are adding a few chunks along the way to try and take it to the next level,” he said on Saturday from the team draw and player auction at a private residence in Aspen. “We got a great bunch of pros, and the team has been working super hard. We think it’s going to be one of our best Ajax Cups.”

While Baugh, the former Aspen School District superintendent, is leading his first Ajax Cup, many others have been around since the beginning. The 15th annual event will be held on Monday from the base of Aspen Mountain, with handicapping taking place on Sunday. There will be 16 teams — each with a pro skier at the helm — going head-to-head for the Gorsuch Cup in a bracket-style contest.

All the money raised goes back into the club and its roughly 3,000 athletes.


“I was a beneficiary of philanthropic efforts when I was little in New Hampshire,” said American ski racing legend Bode Miller, who has become an Ajax Cup regular in recent years. “We didn’t have this kind of infrastructure, but I had people who contributed race entries to equipment stuff, and I think in an expensive sport that is what it takes, is people helping out and doing the right thing.”

All 16 pros were on hand for Saturday’s team draw, which allowed team owners to bid on who gets to pick what athletes. Aspen’s own Bridger Gile, who is currently competing on the World Cup, was the first skier selected by team “Go Fast or Go Home.”

Among the Ajax Cup newcomers this year is American Alice Merryweather, the 28-year-old former World Cup ski racer and 2018 Olympian who retired at the end of this past season. Aspen’s Casey Puckett, a five-time Olympian and one of the Ajax Cup pros and organizers, was the one who pulled Merryweather to Aspen.

Olympian Alice McKennis Duran, who grew up in New Castle, gives a wave while holding her son Darby during the player introductions ahead of the 15th annual Audi Ajax Cup on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, at a private residence in Aspen.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
American ski racing legend Bode Miller signs an item to be handed out as a token of thanks during the player auction for the 15th annual Audi Ajax Cup on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, at a private residence in Aspen.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
Aspen’s Johno McBride, one of the most decorated ski coaches in U.S. history, helps lead the player auction for the 15th annual Audi Ajax Cup on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, at a private residence in Aspen.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times

“He reached out to me over the summer when I announced I was retiring. He’s like, ‘Oh, that means you’ll be free. Can you come to Ajax Cup?’ And I’d always heard about it, and it seems like a lot of fun, so I said absolutely,” she said. “I’m so excited to go around gates again. I’ve been dying to do it, so I’m excited.”

The most notable pros this year include Miller, Puckett, Merryweather, Sweden’s Patrik Järbyn, and American greats Daron Rahlves, Julia Mancuso, and New Castle’s own Alice McKennis Duran.

A host of pros with ties to the Roaring Fork Valley and AVSC are set to compete, including Gile, Jack Bowers, Stella Buchheister, Cooper Cornelius, Tristan Lane, and George Rodney, the 2015 Freeride World Tour Champion and current AVSC coach who will see if his big mountain skills translate to the racecourse.

Other pros are Stanley Buzek, Jacob Dilling, and Nolan Kasper.

Puckett is the reigning Ajax Cup champion, having won alongside Marc Ganzi’s Team RMP in 2023. Ganzi, whose family is behind the Aspen Valley Polo Club and Aspen snow polo, was again able to pick Puckett as his pro on Saturday, giving them a chance at the repeat title.

“In the racecourse, we are all trying as hard as we can,” Miller said of what it’s like racing at the Ajax Cup, especially as an older athlete. “There are moments where your brain still tries to do it and your body doesn’t want to do it, and that’s a little bit problematic sometimes. But it’s fun. It’s fun to watch the young guys and be able to push them a little bit and see what they are capable of.”

Show CaptionsHide Captions

The Ajax Cup, held on the Little Nell run of Aspen Mountain, is free for spectators with a finish near the bottom of the Silver Queen Gondola. Additional VIP sections and the after-party do require purchasing tickets.

The finals will likely begin early in the afternoon on Monday, depending on weather and the pace of racing prior. Sunday’s handicapping, which allows young skiers to race next to the veterans, isn’t staged as a big showcase, but guests will be able to watch them take to the course throughout the day.

“I actually work part-time for a nonprofit that fundraises for ski racers, even for World Cup-level skiers who are still paying team fees. I get to see firsthand every day how expensive the sport is, how important it is for fundraising, especially in ski communities like this,” Merryweather said. “It’s really meaningful to help make the sport a little less exclusive and try to honestly broaden the talent pool.”

acolbert@aspentimes.com

Local
See more