Colorado History: Aspen Skiers Really Didn’t Like Snowboarders

Nowadays, skiers and snowboarders who visit ski resorts in Colorado and beyond coexist pretty well. However, if you've been hitting the slopes for long enough, you know that this wasn't always the case.

It's hard to believe that as recently as 22 years ago, snowboarding was strictly prohibited on Aspen Mountain and when the ski resort finally decided to let snowboarders onto the slopes, many of the skiers were not ok with it.

Colorado History: Animosity Between Skiers and Snowboarders

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Snowboarding began to become quite popular in the 1980s, but skiers of this period of time didn't like the sport, or the snowboarders themselves, one bit.

It's hilarious to watch now, but this news report which aired in 1985 at a ski resort in British Columbia, Canada, really shows just how much the skiers hated the snowboarders.

In fact, snowboarders weren't even technically allowed on the mountain at the time and were forced to hike up the ski mountain in lieu of using the chairlift.

Fast forward to 2001 when Aspen finally opened up the mountain to snowboarders with much of that same animosity still hanging around.

Colorado History: Aspen Opens the Mountain to Snowboarders

April 1, 2001, was a great day for snowboarders, but a terrible day for a lot of skiers in the world-famous ski town of Aspen.

Aspen Mountain, or as it's affectionately known, Ajax, was the last Colorado ski resort to lift the ban on snowboarding. Some skiers wore caution tape in protest while others sold and donned t-shirts that read, "End of an Era."

However, April 1st of 2001 saw less conflict than expected, and the following day the Aspen Times commemorated the monumental day with a headline that read, "Ajax Survives Rider Invasion."