Aspen Mountain, long known locally as Ajax, rises directly above Aspen and is unusual among ski areas for allowing skiers to travel up from the town center and descend back toward the city. Skiing there began before the modern resort, with rough access and national downhill and slalom championships held in 1941. The present ski area took shape in 1946 when Walter Paepcke founded Aspen Skiing Company and opened Lift-1, then the world’s longest chairlift. Veterans of the U.S. Army’s 10th Mountain Division helped define its early culture and operations. Built over old silver-mining ground, the mountain became a major international venue and remains a distinctive Colorado ski landmark.