Aspen Snowmass ski company celebrates its 80th anniversary this winter and if you act fast, you can snag lift tickets for less than the cost of a gallon of gas.

The resort owner is currently selling a limited number of lift tickets for $3.75 for skiing on Monday, Dec. 14, the anniversary of its founding. That’s apparently consistent with the price it charged when it opened in 1946, according to a press announcement.

To keep the party rolling, Aspen Snowmass is also offering $80 lift tickets to ski on Saturday, Dec. 12 and Sunday, Dec. 13. All passes enable skiers and snowboarders to hit any of Aspen Snowmass’ mountains, including Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands, Buttermilk, and Snowmass.

Considering the typical price of a day lift ticket ranges from $189 to $309, depending on the time of the season, it’s all but certain these won’t last long. Find the discounted rates by searching for lift tickets under the special 80th anniversary lift tickets section of the website.

The anniversary is one well worth celebrating, since skiing revived Aspen’s economy and identity following the 19th century mining bust. As the story goes, a man named Andre Roch was hired to survey the area for a proposed ski resort in 1936. A noted Swiss skier and avalanche expert, Roch recommended Mount Hayden, 12 miles south of Aspen near Ashcroft. That never came to fruition due to World War II, but Roch staked out a trail on Aspen Mountain while he was there.

Members of the Roaring Fork Winter Sports Club, which Roch founded, cut the trail and named it after him, according to The Denver Post’s previous reporting. In 1937 they built an uphill cable tow for skiers, and in 1938 they added a “boat tow” consisting of two wooden sleds resembling flat-bottom wooden boats that were capable of hauling passengers uphill, sliding on a snowtrack. Aspen hosted the national ski championships in 1941.

Elizabeth Paepcke, who would play a pivotal role in Aspen’s renaissance, first visited in 1939. A visionary, she saw huge potential in the valley’s surpassing beauty. She returned to Aspen in 1945 with her husband, Chicago industrialist Walter Paepcke, and the two were largely responsible for the town’s rebirth, along with 10th Mountain Division veteran Friedl Pfeifer. While the Paepckes envisioned Aspen as a cultural and recreational retreat, Pfeifer was keen on its potential as a ski resort.

Pfeiffer and Walter Paepcke met in 1945 and joined forces, founding the Aspen Skiing Corporation in 1946, and they took over ski operations on Aspen Mountain. In December 1946, they opened the first chairlift — then the world’s longest — a single-seater equipped with canvas blankets.

In addition to cheap lift tickets, Aspen Snowmass is planning special on-mountain events for the mid-December celebration, including après parties. On-mountain restaurants will also run $19.46 food and beverage specials as a nod to the year Aspen Skiing Company was founded.

For more information, visit aspensnowmass.com/visit/aspen-snowmass-80th-anniversary.

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