Team AVSC News
16th Annual Audi Ajax Cup Tickets go on sale Nov. 11 for Dec. 30 Celebration
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“The Audi Ajax Cup is not only a really fun day, it’s also the cornerstone of our funding,” said August Teague, Executive Director of AVSC. “It allows us to subsidize every AVSC program by nearly 50% and provide close to a million dollars in direct financial aid each year. Without it, our programs would be far more expensive and closer to what families pay in other resort communities. We are deeply committed to keeping skiing and snowboarding accessible, but we rely on community support to make that possible.”
The Audi Ajax Cup brings in over $1 million for AVSC through ticket sales, team purchases, the pro auction, and a silent auction. In its 16th year, the Audi Ajax Cup is a two-part event. From 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., 16 teams of five compete head-to-head in dual GS elimination races at the base of Aspen Mountain. Each team is paired with a pro racer or skiing legend, and AVSC athletes as young as U10 also race on the teams, gaining real-world racing exposure and access to elite athletes.
Teams compete for the famed Gorsuch Cup, whose previous winning ranks include Olympians and elite World Cup athletes such as Alex Ferreira, Bridger Gile, Bode Miller, Alice McKennis, Julia Mancuso, Casey Puckett, Daron Rahlves, and Tommy Moe.
After the race, the celebration begins with one of the best après party scenes of the holiday season from 3-7 p.m. The après party includes a silent auction, delicious apps and bites, additional festivities, and live music to get the dance vibe going.
“The Audi Ajax Cup is one of those days that really captures the heart of Aspen,” said Ash Farrington, Stewardship Director. “Since the 1930s, AVSC has grown up alongside Aspen. Whether you’re a guest in town for the holidays or a local who grew up in the club and now has athletes here, this is an opportunity to show up to honor winter sports and AVSC‘s important mission of youth access. The celebration is a vibrant reminder of who we are as a community, what we cherish, and why we give back to this incredible cause.”
All funds raised from this event go into a general scholarship fund benefiting all AVSC programs and athletes.
NEW THIS YEAR:
More Tiers of Tickets: AVSC is offering several different tiers of tickets this year to welcome the community to participate and share in the fun of this vital fundraising event.
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On-sale Nov. 11: Combo Ticket. The best deal is a Combo Ticket that includes access to both the race (see Race Ticket below for details) and the Après After Party (see Après Ticket below). The early-bird discounted price is $349 (ages 21+ to purchase).
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On-sale Nov. 18: Après Party-Only Ticket. Holiday revelers can enjoy the après party at the St. Regis Aspen with an early-bird price of $299 (ages 21+ to purchase). This ticket includes delicious apps and bites, cocktails and beverages, live music, festivities, and a silent auction.
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On-sale Nov. 25: Race-Only Ticket. Alpine racing aficionados can get their fill of thrilling dual GS competitions and non-stop action with the race-only ticket, which includes discounted food and drink from Rubirosa and access to the viewing area. The early-bird price for this ticket is $99.
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On-sale Nov. 25: Children’s Race-Only Ticket. New this year! We are excited to offer an Under-18 Race-Only Ticket this year for $39. This ticket goes on sale November 25 and allows access to the race viewing area and includes discounted food & beverages at Rubirosa.
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VIP Tickets. A limited number of exclusive VIP tickets are available, which include a special viewing area at the race and the après party.
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To Purchase: All tickets except VIP may be purchased at teamavsc.org. VIP tickets may be purchased through the Stewardship Team at VIP@teamavsc.org.
New Après Party Location: The Audi Ajax Après Party has moved to a new and larger venue this year at the St. Regis Aspen. The open-air setting will feature live music, signature cocktails, and an elevated culinary experience, creating the perfect atmosphere to celebrate after the race. Guests can expect an unforgettable evening of great food, drinks, and entertainment beneath the stars in one of Aspen’s most iconic locations.
New Youth Race for the Kids. AVSC will be offering a new youth racing option later in the day. Participants will be assigned pro athletes for quick coaching and help at the start. More details will be released on the AVSC website.
Fundraising Matters at AVSC
Since 1937, AVSC has been championing access to youth winter sports, serving around 3,000 youth annually in both recreational (Aspen Supports Kids) and Team (competitive) programming. As the largest and oldest youth nonprofit in the Roaring Fork Valley, AVSC is also the largest youth ski and snowboard program in the country, with disciplines including Alpine, Nordic, Freestyle (including Freeride or Big Mountain, Moguls, Park and Pipe, and Telemark), and Skimo.
In addition to competitive guest athletes who come from all over the world to train with AVSC’s talented coaches (many of whom are champions in their own right), AVSC is committed to fulfilling its mission to provide all youth in the greater Roaring Fork Valley with the opportunity to excel as athletes and as people through winter sports. Through both subsidized programming and direct financial aid, as well as limited free services including seasonal gear and bus transportation for youth from as far away as Silt, AVSC is a national leader in winter sports access for youth. Athletes range from first-time youth trying a new sport to World Cup and Olympic champions.
Read LessOwl Creek Chase announces 2026 date, $5,000 cash purse
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Quick read more or view full article /> “The Owl Creek Chase is one of the most beloved events in the Nordic community here and a favorite stop for Nordic racers across the state,” said Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Nordic Program Director Sophie Hamilton. “There are few point-to-point races of this length in the United States that cover such beautiful terrain, and it's a race that captures the spirit of Nordic skiing in this valley - challenging, stunning, and a community coming together behind the scenes to make it happen.”
The Owl Creek Chase is also one of the longest-running Nordic ski races in Colorado, with origins extending back to the mid-1980s and the opening of the Owl Creek Trail. Today, AVSC organizes the Own Creek Chase in partnership with the city of Aspen, continuing the legacy of this community event. AVSC’s Nordic program has steadily grown and today serves over 350 Nordic youth athletes skiing in Aspen, Basalt, and Carbondale, many of whom will be out racing in the event.
This year's event offers a $5,000 cash pot for the race, and courses for everyone:
- 25K Owl Creek Chase – a timed, point-to-point race.
- 15K Owl Creek Tour – a relaxed, untimed, and slightly shorter version of the same breathtaking route.
- Owlet Race – a fun 1km kids’ event at the AVSC Clubhouse.
Part of the Ute Series, the Owl Creek Chase is offering early bird registration pricing through Dec. 17. Registration is $50 for Junior and $60 for seniors for the Owl Creek Chase, $30 for Juniors and $40 for Seniors for the Owl Creek Tour, and $15 for the Owlet kids race. Online registration is now open at the AVSC website here.
(Photo by Sarah Kuhn) Read Less
AVSC gears up over 350 youth with skis and boards in partnership with Gorsuch and Aspen Snowmass
This past Saturday a line crept around the corner of Gondola plaza. It wasn’t a powder day but the next best thing: Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club’s annual Aspen Supports Kids Equipment Day. Between the Gorsuch location for
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skis and the Four Mountain Sports Buttermilk location for snowboards, AVSC and its partners served up equipment to hundreds of youth, some of whom traveled from as far away as Silt. “This is the core of what we’re all about,” said Executive Director August Teague. “We want every single youth in the greater Roaring Fork Valley to experience our mountains and the joy and passion they offer. We couldn't make this day possible without the tremendous longtime support of Gorsuch and Four Mountain Sports, who provided all the gear.”
With snow guns blasting in the background, youth at Gorsuch climbed up onto boot-fitting platforms, unaware that they were being outfitted by Olympians, World Cup champions, members of the Gorsuch family and some of the best competitive coaches in the nation.
At Four Mountain Sports’ Buttermilk location, Aspen’s Snowmass’ rental retail team and AVSC’s Snowboard team helped youth find the perfect fit, ensuring families felt confident and prepared for the season ahead.
According to Aspen Supports Kids Director Meredith Elwell, the ASK Equipment Day provided over 210 sets of skis and poles and over 140 snowboard and boot sets. To receive this gear scholarship, eligible families submitted applications for assistance in August when they applied for programming. On average, AVSC annually offers over $800,000 in financial aid to qualifying applicants. Assistance ranges from scholarships for programming costs to free bus transportation for weekend programs to providing gear for the season to qualifying applicants. “With the generosity of our partners, nearly 400 young athletes now will be able to participate in the foundational activities of our mountain community,” said Elwell. “A lot of hard work and genuine care by so many people goes into making a day like this possible. These efforts are a true reflection of our community’s strength, pride, and commitment to our valley youth.”
Photos of the day can be found here.
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AVSC World Cup Athlete Hanna Lamm Awarded Andy Mill Award
AVSC is thrilled to announce that AVSC Post Graduate (PG) athlete and coach Hanna Lamm has been awarded the Andy Mill Award. This honor is typically bestowed on one of AVSC’s four Team Pursuit of Excellence winners to recognize
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an athlete who has achieved outstanding national and/or international results in the past year. Last season, Lamm finished 15th at the FIS World Championships in Switzerland in Freeski Park & Pipe and has already placed fifth this year at the Australian New Zealand Cup in September.Although Lamm has been with AVSC since age eight when she joined the Alpine/Freestyle Pre-Devo program, Lamm’s rise to the World Cup stage in the halfpipe has been exceptional — and exceptionally short. Skiing was always on the menu, however.
“I grew up in the Roaring Fork Valley, and everyone wants to ski here. My parents wanted it, my friends were in Pre-Devo,” she says. “It’s a great way to meet people who love the same thing.”<
She started out in moguls and switched to big mountain, competing there through her senior year in high school. At age 18, she decided to give Park & Pipe a try. Last year, Lamm told The Aspen Times that just a few short years ago, she couldn’t even ski up the halfpipe wall.
“I started late in this,” Lamm admits. “But it was great to try all the disciplines. Usually, athletes will try slopestyle and halfpipe, then pick one. I went straight into halfpipe when I was 18.”
Lamm found success through Aspen’s USASA series, competing against more seasoned athletes. Series Director Jason Cook says this is exactly why the series is so important to our community and to our local athletes. “It gives them the opportunity to compete at a high level, qualify for higher-level competitions, and still come home to their own beds at night.”
Today, Hanna is a member of AVSC’s Post Graduate (PG) program with Dave Zweig as her coach. Zweig coached her through her first USASA competition and first encouraged her to try the halfpipe at Copper.
“He’s a great coach, so supportive, and really connected to each athlete and how we train,” Lamm says. “His coaching style is so personal, and he recognizes what each athlete needs and when to push us. He really cares about us.”
This season will be her third competitive season in Park & Pipe and her second on the World Cup circuit. She’s currently ranked fourth in the U.S. based on last year’s points, and if she can hold on to that ranking or improve, she’ll be headed to the Olympics in February (save the date to cheer her on — she’ll compete in Aspen at the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix on January 11, with the Olympic team announcement coming on January 15).
Lamm, who spoke to AVSC from an Austrian training camp, says the AVSC name comes with a certain international cachet.
“We have phenomenal training resources here with all four mountains,” she says. “AVSC has had so many great athletes come through — Hanna, Alex, Kai, Nick. When I say I’m from Aspen, people know what that means, and it’s really cool.”
In addition to training in Austria, Lamm has spent time this summer training in New Zealand and at the AVSC Clubhouse. She’s also kept busy coaching trampoline camps and will coach weekend freestyle programs this winter in between her own competition and training schedule. Looking ahead, she’s focused on being strategic in her approach, eliminating the noise, and dialing in her mental preparation.
“Hanna is an amazing member of our team — supportive of her athletes and respectful of fellow competitors,” says Coach Zweig. “She will be looking toward another season of World Cup starts and has a high goal of putting herself into the mix for a potential Olympic spot. This season is going to be a big one, full of excitement and challenges, but Hanna is looking to make the most of her season between World Cup and Nor-Am starts.”
After learning she won the Andy Mill Award, Lamm said, “That’s crazy. It means a lot. I’ve worked really hard, and this is motivation to keep going. It’s so nice and encouraging to be recognized by my hometown club.”
The Andy Mill Award is named after longtime local Andy Mill, who was considered America’s premier downhill racer in the 1970s. In the downhill at the 1976 Olympic Games, he competed on a leg so bruised from a training injury that he couldn’t stand on it without pain. He froze his leg in the snow minutes before entering the starting gate and took home sixth place.
We wish Lamm congratulations on the Andy Mill Award and a phenomenal season. We will be rooting for her the whole way!
Follow her on Instagram at @_hannalamm_