Team AVSC News
Welcome to new AVSC Board President Beth Hoff Blackmer
August 1, 2025
The first day of August is a day of transitions for AVSC. Not only are we welcoming a new fiscal year and the start of a new year of TEAM programming for athletes but also it’s time for board member transitions. A huge thank you to outgoing AVSC Board President Ryan Smalls, who gave his heart and soul to the organization from 2019 to 2025. Ryan will now be stepping into the illustrious ranks of past presidents.
We extend the warmest of official welcomes to our new AVSC Board President and Interim Executive Director, Beth Hoff Blackmer. Beth is a lifetime resident of the Roaring Fork Valley. Her parents moved to town in 1964 with three young children who all participated in the Aspen Ski Club. Beth raced until she departed for the University of Colorado. After graduating from CU Boulder, she moved to the Pacific Northwest and worked in the international trade and active sport
Quick read more or view full article
industries for 10 years. She returned to the Roaring Fork Valley in 1995 and continued in the active sports industry until 1999.
In 2000, she began working at Aspen Rent-All and purchased the business from her father, Dave Hoff,
who founded the business in 1967. Since then, Aspen Rent-All has been recognized as a Colorado Biz Magazine Top 100 Women Owned Business since 2015 and a Top 200 Private Company since 2020. During this time, Beth also has been active with the American Rental Association, where she served in a variety of leadership and board roles since 2010. She was the second female board president from 2019-2021 and won both the President’s Image Award in 2013 and the Region 7 Person of the Year award in 2018. In 2025, Beth received national recognition with a Titan of Industry award, which recognizes individuals with exceptional leadership, vision, and impact. After a successful 25 years with Aspen Rent-All, Beth recently sold the business to her former manager.
Beth is not new to the AVSC Board of Directors. She served previously from 2000 to 2008 and additionally received AVSC’s Legacy Family Award in 2014 and AVSC’s Most Valuable Community Partner award in 2013. She rejoined the board in 2022 and will serve as the fifth female board president in the 88-year history of the club.
An avid skier and horsewoman, Beth is married to Kent Blackmer and resides in Old
Snowmass. They have two labrador retrievers and two horses. She also enjoys cycling, diving, and traveling. With her exceptional business acumen and long history in the Roaring Fork Valley and with club, we are excited to have her stepping into this new role. Please join us in officially welcoming Beth Hoff Blackmer to the helm of the AVSC Board of Directors. Read Less
We extend the warmest of official welcomes to our new AVSC Board President and Interim Executive Director, Beth Hoff Blackmer. Beth is a lifetime resident of the Roaring Fork Valley. Her parents moved to town in 1964 with three young children who all participated in the Aspen Ski Club. Beth raced until she departed for the University of Colorado. After graduating from CU Boulder, she moved to the Pacific Northwest and worked in the international trade and active sport
Quick read more or view full article
industries for 10 years. She returned to the Roaring Fork Valley in 1995 and continued in the active sports industry until 1999. In 2000, she began working at Aspen Rent-All and purchased the business from her father, Dave Hoff,
who founded the business in 1967. Since then, Aspen Rent-All has been recognized as a Colorado Biz Magazine Top 100 Women Owned Business since 2015 and a Top 200 Private Company since 2020. During this time, Beth also has been active with the American Rental Association, where she served in a variety of leadership and board roles since 2010. She was the second female board president from 2019-2021 and won both the President’s Image Award in 2013 and the Region 7 Person of the Year award in 2018. In 2025, Beth received national recognition with a Titan of Industry award, which recognizes individuals with exceptional leadership, vision, and impact. After a successful 25 years with Aspen Rent-All, Beth recently sold the business to her former manager. Beth is not new to the AVSC Board of Directors. She served previously from 2000 to 2008 and additionally received AVSC’s Legacy Family Award in 2014 and AVSC’s Most Valuable Community Partner award in 2013. She rejoined the board in 2022 and will serve as the fifth female board president in the 88-year history of the club.
An avid skier and horsewoman, Beth is married to Kent Blackmer and resides in Old
Snowmass. They have two labrador retrievers and two horses. She also enjoys cycling, diving, and traveling. With her exceptional business acumen and long history in the Roaring Fork Valley and with club, we are excited to have her stepping into this new role. Please join us in officially welcoming Beth Hoff Blackmer to the helm of the AVSC Board of Directors. Read Less
U18 Nationals Championships Wrap Up on Aspen Highlands
March 3, 2025
 |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
U18 Nationals Championships Wrap Up on Aspen Highlands
AVSC U18 athlete Fletcher Hutto Crowned Triple National Champion
ASPEN, COLORADO--March 3, 2025
Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club hosted U18 U.S. National Alpine Skiing Championships at Aspen Highlands February 25 through March 3, gathering more than 100 of the best U18 alpine athletes in the country for seven days of world-class racing in near-perfect conditions.
“We had 10 cloudless days and the surface was out of this world,” says AVSC Alpine Program Director Jeff Lackie. “Very few places in North America can host an event this time of year and have that consistency in snow and weather.”
After five weeks recovering from a shoulder injury, AVSC athlete Fletcher Hutto made a dramatic comeback, winning three of the four men’s races (Super G, Giant Slalom and Slalom) and securing the overall U18 National Champion title.
“Doing this at home…it’s really special,” says Hutto. “It’s everything I’ve worked for. It really shows how Quick read more or view full article much AVSC has helped me get here.
AVSC athlete Luka Smalls took third in Super G, fifth in Downhill, 14th in Giant Slalom and fifth in the Men’s Overall. Teammate Parker Kendrick placed fourth in Giant Slalom. AVSC’s top female contender, Devon Phillips, was unable to compete due to injury.
AVSC Lead FIS Men’s coach Jack Kirby worked with Hutto, Smalls and Kendrick as U16s and says he’s enjoyed watching them grow as individuals and as a team. “They are really good kids,” says Kirby. “They hang out together, support each other and just have this incredible camaraderie, while pushing each other to be better. We’re all excited for these athletes, the ski club and for everyone to see what we’re doing here.”
Coaches from around the country–from Pat Duran at Ski and Snowboard Club Vail to Tony Olin of Minnesota’s Team Afton–praised AVSC and its venue manager Cody Oates for preparing the Stapleton Training Center on Aspen Highlands to World Cup quality–a surface so perfect, it ensured fair competition for all competitors through the field. “We groomed slowly, let it sit prior to the first day of Downhill training and slipped through the series,” says Oates. “We really benefited from having the best snowcat operator anywhere (Erin McDuffy), a long-range plan and a fortunate freeze-thaw cycle.”
“Ultimately, we produced a hill that was age appropriate, but still challenged athletes–national championships shouldn’t be a cake walk,” says Lackie. “Recognizing this is a development-level race, we offered athletes the opportunity to train on the venue leading up to the competition.”
“None of it would have been possible without Aspen Skiing Company,” says Lackie. “Their support over the years and this week have really made the difference. We wouldn’t have had training as wide as it was or the ability to go for so many days without grooming. Other resorts tend to meddle–we have the autonomy to create the best possible race surface.”
In fact, Aspen Skiing Company CEO Geoff Buchheister spent time on the venue every race day, and celebrated Hutto’s triple win at the finish.
The fan-friendly weather created a festive atmosphere at the finish area, where parents from around the U.S. cheered on their U18 athletes, including Olympian Tommy Moe. Lackie says only halfway down the course, you could hear spectators and teammates cheering from the finish. “That’s testament to the level of support and camaraderie experienced out there.”
“Ski racing has a storied legacy here in Aspen–it’s part of our ethos and culture,” says Lackie. “We are just as proud to host U18 Nationals as we are to host a World Cup. These athletes will represent America at World Cup and Olympic races. We need to put on an exceptionally high-level series to support their development.”
For full results, click here.
About the Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club
Founded in 1937, Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club is the Roaring Fork Valley’s oldest and largest youth non-profit. AVSC offers more than 40 programs for local youth, from recreational skiers as young as 3.5 years old to competitive skiers and snowboarders competing at World Cup and Olympic events. Through honoring its core values of commitment, teamwork and integrity, AVSC promotes a community of passion, grit, and mountain culture. With the support of community partners, like the Britt family and Aspen Snowmass, AVSC can work to achieve its mission of providing all youth in the greater Roaring Fork Valley, regardless of their financial circumstances, the opportunity to excel as athletes and as people through winter sports.
Read Less
U18 Nationals Championships Wrap Up on Aspen Highlands
AVSC U18 athlete Fletcher Hutto Crowned Triple National Champion
ASPEN, COLORADO--March 3, 2025
Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club hosted U18 U.S. National Alpine Skiing Championships at Aspen Highlands February 25 through March 3, gathering more than 100 of the best U18 alpine athletes in the country for seven days of world-class racing in near-perfect conditions.
“We had 10 cloudless days and the surface was out of this world,” says AVSC Alpine Program Director Jeff Lackie. “Very few places in North America can host an event this time of year and have that consistency in snow and weather.”
After five weeks recovering from a shoulder injury, AVSC athlete Fletcher Hutto made a dramatic comeback, winning three of the four men’s races (Super G, Giant Slalom and Slalom) and securing the overall U18 National Champion title.
“Doing this at home…it’s really special,” says Hutto. “It’s everything I’ve worked for. It really shows how Quick read more or view full article much AVSC has helped me get here.
AVSC athlete Luka Smalls took third in Super G, fifth in Downhill, 14th in Giant Slalom and fifth in the Men’s Overall. Teammate Parker Kendrick placed fourth in Giant Slalom. AVSC’s top female contender, Devon Phillips, was unable to compete due to injury.
AVSC Lead FIS Men’s coach Jack Kirby worked with Hutto, Smalls and Kendrick as U16s and says he’s enjoyed watching them grow as individuals and as a team. “They are really good kids,” says Kirby. “They hang out together, support each other and just have this incredible camaraderie, while pushing each other to be better. We’re all excited for these athletes, the ski club and for everyone to see what we’re doing here.”
Coaches from around the country–from Pat Duran at Ski and Snowboard Club Vail to Tony Olin of Minnesota’s Team Afton–praised AVSC and its venue manager Cody Oates for preparing the Stapleton Training Center on Aspen Highlands to World Cup quality–a surface so perfect, it ensured fair competition for all competitors through the field. “We groomed slowly, let it sit prior to the first day of Downhill training and slipped through the series,” says Oates. “We really benefited from having the best snowcat operator anywhere (Erin McDuffy), a long-range plan and a fortunate freeze-thaw cycle.”
“Ultimately, we produced a hill that was age appropriate, but still challenged athletes–national championships shouldn’t be a cake walk,” says Lackie. “Recognizing this is a development-level race, we offered athletes the opportunity to train on the venue leading up to the competition.”
“None of it would have been possible without Aspen Skiing Company,” says Lackie. “Their support over the years and this week have really made the difference. We wouldn’t have had training as wide as it was or the ability to go for so many days without grooming. Other resorts tend to meddle–we have the autonomy to create the best possible race surface.”
In fact, Aspen Skiing Company CEO Geoff Buchheister spent time on the venue every race day, and celebrated Hutto’s triple win at the finish.
The fan-friendly weather created a festive atmosphere at the finish area, where parents from around the U.S. cheered on their U18 athletes, including Olympian Tommy Moe. Lackie says only halfway down the course, you could hear spectators and teammates cheering from the finish. “That’s testament to the level of support and camaraderie experienced out there.”
“Ski racing has a storied legacy here in Aspen–it’s part of our ethos and culture,” says Lackie. “We are just as proud to host U18 Nationals as we are to host a World Cup. These athletes will represent America at World Cup and Olympic races. We need to put on an exceptionally high-level series to support their development.”
For full results, click here.
About the Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club
Founded in 1937, Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club is the Roaring Fork Valley’s oldest and largest youth non-profit. AVSC offers more than 40 programs for local youth, from recreational skiers as young as 3.5 years old to competitive skiers and snowboarders competing at World Cup and Olympic events. Through honoring its core values of commitment, teamwork and integrity, AVSC promotes a community of passion, grit, and mountain culture. With the support of community partners, like the Britt family and Aspen Snowmass, AVSC can work to achieve its mission of providing all youth in the greater Roaring Fork Valley, regardless of their financial circumstances, the opportunity to excel as athletes and as people through winter sports.
Read Less