Aspen Lifts Last Ban on Snowboarders

DENVER — Aspen Skiing Co. has reversed its 20-year-old ban on snowboarding on Ajax Mountain (formerly Aspen Mountain) effective April 1. Ajax was the last mountain in Colorado to enforce such a ban. Aspen’s other mountains--Buttermilk, Aspen Highlands and Snowmass--are open to snowboarders.

The action leaves five skier-only mountains in the U.S.: Alta and Deer Valley in Utah; New Mexico’s Taos; Mad River Glen in Vermont; and Perfect North Slopes in Indiana, according to the National Ski Areas Assn.

The Aspen ban was imposed in the 1980s because, company officials said, some skiers didn’t want to share the mountain with boarders. But now, Pat O’Donnell, Aspen Skiing president and chief executive officer, said, “We have come to understand that snowboarding across our four mountains is the right way to welcome the next generation of snow sports enthusiasts to Aspen.” Critics had denounced the ban as discriminatory.

About 25% to 30% of Aspen area visitors are snowboarders, company officials said. Citing data from the National Ski Areas Assn., they expect that number to increase to 60% by 2005.