For the 14th consecutive year, the Audi Ajax Cup wrapped up its thrilling journey at the finish line, embraced by a full-house audience that ranged from agile young racers to seasoned professional athletes, Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club (AVSC) alumni, and esteemed ski legends — all under the backdrop of a radiant, sunlit Saturday, Dec. 30, at the base of Aspen Mountain on the Little Nell hill.
The Audi Ajax Cup stands out as AVSC’s major annual fundraising event, consistently generating close to $1 million each year. These funds play a crucial role in supporting its mission, which is dedicated to enabling every young individual in the broader Roaring Fork Valley to thrive both athletically and personally through winter sports. The winning team’s name, RMP, honored Robert Mark Potamkin, a businessman and philanthropist who died in November.
A total for this year’s fundraising was not immediately available.
This event takes the form of a dual Giant Slalom (GS) race, where 16 teams compete in direct head-to-head matchups until a single team emerges victorious, earning the prestigious Gorsuch Cup.
Former U.S Ski team member and Olympic medalist Bode Miller, who raced for the Glaciators team this year, weighed in on the impact the event has.
“It’s always awesome to get back and see a bunch of my friends and people and know we’re helping that next generation,” he said.
Like him, David Stapleton Jr. – a sixth-generation Aspen native, former U.S. Ski Team racer, and development officer for AVSC – sheds light on what the Audi Ajax Cup truly means to the community.
“I mean, if you were here at the at the finish corral today watching this event today, you would understand what this means to AVSC,” he said.
Marc Ganzi, past president of the AVSC board of directors, reflected on the win and revealed it was a special one.
“It was a real privilege to be able to ski for my father-in-law today who I really love and going to miss him a lot,” he said. “It’s a neat race and the ability to give 3,000 kids access to this is just. For me, you can’t put a price on it, so it’s just a really special day all the way around.”
Like Ganzi, Casey Puckett, who competed as an Olympian in alpine and freestyle skiing, is the lead women’s FIS and PG coach for AVSC and was a part of the winning RMP team.
“Well, it’s a little-known secret, and I never wanted to let anyone know I have never won the Ajax Cup as a team. I have won some runs here and there, but I have never won the actual Ajax cup; so it’s kinda special to come out,” she said.
Alpine Program Director and former racer Johno Mcbride said that he loves how it brings all ages to the hill.
“I love that it is cross-generational; we got little guys that are seven years old, and we have 75-year-olds out here or older; we can make it work all together,” he said. “It’s a pretty fun way to get people together from big age discrepancies and hopefully raise a little money for the club.”
