{"id":2441964,"date":"2019-03-21T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-03-21T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/?p=302194"},"modified":"2019-03-21T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2019-03-21T06:00:00","slug":"mac-smith-celebrates-40th-year-as-director-of-aspen-highlands-ski-patrol","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/local-news\/mac-smith-celebrates-40th-year-as-director-of-aspen-highlands-ski-patrol\/","title":{"rendered":"Mac Smith celebrates 40th year as director of Aspen Highlands Ski Patrol"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"swift-gallery\" readability=\"6.8661764705882\">\n<ul id=\"imageGallery-302194-29\" class=\"gallery list-unstyled\">\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/03\/cover-atw-032119-2-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/03\/cover-atw-032119-2.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Anna Stonehouse\/The Aspen Times | Aspen Highlnds Ski Patrol Director Mac Smith stands on the deck of the patrol headquarters at Aspen Highlands. He is celebrating his 40th season as patrol director.\" class=\"h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\" readability=\"6.5\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/03\/cover-atw-032119-2.jpg\" alt=\"Aspen Highlnds Ski Patrol Director Mac Smith stands on the deck of the patrol headquarters at Aspen Highlands. He is celebrating his 40th season as patrol director.\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"8\">\n<p><strong>Aspen Highlnds Ski Patrol Director Mac Smith stands on the deck of the patrol headquarters at Aspen Highlands. He is celebrating his 40th season as patrol director.<\/strong><br \/>Anna Stonehouse\/The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/03\/cover-atw-032119-2-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/03\/cover-atw-032119-2-1.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Aspen Historical Society | Mac Smith skiing powder in Steeplechase on Aspen Highlands in 1974. He was a member of the ski patrol at the time. In 1978-79 he was promoted to ski patrol director.\" class=\"h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\" readability=\"6.5\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/03\/cover-atw-032119-2-1.jpg\" alt=\"Mac Smith skiing powder in Steeplechase on Aspen Highlands in 1974. He was a member of the ski patrol at the time. In 1978-79 he was promoted to ski patrol director.\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"8\">\n<p><strong>Mac Smith skiing powder in Steeplechase on Aspen Highlands in 1974. He was a member of the ski patrol at the time. In 1978-79 he was promoted to ski patrol director.<\/strong><br \/>Aspen Historical Society<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/03\/cover-atw-032119-2-2-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/03\/cover-atw-032119-2-2.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Anna Stonehouse\/The Aspen Times | Aspen Highlands Ski Patrol Director Mac Smith skis down Snag Tree on March 16, 2019.\" class=\"h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\" readability=\"7\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/03\/cover-atw-032119-2-2.jpg\" alt=\"Aspen Highlands Ski Patrol Director Mac Smith skis down Snag Tree on March 16, 2019.\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"9\">\n<p><strong>Aspen Highlands Ski Patrol Director Mac Smith skis down Snag Tree on March 16, 2019.<\/strong><br \/>Anna Stonehouse\/The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/03\/cover-atw-032119-2-3-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/03\/cover-atw-032119-2-3.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Aspen Historical Society, Aspen Times Collection | Members of the Aspen Highlands Ski Patrol jump over the Cloud Nine Restaurant dec on March 22, 1979, in a pcture that ran in The Aspen Times. The patrollers are (left to right): Kim Atkins, Mark Chorzempa and Mac Smith.\" class=\"h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\" readability=\"9\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/03\/cover-atw-032119-2-3.jpg\" alt=\"Members of the Aspen Highlands Ski Patrol jump over the Cloud Nine Restaurant dec on March 22, 1979, in a pcture that ran in The Aspen Times. The patrollers are (left to right): Kim Atkins, Mark Chorzempa and Mac Smith.\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"13\">\n<p><strong>Members of the Aspen Highlands Ski Patrol jump over the Cloud Nine Restaurant dec on March 22, 1979, in a pcture that ran in The Aspen Times. The patrollers are (left to right): Kim Atkins, Mark Chorzempa and Mac Smith.<\/strong><br \/>Aspen Historical Society, Aspen Times Collection<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/03\/cover-atw-032119-2-4-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/03\/cover-atw-032119-2-4.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Aspen Historical Society | Ski patroller Mac Smith checks the snow depth at Aspen Highlands, circa 1975.\" class=\"h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\" readability=\"7\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/03\/cover-atw-032119-2-4.jpg\" alt=\"Ski patroller Mac Smith checks the snow depth at Aspen Highlands, circa 1975.\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"9\">\n<p><strong>Ski patroller Mac Smith checks the snow depth at Aspen Highlands, circa 1975.<\/strong><br \/>Aspen Historical Society<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/03\/cover-atw-032119-2-5-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/03\/cover-atw-032119-2-5.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Anna Stonehouse\/The Aspen Times | The ski ptrol hut at Aspen Highlands was situated at the top of the Loge Lift to be welcoming to the public. Patrol Director Mac Smith wants the public to come in and receive guide-quality service.\" class=\"h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\" readability=\"7\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/03\/cover-atw-032119-2-5.jpg\" alt=\"The ski ptrol hut at Aspen Highlands was situated at the top of the Loge Lift to be welcoming to the public. Patrol Director Mac Smith wants the public to come in and receive guide-quality service.\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"9\">\n<p><strong>The ski ptrol hut at Aspen Highlands was situated at the top of the Loge Lift to be welcoming to the public. Patrol Director Mac Smith wants the public to come in and receive guide-quality service.<\/strong><br \/>Anna Stonehouse\/The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/03\/cover-atw-032119-2-6-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/03\/cover-atw-032119-2-6.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Anna Stonehouse\/The Aspen Times | Skiers and riders make the hike to access Highland Bowl. Ski Patrol Director Mac Smith said sometimes stands at the bottom of the Bowl and listens to the whoops and hollers over happy customers.\" class=\"h-100\">\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\" readability=\"7\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/03\/cover-atw-032119-2-6.jpg\" alt=\"Skiers and riders make the hike to access Highland Bowl. Ski Patrol Director Mac Smith said sometimes stands at the bottom of the Bowl and listens to the whoops and hollers over happy customers.\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"9\">\n<p><strong>Skiers and riders make the hike to access Highland Bowl. Ski Patrol Director Mac Smith said sometimes stands at the bottom of the Bowl and listens to the whoops and hollers over happy customers.<\/strong><br \/>Anna Stonehouse\/The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"caption-toggle\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/weekly\/mac-smith-celebrates-40th-year-as-director-of-aspen-highlands-ski-patrol\/#\" class=\"show-captions\">Show Captions<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/weekly\/mac-smith-celebrates-40th-year-as-director-of-aspen-highlands-ski-patrol\/#\" class=\"hide-captions\">Hide Captions<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">If Mac Smith ever decides to hang up his skis as Aspen Highlands Ski Patrol director, he will immediately have seat on the pantheon of Aspen ski industry greats.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">Smith has racked up numerous accomplishments in his 40 years as patrol director but he will probably be celebrated for decades to come as the person who did the most to open Highland Bowl.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">U.S. Forest Service officials were skeptical of allowing expanded skiing in the Bowl when Aspen Skiing Co. started an environmental impact study of the concept in 1997. Smith pleaded, cajoled and nagged federal officials to keep an open mind.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">\u201cI don\u2019t want to take all the credit for it, but I was talking to all these guys a lot about it \u2014 \u2018You have to give us the opportunity to do this. We\u2019ll study it and get it done,\u2019\u201d he recalled during a conservation from the Highlands patrol hut at the top of the Loge Peak chairlift on a recent snowy Saturday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">The problem, as the Forest Service winter sports staff saw it, was the terrain didn\u2019t provide lift-served skiing, one of the criteria for allowing use of national forest. To demonstrate that it was lift-served, Smith and his crew developed the first of the Y-Zones on the north end of the Bowl in winter 1997-98.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">\u201cWe had this unbelievably gnarly catwalk that came out,\u201d he recalled.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">That narrow, spooky path connected to other catwalks until it linked to the Grand Traverse beneath Steeplechase and provided access back to the Loge Lift. Problem solved \u2014 the Bowl terrain linked to a lift.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">\u201cYou could always tell a Highlands skier because they had a monster calf on that downhill ski (leg),\u201d Smith said with a signature grin that punctuates at least half of his sentences.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">He credits a lot of past and present colleagues with helping advance the development of the Bowl. Former Aspen Skiing Co. executive John Norton gave an under-the-table nod to pursue the idea. Former Aspen Highlands Mountain Manager Ron Chauner enthusiastically pitched expansion to Skico brass. Former Skico President and CEO Pat O\u2019Donnell realized the appeal and unlocked the funds necessary to study the avalanche mitigation that was key in making the Bowl accessible to the public. And, of course, the Highlands ski patrollers and particularly snow safety staff figured out how to get the job done.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">Twenty-two seasons after that initial work, the Bowl has made Aspen Highlands a bucket-list destination for truly passionate skiers and the bread and butter of many Roaring Fork Valley residents. Once it was fully developed, it attracted 800 to 1,000 skiers on a busy day. Now it lures twice that many, Smith said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">\u201cI go up to the Bowl sometimes and just stand there and listen to the people yelling and screaming and having such a great time,\u201d Smith said. \u201cThat\u2019s the thing that drives all these (patrollers) to be able to put out the effort that needs to be done.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">MR. SMITH GOES TO OLD SNOWMASS<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">Smith is adept at getting things done. He credits his upbringing. He\u2019s as comfortable in cowboy boots and a cowboy hat as he is in ski boots and a ski helmet.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">Smith spent his early years in upstate New York as part of a skiing family who made Mount Mansfield their ski area of choice.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">\u201cI\u2019ve been skiing since I was 3,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">His family moved to Ogden, Utah, when Mac was in elementary school and they started skiing Snow Basin. His dad had skied Aspen Highlands in 1958-59, its inaugural season, and developed an affinity for the Roaring Fork Valley. His parents bought what they named Gateway Ranch in Old Snowmass in 1960 and started a guest ranch. They were as out of place as the lead couple in the old TV show \u201cGreen Acres,\u201d according to Smith.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">\u201cThey didn\u2019t know which end of a horse to ride,\u201d he quipped.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">They had a big red barn, which still exists today, and eight guest cabins. They offered pack trips into what is now the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness. Mac was thrown immediately into the operation. Youth was no excuse. He recalls plucking ice balls off horses\u2019 eyes on frigid winter mornings so they could feed. As early as 10 years of age, he was tasked with taking a couple of loaded packhorses alone to places such as Snowmass Lake to restock a camp.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">He was always hanging around the wranglers, picking up their skills and their nasty habits, such as constantly pulling pranks on others.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">\u201cIt was almost permission to be crazy,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">He was a regular at Aspen Highlands during winters. He recalled as a 10- and 11-year-old \u201cterrorizing\u201d ski school classes just for the fun of it. Repeated misbehavior got him tossed from Highlands.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">He began skiing Buttermilk after his mom started working in the kitchen of one of the restaurants there and his dad drove a bus. While it was a different ski area, it was the same problem. Young Mac was always in trouble with the ski patrol.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">\u201cI got caught blind skiing all the time by the patrol so I had to sit in the corner, like a dunce corner,\u201d he said with a laugh. \u201cAn hour later, they\u2019d say, \u2018OK, go ski again.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">And the scene would repeat itself. Eventually, he was only allowed on the slopes while with patrollers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">\u201cThat was really cool because I had a spotter for my jumping,\u201d Smith said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">Since his mom reported for work before the area opened, Smith got to ride first lifts with patrollers. He would tag along while they attended to their early morning chores. The die was cast for his career.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">\u201cThey became my mentors,\u201d Smith said. \u201cThe wranglers were, then the ski patrollers kind of were. I think that\u2019s where it really came from.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">Late in middle school he returned to Aspen Highlands and he skied there throughout high school, becoming a very good skier and learning all the nooks and crannies. They would gain access to the terrain that became the St. Moritz Trail, ski what is now Boomerang Woods and sneak back into the ski area on the established Boomerang Trail, keeping an eye out for the two patrollers stationed on the upper mountain at the time.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">HIGHLANDS LEGACY IS BORN<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">Smith graduated from Basalt High School in 1971 and took a job at Merry-Go-Round restaurant at mid-mountain at Highlands for the 1972-73 season. He joined the ski patrol the following season.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">He was promoted to co-assistant patrol director in 1974-75. In 1977-78, the patrol director wasn\u2019t around much. Smith became de facto patrol director, though not in title. The next season he gained the title, as well.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">Early on in his tenure with the patrol, he forged a relationship with Whipple Van Ness Jones, the founder and overlord of Aspen Highlands who has since died.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">\u201cMy second year \u2014 this is where Temerity came from \u2014 I had the temerity to go into Whip\u2019s office and say, \u2018Hey, Whip, as a kid I used to ski down into Steeplechase and get back to Boomerang. A little goat trail was out there. We could open all of this without any new lifts.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">It was a moment of truth.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">\u201cAt that moment, I didn\u2019t know if I was going to get fired or if he\u2019d be OK with that,\u201d Smith said. \u201cIt was a start of a relationship with Whip that I think was unique to anybody else at Highlands except maybe (longtime manager) Don Robinson.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">Jones let Smith regularly ski the Steeplechase terrain to figure out how to get skiers out of there. They created a frighteningly narrow catwalk called the Grand Traverse. It was initially so narrow a patrol toboggan would barely fit. But the Steeplechase terrain put Highlands on the map for steep terrain, much as the Bowl would rekindle 20 years later. When terrain was opened between Steeplechase and the Bowl, it was named Temerity in honor of Smith\u2019s conversation so many years ago about terrain expansion.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">Jones had a longstanding policy to shoo ski patrol members away after about three seasons. A 1960s effort to unionize left a bad taste in his mouth. He busted the effort and wanted quick turnover thereafter. That policy changed with Smith.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">\u201cI got to be really good friends with Whip,\u201d Smith said. \u201cI think he liked the entrepreneurship that I had. Maybe it\u2019s because this became my mountain at that point and time. I called it that and I think he was good with it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">WATCHING IT GROW<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">Starting with Steeplechase and most recently with Highland Bowl, Smith and his team have pursued and accomplished impressive terrain expansions (see sidebar). The ski area was at 380 acres when Smith joined the patrol. It is listed at 1,040 acres now and skis even larger because of all the lines through trees.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">But it\u2019s not the terrain expansion that makes Smith most proud. It\u2019s the culture he helped create. He takes pride in the accomplishments of the ski patrol and their close relations with the public.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">Ski patrols regularly hold exchanges where a handful of members from one resort will go to a different resort for a few days. Aspen Highlands doesn\u2019t have a lot of turnover with its patrol staff, but when there is an opening, it is typically filled quickly by a patroller from another ski area who liked what they saw at Highlands and wants to join.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">\u201cI\u2019ll probably sound a little braggadocious,\u201d Smith said. \u201cI think we\u2019re the most celebrated ski patrol among our communities. Even the Jackson Hole boys who were here for five days (earlier this month), they couldn\u2019t believe all the thank-you\u2019s we were getting from our guests. It\u2019s so typical of every patrol that comes here because they get to see how tight we are with our community.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">Smith said he doesn\u2019t have to be an overbearing manager, which is good because it\u2019s not in his nature.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">\u201cI\u2019m really under the philosophy that I hire the best people I can,\u201d Smith said. \u201cGive them the tools, time and training and stay the hell out of their way.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">Peer pressure within the patrol and the appreciation from the public usually provides the ski patrollers with all the motivation they need to perform well. The ski patrol has 40 members, with 26 working any given day. There are five snowcat drivers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">When the new patrol hut was built in the early 2000s, the initial plan was for it to be in a rather inaccessible perch that wouldn\u2019t have been nearly as inviting for the public. Smith intervened and persuaded Skico brass to locate it at its current site just off skier\u2019s right of the Loge lift\u2019s upper terminal. It\u2019s got a stunning view of Maroon Valley and the surrounding mountains that invite the public to soak it in. They are also welcome to venture inside where they are offered \u201cguide-quality information\u201d on what terrain is skiing best.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">\u201cI really felt like I built this building and this relationship with the community because it\u2019s very easy for a ski patrol to slip into that stereotypical hardcore, don\u2019t-penetrate-my-bubble (organization),\u201d Smith said. \u201cI\u2019m very fearful it could morph back into that if I wasn\u2019t there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">STAYING AHEAD OF THE HORSE<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">At 66 years of age, he knows that retirement is in the not-too-distant future. He addresses it with one of the \u201ccowboy-isms\u201d that regularly emerges from his thinking.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">\u201cSomewhere down the line, the horse is going to be faster than you,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">He swears retirement won\u2019t be a problem. He has plenty of fences to mend and other tasks to tackle on his midvalley spread, where he lives off the grid with his wife.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">On the other hand, he\u2019s not looking to hightail it out of Aspen Highlands even after 47 total years at the ski area.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">\u201cI\u2019d sure love to be at 50 (years of service),\u201d he said. It wouldn\u2019t necessarily have to be as patrol director, he volunteered.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">Whenever the time comes, he hopes he is able to achieve one final goal. He wants to see Loge Bowl on the upper west side of the mountain opened and added to the expert skiing experience. A side benefit is the Loge terrain possesses a series of progressively higher cliffs that skiers can huck off. The patrol refers to them as Mac\u2019s Air.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">\u201cI don\u2019t have anything named after me after all these years,\u201d Smith said with another laugh. \u201cI\u2019d like to get there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Shirttail\"><a href=\"mailto:scondon@aspentimes.com\">scondon@aspentimes.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/weekly\/mac-smith-celebrates-40th-year-as-director-of-aspen-highlands-ski-patrol\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: The Aspen Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Aspen Highlnds Ski Patrol Director Mac Smith stands on the deck of the patrol headquarters at Aspen Highlands. He is celebrating his 40th season as patrol director.Anna Stonehouse\/The Aspen Times Mac Smith skiing powder in Steeplechase on Aspen Highlands in 1974. He was a member of the ski patrol at the time. In 1978-79 he [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-2441964","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-local-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-15 07:06:57","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSPN The Valley&#039;s Quality Rock","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2441964","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2441964"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2441964\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2441964"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2441964"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2441964"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}