By creator to www.aspentimes.com
Picture by Austin Colbert/The Aspen Occasions
Possibly go away the dance footwear at dwelling, however it’s nonetheless race on come Saturday for the 16th annual Summit for Life on Aspen Mountain. Whereas the pandemic will once more silence the post-race social gathering on the high, the Chris Klug Foundation fundraiser’s in style trek up Ajax is again and able to entertain these courageous sufficient to strive.
“It’s a bit totally different. I’d quite be on the dance flooring with all of our pals and transplant neighborhood pals, however I believe it is a good adaption and all of us get to be collectively,” Klug instructed The Aspen Occasions on Wednesday. “Though we made probably the most of it final 12 months and it was nonetheless an awesome success for the muse and we generated some good consciousness and hopefully inspired folks to have that dialog and share their donation determination, it’s not the identical as being in particular person.”
Aspen’s Klug, the namesake behind the muse, gained Olympic bronze in 2002 as an Alpine snowboarder, lower than two years after receiving a liver transplant that saved his life. In 2003, he began the Chris Klug Basis, which seeks to extend consciousness about organ and tissue donation.
Summit for Life is without doubt one of the group’s key occasions, which pre-pandemic had been an uphill race on Aspen Mountain adopted by a energetic social gathering and dinner on the high. The 2020 occasion was held just about due to COVID-19, however this 12 months’s race is again in particular person, sans the top-of-mountain festivities.
The race, which is able to embody a mixture of individuals skinning and mountaineering and lots of in a non-competitive means, begins at 5:30 p.m. from the bottom of Aspen Mountain. There can be a digital awards ceremony at 9 p.m. broadcast reside through the muse’s YouTube channel and Fb web page.
“I additionally made a dedication when the lights had been going out for me for my transplant 21 years in the past that hey, if I get via this, I’m going to do no matter I can in my energy to provide again and assist everyone else that’s ready right this moment,” Klug mentioned of beginning the muse. “It’s been an enormous success and helped us increase a couple of million {dollars} for organ donation consciousness and CKF and helps us actually fulfill our mission.”
A part of the Summit for Life week is the popularity of the muse’s annual Bounce Again Award winners, usually given to people who’ve overcome medical hardship and are utilizing their second probability to assist others. This 12 months’s winners are Zach Brooks, a two-time kidney transplant recipient, and Jim Gleason, who obtained a coronary heart transplant in 1994.
With security remaining a precedence amid the pandemic, neither award recipient was flown on this 12 months as could be the norm, though Klug plans to convey them to a future occasion in Aspen as soon as it’s once more secure sufficient to take action.
Regardless of the shortage of a post-race social gathering, there nonetheless can be DJs at each the highest and the underside of the mountain on Saturday, and The Little Nell is offering meals and drinks for the racers to take dwelling in time for the digital awards ceremony, to not point out cookies from Paradise Bakery.
The race, which Klug known as the “official kickoff to winter” in Aspen, is predicted to draw upwards of 300 rivals, together with those that selected to take action just about. This contains Klug’s personal kids, his 10-year-old daughter Bali and 8-year-old son River, who will race alongside dad for the primary time at Summit for Life.
“They’ve at all times been on workforce grandma and grandpa, on the gondola within the Experience for Life. It is going to be enjoyable. I’ll drop the mic and switch and burn and seize the youngsters,” Klug mentioned. “That’s one of many nice presents of COVID — I suppose one of many few presents of COVID. However the time that we’ve needed to get pleasure from as a household. I do know it’s cliché, however it’s actually been particular and introduced us collectively much more as a household. I’m realizing they’re rising up so quick and I’m actually cherishing the time we’ve had the final 12 months and a half.”
Price to race in particular person on Saturday is $75 (plus charges) per particular person, and $50 to compete just about via Saturday night. For extra on the occasion, go to http://www.summitforlife.org.
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