Uphill Challenge

Two years ago, Challenge Aspen ski instructor Chris Bove was in a freak ski accident the night before the annual Buttermilk Uphill Race and Walkathon. He spent seven hours in surgery and died at 1 a.m., just hours before the race was set to begin. So it’s only fitting that the event benefiting Challenge Aspen — a nonprofit organization serving individuals with disabilities — was renamed the Chris Bove Memorial Uphill Challenge.

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• Chris Bove
• Sarah Williams
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“Chris was loved by everybody in the program, especially kids,” says Sarah Williams Volf of Challenge Aspen. “Some of our families would plan trips around Chris’s availability. He played a huge role in these kids’ lives.” Proceeds from today’s 13th annual 1,800 vertical-foot climb up Buttermilk Mountain will go back to some of those kids; the money benefits Challenge Aspen’s scholarship program and the Children’s Hospital Immunodeficiency Program of Denver.

This heart-pumping Valentine’s Day trek is open to serious hikers and whole families. You can wear skis, snowshoes, stabilizers or your bare feet. Race-day registration is $40 and begins at 6:45 a.m. Organizers promise lots of swag and prizes, scholarship recipients cheering at the finish line, and a $5 pancake breakfast at the Cliffhouse when you finish. For info, go to www.challengeaspen.org.
Sat., Feb. 14, 2009