In 1937, a full decade before Aspen Mountain would officially open, locals were lapping—and falling in love with—the town mountain with the help of a homemade boat tow. Built at the base, the tow was constructed by members of Aspen Valley Ski Club, and used “boats” (wooden toboggans resembling rowboats) connected by a steel cable to rotating terminals converted from mine hoist rigs from the dormant Little Annie Mine. The entire contraption was mechanized by a single Ford truck engine. The boat tow’s total length was 600 feet up the face of Aspen Mountain. There were two toboggans, hauling up to eight people at a time in snowstorms and in sunshine, proving that when we work together, we’ve always found a way to get to the top. #75YearsOfAspenSnowmass (Photo: Courtesy Aspen Historical Society, Litchfield Collection)