Sally Oates, Wilder Dwight’s older sister with her husband Jeremie Oates Photo: Madeleine Osberger
New Projects and National Participation Drive Growth for Aspen’s Legacy Speed Event
The Wilder Dwight speed series wrapped on Jan. 16 at Aspen Highlands, culminating a week of downhill and super-G races on the Golden Horn to Thunderbowl venue for FIS and U16s.
Crews kept the speed events on track by moving eight inches of new snow, said Jeff Lackie, the new alpine director for Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club.
The Stapleton Alpine Training Center hosted speed event races and training daily between Jan. 11 and 16, featuring runs of about one minute or longer. First, the FIS group, then the U16s, logged an aggregate of six minutes or more of downhill training, a rarity as fewer resorts allow these kinds of courses, Lackie explained.
“Running six minutes of downhill the whole year” is more typical, he said.
Lackie said in his first year at AVSC, he recognizes the Stapleton venue’s potential for speed projects with a more national reach to boost FIS competitor numbers beyond the dozen women and 31 men who competed in this year’s series.
Devon Phillips of AVSC won both FIS downhills and both super-Gs, while Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club’s Jeremy Nolting was fastest in both men’s downhills. His teammate Adrian Beauregard won the first men’s super-G, and Summit’s Niko Leunig won the second.
By midweek, the U16s took their turn at speed, with a pair of one-run downhills on Wednesday and two super-Gs Thursday on the 408-vertical -meter, 1.45-kilometer-long course replete with three jumps.
Ski and Snowboard Club Vail’s Mari Renick dominated the four speed events, while Vail’s Calen White and Summit’s Blaise Turnbull won the men’s downhills. Turnbull was then victorious in both super-G races, held Jan. 16.
Results are available at vola.ussalivetiming.com.
Rite of Passage
The Wilder Dwight series, now in its 38th year, showcases a disappearing type of speed event in the Mountain West. It honors Wilder Dwight, a junior racer who tragically skied into an open mine shaft in a closed area of Aspen Mountain in December 1986. Decades later, Aspenites continue to feel the loss. Wilder’s older sister, Sally Oates, said their stories keep his memory alive.
Organizers revived the race a dozen years ago, coinciding with the opening of the Stapleton venue at Highlands. Its renaissance also became a pet project of former AVSC Excellence Director Walt Evans.
Honoring a Legacy Through Competition
“When Walt Evans was involved, we put the face back on the race,” said Sally Oates. She spoke of growing up in Aspen, leaving while her husband was in the military, then returning here years later.
“I thought no one’s going to remember. I was shocked when people would say, what was your maiden name, with people still remembering, having a story,” she said about the incident.
U.S. speed skiers have regarded the Wilder Dwight Downhill as a rite of passage for decades.
A Proving Ground for Future Champions
Click on images to enlarge
Photo courtesy of Sally Oates.
Pat Callahan, the longtime chief of course for Aspen Winternational and a former AVSC coach, recalls watching Lindsey Vonn win the Wilder Dwight Memorial during its time on Aspen Mountain. Organizers later moved the race to Racer’s Edge at Buttermilk’s Tiehack, which Callahan said was his favorite venue for the event, before moving permanently to Highlands about 12 years ago.
Callahan called the series “a proving ground for generations of speed skiers.”
World Cup winner Alice McKennis Duran has seen the race from both sides.
“Since my retirement from racing, I have had the opportunity over the last few years to come and watch or coach at the Wilder Dwight races and have witnessed what a great series it is,” she said.
“The races provide a stepping stone, or entry point into the speed events on a slope that challenges the athletes yet is not too overwhelming for those with less experience,” McKennis Duran said before heading to Highlands with her 11-month-old son in tow.
On the same weekend of the FIS downhills, Cooper Cornelius, the DU Pioneer, was across town competing in the World Pro Skiing “super slalom” on Aspen Mountain. Cornelius advanced to the consolation round and earned $1,500 in his first pro race.
“The Wilder Dwight will always be a childhood memory of mine. It has always been considered one of the ‘classics’ and I love the meaning behind it all,” Cornelius said.
Wilder’s Legacy
Wilder Dwight was born into a skiing family, which shaped his adventurous spirit. In addition to his Aspen Ski Club cohorts, he had mentors like Jimmie Heuga, a dear family friend who married Wilder’s mother, Sharon.
The Aspen community at that time was close and very ski-driven, as the stories shared with Sally and the Dwight family illustrate.
Luka Smalls, winner of the 2024 Wilder Dwight Downhill as a U16 and now a first-year FIS racer, heard stories about Wilder growing up.
“My father told me a lot about how important this race is, not just for everyone in this valley. It’s a race about Wilder’s legacy,” said Luka of his dad, Ryan Smalls, current president of the AVSC board, who was “such good friends with Wilder.”
Wilder Dwight and Olympic slalom medalist Jimmie Heuga, formerly married to Wilder’s mother, Sharon, appear in this mid-1980s photo. Heuga greatly influenced Wilder’s skiing.
Luka Smalls’ father, Ryan, was friends with Wilder Dwight as a teen. Last year, Luka’s U16 downhill win was an emotional moment for both families. Now in his first FIS season, he placed fourth in the first downhill.
Growth Potential
Jeff Lackie said he believes the Wilder Dwight races have tremendous potential to become a national series that could host triple the number of competitors without compromising the race surface. Lackie held high regard for the races before taking on his new job with AVSC.
“In my opinion, it was the gold standard of Western speed events from a development standpoint. The venue lends itself to that age and stage of athlete. It’s a wide trail, and athletes have this sense of security,” Lackie said.
McKennis Duran suggested embracing the past while ensuring the legacy continues for future generations. She acknowledged the increasing difficulty for clubs to host events, given the cost, resources, and time required.
That said, continuation of legacy events is worth it.
“As a coach, I had a blast seeing the varying skill levels take on the Wilder Dwight Downhill—some of the more experienced athletes really searching for the speed, and the athletes with less experience very wide-eyed and unsure during inspection yet showing the determination and bravery to get out there and give it a go.”
Jeremy Nolting said he knew a little bit about the race’s namesake. “I heard it’s to honor a kid who used to be here.
“With these classic events, it’s important to know the history,” he added.
FIS racer Jeremy Nolting, winner of both Wilder Dwight downhills, values the history of legacy races like the Murphy Roberts Holiday Classic in his adopted hometown, Steamboat Springs.
Follow Madeleine, @Madski99 on BlueSky and X (formerly Twitter).
