5:48
Morning Edition host Eleanor Bennett talks with recently retired Aspen Highlands Patrol Director, Mac Smith, about his memories of growing up on the mountain and running the ski patrol for four decades.
Aspen Highlands Ski Patrol Director Mac Smith passed the baton on Jan. 31 after 42 seasons on the job. Though, he will remain on the patrol during the winters and help as needed throughout the next several years.
He first stepped foot on Highlands when he was only 8-years-old, and got his start on the mountain washing dishes at the Merry-Go-Round restaurant after graduating from Basalt High School in 1971.
“I fell in love with the mountain in my teenage years,” Smith said. “It’s got more of my blood, sweat and tears into that place than anything else in my life.”