If you’ve been watching the FIS Alpine World Cup Winternational women’s slalom and giant slalom event at Aspen this weekend you may have wondered why the winner gets a Christmas tree…
The Colorado Blue Spruce isn’t any old Christmas Tree, it’s a young sapling ripe for the planting in the Aspen Grove of Champions, created in 2009 to honour each winner of the FIS World Cup held in Aspen.
The grove can be found skier’s left on lower Norway near Lift 1A below the timer’s shack. The commemorative grove also honours Andrea Mead Lawrence, an Olympic gold medalist ski racer who lived in Aspen back in the 1960s.
Having a tree planted in your winning honour sure beats a box of chocolates for a prize, and it’s better for the planet too.
Lara Gut being presented with her Colorado Blue Spruce
Mikaela Shiffrin and her Colorado Blue Spruce
