Aspen Peak - Niche Media - Aspen living at its peak
Issue link: http://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/417540
photography by billy rood Honor role: Mayor Steve Skadron came to Aspen to ski. While he got what he was looking for, he also got a lot more: a future at the helm of the city he loves. It's an old Aspen story: Ski bum catches cheap f light to Aspen for a vacation, sleeps on a friend's sofa for a few nights, and then never leaves. "[All] I had [were] a pair of K2 TRC Comp 195s and Solomon SX82 rear-entry boots," laughs Steve Skadron, whose journey began in 1995. The O. Henry twist on this tale is that less than two decades later, Skadron was elected mayor of Aspen, one of the most fabled ski towns in the world. "I still smile a little when someone calls me mayor. It's something I still haven't gotten used to, and I hope I never do," says the impish, curly haired incumbent, who looks decades younger than his 52 years. "It is such a privilege to be able to serve this community." Under Skadron's leadership, Aspen has focused on moving closer to its 100 percent renewable energy goals and has tightened building codes that threatened its small-town character. In addition, he has initiated plans to help maintain Aspen's position in the outdoor sports arena. "I'm currently spearheading an economic development program focusing on uphill sports and building an uphill economy," he says. Skadron grew up in Minnesota and developed a passion for the wild that was nurtured by summers spent in a family cabin on a remote Wisconsin lake. It is his lifelong love for the outdoors that informs his governance to this day. "I do my best thinking in the backcountry," says the long-distance runner and ski touring enthusiast. "If you live in a ski town, you should have a relationship with the mountain." It was a chance encounter at a Saturday-morning yoga class that sparked Skadron's turn to public service. "I was working in marketing and I had wanted to get involved with the commu- nity," he recalls. On the mat next to him was the incumbent mayor, Helen Klanderud. "I asked her how to get involved and she told me to check out the Planning and Zoning Commission. I had no idea what that was, but I went and signed up." Four years of service gave him a feel for the community and how to continued on page 102 POLL STAR New YouNg MAYOR STEVE SKADRON IS DeTeRMINeD To PuT ASPeN oN THe "LeADINg-eDge" NATIoNAL MAP AND STILL FIND TIMe FoR HIS FIRST PASSIoN: SKIINg. bY KEllY j. hAYES aspenpeak-magazine.com 101 PEOPLE View from the Top