Aspen ski mountaineer Chris Davenport will be inducted into the Colorado Snowsports Hall of Fame Saturday night in a gala at the Vail Marriott Mountain Resort. The 46-year-old New Hampshire native moved to Aspen after graduating from the the University of Colorado, where he raced on the ski team.
Davenport has a long list of accomplishments, including becoming the first to ski all of Colorado’s Fourteeners in a 12-month period in 2007. Eight years later he completed skiing the 100 highest Colorado peaks. He has appeared in dozens of ski films and is a two-time world champion in extreme skiing. He was inducted into the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of fame in 2014.
Davenport is a passionate and thoughtful voice for skiing as a metaphor for life. He talked to The Denver Post this week about giving back, passing on his passion for adventure to his kids and finding peace in the mountains.
Q: You have always been an eloquent spokesman for the power of the mountains and the skiing life. Your skiing is not just about your quests or your pleasure, is it?
A: I do see myself as an ambassador for the sport. When I use the word ambassador, it implies that I want to promote all of the great things that skiing does and can do for people and for families. I think skiing is a wonderful release from the everyday stresses and strains of society. It brings families together, teaches us a lot about ourselves and a lot of self-confidence. I matured a lot through the processes of learning to be a skier, whether it was through ski racing and working with my coaches or through guiding and taking people into the outdoors, understanding how to show them a great time while keeping them safe. The sport has defined my life and who I have become as a person.
I’ve always felt this sense of giving back. That remains the most important thing to me. I love the opportunity to make sure that kids in the future can get the same things out of the sport that I was able to, not just that physical activity of gliding down the mountain but all the other things it can teach us as well. Those all remain super important to me.
Q: You climbed Mount Everest in 2011 and skied part of it. We all have Everests in our lives. We can learn a lot about conquering our fears through mountain adventures, and that is part of your message, isn’t it?
A: I’ve always loved the concept of discovering human potential. What do we really have within us that we can tease out through experiences or education? The idea of living outside of any box or preconceived notions — going out there to discover how you can be the best version of yourself — is really important to me. So taking on challenges like the fourteeners or the centennial peaks (100 highest in Colorado) or guiding on Mount Everest or lecturing to organizations about managing risk, those are things I find challenging and rewarding.
The more you discover about yourself, it’s sort of self-perpetuating. I feel like I’m getting my master’s degree in skiing but I’m never going to graduate. I’m just going to keep learning, keep being that student of the sport and keep giving back.
Q: There are lessons we learn in the mountains, especially about ourselves, but we also do these things in spectacular beauty. You have pursued your passion in some of the most majestic places on the planet. What has that been like?
A: That’s been a big part of my love for the sport. Mountains and natural beauty and the connection to nature have been woven into my DNA since I was a little kid. I find the most peace and solace and focus when I’m out there, especially in this day and age when we are surrounded by distraction and technology. I do it because it makes me feel good. I do it because there’s challenge involved, and oftentimes it shows me what I’m capable of — or not capable of.
Being passionate about something is, I think, a really important human trait. It’s one of the main things I’ve tried to pass on to my children. I tell them, I don’t really care what it is you do with your life as long as you love something, as long as you are passionate about something, that is fantastic. For me, it’s been mountains and being a well-rounded practitioner of mountain sports.
Q: How did you feel when you were notified of your selection for the Colorado Snowsports Hall of Fame?
A: Of course I was excited. I’m happy to support the hall, and the thing that means the most to me is the support of ski history as it pertains to Colorado. It’s something that I’m passionate about. To be added to this long list of people who have made a contribution to the sport is a real honor.
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Also being inducted into the Colorado Snowsports Hall of Fame Saturday night in Vail:
Walt Evans, a former executive director of the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club who spent decades serving the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Association’s competition programs, including as the National Competition Director.
Dave Stapleton, longtime Aspen ski racing official and administrator.
Chris Diamond, recently retired president of the Steamboat Ski Resort.
Diane Boyer, owner and president of ski apparel maker SKEA Ltd. who served on the board of Snowsports Industries America from 1998-2009.
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