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<\/p>\n The poster for the 2025 Ajax Cup was designed by local artist Estelle Sweeney. It features Olympian and Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club supporter Renie Gorsuch as a subject, and was unveiled at the opening reception of an art gallery featuring previous years\u2019 posters on Wednesday night at the Colorado Mountain College Aspen Art Gallery.\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n A new exhibit at the Colorado Mountain College Aspen Art Gallery is showcasing Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club\u2019s historic \u2014 and new \u2014 event posters for its marquee fundraiser and event, the Ajax Cup.<\/p>\n The dual giant slalom race is AVSC\u2019s big end-of-year fundraiser, bringing in more than $1 million for the club each December, and entering its 16th year. Its marketing materials are on display at CMC in the exhibit \u201cThe Art of Skiing: AVSC and the Ajax Cup.\u201d This year\u2019s poster, the first created by a public contest, also was unveiled at Wednesday night\u2019s opening reception.<\/p>\n Designed by local artist and photographer Estelle Sweeney, the poster nods to Aspen\u2019s ski history, incorporating elements from original Aspen lift tickets, vintage Patagonia magazine styles and a black-and-white Polaroid photo of Olympic skier and AVSC supporter Renie Gorsuch.<\/p>\n \u201cI was excited about the vintage theme and decided to focus on Renie,\u201d Sweeney said in an artist statement. \u201cI chose this photo of Renie shredding the course at the 1959 Women\u2019s National Downhill Championship, which she won. I paired the photo with old Aspen ski lift tickets, and I love how the colors work together with the black and white photo.\u201d<\/p>\n Gorsuch represented the U.S. in the 1960 Winter Olympic Games and, with her husband Dave Gorsuch, grew their first ski shop in Gunnison into a lifestyle brand across many small ski towns. The Gorsuch family annually donates hundreds of pairs of skis to AVSC to create accessibility to skiing for youth in the Roaring Fork Valley. The Ajax Cup\u2019s trophy is named the Gorsuch Cup. Renie Gorsuch passed away in 2023.<\/p>\n Sweeney was unable to attend Wednesday\u2019s unveiling, but Gorsuch\u2019s granddaughter Mariel Gorsuch did, noting that the poster\u2019s style aimed to \u201crevive the timeless aesthetic of badass women at the forefront of mountain culture.\u201d<\/p>\n Nearly 20 people entered submissions for the poster contest.\u00a0<\/p>\n The poster joins many of its predecessors on the CMC walls for the exhibition. The Ajax Cup\u2019s poster designs were previously designed by Rainy Day Designs\u2019 Erin Rigney.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were thrilled when CMC approached us to exhibit the posters and we are so pleased with this collaboration,\u201d Ash Farrington, AVSC stewardship director, said in a news release. \u201cWe\u2019re celebrating our 90th anniversary in 2027, and this was a great inspiration for us to dig into our files and closets and see what other powerful moments we can share.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n Courtesy of AVSC<\/span>
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