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27-541: Aspen Highlands was founded and the land developed in 1958 by Aspen resident Whip Jones . In 1993 Jones donated it to his alma mater, Harvard University . Harvard sold the resort to Houston , Texas developer Gerald D. Hines for $ 18.3 million. It later became part of the Aspen Skiing Company . Aspen Highlands has become most famous for the Highland Bowl and other experts only terrain. However,

54-470: A better life. The two friends quickly become Aspen ski instructors, but women, drugs, and job troubles threaten to destroy their relationship. Along the way, TJ tries to realize his dream of becoming a professional writer, and the pair train for the upcoming Powder 8 ski competition. The supporting cast includes Finola Hughes , Teri Polo , William Russ , and Trevor Eve . The cover of the US video release quotes

81-415: A school client (a poor skier who ends up sliding out of control into downtown Aspen), Dexter is suspended from the school and eventually links up with the wrong crowd, including Tina, a beautiful girl with a mysterious background. Hard up for cash, Dexter reluctantly accepts an offer to act as a drug courier. When he gets spooked and dumps the drugs, he is assaulted in retribution and left to freeze outdoors in

108-707: A ski instructor in Aspen, Colorado where among his pupils was Walt Disney Pictures chairman, Michael Eisner , who later agreed to distribute the picture through Disney’s Buena Vista Pictures Distribution, Inc. Principal photography began in March 1992 with filming in Aspen and other skiing communities, such as Snowmass, Ajax, Highlands, and Buttermilk, with additional shooting at the Ford Truck Plant in Wayne, Michigan ,

135-603: A skier to visit Aspen Skiing's three mountains and Aspen Highlands. However, the rival companies were unable to agree on a means to administer this program and distribute proceeds. In 1978, Aspen Skiing decided to discontinue the all-Aspen ticket, and to instead sell only the ticket to the three Aspen Skiing mountains. Aspen Skiing also refused to sell Aspen Highlands any lift tickets to the Aspen Skiing mountains (even at full price), thereby preventing Aspen Highlands from offering its own multi-mountain package. The issue made it to

162-518: Is sought out by a newly hired young ski instructor to be his partner in the Powder 8. They win the competition, beating T.J.'s nemesis throughout the movie. The victory is bittersweet, as he remembers the dream that he and Dexter had of winning the Powder 8, and in the end, he and Robin reconcile as he finally reveals that he loves her. Writer and debut director Patrick Hasburgh developed the screenplay for Aspen Extreme based on his experiences working as

189-652: The Seattle Times as referring to the film as " Top Gun on the Ski Slopes." T.J. Burke tires of his auto assembly worker job in Detroit, quits, and convinces his friend Dexter Rutecki to move with him to Aspen. After succeeding in the new instructor tryouts for the Aspen Ski School, they both become ski instructors, although T.J. secretly intercedes on Dexter's behalf. While T.J. advances to become

216-592: The Aspen Skiing Company . Jones was also a philanthropist , and was inducted into The Colorado Ski Hall of Fame and The Aspen Hall of Fame for his work with Aspen Highlands. Jones was born in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin , to Esther Olin Whipple (1884–1977) and Frank William Jones I (1876–1936). He was a 1932 graduate of Harvard University . Jones was the builder and the owner of the Aspen Highlands , one of

243-661: The US Supreme Court and was decided as 472 U.S. 585 (1985) with Jones winning over $ 10 million in treble damages. On June 29, 2001 he died in Tallahassee, Florida . Jones donated the Highlands to Harvard University in 1992. The $ 18.3 million gift remains one of the largest donations the University has ever received. The proceeds endow the "Whipple V.N. Jones Cornerstone Scholarship Fund" and

270-406: The "Whipple V.N. Jones Professor of Economics Chair" once held by Andrei Shleifer [1] and currently held by Xiao-Li Meng . Aspen Extreme Aspen Extreme is a 1993 American drama film written and directed by Patrick Hasburgh . The plot is about two ski buddies, T.J. Burke ( Paul Gross ) and Dexter Rutecki ( Peter Berg ), who move from Brighton, Michigan to Aspen, Colorado to seek

297-627: The 2005–2006 season The Aspen Skiing Company completed work on the new fixed grip triple lift " Deep Temerity ". The $ 2.7 million project eliminated the lengthy trek out from the bottom of the Highland Bowl, the Temerity glades, and Steeplechase. 180 acres (0.73 km) of new terrain accompany the Deep Temerity lift for the 05–06 season, with the ultimate potential for 270 acres (1.1 km) of new terrain. This will push Aspen Highlands' total area over 1,000 acres (4.0 km). Aspen Highlands,

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324-465: The Aspen winter. Again, T.J. rescues him, by paying off the drug guys with money borrowed from Bryce. T.J. then moves out of the house he shared with Dexter, and in with Bryce, who purchased his companionship with the loan. After spending some interminable and unsatisfying time with Bryce, T.J. and Dexter awkwardly rekindle their friendship and reset their goal to win the Powder 8 competition. T.J. and Dexter decide to ski out of bounds in order to train for

351-485: The Bowl and conducts avalanche control for skier safety. The Bowl faces primarily east, towards Aspen Mountain. Generally, the best snow to be found is in the north-facing G-Zones ("G" corresponds to green ski wax, for the coldest temperature snow). The B-Zones (for blue wax) face east and descend down the center of the bowl from the 12,392 ft (3,777 m) summit of Highland Peak. The south-facing Y-Zones (yellow wax), are

378-476: The Bowl wasn't completely opened until 2002. Most of the mountain's terrain flows off of the narrow ridge extending from Highland Peak . Rolling wide intermediate trails through thick lodgepole pine forest constitute most of the mid-to-lower mountain terrain. The very bottom of the mountain is dominated by the Thunderbowl, an expansive steep intermediate run that normally hosts most of the ski competitions on

405-590: The Mt. Brighton ski area, and the surrounding suburbs. Avalanche and rescue scenes were filmed over four days on a sound stage in North Hollywood, CA. The backcountry and bowl skiing sequences were filmed at Aspen Highlands with the permission of owner Whip Jones and Alta Ski Area . Big mountain extreme skiers Scot Schmidt and Doug Coombs (and several others) are credited as (stand-in) skiers. Aspen Extreme received negative reviews from critics and holds

432-658: The Olympic bowl which contains steep slopes in and out of glades. Views of the Maroon Bells , Pyramid Peak , Hayden Mountain , and the Highland Bowl greet skiers at the summit. Since 2002, the Highland Bowl has been the crown jewel of Aspen Highlands. Most of the terrain is accessed only by hiking from the top of Loge Peak, although a snowcat can cut the distance by a third. Including the hike-to terrain in Highland Bowl, Highlands' skiable vertical descent increases to 4,342 feet (1,323 m). The Highlands ski patrol monitors

459-429: The famous Aspen Powder 8 competition, T.J. and Dexter agree to team up to try to win the next season's award. While skiing out of bounds, T.J. falls into a large sinkhole in the snow, plunging many feet into a stream. Dexter rescues him, and because skiing out of bounds would get them fired, takes him to Robin's house so she can patch him up without notifying the ski school director. Somewhat later, after losing control of

486-459: The four ski areas of Aspen, Colorado. Jones started the project on his own, and laid out a well-balanced set of ski runs: 25% beginner, 50% intermediate, 25% advanced. Jones financed the project by selling the lumber from the cleared ski runs and using low cost labor. The base area of Highlands Mountain is located 1 + 1 ⁄ 2 miles from the village of Aspen. Throughout his ownership, Aspen Highlands and founder Jones remained at odds with

513-486: The local rival Aspen Skiing Company , which owned and operated the three other ski areas Aspen Mountain (Ajax) , Buttermilk and Snowmass in Aspen, with Jones owning the remaining independent ski area, Aspen Highlands . In 1979, Jones sued the Aspen Skiing Company , alleging violations of the Sherman Act . Aspen Highlands and Aspen Skiing had, for several years, cooperated to sell an "all-Aspen" ticket that allowed

540-431: The mid-mountain as well as Scarlett's, a mogul run. The summit of Cloud Nine lift is the location of Cloud Nine Bistro, with views of the Maroon Bells . As of December 2017, Aspen Highlands has changed its trail map so that there is no more beginner terrain. This is presumably to encourage novice skiers to go to Buttermilk or Snowmass. What attracts most skiers to Highlands is the dramatic, just-above-timberline summit of

567-422: The most popular instructor of the school during the season, he has to constantly watch out for Dexter, whose social skills are less honed and whose future is less bright. Along the way, they meet the young local radio DJ (Robin, played by Teri Polo ) as well as a rich cougar-ish woman (Bryce, played by Finola Hughes ), who selects the most desirable new instructor each year for her latest plaything. After watching

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594-501: The mountain. The lower mountain also contains challenging expert runs such as Lower Stein, Golden Horn Woods, and The P-Chutes. It is served by the Exhibition and Thunderbowl lifts. The Mid-Mountain area is anchored by the 60s era Merry-Go-Round restaurant, with a large, south-facing deck. The Merry-Go-Round also serves as the hub of the major chairlifts on mountain. The Cloud Nine lift serves primarily intermediate and difficult runs on

621-521: The mountain. The upper mountain is primarily served by the Loge Peak high speed quad originating at the Merry-Go-Round. The ridge that extends down from Loge Peak (the lift-served summit) has only one intermediate run, Broadway, which follows the ridge spine. On the skiers' right side is Steeplechase, an area of long and steep terrain with some runs reaching upwards of 45 degrees. Farther down is

648-681: The steepest, with slopes as steep as 48 degrees, according to Aspen Highlands trail maps. These can be skied without hiking. Prior to the construction of the Deep Temerity lift in 2005, a run down the Highland Bowl required then taking the Grand Traverse, a long, flat catwalk, to get back to the Loge Peak lift. The Highland Bowl also offers access from the summit into the steep and highly avalanche prone backcountry Five Fingers Bowl. On March 31, 1984, ski patrolmen Chris Kessler, Tom Snyder, and Craig Soddy were completing avalanche control work in Highland Bowl. The three set off explosive charges near

675-408: The top of the Bowl. Their bombs yielded no sign of danger and they continued to do explosive work. Their second explosion triggered a slide and before the three could escape an avalanche fell from above them. All three died. A monument in their memory has been erected near the top of the Loge Peak lift above the ski runs named in their honor (Kessler's Bowl, Snyder's Ridge, and Soddbuster). Just before

702-558: The upcoming event. While skiing outside the boundaries of Aspen, T.J. and Dexter set off an avalanche. Dexter suffers a tragic demise, while T.J. escapes with minor injuries. Later, in deep depression, T.J. comes to realize how his relationship with Bryce had no particular meaning, and writes of his and Dexter's friendship. The article is published in a major ski magazine, finally providing T.J. with some satisfaction for his writing efforts after many prior rejections. His friendship with Robin also reawakens, as they both mourn Dexter's loss. T.J.

729-417: Was the backdrop for the bowl skiing in the 1993 movie Aspen Extreme . Whip Jones Whipple Van Ness "Whip" Jones (November 8, 1909 – June 29, 2001) was a ski industry pioneer, founder, developer and the original operator for 35 years, of the Aspen Highlands ski area in Aspen , Colorado . Whip Jones and the company he founded, Aspen Highlands, won a US Supreme Court case against his rival,

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