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Looking for Hunter S. Thompson

“Writer Hunter S. Thompson, the king of gonzo journalism, was not a skier, so why did he choose to live in Aspen?” The Guardian searches for the ski-resort counterculture.

“Hunter S. Thompson went skiing only once, even though he spent almost four decades living up the road from some of the most highly rated ski terrain on the planet. Tim Mooney, his old friend, grins as he recounts the day. ‘Most of his friends skied, so they decided to take him to the top of Aspen mountain and push him off. He made three 40mph crashes and never went back. He wouldn’t have wanted it any other way—none of this ‘go to Buttermilk [a beginners’ resort nearby] and learn’ nonsense.’ This was, after all, the man who once said: ‘At the top of the mountain, we are all snow leopards.'”


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