Jeff Isaacson stands outside the Ashcroft Ski Touring King Cabin in December 2022. He started working at the cross-country ski center around 1987 and was often the first person to greet skiers and snowshoers before their adventures. Courtesy of Trevor Washko

For nearly 40 years, Jeff Isaacson was the first person to welcome cross-country skiers and snowshoers when they arrived at Ashcroft’s King Cabin — and, often, the last one to see them off after a vigorous schlep through the woods.

As manager of the Nordic center located up the Castle Creek Valley near Aspen, Isaacson was so embedded in this ghost town-turned-adventure hub that he became synonymous with the place itself.

“I never knew winter at Ashcroft without Jeff,” said Johnny Wilcox, the general manager of the ski touring center

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