ROARING FORK BROADCASTING COMPANY
Jim Crown, whose executive roles included CEO of the parent company of Aspen Skiing Co., was killed Sunday in a vehicular crash at a racetrack in Woody Creek, the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office confirmed.
“Mr. Crown was involved in a motor vehicle crash at the Woody Creek racetrack resulting in fatal injuries,” said Undersheriff Alex Burchetta in a text message.
Crown was celebrating his 70th birthday on Sunday. He lived in Chicago and was a part-time resident of Pitkin County.
A press release from the county coroner's office issued at 9:23 p.m. said Crown was in a single-vehicle accident involving "a collision with an impact barrier.”
There will be an autopsy “although multiple blunt force trauma is evident,” the release said. “The manner is accident."
Burchetta declined to answer questions about what type of vehicle Crown was driving and whether he was driving alone in the vehicle, saying those details could not be released because there is an ongoing investigation.
“Our investigators are on scene currently along with the CO (Colorado) State Patrol and the Pitkin County Coroner’s Office. Due to the ongoing investigation there are few details I can share at the moment, except to confirm his passing,” he said shortly before 8 p.m.
A family representative issued a brief statement at 9 p.m. Sunday, just as the Aspen Daily News was meeting its press deadline.
“The Crown family is deeply saddened by the sudden passing of Jim Crown in an accident earlier today. The family requests that their privacy be respected at this difficult time. Further details regarding plans for a memorial to remember Jim’s remarkable life will be released at a later date,” the statement said.
The crash happened at Aspen Motorsports Park, which is a members-only club. The 50-acre park has a motocross track, go-kart track, an oval dirt rallycross track, and a 1.1-mile, eight-turn road course, according to the Aspen Motorsports Park’s website. The park is located on Raceway Road in Woody Creek.
Crown, who turned 70 on Sunday, was chairman and chief executive officer of Henry Crown and Co., which has diverse interests ranging from Aspen Skiing Co. to a large ownership stake in General Dynamics Corp. Forbes estimated the Chicago family’s fortune at $10.2 billion in 2020.
In Aspen, Crown was best known as the managing partner of Aspen Skiing Co. He worked closely with former SkiCo CEOs Bob Maynard, Pat O’Donnell and Mike Kaplan after the Crown family bought out other ownership interests in the company in 1993.
The Crown family was 50% owners of SkiCo from the time they bought into the company in 1985 until 1993. Crown’s first major interaction with the Aspen community was in 1987 when he stepped up to respond to widespread community anger over SkiCo pricing policies. However, his style was to defer questions about the ski operation to upper management of the company.
That temporarily changed in 2004 when Jim Crown took a very public role in lobbying for approval for the Snowmass Base Village proposal. He insisted the base village development was needed to re-energize Snowmass and draw more tourists to the ski area with the most capacity. The development received voter approval and, despite running into setbacks, has been completed.
Former SkiCo President and CEO Mike Kaplan said on numerous occasions that Aspen was lucky to have the Crowns as owners and specifically credited Jim Crown for his leadership.
Crown participated in key public events involving SkiCo in recent seasons. He was a featured speaker in a celebration on Jan. 11 for the 75th anniversary of the creation of Aspen Skiing Co.’s predecessor corporation and lift-served skiing.
He also gave a short speech at the grand opening at the new skier services building at Buttermilk last February. Crown shared how great it was watching his 2-year-old grandson learn how to ski at Buttermilk that winter.
Crown was a member of the Aspen Institute board of trustees and chairman emeritus. His biography with the institute said he was chairman and CEO of Henry Crown and Co., which has vast holdings in public and private securities, real estate and operating companies. He served as the lead director of General Dynamics Corp. and was a director of JPMorgan Chase.
The institute biography said Crown received his B.A. in political science in 1976 from Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts. He received his law degree in 1980 from Stanford Law School. After he graduated from law school, he joined Salomon Brothers Inc. in New York City as an associate.
“In April 1985 he returned to Chicago to join his family’s investment firm,” the biography said. “Crown has been married to the former Paula Hannaway since 1985. He and Paula have four children.”
The Aspen Daily News will update this story as more information becomes available.
By Rick Carroll and Scott Condon, Aspen Daily News Staff Writers